1986s4
09-16-2018, 03:36 PM
Pistol: late 2012 Colt .38 Super Auto
Rounds: 1550
Malfunctions: 5 failure to go into battery, all recent.
Stoppage: Blown case head
Breakage: Zero
I say almost because I called it at 1550 rounds. The reason being I was going to shoot a 2 gun match today in rather hot weather and didn't want any malfunctions however minor they may have been. This challenge started late last fall, sometime mid November. In January of 2018 I was shooting a 2 gun match and I experienced a blown case head. The pistol had to be pounded open and much lubrication was lost in handling. In keeping in the spirit of the test I did not reapply any. The gun finished the match without further issues. The ammo was my own reloads and I experimenting with very fast powder, lesson learned. All that experimentation did pay off with a load that is very reliable when the gun is dirty and accurate out to 50m and beyond.
I then took a long hiatus from the .38 super to run my revolvers so it sat unused for several months. Then back to the super for more matches because the match director started putting more emphasis on pistol shooting with higher round counts.
I noticed the lube, what was left of it, was getting dry which has manifested itself in a few failure to go into battery. So in my competitive zeal I applied a drop of oil to the slide rails just before the match while at the range. It was hot and I didn't want the dryness to cause any stoppages. This ended the test.
This is my third and last 2000 round test with this pistol, it has proven itself. I still haven't cleaned it, just 2 drops of Slip 2000 I had in my range bag. We'll see how far it goes without cleaning and I'll lube it just enough to keep it reliable. The Wilson shock buff and #15 flatwire recoil spring have more than 2000 rounds on them so I may take it apart for inspection.
Rounds: 1550
Malfunctions: 5 failure to go into battery, all recent.
Stoppage: Blown case head
Breakage: Zero
I say almost because I called it at 1550 rounds. The reason being I was going to shoot a 2 gun match today in rather hot weather and didn't want any malfunctions however minor they may have been. This challenge started late last fall, sometime mid November. In January of 2018 I was shooting a 2 gun match and I experienced a blown case head. The pistol had to be pounded open and much lubrication was lost in handling. In keeping in the spirit of the test I did not reapply any. The gun finished the match without further issues. The ammo was my own reloads and I experimenting with very fast powder, lesson learned. All that experimentation did pay off with a load that is very reliable when the gun is dirty and accurate out to 50m and beyond.
I then took a long hiatus from the .38 super to run my revolvers so it sat unused for several months. Then back to the super for more matches because the match director started putting more emphasis on pistol shooting with higher round counts.
I noticed the lube, what was left of it, was getting dry which has manifested itself in a few failure to go into battery. So in my competitive zeal I applied a drop of oil to the slide rails just before the match while at the range. It was hot and I didn't want the dryness to cause any stoppages. This ended the test.
This is my third and last 2000 round test with this pistol, it has proven itself. I still haven't cleaned it, just 2 drops of Slip 2000 I had in my range bag. We'll see how far it goes without cleaning and I'll lube it just enough to keep it reliable. The Wilson shock buff and #15 flatwire recoil spring have more than 2000 rounds on them so I may take it apart for inspection.