GT's perspective as a high volume/round count shooter ought complement the BH Solutions videos nicely giving us a pretty good idea of what to expect with this pistol. Although I thought BH did a really thorough job of identifying issues.
GT's perspective as a high volume/round count shooter ought complement the BH Solutions videos nicely giving us a pretty good idea of what to expect with this pistol. Although I thought BH did a really thorough job of identifying issues.
All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
No one is coming. It is up to us.
On Instagram Garand Thumb was saying he was having failures to extract on his.
Originally Posted by MattyD380
https://youtu.be/-1fNG57ZtFQ
Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
FIFU
The YouTube video was good (I skipped over the initial live-ammo LARPing). The extractor becoming unreliable after 800 or so rounds sounds like a "the customers are the beta testers of the initial production run" issue that seems to be increasingly common.
I didn't dig into the other videos, so I don't know if this is an issue that gets fixed by putting in another extractor from another source or sending it back to the factory.
If that's the only serious issue with the gun, I'm still interested.*
* I might not have been earlier, but since I have a new 66-8 that's on it's second two-month-long to the factory for warranty work, changing out an extractor doesn't seem like anywhere near as big a deal.
I think I値l wait until some time in 2022 before I try to pick one of these up. Hopefully the initial issues are worked out by then.
My posts only represent my personal opinion and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or official policies of any employer, past or present. Obvious spelling errors are likely the result of an iPhone keyboard.
I値l probably wait until 2022 mostly for availability and for the price to normalize.
Perhaps folks will be so disappointed, they'll sell them off at a decent price point.
If I was going to buy, say an FEG, or Israeli gun, it'd likely need some work... I'd use a first round SA-35 as a project pistol just as well.
"... And miles to go before I sleep".
BHSpringSolutions is having extractor issues with their 2nd example, as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_00Ad_JRJ8
The first one they tested made it a few hundred rounds before it had problems... this one is a mess right off the bat. The suck-fest begins right around 7:30.
I know Youtube gun reviews are "grain of salt" territory. Nevertheless... this thing is a definite "no thanks" for me at this point.
I watched Garand Thumb's video and picked mine up on Sunday anyway. Went to the range with a stack of mags and a FN Browning. Some things worked well, some not so much. No complaints on the ergonomics and feel, but there were some functioning issues that I think will be fixable. All but one...maybe. Accuracy was acceptable, grouping a couple inches to the left at 15yards so some minor sight adjustment. It fed round nose ball and flat nose 147gr just fine.
1. Magazines. It comes with one Mecgar so of course my Mecgar branded mags were fine. None of my OEM Browning or FN mags fit. The magwell was too tight. That will get a call to SA tomorrow. I haven't heard that as a problem from any of the online reviews so either they took it on faith that Browning mags worked, never tried them, or in fact they did fit in their guns. I took off the grips and if you aren't familiar with the Hi Power, there is a flat spring at the back of the mag well that provides tension to the sear. I think that may be what is pressing against the magazine and preventing easy insertion and ejection of the magazine. I need to disassemble an OEM gun that handles both magazines and put it in the SA35. If that solves the problem, it is an easy and relatively inexpensive fix at about $16. The extractor is $26.
2. Thumb safety. The safety feels good, but I noticed a heavier trigger pull on the 2nd shot than the 1st. The safety position is not the same as a 1911 and for me at least, it doesn't work to rest my thumb on top of the safety, so it is under. With recoil, my thumb edges the the safety up just a scosh (close to, but more than a RCH). The gun runs, it fires, but it makes the trigger pull harder as the sear has to push the safety back down that little bit. I'll have to search for a solution. Either slight alteration of my grip or mechanical alteration and the latter gives me misgivings. If changing my grip a little solves the safety/hard trigger issue, I think I'm good.
3. Garand Thumb particularly noted the extractor as a problem and I experienced it several times in less than 100 rds. The extractor failed to extract and running the slide wouldn't cause it to snap over and extract. But the fired case would fall out of the chamber once the slide was open and the gun was tipped. The other people who complained about this replaced the extractor with a Browning/FN extractor and the problem was solved. So that is the easiest.
Am I disappointed? Yes. There is a lot of positive to this gun, so any failings are disappointing, but it is very likely this will be limited to the early production guns. Garand Thumb noted it on mid 500 serial numbered guns. Mine is mid 1700. I called SA this morning and got an RMA for them to fix it. We'll see.
Reply With Quote