[roberet44]

After 320 rounds fired with no failures on my latest slide/barrel/frame combination of my P3AT, the assembly pin came loose and the slide locked up on the frame. At first, I thought the recoil spring guide fell out of place, but after taking the frame out of the grip it seems to be in place. The slide will not move and I am afraid of using too much force on it.

I was using a moderate powered handload of 4.1 gr of AutoComp behind a 100 gr. Berry's bullet (moderate crimp).

I have the weapon boxed for shipment to KelTec and will ship it back unless any of the resident experts have some things I can try. Your recommendations will be appreciated.

I have no problem waiting a few months for repair as I still have a PF9, P11 and a S&W snubnose to carry.

 

[Sangueffusor]

I'm not an expert, but if the assembly pin is out and in one piece, a rubber mallet to the back of the slide may work.

 

[movieman1500]

Is it stuck in place, Back or forward, anything bulging? As S said a soft mallet should be fine. Pics always help the troubleshooting process

 

[Mikelecka]

4.1 grains of powder? ho!

 

[roberet44]

Thank you! One soft shot with the rubber mallet did it.

Mikelecka, does 4.1 of Autocomp seem stout? I pulled
the loading info. off the Hodgdon site. They advised up
to 4.3 grs. with 100 grain FMJ. My Berry's bullet is plated,
however.

 

[Ka6otm]

Thank you! One soft shot with the rubber mallet did it.

Mikelecka, does 4.1 of Autocomp seem stout? I pulled
the loading info. off the Hodgdon site. They advised up
to 4.3 grs. with 100 grain FMJ. My Berry's bullet is plated,
however.

It's not too hot according to Winchester themselves:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

100 GR. HDY FMJ Winchester AutoComp .355" .980" 3.8 822 11,000 CUP 4.2 934 14,400 CUP

They list 4.2 grains max, so you were around max. That's probably okay as far as pressure goes, but a little too hot for a Berry's plated bullet. You shouldn't go over 4.0 grains maximum with it.

From the FAQ on Berry's website:
http://www.berrysmfg.com/faq-q9-c1-How_do_I_load_Berrys_Preferred_Plated_Bullets.aspx

Plated bullets occupy a position between cast bullets and jacketed bullets. They are soft lead, but have a hard outer shell on them. When loading plated bullets we have found best results using low- to mid-range jacketed data in the load manual. You must use data for a bullet that has the same weight and profile as the one you are loading. Do not exceed mid-range loads. Do not use magnum loads.

 

[roberet44]

Thank you. I'll cut down the load.

 

[Mikelecka]

ka60tm, I been learning from you and bullit, maybe 4 max for a bunch of plinking. I ordered 100 lead bullets, I wanta try 50 in kt380 and 50 in 9mm. Ya can give me some tips on that. Winchester 231.

 

[Ka6otm]

ka60tm, I been learning from you and bullit, maybe 4 max for a bunch of plinking. I ordered 100 lead bullets, I wanta try 50 in kt380 and 50 in 9mm. Ya can give me some tips on that. Winchester 231.

What bullet weight and bullet type? i.e., RN, SWC, HP...

 

[Mikelecka]

I am doing 3cc lee scoop, Winchester 231,Winchester primers,, rd flat nose , total metal jacket(whole bullet covered), 100 grn extreme(1000 for 74$ TTD)..Shot over 1000 of em. And loaded 400 of same bullet in 9mm, with LEE 5 cc.. Ain't never weighed, scoop works great, even scooped up some hot one too! Never a issue..

 

[MphsTiger1981]

Thank you. I'll cut down the load.

robert,

You probably already know this, but if you're in doubt, you can actually contact Berry's direct by email on their website and give them the information about which particular powder and bullet you intend to use, and they are very good about responding with safe recipes. I've used them twice and was very pleased with their feedback.

best,

Tiger

 

[roberet44]

I have the P3AT back up and running. The problem has to be attributed to "pilot error", I screwed up. I determined that my powder measure got out of calibration and I was using far more Autocomp than I thought. Fortunately, I didn't bust the pistol.

No MphsTiger1981, I did not know about getting that information from Berry's! I will consult them in the future.