I heard from Larry Seecamp!

Kentucky Rifle · February 13, 2001, 09:05 PM

He finally called me in regards to my keyholing problem. He told me that he had been having lots of pistols come back with keyholing problems. He seemed genuinely concerned. He said that he had done some research and the problem seemed to be caused by the Silvertips that Winchester has been putting out. Either through sabotage or just a mistake, several "lots" of Silvertips have left the factory with either a bad crimp or no crimp at all. Thus, when the slide strips the cartridge off the top of the magazine and it hits the feed ramp, it sets the bullet back and this is what makes the little pistols keyhole. He told me that almost every keyholing pistol that had came back to the Seecamp factory had been "cured" by swtching to Gold Dots! Naturally, I ran out and purchased several boxes of Gold Dots to test in my pistol. Where the Hydra-Shoks I had tried had jammed immediately, the Gold Dots went in like they were greased. I was delighted! Then, my back went out and I haven't been able to get off this blasted heating pad long enough to get to the range.

It's starting to feel a little better. I'll post the results after I get to the range. (Hopefully this weekend.)

Kentucky Rifle

BBBBill · February 13, 2001, 10:02 PM

KR, I hope it wasn't totin' around that ol' SEECAMP what flung yer back out.

johnwill · February 13, 2001, 10:07 PM

I doubt it was carrying the Seecamp, it probably was the shock of actually hearing from Larry Seecamp! That's about as rare as a sighting of the Loch Ness Monster!

Kentucky Rifle · February 14, 2001, 01:28 AM

He seemed like a really nice guy. I don't think he hides behind the FAX machine or anything like that. I just think he is a genuinely eccentric fellow. Most geniuses are. I just think that he forgets his mail sometimes. What're you going to do? I couldn't help it, I LIKED him, right off the bat.

Kentucky Rifle

Kentucky Rifle · February 14, 2001, 01:09 PM

I don't think it was the 12 ounces the Seecamp weighs that screwed up my back. (AGAIN!!!) But, I wouldn't doubt it! Sometimes, a sneeze does it. Once it happened when I was standing in the shower! I was trapped and nude in a cold shower until my wife got home! What a "GREAT" feeling.

KR

BBBBill · February 14, 2001, 03:13 PM

I can empathize. I broke my back on a jump in '81. The Army told me it was muscle strain. Nine months later, after I PCSed to another post, I couldn't get out of the rack one morning. THEN they decide that it was broken. I'm about 1.25" shorter now. Good days...bad days.

Rodmann · February 14, 2001, 06:36 PM

The slide on my Seecamp 32 developed a crack (weak side, aligned with the breech) after shooting some Silvertips. I sent a fax to Larry describing the problem. Within 20 minutes after sending the FAX, Larry actually gave me a phone call letting me know that he received my FAX, and he asked me what the serial number of my pistol was!! Apparently there is an upgraded slide modification that they now use on their .32's and Larry said that they will replace the slide with a new upgraded slide for free…just send in the pistol. I sent the pistol off to them and within 1.5 months received the pistol back...new slide and all.
-R

Gromit · February 15, 2001, 04:47 PM

Could someone tell me what "keyholing" is? I'm a little concerned- my brother just bought a seecamp and a case of winchester silvertips but hasn't shot the gun yet. I told him to wait so I can find out if there will be any potential problems. Thanks

Kentucky Rifle · February 15, 2001, 05:59 PM

Keyholing just means that the bullets are tumbling as they fly
toward the target. It's pretty easy to see if his Seecamp is doing it or not.
Instead of nice little .32 caliber holes in the target, the holes will look like "tears" or keyholes. Sometimes, a bullet hole will look like a perfect "sideways" cut-out of the bullet. I was shooting in the lane next to my wife. She was shooting her .38 caliber snub. The holes my .32 caliber Seecamp were making in my target were LARGER than the .38 caliber holes in her target.
As I explained, Seecamp told me that there had been "crimp" problems with Silvertips and that Gold Dots solved the tumbling problem 99% of the time. I still haven't gotten to the range to try the G-D's I purchased last week. This bad back thing has me trapped like a rat in a trap. I'm getting pissed!

KR

[Edited by Kentucky Rifle on 02-15-2001 at 11:44 PM]

Kentucky Rifle · February 15, 2001, 06:09 PM

It still blows me away that the Hydra-Shoks didn't work. I put a H-S and a Silvertip on a flat serface and they to be looked exactly the same length and profile. However, the H-S jammed immediately! I could not get even ONE H-S to chamber. The Gold Dots are a little shorter, but they chambered really slickly. Amazing!

KR

johnwill · February 15, 2001, 08:36 PM

Keltec P32, I haven't found any .32ACP ammo that it won't feed.

Kentucky Rifle · February 15, 2001, 11:50 PM

You know I own a P-32 also. (And a Guardian.) And yes, I've noticed that there is nothing that it chokes on. It's loaded with Magsafes right now.
But a guy just NEEDS several pocket pistols.

I'm thinking about an Autauga next.

KR

February 14, 2001, 01:28 AM	#4
Kentucky Rifle Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 1999 Location: Louisville, Kentucky Posts: 2,687	I was a little shocked when I heard from him, but... He seemed like a really nice guy. I don't think he hides behind the FAX machine or anything like that. I just think he is a genuinely eccentric fellow. Most geniuses are. I just think that he forgets his mail sometimes. What're you going to do? I couldn't help it, I LIKED him, right off the bat. Kentucky Rifle

February 14, 2001, 01:09 PM	#5
Kentucky Rifle Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 1999 Location: Louisville, Kentucky Posts: 2,687	BBBBill, I don't think it was the 12 ounces the Seecamp weighs that screwed up my back. (AGAIN!!!) But, I wouldn't doubt it! Sometimes, a sneeze does it. Once it happened when I was standing in the shower! I was trapped and nude in a cold shower until my wife got home! What a "GREAT" feeling. KR

February 14, 2001, 06:36 PM	#7
Rodmann Member Join Date: October 27, 1998 Location: Bellevue, WA. USA Posts: 31	A Seecamp tale The slide on my Seecamp 32 developed a crack (weak side, aligned with the breech) after shooting some Silvertips. I sent a fax to Larry describing the problem. Within 20 minutes after sending the FAX, Larry actually gave me a phone call letting me know that he received my FAX, and he asked me what the serial number of my pistol was!! Apparently there is an upgraded slide modification that they now use on their .32's and Larry said that they will replace the slide with a new upgraded slide for free…just send in the pistol. I sent the pistol off to them and within 1.5 months received the pistol back...new slide and all. -R

February 15, 2001, 04:47 PM	#8
Gromit Member Join Date: November 15, 2000 Location: Philly, PA Posts: 42	Keyholing? Could someone tell me what "keyholing" is? I'm a little concerned- my brother just bought a seecamp and a case of winchester silvertips but hasn't shot the gun yet. I told him to wait so I can find out if there will be any potential problems. Thanks

February 15, 2001, 05:59 PM	#9
Kentucky Rifle Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 1999 Location: Louisville, Kentucky Posts: 2,687	Gromit Keyholing just means that the bullets are tumbling as they fly toward the target. It's pretty easy to see if his Seecamp is doing it or not. Instead of nice little .32 caliber holes in the target, the holes will look like "tears" or keyholes. Sometimes, a bullet hole will look like a perfect "sideways" cut-out of the bullet. I was shooting in the lane next to my wife. She was shooting her .38 caliber snub. The holes my .32 caliber Seecamp were making in my target were LARGER than the .38 caliber holes in her target. As I explained, Seecamp told me that there had been "crimp" problems with Silvertips and that Gold Dots solved the tumbling problem 99% of the time. I still haven't gotten to the range to try the G-D's I purchased last week. This bad back thing has me trapped like a rat in a trap. I'm getting pissed! KR [Edited by Kentucky Rifle on 02-15-2001 at 11:44 PM]

February 13, 2001, 09:05 PM	#1
Kentucky Rifle Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 1999 Location: Louisville, Kentucky Posts: 2,687	He finally called me in regards to my keyholing problem. He told me that he had been having lots of pistols come back with keyholing problems. He seemed genuinely concerned. He said that he had done some research and the problem seemed to be caused by the Silvertips that Winchester has been putting out. Either through sabotage or just a mistake, several "lots" of Silvertips have left the factory with either a bad crimp or no crimp at all. Thus, when the slide strips the cartridge off the top of the magazine and it hits the feed ramp, it sets the bullet back and this is what makes the little pistols keyhole. He told me that almost every keyholing pistol that had came back to the Seecamp factory had been "cured" by swtching to Gold Dots! Naturally, I ran out and purchased several boxes of Gold Dots to test in my pistol. Where the Hydra-Shoks I had tried had jammed immediately, the Gold Dots went in like they were greased. I was delighted! Then, my back went out and I haven't been able to get off this blasted heating pad long enough to get to the range. It's starting to feel a little better. I'll post the results after I get to the range. (Hopefully this weekend.) Kentucky Rifle

February 13, 2001, 10:02 PM	#2
BBBBill Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2000 Location: Alabama Posts: 197	KR, I hope it wasn't totin' around that ol' SEECAMP what flung yer back out.

February 13, 2001, 10:07 PM	#3
johnwill Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2000 Location: PA Posts: 3,451	I doubt it was carrying the Seecamp, it probably was the shock of actually hearing from Larry Seecamp! That's about as rare as a sighting of the Loch Ness Monster!

February 14, 2001, 03:13 PM	#6
BBBBill Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2000 Location: Alabama Posts: 197	I can empathize. I broke my back on a jump in '81. The Army told me it was muscle strain. Nine months later, after I PCSed to another post, I couldn't get out of the rack one morning. THEN they decide that it was broken. I'm about 1.25" shorter now. Good days...bad days.

February 15, 2001, 06:09 PM	#10
Kentucky Rifle Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 1999 Location: Louisville, Kentucky Posts: 2,687	Gold Dots/Hydra-Shoks/Silvertips It still blows me away that the Hydra-Shoks didn't work. I put a H-S and a Silvertip on a flat serface and they to be looked exactly the same length and profile. However, the H-S jammed immediately! I could not get even ONE H-S to chamber. The Gold Dots are a little shorter, but they chambered really slickly. Amazing! KR

February 15, 2001, 08:36 PM	#11
johnwill Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2000 Location: PA Posts: 3,451	Keltec P32, I haven't found any .32ACP ammo that it won't feed.

February 15, 2001, 11:50 PM	#12
Kentucky Rifle Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 1999 Location: Louisville, Kentucky Posts: 2,687	Now John... You know I own a P-32 also. (And a Guardian.) And yes, I've noticed that there is nothing that it chokes on. It's loaded with Magsafes right now. But a guy just NEEDS several pocket pistols. I'm thinking about an Autauga next. KR