Astra constable 22lr issues with slide

Biglove92 · May 2, 2018, 01:30 PM

Hey guys my astra constable in 22lr is having a failure to eject every round like the slide isn't going back far enough. When unloaded, as I pull the slide back about halfway I notice there is some resistance and it feels gritty. I have noticed however that the chamber of the barrel has a rough patch where it says 22. Really rough. No rust though. Can this rough part of the chamber be causing my issues? Or does the slide not even contact the chamber? If this is the issue will 600 grit sandpaper and polishing after fix it?

marc780 · May 2, 2018, 04:15 PM

I'll assume you've already tried cleaning and lubricating; since the chamber's rough yes, I'd polish it, (even if you cleaned it, it's possible the chamber is just fouled) I'd start with (Car) rubbing compound first since it's easy to remove too much metal and, then what ...I'd get a bore brush, a cleaning patch, and a drill. Put some rubbing compound, or metal polish like Flitz or Mecguiers on the patch, place it over the bore brush then attach that to the drill. I'd spin the drill inside the chamber for 5 or 10 seconds at a time then try a shell in the chamber (or however else you determined the chamber was rough). Once the chamber looks & feels smooth, I'd stop polishing right there, if the polish doesn't clean it up I'm not sure I'd progress to sandpaper but if I did, I'd use emery cloth, 1000 grit or finer, and i'd do it "wet" (with oil or break free) since that will leave a smoother finish then if the emery cloth is dry.

If the chamber isn't smooth a minute or two of polishing time, I think I'd stop. But I'd think the polishing ought to clean up the rough chamber just fine.

Since you can feel grittiness from the slide I'd try to ascertain what is causing that too. In your gun the weakest part is the action spring (the spring that fits over the barrel) so that's what I'd examine first. You may just need a new spring. Also it might just be on backwards (one end of the spring might be designed to be more narrow then the other and all you might really need to do is swap ends.) Or the spring might have flat spots/it became oval-shaped rather then round (maybe the spring got stepped on while it was removed from the gun).

If the spring isn't the problem, then have a good hard look at the slide and frame rails. The rails on the frame in your gun are relatively short, so I'd be surprised if that's where the problem is. If the rails were damaged you'd probably see it easily. And the slide and the frame are castings, or forged, and so it's not likely those have warped. In this style of gun most of the metal-to-metal contact happens between the action spring; the barrel exterior surface; and inside of the big hole in the slide where the barrel comes through. While you have the spring off I'd put the slide back on without it just to see how much grittiness you can feel then. Examine inside the slide anywhere there is or might be metal-to-metal happening, plus the hole at the end of the slide where the barrel comes through (might be a burr inside it but from what you mentioned about the slide binding half way back, this isn't likely). Also check & feel the outside of the barrel (perhaps chipped, burred somewhere, or just very rough, but if this were the problem it would be visible to you).

If none of this shows up the problem area, I'd get hold of some inside & outside micrometers and try to measure the contact areas of frame and the slide...then polish the rails, or wherever it is actually binding. But I'd start with 1000 grit, or finer emery cloth and sand it wet. 20-30 seconds at a time then try the slide again until you've isolated the problem area(s).

Bill DeShivs · May 3, 2018, 10:04 PM

For God's sake, don't let Marc780 work on your gun!
The outside of the chamber shouldn't affect the slide operation. Leave the springs alone-they very seldom wear out.

Proper cleaning and lubrication is probably all the gun needs.

Dfariswheel · May 5, 2018, 07:17 PM

Try the trouble shooting method.......
Field strip the gun by removing the magazine, slide, and recoil spring.

Install ONLY the slide and check movement back and forth for roughness.
If good, install the recoil spring and try again. (SMALL end faces to the REAR).
If good install the magazine.

This will at least help narrow down where the problem is.

marc780 · June 13, 2018, 03:23 AM

I'll give you this bill i was full of it, my reply... i thought he was talking about inside the bore and chamber - Instead he's talking about the exterior of the barrel. The image of the piece was not there,the first time I commented.

**4V50 Gary** · June 13, 2018, 07:50 AM

Do what Bil & Dfarishweel suggested.

Change your ammo (higher power but same caliber)
Clean the slide.
Clean the frame.
Clean the barrel
If there's rust, remove it by scraping with a nickel (5 cent piece) or penny with oil.
Check the magazine lips for straightness.
If it doesn't have a magazine safety, try firing it without the magazine inserted. This will tell you if the magazine and its spring is causing too much drag on the slide.
Like Bill says, lube the gun

rock185 · June 19, 2018, 06:58 PM

I thought the OP was talking about the inside of the chamber too....

**Unclenick** · June 20, 2018, 04:24 PM

Biglove92,

Since I don't see any rub marks around the chambering stamp on the side of the barrel shroud (or seat; actually part of the receiver in that gun; the chamber is the recess in the breech end of the barrel that holds the cartridge while it fires), I doubt that it the cause of the friction you feel. If the gun was fully assembled when you made this test and the hammer was cocked, you will notice that when you pull the slide back, it comes to a point in its backward travel where it starts to depress the hammer further than full cock, as it must do to ensure it always depresses it far enough to cock. I suspect the drag of the hammer nose on the underside of the slide is what you are feeling. If you hold the hammer down hard with your thumb while you work the slide, do you still feel the rubbing? If not, that's what you feel.

If you do still feel the friction, it is also possible it is the disconnector. Either way, take a Q-tip and apply a Teflon-bearing gun oil on the underside of the slide where it rubs these parts and rack the slide back repeatedly to work the Teflon into the surface. See if that helps. If not, you may be in for detail disassembly and looking for rough spots in the slide and disconnector and on the hammer nose that need polishing.

Also, note that failure to cycle in any semi-auto pistol can be caused by not having a rigid enough grip on it. This problem is unflatteringly referred to as limp-wristing the gun. A straight single arm or a strong two-handed hold with the gun hand wrist rigid and a firm grasp on the grip frame during firing is often required, especially with lightweight pistols. Firing from the hip with a bent elbow, for example, may garner malfunctions as compared to a straight arm hold. This is not a revolver. The issue is that something needs to keep the frame in place while inertia in the slide is acting to cock the hammer and get the slide back far enough to strip the next round from the magazine.

RC20 · June 20, 2018, 06:04 PM

I don't see that in a 22!

Try some CLP. I had two guns that had cycle issues.

One was an 1100 and would not cycle 2.5 inch (it was a 3 inch magnum) Put that on it and away it went.

The other was a AMT backup. Same thing, CLP and away it went.

May 2, 2018, 04:15 PM	#2
marc780 Junior Member Join Date: April 22, 2018 Posts: 9	I'll assume you've already tried cleaning and lubricating; since the chamber's rough yes, I'd polish it, (even if you cleaned it, it's possible the chamber is just fouled) I'd start with (Car) rubbing compound first since it's easy to remove too much metal and, then what ...I'd get a bore brush, a cleaning patch, and a drill. Put some rubbing compound, or metal polish like Flitz or Mecguiers on the patch, place it over the bore brush then attach that to the drill. I'd spin the drill inside the chamber for 5 or 10 seconds at a time then try a shell in the chamber (or however else you determined the chamber was rough). Once the chamber looks & feels smooth, I'd stop polishing right there, if the polish doesn't clean it up I'm not sure I'd progress to sandpaper but if I did, I'd use emery cloth, 1000 grit or finer, and i'd do it "wet" (with oil or break free) since that will leave a smoother finish then if the emery cloth is dry. If the chamber isn't smooth a minute or two of polishing time, I think I'd stop. But I'd think the polishing ought to clean up the rough chamber just fine. Since you can feel grittiness from the slide I'd try to ascertain what is causing that too. In your gun the weakest part is the action spring (the spring that fits over the barrel) so that's what I'd examine first. You may just need a new spring. Also it might just be on backwards (one end of the spring might be designed to be more narrow then the other and all you might really need to do is swap ends.) Or the spring might have flat spots/it became oval-shaped rather then round (maybe the spring got stepped on while it was removed from the gun). If the spring isn't the problem, then have a good hard look at the slide and frame rails. The rails on the frame in your gun are relatively short, so I'd be surprised if that's where the problem is. If the rails were damaged you'd probably see it easily. And the slide and the frame are castings, or forged, and so it's not likely those have warped. In this style of gun most of the metal-to-metal contact happens between the action spring; the barrel exterior surface; and inside of the big hole in the slide where the barrel comes through. While you have the spring off I'd put the slide back on without it just to see how much grittiness you can feel then. Examine inside the slide anywhere there is or might be metal-to-metal happening, plus the hole at the end of the slide where the barrel comes through (might be a burr inside it but from what you mentioned about the slide binding half way back, this isn't likely). Also check & feel the outside of the barrel (perhaps chipped, burred somewhere, or just very rough, but if this were the problem it would be visible to you). If none of this shows up the problem area, I'd get hold of some inside & outside micrometers and try to measure the contact areas of frame and the slide...then polish the rails, or wherever it is actually binding. But I'd start with 1000 grit, or finer emery cloth and sand it wet. 20-30 seconds at a time then try the slide again until you've isolated the problem area(s). Last edited by marc780; May 2, 2018 at 04:34 PM.

May 3, 2018, 10:04 PM	#3
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 10,981	For God's sake, don't let Marc780 work on your gun! The outside of the chamber shouldn't affect the slide operation. Leave the springs alone-they very seldom wear out. Proper cleaning and lubrication is probably all the gun needs. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

June 13, 2018, 03:23 AM	#5
marc780 Junior Member Join Date: April 22, 2018 Posts: 9	I'll give you this bill i was full of it, my reply... i thought he was talking about inside the bore and chamber - Instead he's talking about the exterior of the barrel. The image of the piece was not there,the first time I commented. Last edited by marc780; June 13, 2018 at 05:14 AM.

June 13, 2018, 07:50 AM	#6
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,832	Do what Bil & Dfarishweel suggested. Change your ammo (higher power but same caliber) Clean the slide. Clean the frame. Clean the barrel If there's rust, remove it by scraping with a nickel (5 cent piece) or penny with oil. Check the magazine lips for straightness. If it doesn't have a magazine safety, try firing it without the magazine inserted. This will tell you if the magazine and its spring is causing too much drag on the slide. Like Bill says, lube the gun __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

June 19, 2018, 06:58 PM	#7
rock185 Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2001 Location: Out West in Rim Country Posts: 1,091	I thought the OP was talking about the inside of the chamber too.... __________________ COTEP 640, NRA Life

May 5, 2018, 07:17 PM	#4
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	Try the trouble shooting method....... Field strip the gun by removing the magazine, slide, and recoil spring. Install ONLY the slide and check movement back and forth for roughness. If good, install the recoil spring and try again. (SMALL end faces to the REAR). If good install the magazine. This will at least help narrow down where the problem is.

June 20, 2018, 04:24 PM	#8
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,061	Biglove92, Since I don't see any rub marks around the chambering stamp on the side of the barrel shroud (or seat; actually part of the receiver in that gun; the chamber is the recess in the breech end of the barrel that holds the cartridge while it fires), I doubt that it the cause of the friction you feel. If the gun was fully assembled when you made this test and the hammer was cocked, you will notice that when you pull the slide back, it comes to a point in its backward travel where it starts to depress the hammer further than full cock, as it must do to ensure it always depresses it far enough to cock. I suspect the drag of the hammer nose on the underside of the slide is what you are feeling. If you hold the hammer down hard with your thumb while you work the slide, do you still feel the rubbing? If not, that's what you feel. If you do still feel the friction, it is also possible it is the disconnector. Either way, take a Q-tip and apply a Teflon-bearing gun oil on the underside of the slide where it rubs these parts and rack the slide back repeatedly to work the Teflon into the surface. See if that helps. If not, you may be in for detail disassembly and looking for rough spots in the slide and disconnector and on the hammer nose that need polishing. Also, note that failure to cycle in any semi-auto pistol can be caused by not having a rigid enough grip on it. This problem is unflatteringly referred to as limp-wristing the gun. A straight single arm or a strong two-handed hold with the gun hand wrist rigid and a firm grasp on the grip frame during firing is often required, especially with lightweight pistols. Firing from the hip with a bent elbow, for example, may garner malfunctions as compared to a straight arm hold. This is not a revolver. The issue is that something needs to keep the frame in place while inertia in the slide is acting to cock the hammer and get the slide back far enough to strip the next round from the magazine. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

June 20, 2018, 06:04 PM	#9
RC20 Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 7,014	I don't see that in a 22! Try some CLP. I had two guns that had cycle issues. One was an 1100 and would not cycle 2.5 inch (it was a 3 inch magnum) Put that on it and away it went. The other was a AMT backup. Same thing, CLP and away it went. __________________ Science and Facts are True whether you believe it or not