Smith and Wesson 4013 - Slide not returning all the way

[crf3973]

Hello all,

Today I inherited my Mother’s S&W 4013 which she used as a duty pistol before retiring almost 10 years ago. It sat in its case for almost 10 years before she decided to give it to me.

Today we opened the case for the 1st time in 10 years. I read the manual, took it apart and gave it a good lubrication as it was bone dry and in desperate need of one.

Took it to the range, and every single round fired. The problem is after ejecting the casing the slide comes back to its original position but stops about a third of an inch sooner than it should, just enough where the trigger does not reset all the way, not allowing me to make a second shot without tapping the slide forward with my hand.

I asked the range master and he said that it may be the ammo I was using (Federal 40 S&W 180 grain from walmart).And that they are loaded really light, which means they may have issues with my heavy slide. I did not try any other brands of ammo. He stated that he did not believe this to be a failure on the gun's part.

What do you think think the problem could be?

Slide all the way forward like it should be:





Slide a third of an inch back from the complete forward position after firing:

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[QKShooter]

The quickest and easiest possible fix.

Install a fresh recoil spring. <~~~

I think your factory standard spring weight is 16# - so buy a 16# & also a 17#

Call Wolff Gunsprings - They will have the factory standard recoil spring and a slightly higher power.

Also try a fresh magazine in case your mag feed lips are out of whack.

Factory magazines for that pistol are all over Gunbroker.com

You should install a fresh recoil spring no matter what. Another magazine you can always use anyway.

And if none of the above work then have a local gunsmith check your extractor.

That gun should crank them out all day long without a hitch.

[Don Glock]

the ammo's fine. that range master sounds like a countertop commando you might encounter at a local gunshop.

clean it,lube it, and drop in a new recoil spring, and see if that fixes it. you can order the spring by calling s&w directly.

[MNBurl]

Clean and lube first and try again. If that does not fix it than new recoil spring.

[Zach and Holly]

Glad you got the problem worked out -- now all we need is to be treated to a full body shot of your new gun! ;-)

[OldVet]

Yeah, sounds like a minor issue. Wolff Springs--inexpensive replacements. Might try a dab of grease instead of oil on the rails also.

[pirate]

It should be a easy fix, just replace the recoil spring. I highly doubt its ammo related.

[crf3973]

Going back, When I opened the gun case, there was a large spring in the back of the box. It looked way to long/big to fit in the gun. I pulled up the S&W manual online (or as close to the model as I could find as the exact model manual was not down loadable). The instructions show the field striping of the firearm and there was only one recoil spring in the picture.

So I tossed big spring back into the case, just went with the smaller spring that was already in the gun when I went to shoot it at the range and had the issues listed above in the OP.

Called S&W today. Turns out that there are supposed to be 2 springs in that model, an inside and outside recoil spring. So the spring I set to the side was indeed needed.I haven't heard of a gun with 2 separate recoil springs, but then again... I'm a GLOCK guy.

Went to the range today, shot 100 rounds flawlessly with the slide returning where it should every time.

I have no idea why my mother took the larger spring out when she decided to put it away.

I'm just glad its working the way it should.

Just ordered 100 rounds of Winchester Ranger 165 gr SXTs and purchased a Don Hume holster. If all goes well, I can see this being a carry gun for winter.

Thanks for everyone's input.

[QKShooter]

That explains that. The Wolff Calibration Spring paks are intended for the single recoil spring 4013s.

So since yours is the dual "spring in spring" then you'll need to stay with that & can oder from S&W should you eventually need a replacement.