Nozzle return spring disengaging?

[Seven]

Hi folks,

Wondering if any of you have encountered a problem with the nozzle return spring disengaging from its slot after being cycled?

I'll try to explain it best I can.

Gun is fully assembled and apparently working fine.

Cycling the nozzle with a finger, everything seems normal.

Continue to cycle nozzle with a finger or actually put a magazine in and let the entire gun cycle and eventually the spring appears to jump out of its slot in the BBU and now no longer does it's job.

Strip, re-seat the spring, reassemble and repeat. Same thing.

Logically it 'feels' as though there is too much of a gap between the top of the BBU and the slide, allowing the spring to flex up and out of its correct placement instead of being held in place.

Anyone ever experienced this?

Possible solutions?

Ive attached a picture to show an idea of what happens, it's not a picture of mine but from someone who is also having the same issue.

View attachment 43067

 

[Guest]

Only three things that can be happening:

is the bbu not seating correctly or moving once seated in the slide (aftermarket or just crack-handed)?

or the nozzle return spring diameter is too small allowing it to slip out?

Or assembled incorrectly (possibly nozzle return spring not seated or on the wrong side.)

Take it out completely, some builds work perfectly without one

 

[Seven]

Only three things that can be happening:

is the bbu not seating correctly or moving once seated in the slide (aftermarket or just crack-handed)?

It's definitely not moving. Ive tried to move it once assembled and it's definitely snug. Initially I had the BBU screw thread locked in position which I then had to break upon discovering the issue, so it's not as though the screw came loose either.

or the nozzle return spring diameter is too small allowing it to slip out?

Or assembled incorrectly (possibly nozzle return spring not seated or on the wrong side.)

This is certainly a possibility.

I noticed that the spring was a good half to full cm shorter than a stock spring. It's a cowcow 180% spring.

I removed the spring and put the spring from the stock assembly in its place and the issue has yet to reoccur. So I'm thinking it's possibly either, as you say, a manufacturer defect and it's a smaller diameter or, again a manufacturing defect, and it's just too short, allowing it to flex up and out of the slot.

(Although Mike from Elite has said that, according to CCT, the spring may 'appear to shrink' but won't cause issues)

I've ordered a new one already, regardless. If this one does the same shit I'll try a different manufacturers spring. Perhaps an AIP 140%.

I have a game day this Sunday so I'm glad I found the issue now, by pure chance I might add.

I'll run it with the stock spring and see how it holds up. If it fails again I'll just put the spring back in the stock assembly, which I'll take with me, and just run the stock slide until I get it rectified.

And it's certainly in the correct side, thats a pretty obvious thing since the nozzle has a lug in the BBU housing which obviously engages with the spring to compress it and return, the other side does not.

Take it out completely, some builds work perfectly without one

Honestly this might be a thing. The gun didn't have any issues with feeding despite the nozzle spring no longer doing it's job. I only noticed it by pure chance when I was trying out a new hop bucking.

I would rather it did it's job though and just not deal with potential future issues so may attempt to shim the BBU housing/slide/sight with a bit of drink can to create a kind of shield to prevent the spring escaping.

 

[Dan1712]

Hi folks,

Wondering if any of you have encountered a problem with the nozzle return spring disengaging from its slot after being cycled?

I'll try to explain it best I can.

Gun is fully assembled and apparently working fine.

Cycling the nozzle with a finger, everything seems normal.

Continue to cycle nozzle with a finger or actually put a magazine in and let the entire gun cycle and eventually the spring appears to jump out of its slot in the BBU and now no longer does it's job.

Strip, re-seat the spring, reassemble and repeat. Same thing.

Logically it 'feels' as though there is too much of a gap between the top of the BBU and the slide, allowing the spring to flex up and out of its correct placement instead of being held in place.

Anyone ever experienced this?

Possible solutions?

Ive attached a picture to show an idea of what happens, it's not a picture of mine but from someone who is also having the same issue.

View attachment 43067

Do you have the little spring guide in place as well (assuming it had one originally)?

 

[Seven]

Do you have the little spring guide in place as well (assuming it had one originally)?

It doesn't have one. It just sits in the slot of the BBU on top of the nozzle.

Well after my first game day with the new slide assembly I can safely say I can't live without the return spring and the stock one eventually did the same thing as the uprated one.

Had to remove my short stroke kit to enable the full action of the slide to retract the nozzle.

Worked like a champ for the most part but absolutely rinsed my gas. Went from being able to fire 2 full 41rnd mags down to about 30/35rnds total.

So that settles it, gonna have to shim the now obvious gap between the BBU and the slide and install this new 180% spring when it arrives on Wednesday.

Other than that the upgrades performed well... Shooting 346fps on Nuprol red gas at about 6degC. I'm quite happy but I'll be happier when I can put my short stroke kit back in.

 

[Seven]

Update in case anyone is interested:

I shimmed the gap with some teflon tape layers and it worked the entire game day... For the most part!

The spring completely stopped disengaging (problem in question solved) but I was still having intermittent feeding issues.

Everything was visually sound so when I got home I stripped it again.

I found that the spring was pinching and slowly eating away at the teflon tape so I think it was getting hung up in the shredded tape. I had also put a thicker o ring on the piston which was making the springs job harder already.

I've now removed the teflon tape completely and replaced it with a slither of a Dr Pepper can held in place with some double sided sticky foam padding that I purchased to DIY some double glazed goggles (thanks @Rogerborg I would never have bought that shit otherwise) and I put a slightly thinner o ring on my piston. Problem in question is still solved and from initial testing appears the feeding issue has been solved too, but as always, field testing trump's all, so I'll soon find out if it's all kosher.