Visual Analysis Please: Hi-Capa Owners.

[Valcrow]

after putting a metal slide today on my Hi-Capa, it seems to be suffering from sluggish blowback. At first I thought the blowback chamber was not seated well in the slide but I checked and it was perfectly flush with it. Then I suspected a problem with the blowback chamber.



This is my first hi-capa so I'm not 100% sure but isn't there supposed to be an o-ring here for a good seal to the chamber? Right now the chamber slides back and forth freely almost not touching the piston head shown.

Can someone please confirm that I am missing an O-ring and shed some light into where I can get a replacement for cheap if possible and if this is indeed the prob for my sluggish blowback.

Specs:

TM Hi-Capa
PGC Aluminum Kimber Slide
Guarder 150% Recoil Spring
Guarder 150% Hammer Spring

Thanks!

[MadMax]

Newer Hicapas have a cup seal instead of an oring. You're not missing the sealing component.

[ILLusion]

That looks perfectly normal to me. Looks like a new hi-capa piston cup to me as well.

[Valcrow]

Thanks guys, happy that I'm not missing something but now baffled even more why I'm getting sluggish blowback.

Slide action seems to be smooth at all ranges and the blowback chamber is definitely flush. The only thing I can think of is that when I rack the slide back hard it gets caught sometimes at the further compression and I have to give it a little tap to get it back into battery. This only happens if I manually rack it back.

Can a Recoil and hammer spring combination be too strong for this temperature?

When I fire, it sounds like a slightly hollow pop sound, similar to when a gbb is almost out of gas. It still does complete a full cycle consistently however. It has about 1/2 the kick of my P226 on Propane. Maybe this is normal for a hicapa and I'm just not used to it?

[Manaconda]

A friend of mine filed down the inside rails of his new slide ever so slightly. You are running steal on steal so make sure it is as smooth as posible. I know lots of people here use silicone oil for a bit of lube but you could use grafite along the rails to help the action. Hicapas normaly have a hard enough kick though so it could be something to do with the mag. I'm sure you know to check the seals and all so I hope all of this has helped.

Good luck mate.

[Valcrow]

Maybe you're right, I just need to wear in the slide in a little bit more.

[Mysteryfish]

When I put a PGC metal slide on the Hi-capa I owned a while ago, it took a pretty good "break-in" period of just working the slide back and forth (firmly, yet gently), and continually stopping to clear out the dust/film of metal that would come off.

Once you've worked the contact points down a bit, it will (read: should) loosen up. Unless it is something else...

[tsuru]

As previously mentioned do try and file down the rails a bit to make everything fit. I didn't have any blowback problems with my PGC metal slide when I first installed it but I did have a lot of fitting problems. One of the biggest sounds similar (if not identical) to the problem you're encountering with manual cocking except my gun would lock the slide further back than the slide catch could engage. It turned out to be a nub sticking out inside the slide which was catching on one of the sears. This would happen both cocking and firing the gun. If it sounds familiar to you let me know and I can take some pictures of the solution I worked up.
One thing that your post brings up in my head is

Originally Posted by Valcrow

Right now the chamber slides back and forth freely almost not touching the piston head shown.

The nozzle itself when installed in the gun should not slide back and forth freely since there is a spring which should return the nozzle to the "home" position which is towards the butt of the gun. If the spring is missing (I know I've left it out a couple of times when re-assembling) then I'm pretty sure you could get the sluggish blowback you describe. Anyways, just a thought.

[Valcrow]

Tsuru:

Right now it doesn't kick back so hard that it'll lock the slide further than the slide catch but manually when I cock it for the first round it does get sticky back there. It would be great if you have a sec to take pics and show me where it's getting stuck since I cannot figure out where at friction is coming from.

As for the nozzle I do have the spring, I was moving it back and forth when disassembled and was slightly paranoid about not having a good seal but madmax and illusion put that to rest.

I did work the gun in a bit more as mysteryfish said and it does seem to be better (or just a placebo).