High Standard Victor malfunction

HELP HELP HELP.
I just recently purchased a 1983 High Standard Victor. When I shot the gun before buying and after sighting it in after removing the optics and reinstalling the gun never malfunctioned one time with around 100 rounds.
Tonight I went to our first nights Postal League Bullseye night and out of 12 five shot strings more than six malfunctioned.
What the gun is doing is after two or four shots it is locking the slide back with the slide catch like it was the last shot or I manually lifted the catch.
I made sure it wasn't my hand doing it, and the latch falls down normally when you pull the slide back to load the first round???
I hope someone can help me because this is the first HS I have ever owned and have no idea whatdirection to go.

Thank you in advance.

Replace the slide lock spring. It's sounds like yours is kinked and doesn't have the right force to keep the slide lock down

NukeMMC wrote:Replace the slide lock spring.  It's sounds like yours is kinked and doesn't have the right force to keep the slide lock down

Recommendation for place to get one quickly??

https://www.gunsprings.com/HIGH+STANDARD/CURRENT+MODELS/cID1/mID28/dID139#176

That tiny little spring gets lost a lot so yours may be gone altogether. A kinked spring is also common as was mentioned but mine has always been kinked but still works fine.  Alan at interarms sells a replacement pack of all the springs. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have that pack around for future needs.

Good luck.
John

You didn't change ammo did you?

Take the right-side grip off, keeping that side of the pistol facing up. Is the spring (about 1/16" diameter and 1/4" long) in the slide stop?

You can see the spring in this picture at the right side of the slide stop, above the round part.  There is a hole in the edge of the slide stop it sits inside and a corresponding hole in the frame.

Someone lost it before I got the gun evidently. Good thing I got a bag of ten coming along with a full kit.

That little spring is dainty. Takes very little for it to kink so be patient installing it. Also if the spring falls out, good luck finding it! Smart move getting a ten pack.

I love my Victor. For all the complaints, I had no problem tuning a new magazine using instructions from J Barta’s old website. Itd be worth your while to go here and print out all the various instructions Mr Barta kindly shared. Every HS owner should keep this info handy.

https://histandard.info/Jim_Barta/