Hammerli X-Esse Long misfiring

Hi,
I’m a bullseye shooter from Ireland. I’ve owned a Hammerli X-esse long slide since 2005 and fired many rounds through it without pretty much a single malfunction until now.
The pistol is the non-barrel liner type made by Hammerli not Carl Walter.  
It started a few weeks back with hearing a little click after the slide returned into battery from firing a shot, it felt like the trigger bar was dragging and then setting (it only happened occasionally). But, the pistol would fire when I pulled the trigger so I didn’t take much notice of it.
Within the last week or so it has started to misfire bigtime. It happens like this:
1.       Load first round, pull the trigger and the gun fires (all normal).
2.       Second round picks up, is chambered and the slide goes into battery but won’t fire. Upon inspection of the round it has a very light firing pin strike and the hammer is off cock.
3.       Rack the slide and release the slide (it’s re-cocking the hammer as it’s off cock), pull the trigger gun will fire but the whole process repeats again (back to stage 2 again).
4.       Last round will hold open after firing when the mag is empty (as normal)
I checked operation with the slide off, hammer cocked and depressing the trigger (frame is protected), it de-cocks ok. I keep my finger on the trigger and try to cock the hammer again but the sear won’t catch the hammer and it just de-cocks.
This gun is clean and well maintained, it gets fed SK red and Eley Match
The trigger is custom made, aluminium (adjustable first stage travel, first stage pull and trigger over travel) and it has a 2742106 second stage pressure piece fitted in the frame (same one as in the sport, adjustable type not ball) but this has been the pistols setup used for the last 18 years.
I backed off my trigger over travel stop and reset it (tuned so gun would not fire and then backed it off a turn leaving minimal over travel after firing, this is the way it has always been set) but it’s still malfunctioning.
The only visible wear I see in the gun is the centre mating under surface of the slide is wearing through the slides Stinox coating when it moves across the hammer. It is relatively smooth though and I think they all wear there. (I think it’s hardened there also the bearing surface won’t wear out sliding across the hammer)
After the fault started I fully degreased the hammer assembly in place and blew it all out with a compressed air line, minimally re-greased and lubed the firearm but the fault is constant.
Is there a known fault that matches this description?
Cheers,
Ciaran

1st  thing is to change your recoil and mainspring if they haven't been charged lately. Check the trigger bar to insure you have around .010 clearance between the sear arm and the bar hook.
Also be sure it's working correctly to reset the trigger. Its.spring has to be solid against.the bar
No joy then pull the hammer and sear to inspect them

Hi jglenn21,
To my shame the springs are all original, I'll change them. As for the 0.10 clearance are you talking about here?

Cheers,
Ciaran

That's it no less than .010.

This issue sounds like it could be a weak or failed sear spring. It's a bit tricky to drive out the sear pivot to access it, and then get everything back together. Check that the sear is rotating freely first, it could just be buildup interfering with its engagement at the end of the reset swing (where it picks up the hammer). Relubricating the sear requires a special moly grease so don't go hosing things down unless you're prepared.

Is that photo taken of your pistol? Because if anything, that gap looks too wide, which will not cause the issue you're describing. Narrow gap, which will, is to be avoided.

[edit - part #5]

Hi TT,
I just bought €310 of parts (a few doubles in there too)
Since last talking I fully stripped the pistol to the frame, no obvious wear. Degreased, relubed and reassembled.
I thought I had it sussed, turns out I'd changed ammo batch. I was up shooting last Friday and blipped off a box of sk red with no issue. Loaded up from a new box and the problems started again. I was getting burns more than usual and a higher than normal amount of residue coming from the pistol....epiphany....it's just a bad batch of ammo, yae!!
I was on the range again today, I rooted out a couple of boxes of eley match (tail end of 10k batch)
I've put about 5k of that batch through this pistol without a hiccup in the past. Same problem today using it.
So, I'll wait for the parts. I'll start with the recoil spring and mainspring first as suggested and go from there. I'll report back when she's running well again.
You mention special grease, I just tend to use mil-com TW25B grease and oil. I've been using it for years on my revolver cylinder and action to keep it running well. What is the recommended special moly grease you mentioned, could you post a link to it?
I've a 1/2 pint of moly grease in the shed but I doubt that's what you're talking about. Would you just use grease this for the sear mating surfaces?
Cheers,
Ciaran

Ciaran wrote:You mention special grease, I just tend to use mil-com TW25B grease and oil. I've been using it for years on my revolver cylinder and action to keep it running well. What is the recommended special moly grease you mentioned, could you post a link to it?

The sear surface in the X-esse (and the earlier Swiss 208/215/etc) is specially surfaced and requires a straight-moly treatment, i.e no additives such as grease, oil or graphite. It's pretty important to the trigger feel, and critical for wear. You only need to lubricate it once, the stuff stays put indefinitely, but if washed or contaminated it's important to thoroughly clean and reapply.

Larry Carter used to sell this, which is the only product he'd allow: https://www.neconos.com/item/MOLY-SLIDE-33

I'm shocked that SK ammo would cause this problem, but you mention "red box". Does that mean you are using SK Rifle Match? The slower-burning rifle powder will not work well in a pistol, especially one as sensitive as the X-esse. I run SK Pistol Match in mine, all day every day.