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RM 380 problem...

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Copper BB
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2016 7:00 pm
PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 11:20 am
Hello,
Well i really liked my RM 380,until it broke after 42rds. Sear trigger bar is slipping off the hammer boss,and will not pull the hammer back.I will call Remington Monday,but i think i am done with Remington.
PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 12:24 pm
Thanks for joining...

Copper BB
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2016 7:00 pm
PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 12:36 pm
Thank you. I really like my RM380,i just don't what happened. I took the right side grip panel off,and i can see the sear bar slip off the hammer boss,and not pull the hammer back. I am thinking the sear bar is MIM,which i don't like,it should have been machined steel.

Copper BB
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2016 7:00 pm
PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 1:00 pm
Are there any Remington Reps,on this forum?
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.410
Posts: 42
Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2015 7:39 pm
Location: Delaware
PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 5:18 pm
Some thoughts.

It sounds like you have had some very premature wearing of a surface or a broken surface.

I don't know what the sear trigger bar is made from but I think it may be stamped steel. There have been some who have said they had to sand off some burrs on the side of the sear trigger bar. I think the hammer is MIM as you can see the mold line on the back of the hammer.

Can you take a look at both the sear trigger bar and the trigger boss to see which (or both) has any wear or broken edges or surfaces? Also, is the hammer solid on it's pin that it pivots on? I the hammer boss solid in the hammer?

I'm just trying to get a clear picture of what may be causing your problem. Oh, I don't work for Remington.
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Copper BB
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2016 7:00 pm
PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 5:47 pm
Thanks MarkB,the hammer is not solid on it's pin,when you start to pull the trigger,it will move to the right side of the frame.
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.410
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Location: Delaware
PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 6:51 pm
Another question.

The grip panel holds the sear trigger bar in place. Is the sear trigger bar bent? Even a little? I don't think this is likely but a check won't hurt.

Or - is there a burr or dirt or anything that might prevent the sear trigger bar from returning to it's fully up position after it clears the hammer boss on the return stroke to the rear? The obstruction could be in the frame, the edge of the sear trigger bar or on the grip panel.

If the sear trigger bar doesn't fully return to it's up position it could slip past the hammer boss instead of gripping the hammer boss and causing your problem.
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USCG, 1963-1967, GM-3
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.410
Posts: 42
Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2015 7:39 pm
Location: Delaware
PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 7:11 pm
One thing I did to my RM380 was to polish the barrel feed ramp. I believe the feed ramp on any semi-auto pistol should be polished to aid in the feeding of the cartridge into the chamber.

I lightly sanded the ramp with 600 then 1200 grit paper (up and down, not side to side) and then I used a Dremel with a felt tip and Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish (auto parts store). Total time about 5 to 8 minutes and a mirror finish on the ramp.
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.22LR
Posts: 19
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 4:58 am
MarkB wrote:Some thoughts.

It sounds like you have had some very premature wearing of a surface or a broken surface.

I don't know what the sear trigger bar is made from but I think it may be stamped steel. There have been some who have said they had to sand off some burrs on the side of the sear trigger bar. I think the hammer is MIM as you can see the mold line on the back of the hammer.


I was the one who stoned some burrs off the sear / connector and also believe it's a steel stamping. It's very hard though - I never tried to file it and suspect it might be too hard to file - I used a diamond "stone" and it wasn't easy to smooth out even with a diamond. The hammer itself is MIM, but that doesn't mean that's it's inferior. Colt's 1911 sears are MIM, and there's a LOT of MIM parts in Glocks and neither gun seems to be considered substandard.

blackhorse6871 wrote:Thanks MarkB,the hammer is not solid on it's pin,when you start to pull the trigger,it will move to the right side of the frame.


It shouldn't be able to move so much that the sear slips off the hammer, though a little bit of movement is probably normal. On mine there's no detectable play side to side on the hammer. The right side grip holds the sear in place - otherwise the sear would be able to slip off the hammer all the time. It's worth noting that the fire control mechanism relies on the right side grip panel being installed as that's what keeps the sear trigger bar, frame pin, hammer and sear trigger bar spring in place. The best way to see what's causing the problem may not be with the grip removed but with it installed and the slide removed. Be careful not to allow the hammer to drop on the frame with the slide removed - use your thumb to catch it in case the sear trigger bar actually does catch the hammer.

MarkB wrote:Another question.

The grip panel holds the sear trigger bar in place. Is the sear trigger bar bent? Even a little? I don't think this is likely but a check won't hurt.

Or - is there a burr or dirt or anything that might prevent the sear trigger bar from returning to it's fully up position after it clears the hammer boss on the return stroke to the rear? The obstruction could be in the frame, the edge of the sear trigger bar or on the grip panel.

If the sear trigger bar doesn't fully return to it's up position it could slip past the hammer boss instead of gripping the hammer boss and causing your problem.


I think these are all good questions. Especially important is that the sear trigger bar spring returns the sear trigger bar to its upward position to reset the trigger, and that there is nothing in the trigger itself that would prevent it from going fully forward to reset. I've seen some flakes of brass and nickel plating (from previously chambered and fired rounds) get into the fire control mechanism on my RM380 - especially when it was new after the first range session. Afterwards this was less prevalent.
PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 2:04 pm
Good job sorting it out gentlemen...

Copper BB
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2016 7:00 pm
PostPosted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 9:44 am
Quick update,called Remington,to get a new sear trigger bar,they will not send one,i have to send the gun back to them.B.S. Thank you to everyone ,for your help.When i get the gun back,i will be selling it.I am done with Remington,there customer service isn't very good.
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.410
Posts: 42
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Location: Delaware
PostPosted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 10:06 am
Before you send it back to Remington can you post closeup photos of the sear trigger bar in the gun and by itself?
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Copper BB
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2016 7:00 pm
PostPosted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 1:13 pm
Update,on my RM380.I had to send it to Mark's Outdoor Sports,to have the sear bar replaced.I have talked to Joe numerous times,he said he is still waiting on parts. He also said he has a few RM380's with the same problem.I called Remington yesterday(02/17/16),and customer service said my gun was fixed,and would be test fired,and shipped by the end of the week.Called Joe at Mark's Outdoor Sports.and he said my gun was not fixed.Remington out right lied to me,this is the worst company i have ever dealt with. I like the gun,but i will not invest in a company that does business in this manner.

Copper BB
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2019 11:48 am
PostPosted: Wed Mar 27, 2019 12:17 pm
This post is old but if anybody experiences this issue I have a likely fix.

Take off the right panel on the grip. Note this panel has to be installed right or your pistol will not work. Do not over tighten so you do not strip screws. Note lock tight. You do not want these screws coming loose or the RM380 will not function.

If you do not feel comfortable doing this have a gunsmith do it for you. Its not hard to do yourself.

The spring that is attached to the trigger bar could be your issue. It needs to apply inward pressure to keep it engaged to trip the hammer. Take if off, slightly bend the end closet to the hammer inward. You will not notice any change to the trigger pull. This will help keep the trigger bar engaged.

When I was working the trigger on mine 4 to 6 times without dropping the hammer I would lose engagement when the trigger was not fully released. After bending the spring no more issues with losing engagement. Easy fix.

.410
Posts: 52
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2018 9:10 am
PostPosted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 10:35 pm
thanks for posting this. i checked the screws on the right grip plate and made sure they were just snug. may get some blue loctite.
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.22LR
Posts: 26
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2019 8:23 am
Location: Deep South Texas
PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 8:29 am
Bee wrote:This post is old but if anybody experiences this issue I have a likely fix.

Take off the right panel on the grip. Note this panel has to be installed right or your pistol will not work. Do not over tighten so you do not strip screws. Note lock tight. You do not want these screws coming loose or the RM380 will not function.

If you do not feel comfortable doing this have a gunsmith do it for you. Its not hard to do yourself.

The spring that is attached to the trigger bar could be your issue. It needs to apply inward pressure to keep it engaged to trip the hammer. Take if off, slightly bend the end closet to the hammer inward. You will not notice any change to the trigger pull. This will help keep the trigger bar engaged.

When I was working the trigger on mine 4 to 6 times without dropping the hammer I would lose engagement when the trigger was not fully released. After bending the spring no more issues with losing engagement. Easy fix.


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Copper BB
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2019 11:49 am
PostPosted: Sun Apr 21, 2019 12:14 pm
Hey all - New poster here, but I've owned an RM380 since shortly after Remy started making them in my hometown of Huntsville.

I just wanted to add confirmation of how critical that right-side grip panel is, in relation to this problem of the trigger bar slipping off the hammer.

I had replaced the factory grips with some nice-looking walnut-grained panels I found on eBay from a reputable small manufacturer. I noticed when I installed them that the plastic was more flexible than the stock grips, but thinking they were just cosmetic that didn't concern me.

Fast-forward a few months and, after another hot day with the RM380 in my pocket, I did what I often do at night when I'm getting ready for bed, and that's take the pistol out of its pocket holster, unload it, blow off any lint and whatnot, inspect, and dry-fire.

I'm glad I did, because, after one good click, all subsequent trigger activations did not move the hammer! I could feel some resistance, but felt like it just wasn't catching. After futzing with it awhile, I realized I could get it to catch if I manually applied pressure to the grip near the hammer - literally pinching the top rear of the grip, but if I released, it might work for awhile, but then would start slipping again.

I still didn't know what exactly was going on, but decided to re-mount the stock grips. It was during that process that I realized the problem was the RM380 grips are NOT cosmetic, but keep the trigger mechanism constrained. The third-party grips were just too bendy for the Remington!

I've never experienced the issue with the stock grips. However, I did eventually replace them with some different third-party grips, from VZ Grips, but they are made from G10 composite material and are far more solid and stiff even than the stock Remington grips.

However, even with the new super-stiff grips, now knowing how important that right-side grip panel is to smooth operation of the pistol, I fastened those three Torx grip screws with some blue Loctite for extra measure (anecdotally, if you look carefully at those screws after removing them the first time, you'll notice Remy also uses some kind of thread-locker on those). Because I now know that ANY looseness of that right-side grip panel will most likely result in a similar non-firing situation with the RM380!

I have never seen the hammer-slip problem again, and consider the issue solved. I don't consider this a design flaw; it just means the grips are not cosmetic at all, but an integral part to the function of the weapon, and should be treated as such. The RM380 is still one of the best pocket pistols!

.410
Posts: 52
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2018 9:10 am
PostPosted: Sun Apr 21, 2019 1:39 pm
thanks for posting. good addition to the knowledge base on this superb little pistol.

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