Looking for opinions on this Failure to Feed

[pgb205]

the failure manifests as the slide being pressed against a top round which still sits in the magazine. After taking out the round I see that there is a dip nick in the primer. This happened several times so not just a single faulty round.

The whole situation is actually concerning in another way. Im afraid that if primer gets hit hard enough by the slide the round might go off inside the gun.

I will contact SW for the opinion but some pictures are attach if anyone cares to advise me on what is going on here. This is after I got back from the range, show mags loaded and how they and the slide look. I don't see anything amiss here.

Last picture is a typical round I've fired. Also looks good to me.

thank you all in advance.

 

[pgb205]

more pictures. these are from the range. you can see the malfunction itself and the primer on the round.

 

[howiema]

First thing I would do is stop shooting Tula Steel cased ammo - just my opinion- junk in- junk out.

Pete

 

[URIT]

Change ammo, change magazine or clean magazine to eliminate any lubricant that may have wandered into it.

 

[pgb205]

hmm, about lubricant. how would that affect anything. I did lubricate the internal walls and the sides of the follower. but nothing excessive.

 

[pgb205]

First thing I would do is stop shooting Tula Steel cased ammo - just my opinion- junk in- junk out.

Pete

doesnt seem to cause issues in several of my other pistols.

 

[Pondoro]

Does it happen with both magazines? How old/worn are the gun and the magazines? It seems like the magazine and cartridge are too high in the gun or too low in the gun. Like the base of the cartridge is being presented to to the slide wrong. I'd look for wear or a ding or damage that lets the slide stop short of fully entering the gun or a worn/missing part that lets the slide go too far in. My two cents. Or the magazine(s) let the cartridge go too far up or hold it too far down in the mag? Can someone else with the same gun post pictures of a loaded mag, and of a loaded mag in the gun? I do not own this model.

 

[pgb205]

Does it happen with both magazines? How old/worn are the gun and the magazines? It seems like the magazine and cartridge are too high in the gun or too low in the gun. Like the base of the cartridge is being presented to to the slide wrong. I'd look for wear or a ding or damage that lets the slide stop short of fully entering the gun or a worn/missing part that lets the slide go too far in. My two cents. Or the magazine(s) let the cartridge go too far up or hold it too far down in the mag? Can someone else with the same gun post pictures of a loaded mag, and of a loaded mag in the gun? I do not own this model.

the gun is brand new and so are the mags. less than 100 rounds.

 

[howiema]

Did you lube the gun prior to its first range trip? The slide pic I see looks very dry. I would suggest lubing the gun and trying different ammo.

As far as the mags I would use minimal lube on the follower and interior as this attracts dirt. I generally just clean the interior of the mag with Hoppes and that is it.

Good Luck
Pete

 

[federali]

Me Thinks It's The Bullet

The bullet you're firing has a broad meplat and appears to be hanging up on the feed ramp. I've got the same problem with a Kahr Arms Model T-9 that hates 147 grain subsonic ammo for the same reason.

As others have said, try a different ammo such as conventional ball. I would also check the feed ramp and perhaps it may need polishing with some crocus cloth. A third possible solution would be to substitute Woolf magazine springs for the factory springs.

 

[msjdgman]

Another thing to consider is removing any lube from the inside of the mags and the followers. Friction is our friend for keeping the rounds securely in place, and there is a possibility that the lube you applied is allowing the rounds to move prematurely which might lead to incorrect feeding. Maybe I'm all wrong in this thought, but it might be worth looking at.

 

[S&W Rover]

Looks like an ammo-related problem, rather than a problem with the pistol itself.

Agree with all - clean, lube the gun, shoot brass-cased FMJ ammo.

Not a fan of steel ammo. Steel cases can have extraction problems because the steel does not contract back to its original shape as quickly and completely as brass, and steel cases do not feed as easily as brass (and nickle-plated brass is the best at feeding from magazines and into/out of chambers).

There is a reason we have been using brass for cases for the past 100 years -- the exception being the use of steel when resources make brass hard to obtain or too expensive.

Anyway, lots of people use steel ammo without dire results, but at this point in the life of this gun, I'd eliminate the steel as a factor in figuring out what is causing problems by eliminating the steel for now. Shoot that stuff up later, after the gun is broken in.

 

[pgb205]

@SW ROVER
but why would case material affect how the cartridge feeds from
a magazine.

I looked at the pictures again and agree that it looks like the top round is nosediving. Not sure if this is because the slide is pushing it down or if it's a weak spring.

 

[ClaytonG]

I have an SD40 which feeds about anything I can find.....except for Tula.

SD mags are usually pretty high quality mags that feed extremely well......but your rounds do seem to be nose diving.

Get yourself some cheap brass factory ammo like Blazer Brass or Winchester white box......and I'll bet your problems go away.

 

[ADP3]

First thing I would do is stop shooting Tula Steel cased ammo - just my opinion- junk in- junk out.

Pete

+1

Steel Cases ammo (even lacquer coated) experience more friction in cycling than Brass Cased ammo. Buy some Brass Case ammo and see if the problem continues. If it does send your gun back to S&W if it doesn't it's the Tula ammo. I have not had any use for Steel-Cased ammo since breaking a 1911 extractor, and I certainly don't want any Russian products no matter how cheap they are.

Best Regards,
ADP3

 

[SamMeow]

And load your new mags to capacity and let them sit 5-7 days.
Never hurts.