Why does my pistol jam

You should know these and be able to describe them properly. Not only will the expert be able to understand the problem better, he will instantly raise his estimation of you as a handgunner at least several notches.

The most common of these failures in a semi-automatic pistol can be described as one of these three events:. The bullet does not travel properly from the magazine to the chamber, and the slide closes only partially.

The bullet fired, but the extractor did not pull the fired case from the chamber. Another round could not be fed into the chamber because of this. The gun is out of battery with the slide partially open. The magazine may be stuck and will not drop.

The fired case is pulled from the chamber, but not fully ejected, causing the slide to lock partially open on the empty case. Taking them one-by-one, a Failure to feed can generally be attributed to any of several things — a dirty chamber, thus keeping the round from seating properly, or damaged magazine lips, causing the round to be misaligned as it is picked up by the slide and carried to the chamber.

On all semi-autos, pull the slide all the way to the rear, and let it go. The slide has to travel rapidly, even violently, to the forward position to properly seat the bullet in the chamber. A failure to extract can be traced generally to one of several things — a dirty chamber or dirty bullet case makes friction hold the case with more strength than the extractor can apply, and the empty shell stays in the chamber.

Do you have any advise? Thank you very much! Gripping the gun tight is a best practice that is recommended by most of the pro shooters.

Doing hand strengthening exercises is also a good idea to help build your hand strength up. Hope this helps. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This gun was notorious for malfunctioning. The second is because of a component issue with your gun or magazine like a broken extractor, magazine spring tension, or similar.

Finally, the last popular reason for a jamming pistol is operator error. The shooter of the gun can actually cause the pistol to jam by not holding the pistol properly. Other parts may also break on the gun, like the extractor or springs. Operator Error Can Cause Pistol Jams This is a topic that almost nobody wants to talk about because everyone is an expert in their own mind.

I talk more about this, here. Springfield Armory XD-9 with grip safety. Comments HI! The most common culprits for ammo-related malfunctions are reloaded and older ammunition. Reloaded ammunition can present several problems in a pistol. The ammo may not be the right length, it may have the incorrect amount of powder, or it may have other issues.

My policy is that I only fire my reloads in my guns. This keeps me and my guns safe from danger and liability. Older ammunition, especially military surplus ammo, has likely been stored improperly at least some time during its long life. Excessive moisture can cause primers and powder to not fire properly if at all. Even modern commercially-manufactured ammunition can have problems. Faulty primers result in failures to fire, and cases can become deformed during the manufacturing process so that they will not feed properly.

The best way to avoid ammo-related jams and malfunctions in your firearm is to purchase good ammo. If you reload your own ammunition, be observant and intentional as you do so. If your pistol is normally reliable but starts to experience malfunctions, check your ammo for deformities and try a different batch before you blame the gun.

Another reason that a pistol may jam is due to poor shooting technique. A pistol requires a stable platform while firing in order to operate correctly. This is when the shooter fails to control the recoil of the pistol, allowing it to buck backward violently. Shooting with a relaxed wrist or grip causes this.

This can easily be solved by gripping the pistol tighter and locking your wrist into place. Worn out springs can also cause a pistol to jam. The springs that are most likely to cause malfunctions are the recoil spring, extractor spring, and hammer spring.

Striker-fired pistols, such as Glocks, have a striker spring instead of a hammer spring. Worn out recoil and extractor springs can prevent the firearm from extracting the previous case, causing a malfunction. Old hammer or striker springs can cause the firing pin to not hit the primer with enough force to ignite it, causing a light strike.

Worn out springs are most commonly found on older guns and those that have been shot a lot. My experience with this was with a Hungarian clone of a Browning Hi-Power. I struggled with numerous failures to extract, which were caused by the recoil and extractor springs. The slide cycled too fast as a result of the worn recoil spring. These two issues combined together to create a very unreliable firearm.

Once again, I used Wolff Gun Springs for the job. A broken part or parts is another reason that a pistol will jam. This will result in sudden malfunctions that repeat over and over. If your gun is running fine one second and then starts having the same type of malfunction multiple times, stop what you are doing, unload the gun, and inspect it. Revolvers are not immune to ammunition-related stoppages, either: if the overall length is excessive, cylinder binding can occur, and if there are case bulges or expanded brass from excessive pressure, extraction can become difficult or even impossible without gunsmith assistance.

Despite the temptation from a money savings perspective, steel or aluminum cased ammo of all types are best avoided as well, and such ammo is often prohibited on many indoor ranges, including Bellevue Gun Club. Of the two, lubrication is particularly crucial. A properly manufactured and set up , for example, can be extremely reliable particularly in. The action and extractor star of revolvers can also accumulate a lot of grime and unburned powder particles, rendering them sluggish and eventually inoperable so care must be taken here too, from time to time.

Not only will handguns of all types eventually begin to experience issues due to increasing friction impeding the feed cycle, the increased grit and grime will wear metal to metal components faster than would otherwise be the case. A cleaned and lubricated firearm, particularly one which a citizen depends upon for personal protection, will ensure it remains trustworthy in a defensive emergency. Follow a cleaning schedule relevant to the amount you shoot, and make sure your guns are in the best condition for reliability.