Malfunction: Live Round Stovepipe

[Maquis]

Beretta Tomcat .32 / Remington & Winchester ball ammo~~on the last round on one particular magazine the last round would not fire but rather end up stovepiped between the barrel and the slide with bullet facing up. Always the last round when it happened which was about every other time with that magazine. I had two kinds of ammo and two magazines and at first I though maybe ammo but I switched and same result with same mag. Otherwise it fired flawlessly.

Simply a mag issue?

(I suppose technically it's not a stovepipe if the round is not fired but it best described the problem)

Thanks

[ungawa]

I've learned that I am not learned but that sure sounds like a mag issue. If you load the mag and pop the rounds out from behind by hand do you see any difference on the last round?

[Maquis]

I've learned that I am not learned but that sure sounds like a mag issue. If you load the mag and pop the rounds out from behind by hand do you see any difference on the last round?

I will try that..

[GeneCC]

Consider checking the follower and the spring for dirt or obstruction. When there is insufficient spring tension a round may not seat against the feed lips so that the round is not guided towards the ramp and opening of the chamber when the slide returns to pick it up.

This failing may cause odd behavior.

Check the feed lips for symmetry too.


I'm not pointing fingers but should point this out - magazines are sometimes the most neglected part of a firearm. They're considered "consumable" so people sometimes don't think of them as a vital link in how the system works. When I clean a semi auto I also will tear down the mags and clean them too.

[PAallterrain]

Clean the mag, do not lube it, and try it again. If you get more malfunctions see what it will cost to buy a new spring, as opposed to a new mag. My ar15 mags get set on the berm of the range and used as a target when they fail because its cheaper to just buy a new mag and be done with it.

[gascolator]

Your magazine spring has lost its "spring." You can probably verify this by taking the springs out of the "good" and "bad" magazines and comparing the length.

Give it a Viagra or get a new spring.

[JoeyBones]

Your magazine spring has lost its "spring." You can probably verify this by taking the springs out of the "good" and "bad" magazines and comparing the length.

Give it a Viagra or get a new spring.

^^Yup. This^^

Nose-up jams, especially on the last round, are usually symptoms of a weakened mag spring (possibly other contributing causes, but the mag spring is a definite starting point, and will likely cure the problem).

In some guns, a weakened recoil spring can contribute to this problem also, by allowing the slide to cycle too quickly. Since springs are cheap fixes, I'd start w/ the mag spring, then try it out and go from there. Only change one thing at a time, assuming you're interested in pinpointing the cause.

Regards,

Bones

[Maquis]

Cool info~a coworker is looking for a small handgun so I thought I'd sell him this since I don't really care for it though it did shoot well ~~ "nose-up jam", I figured there was a real term for it. I'll let him know about the bum mag and he can deal with as he likes.

Thanks, I knew you guys would be helpful

[WVBob]

A good way to test for a bad spring is to load two rounds and see how they cycle and if you have the same issue.