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Excessive Stovepiping in P320

3064 Views 23 Replies 14 Participants Last post by ddc, 12 mo ago

BIC

Discussion Starter · May 27, 2022

New P320X Full 9mm. First shoot. Using Perfecta 115 FMJ, was stovepiping. Shot 61 rounds with maybe a dozen stovepipes. Failed to lockback on empty mags every time. I've rarely ever had either issue with any weapon. Switched to Blazer 124 FMJ for 50 rounds. Perfect.

I've been using the 9mm Perfecta 115 FMJ for years with no problem in an older P320 Carry, P365, CZ Scorpion EVO & Glock 43. Use Perfecta 55 FMJ in a Colt M4 and 95 FMJ .380 in a Ruger LCP. Never a problem with Perfecta--until today. At first, thought it was a pistol defect. After firing a box of Blazer, thinking that gun just doesn't like the Perfecta. Never had any gun that didn't like every ammo it was fed. Is this a defective pistol?

Any thoughts? Thanks.

Reactions: 2

1 - 20 of 24 Posts

bearone2

· #2 · May 28, 2022

grip, limp wristing!

Reactions: 1

Taskotzke59

· #3 · May 28, 2022

Going out on a limb here, bad batch of ammo. I’ve never heard of perfecta ammo but if the blazer didn’t jam I think you solved this issue.

Reactions: 5

BIC

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 28, 2022

bearone2 said:
grip, limp wristing!

My first thought, as it started while my wife was shooting. I've fired tens of thousands of rounds out of dozens of different guns without grip/wrist problems. I focused to make sure that was not the issue. That the Blazer ammo worked perfectly tells me it's not a technique issue.

Reactions: 1

BIC

Discussion Starter · #5 · May 28, 2022

Perfecta was sold at Walmart. I purchased most of mine circa 2015-2017. 9mm brass was about $10 for a box of 50. Those were the good old days.

Reactions: 4

weatom

· #6 · May 28, 2022

Ammo. Limp wristing, while real, it gets blamed for almost every feed issue with a polymer
framed gun. The truth is a lot of polymer guns can be sensitive to certain ammo(s). Typically
the hotter the round the better they run.

Now my Glock 21 is a POS regardless of what I run through it.

Reactions: 2

BIC

Discussion Starter · #7 · May 28, 2022

Would 115 v 124 grain bullets make a difference?

Reactions: 1

bhrees

· #8 · May 28, 2022

First thought is new pistol not degreased and oiled up but it usually only takes a few shots to get the parts mated up, so id also say that ammos no good. Never heard of it

bearone2

· #9 · May 28, 2022

weatom said:
Ammo. Limp wristing, while real, it gets blamed for almost every feed issue with a polymer
framed gun. The truth is a lot of polymer guns can be sensitive to certain ammo(s). Typically
the hotter the round the better they run.

Now my Glock 21 is a POS regardless of what I run through it.

gees, my g3 g30 likes a steady diet of gold dot 185's.

Chevy5150

· #10 · May 28, 2022

BIC said:
Would 115 v 124 grain bullets make a difference?

As a general rule, I’ve heard yes. Supposedly the heavier grain bullet is preferred for “break in” of a new pistol and then drop back down to lighter grain rounds if you feel. Personally, I don’t follow that line of thinking and just shoot what I have which is typically 115 gr rounds. But, then again, my 115 gr rounds are handloads and are probably a little hotter than what you might pick up at Walmart 😉

gchinsr

· #11 · May 28, 2022

Common for X-Series to be tighter than standard. Clean the factory preservative off, and lube it properly, then put a couple hundred rounds through her, and it will be fine. Typically the more powerful rounds are better getting things set in.

SpartanGoat

· #12 · May 28, 2022

Also, keep the slide locked back for a couple nights. Perfecta is good stuff but should be on the weaker side of things. Some good advice on here. Clean well, lubricate, keep slide locked back a couple nights, load mags full and leave for a couple nights as well. Then break in the pistol using heavier loads. I bet after 200 rounds that issue goes bye-bye!

weatom

· #13 · May 28, 2022

bearone2 said:
gees, my g3 g30 likes a steady diet of gold dot 185's.

That's great. But lot's of polymer framed gun owners aren't that lucky. Doesn't take
anymore than a simple observation to notice that most posts or comments about
pistol feed issues are referencing polymer framed guns.

I'm an advanced shooter and my son is a military trained marksman and armorer.
He bought a M17 and it stovepiped or FTF'd right out of the box. (he did clean
it first). Plus, he was running the same Federal 124gr the rest of us were. After
taking it apart several times and fiddling with it he seemed to resolve the problem.

LOL, last time I made that comment about my Glock the first response I got was
"limp wrist".
My reply was, "funny I don't seem to have a limp wrist issue with my steel frame
226, 229, 1911's, CZ's, Beretta's". Not a single stovepipe or FTF ever and I can feed them
all a steady diet of any ammo I want. Not just hotter loads, nor do I have to "break them in".

Look, I like polymer framed guns. The 320 and VP9 are my favorites, but each to his
own. The VP9 is a tackdriver, but I'll still stick with the steel frames.

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Reactions: 1

ProofMark

· #14 · May 28, 2022 (Edited)

I have an M18 that stovepiped or FTF’ed 1 out of 3 of the first 21 rd. mag. It was the ammo.

ddc

· #15 · May 28, 2022

gchinsr said:
Common for X-Series to be tighter than standard. Clean the factory preservative off, and lube it properly, then put a couple hundred rounds through her, and it will be fine. Typically the more powerful rounds are better getting things set in.

Exactly. A couple hundred rounds with decent ammo before other causes should be considered.
It will most likely be just fine at that point.

However that is not to say that there can't be a mismatch between RSA and ammo.
Especially if you are shooting stuff on the lower end of the spectrum.

A lot of the time you can have problems with a given ammo during breaking and think "that ammo sucks".
Then you go back to it after a thousand rounds and everything works fine.

tirod

· #16 · May 28, 2022

BIC said:
Never had any gun that didn't like every ammo it was fed.

An extremely rare and fortunate circumstance which is now put to rest.

Military firearms are tuned to issue ammo only - and it's why SIG has different springs in the M17 vs the P320. They give the 320 a different recoil spring precisely because it's going to see cheap low power ammo that likely would not properly cycle in a GI gun - and that batch of Perfecta is apparently just below the bar even so.

I've shot some cheap .380 in a Kahr CW380 which would not lock back on the last shot, every time, but feed it some self defense level hollow points and it's completely reliable. The smaller autos show these symptoms more often than larger duty pistols.

I also have some 20 year old PMC 9mm - and its starting to show issues with failure to ignite. Primers just wont go off its becoming that old. I was trained as an ammo handler in the Army and its entirely normal - the military stores it in sealed containers wrapped on pallets in earth berm bunkers, we don't - it sits in closets or worse, damp basements in cardboard boxes sucking up humidity.

Whether I like it or not, the PMC is going out to every range session and Im shooting the box completely now, I will replace it with new Blazer - which is available. Range fodder is cheap and usually low powered, frequently not sealed cases, even the primer, so it's more prone to aging than nickel plated lacquer primered carry ammo. Which is why I pick thru the boxes and shoot the greenest stuff I find.

More malfunction drills, woo hoo!

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Reactions: 1

24/7/365

· #17 · May 28, 2022

weatom said:
Ammo. Limp wristing, while real, it gets blamed for almost every feed issue with a polymer
framed gun.
The truth is a lot of polymer guns can be sensitive to certain ammo(s).
Typically the hotter the round the better they run.

Now my Glock 21 is a POS regardless of what I run through it.

My G21 is my primary home defense weapon and it has been flawless, digesting everything I feed it without drama.

In fact, all my Glocks have been happy with almost any ammo, except for Russian steel case ****.

During initial break in, I typically run a diet of hot rounds to eliminate any ammo variables...

weatom

· #18 · May 28, 2022 (Edited)

24/7/365 said:
My G21 is my primary home defense weapon and it has been flawless, digesting everything I feed it without drama.

In fact, all my Glocks have been happy with almost any ammo, except for Russian steel case ****.

During initial break in, I typically run a diet of hot rounds to eliminate any ammo variables...

No question. Most Glock owners say the same thing. I was just pointing out polymer guns seem to have more issues in this area than steel frame. My particular 21 may just be an anomaly. I can say I've tried everything imaginable from cleaning to ammo, but nope.

bearone2

· #19 · May 28, 2022

weatom said:
No question. Most Glock owners say the same thing. I was just painting out polymer guns seem to
have more issues in this area than steel frame. My particular 21 may just be an anomaly. I can
say I've tried everything imaginable from cleaning to ammo, but nope.

which gen?

weatom

· #20 · May 28, 2022

bearone2 said:
which gen?

I believe Gen2

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