Is it normal for a new gun to jam

The factory manual, or the friendly customer service department of the manufacturer s are a great place to get specific information if you are uncertain about anything related to the best maintenance practices for your firearm.

These can be very frustrating for newer shooters, but its important to understand that this is a very real cause of feeding issues in even high-quality, otherwise reliable semi-auto pistols produced by prestigious manufacturers. This phenomenon can be more pronounced in polymer framed guns, where the material has an inherent capability to flex during firing, which means the user must be particularly certain their grip is high and strong throughout the process of firing the pistol, as well as follow through after the shot.

Shooters who gently ease the slide forward from slide lock during reloading can also experience issues whereby the first round fails to make it all the way up the feed ramp. The above is a somewhat hasty overview, but do consider these factors—or a combination of them—when facing those pesky reliability issues with your firearm. If you, your family or organization is interested in private or group training please contact us.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. No Comments. If you shoot a semi-automatic rifle or pistol , it is inevitable that you will have malfunctions i.

Well, something happens, but it is not what you expected. And you can fix most malfunctions yourself. The problem turns into a jam when you cannot clear the issue and need the service of a gunsmith. A malfunction is due to either a problem with the ammunition , mechanics of the gun or the shooter.

To get the most out of your training, familiarize yourself with the types of malfunctions and how to fix each. To do this, you will need to perform those actions quickly in a self-defense situation.

Your first fix for most malfunctions is an immediate-action drill known as tap-rack-bang! A squib is a round that does not have enough powder charge to send the bullet down the chamber and out the barrel. Therefore, the bullet gets stuck in the barrel. A squib can be a danger to you and your firearm. It is important that you are aware of what happens after you pull the trigger. If you do not notice a squib, you might be able to load and fire another round.

But that can really damage your gun. If you suspect you have a squib, stop shooting. Clear the action, make your gun safe and check the barrel. Squibs occur most commonly with hand loads, but factory ammunition can produce one as well. Clearing a squib with tap-rack-bang!

You may be able to remove the bullet with a barrel cleaning rod. However, if you are unsure, take your gun to a gunsmith or call the range officer to remove the bullet. A failure to feed is when a cartridge will not load into the chamber.

A round that fails to feed is normally associated with a magazine problem—the spring needs cleaning, or possibly it is a bad follower. It also is possible that the magazine was not inserted properly.

In my experience, a little lubrication on the feed lips of the magazine and in the chamber fixes this issue. After checking to see if your magazines are in good working order, your next step would be to switch ammo. Some guns are finicky. A failure to eject, sometimes called a stovepipe, means the case has not come out of the chamber after the gun fires. This is when the case gets stuck standing up, preventing the slide from returning to battery.

To fix a failure to eject, use tap-rack-bang! But first, roll your gun 90 degrees to the right. That will allow gravity to aid in removing the case. Keep your gun pointed in a safe direction for at least 30 seconds to see if the round goes off. After that—with the gun pointed in a safe direction—rack the slide to eject the malfunctioning round. A slamfire is when a new round loads into the chamber and the bolt return causes the firing pin to hit the primer hard enough to cause the round to fire without the trigger engaged.

To fix a double feed, first, remove the magazine. Then, rack the slide to eject both rounds. Once both rounds are ejected, insert a fresh magazine. A short-stroke is when the gun does not complete a full cycle after a round has been fired. The round will successfully leave the barrel, however, the slide will not have gone all the way back, so the gun did not load a new round.

A misfire is when you pull the trigger and the gun goes click. A misfire normally is due to a faulty primer. If tap-rack-bang! It is important to practice clearing malfunctions and learning to do them quickly—especially with your self-defense gun. You can safely use snap caps to practice. This Caleb Giddings video demonstrates the importance of thinking and clearing malfunctions quickly.

What is the worst malfunction you have encountered? Tell us in the comments section below. It has been completely updated and revamped for clarity and accuracy. Hey Raven, disturbing post about hubby accidentally almost shooting you while clearing a round. At a minimum, hubby was incredibly reckless or inexperienced with firearms to the point where he should not own them. My recommendation is for you to find someone in law enforcement with whom you can discuss further details to determine whether it was an astoundingly foolish mistake or something more.

Your instincts probably should not be ignored on this one. Hopefully if you provide some additional details to someone in law enforcement who is familiar with guns they might be able to help figure out if he is just dumb or trying to scare you or what. Might be helpful to know things like whether it is a revolver or auto, whether you were at home, in the same room, etc..

Either way, next time he plays with guns, leave the area. Good luck. I am writing because my husband says gun malfunctioned and nearly shot me in the chest missing me by 2 inches. It was 40 something hand gun. 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.

Another cause can be a damaged extractor — generally a claw-like device that clips over the bottom edge of the shell and pulls it out of the chamber with the rearward motion of the slide.

A failure to eject can also have more than one reason for occurring. It can be a damaged or faulty ejector — this is the piece that is located near the end of the rearward path of the spent shell, and causes it to kick out of the extractor with some force, causing it to fly clear of the pistol. The gun slips in the hand of the shooter, the slide moves only part way to the rear, short-stroking instead of traveling completely to the rear of the slide rails.

The gun then fails to extract, or eject. Practice clearing malfunctions with dummy ammo, like these. There are actually more things that can cause a pistol to jam up, but this article covers the most popular reasons why and how your pistols keeps jamming. I hope this answers your question regarding: Why does my pistol keep jamming. If so, let us know in the comments below. You can read our article about the pros and cons of a revolver vs semi auto pistol in this article on our website by Terry.

Josh is a lifelong practitioner and student of the gun. After high school, he joined the Marines where his love for firearms blossomed as he qualified with an M16A2, an M9, and a G. Josh has been writing about firearms and tactics for several years, is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, and believes that each individual person has the right to self-defense by any means necessary. Currently residing in gun-friendly North Carolina, he carries a concealed gun on a daily basis, even in his own house.

Thank you for your very infomative article. I tried to use different ammos, and a better lubricant. But the best results I got by gripping the gun tighter.

I think that this particular pistol is not well balanced, since the stock is very light in comparison with the slide, so you need to grip the stock very tight to avoid a too violent muzzle flip. I am not sure yet of my deduction and if my Sig should jam again I will send it for service. Do you have any advise? Thank you very much!