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New LCP Failure to Feed JHP ammo

8K views 19 replies 14 participants last post by  Toprudder 
#1 ·
Just took my new LCP to the range. Shot a 50 count box of Blazer brass without any issue. Its hard to see the front sight to aim but I hit the center of mass on all rounds. I could hit the target center within a few inches at 10 years. Not a bad shooter. The trigger did not matter as much as I thought after I learned to stage it properly.

Then I tried to use Federal Premium 'Low Recoil' 90 grain Hyrdra-Shok JHP and the problems started. Each round would not feed properly. The round would end up with its point jammed up against the feed ramp at a downward angle. Of course the slide would not going into battery fully. I had to retract the slide just a little then rack it and it would go into battery.

The normal ball ammo I just show feed without any issues. I mixed the ammo up and it again failed to fully chamber each of the JHP ones, the ball ammo no problems.

So what should I do?
Should I break in the firearm with more ball ammo?
Should I polished the feed ramp?
Should I try another personnel defense ammo brand? Any recommendations?

Any advise would be appreciated.

Thanks,
--RSK
 
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#2 ·
The trigger did not matter as much as I thought after I learned to stage it properly.
I'm not sure what to do about your feeding problems, but PLEASE DO NOT "stage" the trigger. The LCP is not a target pistol and all training with it should emulate the close-in last-ditch combat shooting that it is designed for. You would simply be wasting time with the staging of the trigger and that could get you killed in a fight. Learn to hold the LCP on target (in a point-n-shoot mode) and pull the trigger very rapidly without pulling the pistol off target in the process. This may take a bit of training to get it right, but the result will be worth every bit of the effort.
 
#5 ·
I'm not sure what to do about your feeding problems, but PLEASE DO NOT "stage" the trigger. The LCP is not a target pistol and all training with it should emulate the close-in last-ditch combat shooting that it is designed for. You would simply be wasting time with the staging of the trigger and that could get you killed in a fight. Learn to hold the LCP on target (in a point-n-shoot mode) and pull the trigger very rapidly without pulling the pistol off target in the process. This may take a bit of training to get it right, but the result will be worth every bit of the effort.
Skip, I'm so glad I read this post. I've seen this information from you many times before, but for some reason, this time I realize that is exactly what I've been doing (staging the trigger). It's a habit, I'll have to break. Thanks for the wake up call.
 
#3 ·
Skip is right on the trigger staging. Forget it unless you ate shooting a target pistol.

The "low recoil" rounds may not be generating enough force to adequately cycle the slide, especially if you don't have a strong grip on the pistol. I would get a box of standard self defense ammo - Gold Dots or Hornady CD - and try again. Keep a strong grip.
 
#4 ·
Thanks Skip,

I was staging the trigger to see how accurate I could get with this small pistol. I did have a few that I pulled and still hit center of mass. I would never do this in a real situation. I agree with your point and shoot mode, unfortunately the indoor range does not allow rapid firing so I had to go slow. At the normal range I am a member at they do allow the rapid firing which I plan on trying out next week.

Thanks for the help,
--RSK
 
#10 ·
While you may not be allowed to discharge multiple rounds rapidly at a given range, you should be able to hold a pistol at the "ready" position (held below the target) and then very rapidly acquire the target using the point-n-shoot method I've published here several times and pull the trigger through to firing a single round. Simply repeat this over and over again until each and every time you get a hit on target in the shortest possible time.

Dry firing practice (with all live ammo in another room) can be very useful to improve skill in this technique. Using a laser in the bore can let you see if you're holding on-target or not while pulling the trigger.
 
#6 ·
+1 to Skip! It must be understood that the LCP is NOT a target/range gun! It's design and purpose is specifically point and shoot, up close and personal self defense!
 
#8 ·
I'd stay away from that low recoil stuff. The only ammo that I had a problem with in my Glock 27 was from a couple of boxes of low recoil 165 grain Hydra Shok that an FBI agent gave me. I think now that his agency was discontinuing its use and told their guys to get rid of or shoot up the stuff they had.
 
#13 ·
I recently picked up a LCP for the wife.

I have not had a chance to get to the range yet. I already had some 380 ammo for a Bersa, so I thought I would try manually cycling some different types through it. The round nose Speer Lawman FMJ works perfectly. I next tried some Remington Golden Sabre and had problems chambering the first round. It seemed to be snagging on the feed ramp, so I polished it. That problem seemed to be solved. But, now it won't eject the first round, it gets hung part way back, the only way I can clear it is to drop the mag, then it ejects fine. I determined that problem to be the rear edge of the chambered round catching on the front edge of the next casing in the magazine. All of the 380 Golden Sabre rounds do not have the rear edge of the rim chamferred. The Speer Lawman does. I then tried some regular Remington JHP, and they work fine. Yep, they are chamferred, too.

I will try the Golden Sabre as soon as I can go to the range, maybe it will cycle fine when actually firing. But, if I can't clear a misfire round without dropping the mag, I would not trust it for a real stress situation. I plan to put a couple hundred rounds through it then maybe I will revisit the Golden Sabre.
 
#14 ·
I had similar issues with regular Hornady JHP getting stuck on the feed ramp, so I tried Hornady critical defense and it fed fine. The regular JHP has a fatter nose compared to the critical defense which is more tapered, so I think that may have contributed to my issues.
 
#17 ·
I haven't had trouble cycling anything. Federals work fine in mine. The only ammo I've had an issue with were some green box Remington bulk. The primers were too hard. Would fire on the second hammer fall. Back to the OP.......sounds like a magazine problem. I'd recommend everyone take their mags apart for a good inspection and cleaning on a regular basis. Magazines are as important on a semi auto as any other part. M1911
 
#19 ·
FWIW. You guys read about my failure to feed and Rugers 1st response. Well, their 2nd response (when the gun did not feed Gold Dots, hollow points) was to e mail me a return UPS postage slip. Sent the gun in, they replaced the slide and ran 30 rounds of Black Hills Gold thru it and sent it right back. Works perfect now! These Nano guns are pretty picky! They are awful small and things gotta be just right. Of course if you limp wrist it, nothing will probably work.

BTW, very happy with Rugers response. Musta got a newbie the first call or she was having a bad day
 
#20 ·
A bit more of the history of mine. The original problems I had were with manually cycling some Remington Golden Saber. The first problem - chambering a round - was fixed as far as I can tell by polishing the feed ramp. The edge of the hollowpoint cavity seemed to be hanging on the feed ram.

The second problem was that I could not reliably cycle the LCP manually with this ammo. During extraction, the rear edge of the rim of the chambered round seemed to be snagging on the front edge of the next casing in the magazine. I now believe this is the root of the problem I am having with other ammo. The symptom is FTE or "double feed". Everytime the gun now jams, the spent casing is part way out of the chamber, the slide is all the way back and is trying to push a round out of the magazine. I have to push that round back down into the magazine so the slide can go forward to catch the spent casing again.

Today I tried a few things to test my theory, and I think I can accurately predict if a given ammo will work or not. Some ammo has a small chamfered edge on the rear of the rim. These will work. Some do not have a chamfered rim, and these will not work. It makes sense. The chamfered edge will allow the rim to ride over the next casing, the ones not chamfered will sometimes hang, usually at least once per mag.

I looked at all the ammo that works, and all (that I have left) that don't work, and they follow this theory completely.

FWIW, one more ammo that I tried today that works is the Winchester white box FMJ 100 round bulk that I bought at Walmart. This will be my practice ammo now. Hornady Critical Defense will be EDC.

I may contact Ruger and mention this. Maybe they know about it, maybe not, but think it is worth mentioning.
 
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