Is your 9mm handgun experiencing issues with feeding? Well then you’re in the right place.
Here, we’ll break down some common causes of feed (and extraction) issues revolving around ammo type, spring fatigue, and more.
Go down the list and see if you can solve your problem based on the insights in this post.
Fatigued Recoil Spring
Your handgun’s recoil spring is responsible for storing potential energy when the action cycles, returning the slide to battery after the fired round has been ejected.
Over time, your recoil spring will start to get weaker, before it fatigues and fails entirely. Typically, a recoil spring will survive between 3000 and 5000 cycles or so before it needs to be replaced.
At the end of its lifespan, though, what you might notice is that the fired brass gets ejected, but the slide doesn’t have enough energy to strip and feed the new round.
If the fresh round is pushed halfway up the feed ramp or is still partially held by the magazine, one of the first things you should check is the recoil spring.
Fatigued Magazine Spring
Over time, your magazine spring will fail, just like your recoil spring. All else being equal, you might be able to expect the mag spring to survive a few thousand extra rounds, though.
That being the case, when your magazine spring starts to get old, you may notice that it lacks the force to push the new rounds up through the mag tube.
When that happens, if the rounds stick in the mag, the slide may shut on an empty chamber; or it may jam because the mag doesn’t force the nose of the bullet up far enough for the slide to chamber it.
Damaged/Missing Extractor Claw
If your extractor claw is damaged or missing, your gun is going to experience failures to extract, which can take on multiple forms.
One potential issue is a stovepipe jam, in which the fired casing is partially extracted but gets wedged between the slide and the barrel when the barrel returns to battery.
Another thing that may happen, if the extractor is so damaged that it doesn’t even engage the cartridge rim, is that the action may attempt to close another live round between the fired brass, which will remain in the chamber.
Either way, in these scenarios, look at the condition of the extractor claw. It could also be the case that the gun just needs a good cleaning.
Feed Ramp Problems
A rough feed ramp can cause failures to feed even if all the springs and other parts of the gun are in perfect working order.
Open up your action and look in, at the chamber. You see that slanted little piece of steel at the bottom of the breech end of the barrel, that slopes up to the chamber?
That’s the feed ramp, and it should be smooth and polished in order to facilitate fluid feeding. If the feed ramp is dirty, caked in fouling, or otherwise rough, it’s not going to feed well, and not just with hollow points, but you could have problems with 9mm full metal jacket ammo too.
There are two solutions: clean the feed ramp, or if it’s physically rough, take it to a gunsmith and have the feed ramp polished.
“Sticky” Chamber
Rough chambers can also make it hard for the extractor to remove the spent casing. This is because the rougher the chamber walls, the more friction there is on the cartridge when it’s forced out against the inside of the chamber when it experiences the extraordinary pressures generated upon firing.
If your chamber is dirty or “sticky,” you might notice that your gun has problems with extraction. It’ll also manifest as a lot of resistance when you go to manually rack the slide to force out a “stuck” cartridge.
The chamber could just be dirty - in which case you can clean it yourself - or it may actually be too rough, in which case it should be taken to a gunsmith and polished.
Hollow Point Woes
Lastly, the issue might not be with the gun but with the ammo. Hollow point ammo is notorious for its feeding issues, as the nose of the bullet can easily hang up on the edge of the chamber, on the feed ramp, or even on part of the magazine.
If you’re having issues with hollow points, try shooting some 9mm full metal jacket at the range. Not only is 9mm full metal jacket more reliable for range training, but it’s also cheaper and more accurate too.
Save the hollow points for defensive carry and stick with FMJ for training.
Here for 9mm Full Metal Jacket? Stock Up
If your issue is ammo related, we can help with that. Shop a full catalog of 9mm full metal jacket, hollow point, and other specialty ammo, including steel cased ammo here, and don’t forget to check out our 9mm bulk ammo deals too.