wrt81
10-26-2011, 08:55 PM
I picked up a P30 9mm LEM recently and I've been having some issues with it. I'm a little unsure if it is the gun or if it's just ammo related. Sorry for the long post but I figured the more details the better.
First, I will say that before shooting the new P30 at all I did change the stock V2 set up to the "Todd Green Special" (where's the trademark symbol?) by changing out the FPBS spring and the hammer spring. I've done the same conversion on my P2000 and really like that set up.
On the first range trip I ran one box (50 rds) of my usual carry ammo, Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P and then 300 rds of PMC Bronze 115gr. I had quite a few FTE (failure to eject) with the PMC ammo. The fired case would get extracted from the chamber but would not exit the gun completely. It either stovepiped or got stuck horizontally sitting on top of the newly chambered round.
I know PMC is considered by some to be weak ammo and that some P30's seem to have a stiff recoil spring. So, I manually cycled the slide a few hundred times and went back to the range a few days later. This time I ran another 300 rounds through it....100 WWB (115gr) from Walmart, 100 Sellier & Bellot 115gr, and another 100 of the PMC. The WWB and S&B ran fine but I still had a few FTE (eject) with the PMC.
A few days later I went back and ran another 300 of the PMC through it. I again had some FTEs (I think around 4).
My local shop had some Aguila 124gr so I picked up a case. On my next range trip I ran 300 of the Aguila through it with only 1 FTE towards the end of that 300. I then ran another 50 S&B through it on that trip with no problems.
Last night after cleaning it I left the slide locked back overnight, as I've read that may help with the stiff recoil spring. Tonight I went back and put another 300 rds of the Aguila through it. On somewhere around the 275rd mark I had a failure to EXTRACT this time. I fired a round, the slide stayed open and I noticed that the spent casing was still in the chamber with the new round trying to go in as well. I dropped the mag out and closed the slide, then manually cycled the slide and the spent casing ejected fine. It did not feel any different than normal as far as the case seeming to be stuck or anything. I realize now I shouldn't have closed the slide with the spent casing still in the chamber (I've read that can damage the extractor if done a lot?). I inspected the case and it did not seem any different than some of the other casings I had shot...it wasn't bulged or anything. After this I ran the remaining 25 rounds or so of the Aguila through it with no issues and another 100 rds of Seillier & Bellot through it with no problems.
So, at this point I have 1700 rounds through it total. If the issues were just specific to the PMC ammo in the beginning I would just toss it up to the stiff recoil spring that some P30's seem to have. However, with over 1k rounds through it (with some 124gr ammo in there), the last two stoppages (FTEject and FTExtract both with 124gr Aguila) have me a bit concerned.
I'm looking for some feedback on what some of you think. Does it seem to be weak ammo & stiff recoil spring related or does there seem to be something else going on? I've shot mostly WWB and PMC through my P2000 and USP and never had any problems that I recall. Also, I have cleaned the gun after each range trip.
Thanks in advanced for any input you can provide.
First, I will say that before shooting the new P30 at all I did change the stock V2 set up to the "Todd Green Special" (where's the trademark symbol?) by changing out the FPBS spring and the hammer spring. I've done the same conversion on my P2000 and really like that set up.
On the first range trip I ran one box (50 rds) of my usual carry ammo, Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P and then 300 rds of PMC Bronze 115gr. I had quite a few FTE (failure to eject) with the PMC ammo. The fired case would get extracted from the chamber but would not exit the gun completely. It either stovepiped or got stuck horizontally sitting on top of the newly chambered round.
I know PMC is considered by some to be weak ammo and that some P30's seem to have a stiff recoil spring. So, I manually cycled the slide a few hundred times and went back to the range a few days later. This time I ran another 300 rounds through it....100 WWB (115gr) from Walmart, 100 Sellier & Bellot 115gr, and another 100 of the PMC. The WWB and S&B ran fine but I still had a few FTE (eject) with the PMC.
A few days later I went back and ran another 300 of the PMC through it. I again had some FTEs (I think around 4).
My local shop had some Aguila 124gr so I picked up a case. On my next range trip I ran 300 of the Aguila through it with only 1 FTE towards the end of that 300. I then ran another 50 S&B through it on that trip with no problems.
Last night after cleaning it I left the slide locked back overnight, as I've read that may help with the stiff recoil spring. Tonight I went back and put another 300 rds of the Aguila through it. On somewhere around the 275rd mark I had a failure to EXTRACT this time. I fired a round, the slide stayed open and I noticed that the spent casing was still in the chamber with the new round trying to go in as well. I dropped the mag out and closed the slide, then manually cycled the slide and the spent casing ejected fine. It did not feel any different than normal as far as the case seeming to be stuck or anything. I realize now I shouldn't have closed the slide with the spent casing still in the chamber (I've read that can damage the extractor if done a lot?). I inspected the case and it did not seem any different than some of the other casings I had shot...it wasn't bulged or anything. After this I ran the remaining 25 rounds or so of the Aguila through it with no issues and another 100 rds of Seillier & Bellot through it with no problems.
So, at this point I have 1700 rounds through it total. If the issues were just specific to the PMC ammo in the beginning I would just toss it up to the stiff recoil spring that some P30's seem to have. However, with over 1k rounds through it (with some 124gr ammo in there), the last two stoppages (FTEject and FTExtract both with 124gr Aguila) have me a bit concerned.
I'm looking for some feedback on what some of you think. Does it seem to be weak ammo & stiff recoil spring related or does there seem to be something else going on? I've shot mostly WWB and PMC through my P2000 and USP and never had any problems that I recall. Also, I have cleaned the gun after each range trip.
Thanks in advanced for any input you can provide.