IWI Masada tactical does not lock slide open on last round

[bunker buster]

Hi Guys,

New to this forum. Hello to everybody.

I don't know why my Masada doesn't lock open after the last round. According to the Masada customer service I have to clean it which I did still doesn't lock open. I make sure I don't ride the slide release.

Anybody have suggestions?

[ECVMatt]

It could be a lot of things. I would check the magazine followers to ensure they move smoothly within the magazine body. You might also check the slide catch lever to confirm that it can move into the slide lock position. Lastly, I would suggest shooting the pistol to confirm that it indeed will not lock open under normal operating conditions.

Keep us updated.

[Lon]

Does it lock open when you insert an empty mag and pull the slide back?

I’ve for a SD9 that would lock back when I pulled the slide back, but not when I shot it. I changed the magazine spring with a longer one and now it locks back.

[Rock185]

As mentioned, could be a lot of things. But just my possible 2¢ worth; I don't have a Masada, but do have a few other 9mm pistols. Assuming your pistol is a 9mm, sometimes the ammo used is loaded too lightly, whether factory or handloaded, leading to failure to reliably extract, eject and/or lock open on empty. To evaluate this, you might try ammo more heavily loaded or a lighter recoil spring. FWIW, ammo that will reliably extract, eject and lock open on empty any of my 9s is the Winchester or IMI 124 grain NATO..YMMV

[HCM]

Hi Guys,

New to this forum. Hello to everybody.

I don't know why my Masada doesn't lock open after the last round. According to the Masada customer service I have to clean it which I did still doesn't lock open. I make sure I don't ride the slide release.

Anybody have suggestions?

There’s a good chance this is being induced by the way you grip the pistol.

Does the slide lock open when you manually pull the slide back with an empty magazine in place ?

If no - then it could be one of the mechanical issues already discussed.

If yes, then it’s not a mechanical issue and unlikely to be an ammo issue if you are not having other malfunctions.

If the slide locks back when you manually pull the slide back with an empty magazine in place, but it does not lock back on the last round of live fire it is most likely your grip is interfering with the slide lock / slide release lever.

This is particularly common for shooters with larger hands, and on guns, which have ambidextrous slide release levers.

I have size XXL hands, and I rarely get last round slide lock when I shoot a Glock.

I have also seen peoples grip induce a malfunction by unintentionally activating the Slide lock lever on certain guns in the middle of a string of fire, with ammo remaining in the magazine.

[Clusterfrack]

Hi Guys,

New to this forum. Hello to everybody.

I don't know why my Masada doesn't lock open after the last round. According to the Masada customer service I have to clean it which I did still doesn't lock open. I make sure I don't ride the slide release.

Anybody have suggestions?

It might be as simple as needing to break in the recoil spring. If you're shooting relatively weak ammo, and the gun is brand new, that could explain it. I'm guessing these guns are sprung for hot NATO ammo.

You could try hotter ammo, and/or hand cycle the slide a couple hundred times.

Welcome to Pistol-Forum!

[358156hp]

How new is the gun?

I also noticed that the Masada has a standard ambi slide release. Are you keeping your hand clear of it on both sides when shooting?

[GJM]

I picked one of these up off the prize table. Any good?

[JonInWA]

I picked one of these up off the prize table. Any good?

Sample size of 1: A friend of mine got BNIB a full-size Masada, and had his firing pin break between 1,000-2,000 rounds. It's performed well since, but it strikes me (no pun intended....) as a slightly ergonomically improved take on comparable Glocks, without the depth of engineering expertise, vetting and heavy organizational use. In other words, it appears to be a nicely executed range toy, but hardly something I'd put a huge amount of trust in, or would be predisposed to use for duty or defensive use.

My friend remains a fan of it, and uses it well in IDPA/ASI, but I doubt he uses it for carry-at least I hope not. Fortunately, he also has a Gen5 G17 and a Gen 3 G22.

Best, Jon

[Kyle Reese]

I picked one of these up off the prize table. Any good?

My only complaint with my Masada is the STIFFFFFF mag release. Other than that, it's a really decent polymer framed, striker fired 9mm pistol, especially for free.

[GJM]

My only complaint with my Masada is the STIFFFFFF mag release. Other than that, it's a really decent polymer framed, striker fired 9mm pistol, especially for free.

What is this "free" thing you mention. Remember, this is PF where 2 is 1, and 3 is 2, plus we need holsters, magazines, and spare parts!

[Lex Luthier]

Tamara reviewed one for Shooting Illustrated just before the ‘Rona hit, and was generally positive.

https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/review-iwi-us-masada-pistol/

I’ve handled one, but have no other experience with them.

[3-7-77]

I have two that I bought to stage at my wife's business. They were only function tested for a few magazines but shot really well. Nice, smooth trigger and accurate. Seemed on par with many of the other big name polymer pistols. I'd call it an Israeli Glock with a better trigger that needs better grip texture. I plan on picking up a few more once I scratch a few more pressing itches. I didn't have lock-back issues but could see how an errant thumb could prevent the slide stop from working.