testtest

Hollow point ammo 'catching' on lip of Echelon 4.0C Comp magazine

G

GregVT

Alpha
Happy Thanksgiving!

The first time I used my Echelon 4.0C at the range while testing it with either Speer Gold Dot 124gr or Federal Premium LE 124 gr ammo, the slide jammed and wouldn't close. (I had to eject the first round that was jammed.) This seemed to happen especially with one of the mags, while the others didn't jam but had the ‘catching’ problem I'll describe below.

Subsequently, I've noticed that when I use this ammo the slide doesn't close smoothly but seems to 'catch' on the front rim of the casing. This doesn't seem to happen if I use a cheaper FMJ 9mm ammo (MagTech 115gr).

I can actually reproduce this by loading up a mag with a slide racked to the rear and then closing the slide. The catching is very noticeable before the slide closes.

Do you think this is due to the ammo, or is it just a matter of breaking in the mags? I've been loading and unloading them almost daily at home for a while (a month), but the problem seems to persist.
 
Pitdogg2 said:
Does it happen if you pull the slide back to release or just when you depress the slide stop?
Click to expand...
I don't usually press the slide stop to release the slide, so it happened when I pulled the slide back to release it.

But I just tried with a full mag to chamber a round by depressing the slide stop and I didn't notice the catch. I did notice it just now if I pulled the slide back to release, though.
 
Hi @GregVT,

Welcome to the forum! :)

I'm assuming the Echelon has been properly cleaned and lubed.

You mention a couple of valid concerns, break-in and ammo. Sometimes the pistol will take 200-500 rounds to really start running smoothly. Some folks will use a Dremel tool and polish wheel to polish the feed ramp and hurry that process along. Working the pistol like you have is helpful also.

Due to a condition called "tolerence stacking" some pistols are very picky about ammo. Magazines can be affected too. As the pistol wears this condition can lessen. The Gold Dot 124g is my normal self defense ammo, good choice. Since it seems to work well with ball ammo, can you try a couple more different hollow points to check their behavior?

For now, put a couple drops of oil on a q-tip and rub it on the feed ramp, see if that helps. Take out the barrel and make sure there are no burrs or rough edges on the feed ramp. Worst case scenario, you might have to RMA to the mother ship to take care of a manufacturing defect. It happens, rarely.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
Thanks @Pitdogg2 @Annihilator[/USER] and @BassCliff. I appreciate the responses.

Yes, I field strip the Echelon pretty regularly to make sure it's clean and lubed since I do a lot of dry fire.

I also have/use Federal Premium LE 124gr and the slide catching happens with that as well, more so when I try to chamber a round from a completely full 15 rd mag than with a less-than-full mag.

Well, I'm planning to get to the range this coming week and will see what happens after running another couple/few hundred rounds through it.

I will try the oil and re-check for burrs and rough edges. Good suggestion.

Thank you again!
 
GregVT said:
Happy Thanksgiving!

The first time I used my Echelon 4.0C at the range while testing it with either Speer Gold Dot 124gr or Federal Premium LE 124 gr ammo, the slide jammed and wouldn't close. (I had to eject the first round that was jammed.) This seemed to happen especially with one of the mags, while the others didn't jam but had the ‘catching’ problem I'll describe below.

Subsequently, I've noticed that when I use this ammo the slide doesn't close smoothly but seems to 'catch' on the front rim of the casing. This doesn't seem to happen if I use a cheaper FMJ 9mm ammo (MagTech 115gr).

I can actually reproduce this by loading up a mag with a slide racked to the rear and then closing the slide. The catching is very noticeable before the slide closes.

Do you think this is due to the ammo, or is it just a matter of breaking in the mags? I've been loading and unloading them almost daily at home for a while (a month), but the problem seems to persist.
Click to expand...
My first step would be to give the gun a thorough cleaning and lube the slide with a bit of gun grease. The preservative they ship guns with needs to be revoved.

Something to check. Your gun may be short stroking due to a loose grip. The slide needs to travel all the way to the rear in order to compress the recoil spring and store enough energy for return to battery. If it isn't compressing the spring all the way on firing you can get a failure to feed or double feed. I see it especially with light weight handguns. Tighten up your grip and see if the problem goes away with a firm grip..

Conversely, you may have a magazine issue. I would disassemble the magazines and inspect the spring and follower for deformation, and pull a shop cloth through the magazine tube to clear any debris. (No lube in there). If you find any abnormality with the magazines call Springfield customer service and they will probably send you new magazine parts.

Most manufacturers recommend a break in of a new gun. I have never had problems with a new gun that is properly cleaned and lubed. Some guns are just fussy about hollow points and you may have to try several brands to find one that works reliably in your gun. I have found that Hornady Critical Defense and Critical Duty work well in just about everything.

Good luck with it and leg us know how it resolves. And welcome aboard!
 
HayesGreener said:
My first step would be to give the gun a thorough cleaning and lube the slide with a bit of gun grease. The preservative they ship guns with needs to be revoved.

Something to check. Your gun may be short stroking due to a loose grip. The slide needs to travel all the way to the rear in order to compress the recoil spring and store enough energy for return to battery. If it isn't compressing the spring all the way on firing you can get a failure to feed or double feed. I see it especially with light weight handguns. Tighten up your grip and see if the problem goes away with a firm grip..

Conversely, you may have a magazine issue. I would disassemble the magazines and inspect the spring and follower for deformation, and pull a shop cloth through the magazine tube to clear any debris. (No lube in there). If you find any abnormality with the magazines call Springfield customer service and they will probably send you new magazine parts.

Most manufacturers recommend a break in of a new gun. I have never had problems with a new gun that is properly cleaned and lubed. Some guns are just fussy about hollow points and you may have to try several brands to find one that works reliably in your gun. I have found that Hornady Critical Defense and Critical Duty work well in just about everything.

Good luck with it and leg us know how it resolves. And welcome aboard!
Click to expand...
Thanks, @HayesGreener. I appreciate the advice and info.

I cleaned the pistol pretty thoroughly before I took it to the range the first time so I could get the preservative out and then lube it properly using gun oil.

You may be right about the grip. As I said above, when I use the slide lock to release the slide, I don't notice the catching. So I tried to be more aggressive in pulling the slide back and letting it go to chamber a round and I didn't notice the catching, either. Might just be part of the problem.

I will disassemble the magazine that was more likely to have the problem and see if there's anything unusual.

Thank you again!
 
Also if it is a magazine issue. I would load up your magazines and just let them sit till you go shooting again. I actually do this with my magazines.

As previously stated some guns have break in periods where it can take up to 1000 rounds. My M&P M2.0 10MM 4” took some time to settle in and work right.

At times ammo might be just out of speck for a firearm. I had a Glock G43X that was really good on not liking ammunition. It was to the point the only thing I run through it was Ammo Inc.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top