Failing to extract from magazine

[corwin1968]

Took my G19 to the gun range and began to experience ftf's where the round isn't stripped out of the magazine. What happens is that after one case is ejected the next one sticks in the magazine. Looking into the pistol the round is fully seated in the mag. No forward or upward movement. I can clear it by pushing really hard on the magazine release and removing the magazine.

This pistol has well over 2000 flawless rounds thru it including over 800 of what I was shooting today (Speer GDHP 124 +P, reclassified). I have a 3.5# connector and a different spring on the "firing pin" (Wolf 5# I think) and have put more than 1000 rounds thru the pistol in this configuration. The failure to feed occured with both magazines (Glock 10rd with 9mm3 follower)but didn't occur all the time.

I posted this in "gunsmithing as well and got one reply. I cleaned the gun and one mag and stretched the spring on the other mag then tried dropping the slide on a loaded mag using the slide stop lever. Both mags strip and chamber the round flawlessly on rounds 1-3 and 7-10. Rounds 4-6 consistently ftf.

[J.P.]

Perhaps the cartridge pickup bar is damaged or out of spec.

[corwin1968]

Originally posted by Xminor
Perhaps the cartridge pickup bar is damaged or out of spec.


Are you referrring to what is labled on the Glock parts diagram as the extractor? After reading your post I tried again and noted that the round actually is moved forward in the magazine, just past the end of the extractor.

[J.P.]

No,not the extractor.
I don't have the diagram handy but if you remove the slide,turn it upside down and look at it,the cartridge pickup bar is the long raised strip between the breechface and the striker

[corwin1968]

OK, I see what you are talking about. It's definately connecting solidly with the case but not pushing it out of the magazine. This has got me thinking it could be the recoil spring but I wouldn't expect that to be worn after approx. 2300 rounds.

[J.P.]

Originally posted by corwin1968
OK, I see what you are talking about. It's definately connecting solidly with the case but not pushing it out of the magazine. This has got me thinking it could be the recoil spring but I wouldn't expect that to be worn after approx. 2300 rounds.

you say it is connecting with the case but not pushing the round out?
If it is going up and over the round...that is a definite problem.
Load a mag and ease the slide closed while watching the pickup bar.
It should be only half visible at first and barely visible at the round begins to move forward.
Try this and report back

[J.P.]

My specs show the pickup bar to be .150" Tall on the extractor side and .170" tall on the other side.(This is due to the base being thicker on the extractor side.)

[corwin1968]

Originally posted by Xminor
you say it is connecting with the case but not pushing the round out?
If it is going up and over the round...that is a definite problem.
Load a mag and ease the slide closed while watching the pickup bar.
It should be only half visible at first and barely visible at the round begins to move forward.
Try this and report back


I looks fine. Quite a lot of it is connecting with the back of the cartridge so I don't think that's the problem. Don't know if I mentioned that it's working with FMJ rounds. Just gets hung up on hollow-points. I know that's been an issue with 2183 followers but I've got 9mm3 followers plus I've fired over 900 rounds of hollow-point ammo with no problems. Since it's both mags I'm really leaning toward just ordering a new recoil spring/assembly. There just doesn't seem to be enough power to push the round forward and up the feed ramp.

[J.P.]

sounds like the slide is short stroking then.
A new recoil spring shouldn't affect that unless you have a heavier than stock spring in.
are you checking for limp wristing?
Is the gun clean?
Is the recoil guide rod damaged?
Or is the round being partially stripped and hanging up on the feedramp?
When you release the slide with the slide stop,does it hang up then?

[corwin1968]

Originally posted by Xminor
sounds like the slide is short stroking then.
A new recoil spring shouldn't affect that unless you have a heavier than stock spring in.
are you checking for limp wristing?
Is the gun clean?
Is the recoil guide rod damaged?
Or is the round being partially stripped and hanging up on the feedramp?
When you release the slide with the slide stop,does it hang up then?

I am using the stock recoil spring assembly.
It could have been limp wristing but I don't think it is because I've fired over 2000 rounds through this gun with zero problems.
The gun is very clean
The recoil guid rod doesn't appear to be damaged.
The round is being partially stripped and hanging up on the feed ramp.
When I release the slide with the slide stop it hangs up on rounds 4-6. 1-3 and 7-10 chamber perfectly. This is for hollow-points. FMJ's load flawlessly, at least when I release the slide with the stop.

[J.P.]

AH-HA!
Partially stripped.
This sounds like perhaps a new spring could do the trick.
Also i would strongly suggest polishing the feed ramp.
Go ahead and check/stretch/replace the mag springs too.
i would use the wolff +10% springs.

[corwin1968]

Just polished the feed ramp per suggestion from gunsmithing forum and it didn't help.

So the spring you are referring to is the recoil assembly that runs parallel to the barrel?

I ordered some new 15 rd mags so I look forward to trying those just to rule out my mags as the problem.

[corwin1968]

Originally posted by Xminor
AH-HA!
Partially stripped.


After re-reading this thread I see that I did a very bad job of describing the problem. I stated that the round was not moving at all and then my subsequent posts reinforced that even though the round was actually being partially stripped.

Sorry about that!!

I really appreciate your taking the time to help figure this out. I had just figured out what I was doing wrong that made me consistently shoot low/right and then this crap started and I had to pack up and come home!! :(

[J.P.]

Yes that's the spring.
just for grins,try this....
Remove the mag spring and bend the last coil up at about a 45 deg. angle (where the follower is at a 45deg. angle) and reinstall.
Try it now.

[Dandapani]

Sounds like one of the few G19s that won't feed JHP even with the new followers...

[corwin1968]

I bent the spring like you suggested and only the 6th round failed to feed. The others that had been jamming fed fine.

So, what does this tell you?

[J.P.]

I'm not sure but I'm working on it.

How are you testing them right now?
Firing thr gun or hand cycling them?
If you are hand cycling them are you using the slidestop everytime?

Try this as well....
hold the UNLOADED gun straight up and down like you are pointing it at the ceiling.Rack the slide back and hold it,then while the gun is still pointed straight up,ease the slide forward as slowly as you possibly can and see if it hangs up without going into battery.
When I say ease it forward,i mean let it go on it's own very slowly.Do not try to push it forward.

[corwin1968]

I'm hand cylcing with the slide stop.

The gun function fine while pointed straight up and unloaded.

hand cycling by racking the slide instead of using the stop also results in lock-up at the fourth round.

[J.P.]

OK
Try hand cycling them by "slingshotting" the slide instead of using the slide stop.
Pull it FULLY rearward and let it go.

Also
Try bending the spring on the other mag and see if that one works better.

[corwin1968]

The 45 degree angle didn't make a bit of difference but I took the first mag I bent and stretched the hell out of the spring. Ran through 2 mags of HP slingshot style with zero malfunctions.

eta: third mag full had on ftf and fourth mag full was back to failure on 4th round.

[corwin1968]

The 45 degree angle didn't make a bit of difference but I took the first mag I bent and stretched the hell out of the spring. Ran through 2 mags of HP slingshot style with zero malfunctions.

[J.P.]

Again it sounds like you could use some Wolf +10% mag springs.
for some reason(and I suspect new barrel geometry) the recent G19s have a problem...not all of them... that manifests itself in a round 'nose diving' into the feed ramp.It is usually the last round though.
The 2183 followers allowed it to happen more than the 9mm1s or 9mm3s but I even fixed the problem in one of my g19s by bending the spring at the follower to about 45deg and by stretching the spring.
If you take your fingertip and depress the leading edge of the follower,you can see how the follower itself 'nosedives'.You don't want this.
Bend the spring until there is enought upward pressure to keep the leading edge of the follower from being tipped down so easily.

My guess is that your g19 is in the EAA-GXX serial prefix range.

[corwin1968]

I will try my new mags and if they do fine I'll either retire these or get some of those heavier Wolf springs.

You are correct about my serial number being in that range. So this is a common and known problem? What is Glock doing about it if anything?

[J.P.]

Yes it's a known problem with G19s in this serial range.Glock changed the barrel angle to try to cure a malfunction that was common to NYPD,so the story goes.
Mine was cured with a spring tweak but some may be further out of spec.
Some people are running 100% with a spring tweak or a follower change.
Some are claiming they still have problems.
Do a search on "last round nosedives" and you'll see what I mean.
what is Glock doing about it?
Looking the other way.
They are fully aware of the problem and claim it is only with 10 rd mags.On this issue,they suck!

[J.P.]

Corwin,
I read your post in the gunsmithing section where you said the feed ramp is still black.
If you indeed properly polished your feedramp,it will be a shiny silver mirror finish.