[coldshot03/04]

What makes a semi auto pistol jam on the last round? Every Mag.

[1911Tuner]

Howdy coldshot,

Jam is pretty generic. Need a little more info.

What type of pistol?

Does the round enter the chamber at all, or does it stop before it
gets into the chamber? If so, where? Does the round get caught between the slide and the top of the barrel with the bullet nose sticking up?

If the gun is a 1911-pattern pistol...what type of magazines are
you using? What brand?

Standin' by...
Tuner

[SelfProclaimedExpert]

Last shot jams generally come from the mag failing to push the round up in time for the slide to grab it. So:

Depends on the gun and the type of jam. A poor follower design would explain EVERY mag. But so would having the same amount of wear on all the mag springs.

Also, excessively high slide speeds, caused by really hot ammo or overly heavy recoil springs can do it as well. More details would help.


What gun? What caliber? What rounds? Factory stock parts or aftermarket?

[SelfProclaimedExpert]

Oh, forgot one. On some 1911 mags, there is supposed to be a nipple on the follower that prevents the last round from creeping forward under recoil. That will also cause a jam, but only in that type of pistol with mags of a certain design.

[coldshot03/04]

Oh Buddy here we go.:o Its a Hi-Point 40 S&W fires flawless except for that darn last round. The bullet is sticking straight up in the chamber on the last round. I can remove the mag and the bullet falls out the bottom.

PS its a plinker not my defense gun. LOL!!:D

[WonderNine]

I had to unjam a 9mm Hi-Point for a guy that was jammed in much the same way you describe only it was locked up and the mag wouldn't come out. Had to use a knife to get the cartridge out. Must be a common thing, the opposite of a nosedive. It was the last round too as I recall. Sell it and get a Makarov.

[SelfProclaimedExpert]

A .40 plinker, eh?

The .40 Hipoint isn't exactly proven technology, so this could well be a design flaw, rather than hiccup. It sounds like the follower isn't getting the back end of the cartridge up in time to engage the breechface.

I'm willing to bet it is the follower's fault. It probably allows that last round to tilt back, leaving the rim too far down in the mag. This is of course compounded by the very high slide speed that Hipoints have.

Call Hipoint.

[coldshot03/04]

Sell it and buy a Makarov? I already have a Makarov.:D The Hi Point is a plinker and fun gun to shoot. Takes less wear off my other guns.:D Im not selling it, I was just wandering why it jammed on the last round every mag. Believe me I have way better guns (Springfield, Kimber, Colt's, Ruger the list goes on.) than the Mak or the Hi Point. I just shoot the cheap ones for fun.:evil:

ps yep "Plinker". plastic milk jugs, targets such as paper and boxes.

Thanks for the info.

[1911Tuner]

Rideover feed...aka Bolt Over Base. It happens when the breechface
snags the round in the extractor groove. A weak magazine spring can contribute...the round is still moving up when the slide reaches where the rim should be, but ain't. A too-heavy recoil spring can be a player, too...The slide moves forward too quickly after hitting the frame's impact surface.

The magazine follower may be set at the wrong angle, and gets
the front end up with the butt-end of the round still too far down
in the tube to meet the breechface.

Since I'm not familiar with the Hi-Point or the .40 caliber round,
I can't really give you any specific tweaks to work toward a cure.
You might try clipping a half-coil off the recoil spring to see if it
helps. Don't cut more than one full coil, at any rate.

You can also try tweaking the magazine spring on the bottom coil.
Bend it slightly into an inverted "cup-shape, with more bias on the
rear, to get the back of the round up sooner.

I don't know what the magazine follower design is, so I can't offer any
advice on changing the angle. Flat, stamped type followers like the
standard 1911 uses can be adjusted for angle.

Check to see if the follower moves smoothly in the tube. If there's any
friction or a tight spot, that will slow the follower down. If there's a
binding condition, relieve the side of the follower that engages the
slide lock lug. Be careful not to remove any from the part that actually
engages the lug.

Bout all I can tell ya on that particular pistol. Wish I had some first-hand
experience with it,

Good luck with it.

Tuner

[coldshot03/04]

1911Tuner, Ok, Thanks for the info. Its a good shooting pistol and accurate. Just the last round thats the problem. I was just wandering what might be causing it. Thanks for the info. and Be Safe.;)

[coldshot03/04]

Results.:D 15 and 25 yds.

[Geech]

When are you gonna post pics of the gun?




Just kidding. Are the ergonomics as bad as everyone says?

[1911Tuner]

Mighty welcome coldshot.

I guess the simplest way to look at is as a timing issue. The slide
is outrunning the magazine, and the reason that it shows up on the last round is because that's where the least tension is on the follower.

With any autopistol, the magazine is a critical component, and the 2
most likely places for a feed malfunction is on the top round in a full magazine...highest drag on the slide, and the last round...least
tension on the follower. Since yours occurs with all magazines, and
because the .40 is reportedly a little finicky in the area of the time/pressure
curve, my bet is that the slide is oversprung. I don't know if there are
any recoil springs with different rates available for it as with the 1911.
Maybe you can find a supplier for extra-power magazine springs.

Shoot straight, and keep yer powder dry!
Tuner

[444]

But, I just wanted to clarify one thing. When you say, every mag. Do you mean that you have tried a number of different magazines and it does this with all of the different magazines, or it just does it on the last round everytime from one magazine ?

[coldshot03/04]

Every mag full. one mag.

[Al Thompson]

Call Hi Point and see if they will replace the magazine. Barring that, buy a new magazine.

[coldshot03/04]

Thanks Al.

[444]

That is where I was going with this. If there is any chance that it could be magazine related, and it certainly sounds like that might be a possibility. The first thing I would do is try a different magazine. Worst case, you got an extra magazine, best case the gun works good with no trip to the gunsmith.

I have heard that HI-Point has great customer service. I don't know personaly but my local dealer sold hundreds of those Hi-Point carbines and the owner of Hi-Point visted his shop and went shooting with the owner when he was in Las Vegas on a trip. He said that out of all those carbines he sold, he only had one come back with a problem. He called Hi-Point, they sent him the parts in two days and walked him through the fix on the phone. The gun was back up and running in three days. I called them once for something about my carbine. They were super nice and took care of me, but I don't remember what it was about now.

[Wanderer]

Sell it and get more ammo for your Mak. For all the Hi-Point's worth, you might be able to get a quarter or, if you're lucky, even half a box of 9X18!!!

[coldshot03/04]

Nope Im not selling my Hi Point.

And by the way my Mak is a 380acp.:D:p

[444]

"Sell it and get more ammo for your Mak"

I always wonder about posts like this. He must think that you are too poor to buy ammo AND keep all your guns.

[coldshot03/04]

LOL!!!!!!!

[Tropical Z]

Hi-Points RRRUUUULLLLEEEEE!!! & are super:cool:

[themic]

when i've had this problem on other guns...

take the mag apart, clean the insides. if those are gritty and sticky, the lesser forceof spring on the last round may have a slight delay getting it moving.

replace the mag spring if necessary. again, if not enough force, round wont ge tup there fast enough.

replace the recoil spring. if it's really old, it's weaker, and the slide goes back then forwards again too fast for that last round to get up there. stronger or newer spring will bring that timing back to normal.

or do all three. good to do now and then anyways.