WWB 115 9mm FMJ light strikes in Beretta 92?

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1KPerDay

1KPerDay

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I just shot a magazine full of 200 round rage pack WWB 115 grain FMJ and the first round didn't go off after 3 DA strikes. I cocked the hammer to full cock and it finally popped. The remaining 10 rounds 6 didn't go off on the first strike and several took multiple hits.

I shot the same ammo through a G19, G17, just prior to this and they all went off just fine. The Beretta 92 FS Brig has the D mainspring but I've never had any issues... I primarily shoot my reloads primed with CCI SPP and I immediately shot a mag full of my reloads after this and they all popped DA or SA. Anyone seen anything like this? I'm very surprised. I've never had any issues with WWB before.
 
That's interesting.

I wouldn't be surprised with the very light hammer springs like 12 lb or 13 lb, but I am surprised the D spring had those issues. I would have bet a D spring Beretta 92 would ignite primers better than a striker fired gun.
 
1KPerDay said:
Anyone seen anything like this? I'm very surprised. I've never had any issues with WWB before.
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Yes I have. I've also found that WWB had a tendency to be loaded both light and with quite a variance in powder charges. Being their "bulk" ammo, their QC has never been the highest. With the surging demand and additional shifts to turn out more ammo, I'm wouldn't be surprised to their machines would be in need of adjustment

For both those reasons, I've given up using it going on 15 years ago
 
That’s rather disheartening to say the least. I don’t purchase much commercial ammo beyond a few rifles meant exclusively as sight it twice yearly and hunt it once. Now I’m wondering about their primers and brass going forward, two components I often use.
 
9mmepiphany said:
Yes I have. I've also found that WWB had a tendency to be loaded both light and with quite a variance in powder charges. Being their "bulk" ammo, their QC has never been the highest. With the surging demand and additional shifts to turn out more ammo, I'm wouldn't be surprised to their machines would be in need of adjustment
Click to expand...

Skylerbone said:
That’s rather disheartening to say the least. I don’t purchase much commercial ammo ....
Click to expand...
In other words, cheap ammo could cause malfunctions in perfectly good firearms.;)
 
Did you check the state of the primer when the Beretta went click instead of bang?
First I would check if the firing pin protrudes correctly from the egress hole and if it is intact. If everything is normal, I would proceed to install back the factory hammer spring and fire the same ammo to see if it was the D version spring went tired.
When going to the range it is a good habit to pick the brass up after every couple magazine and check if the percussion impression is normal; I always do it, maybe not for every single brass, but I do it.
 
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As for WWB I haven't had problems in S&W or Glock pistols. Even when buying WWB from Walmart!
 
Given:
1. the recent recall of WWB 9mm ammunition (although for a different reason-incorrect powder), suggesting that overall quality may have had some hiccups lately, and,
2. Fact that your reloads with CCI SPPs shot fine (they being notorious as hard primers for guys who put light hammer springs in their DA revolvers):
I would suspect that Winchester may have had a batch of substandard primers in your ammunition.
So, I would be reluctant to install a heavier standard hammer spring in your Beretta. I know a guy who carried a 96 DA only as his police-issued duty gun that came with the D spring installed by the factory-it had a really nice trigger pull and was reliable -it should be ok for standard US ammunition because it was designed for US police issue.
May be worth contacting Winchester with the lot number if you still have the box.
 
Shot the WWB in the beretta again and 8 of 10 rounds didn’t go off in DA after 6 attempts. If I tried SA after that they still didn’t go off. The primers still looked like light strikes. There’s something wrong with the pistol. I loaded those rounds into a PX-4 and they all went bang DA or SA.

I wonder if there’s crud in the firing pin channel. Going to try to strip the slide and see if that does anything. I don’t want to go back to the standard mainspring unless I have to.
 
That is a bummer. Good idea to clean the firing pin channel, I think. Relatively challenging to strip the slide on that gun, unfortunately! I wonder if you could spray brake cleaner or something in the firing pin hole to maybe clean it out well enough to save yourself the work of stripping the slide? Just a thought.
 
Maybe your firing pin is broken. Even with a broken firing pin, the gun will usually still work due to the design of the Beretta. Most people do not realize it is broken until they remove it and then see it in 2 pieces.

First - spray gun scrubber directly into the firing pin hold until it stops coming out dirty. Then, spray air into the hole for a while to help it dry (if you have an air compressor). Then, try it. If you still get light strikes, you will need to disassemble the slide (or have a smith do it) and check the firing pin.
 
Strainer said:
Relatively challenging to strip the slide on that gun, unfortunately! I wonder if you could spray brake cleaner or something in the firing pin hole to maybe clean it out well enough to save yourself the work of stripping the slide? Just a thought.
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Man, you ain’t kiddin’! I just looked up the procedure to remove the firing pin. STUPID complicated design. Gah.

Maybe I’ll try flushing it and possibly replacing the mainspring with the standard one first. Dang it.

Every time I disassemble something with lots of tiny pins and springs and detents I end up losing something to the home gunsmithing gods.
 
Shipwreck said:
Maybe your firing pin is broken. Even with a broken firing pin, the gun will usually still work due to the design of the Beretta. Most people do not realize it is broken until they remove it and then see it in 2 pieces.

First - spray gun scrubber directly into the firing pin hold until it stops coming out dirty. Then, spray air into the hole for a while to help it dry (if you have an air compressor). Then, try it. If you still get light strikes, you will need to disassemble the slide (or have a smith do it) and check the firing pin.
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Will do, thanks. :cool:
 
I ain't saying it's the ammo, but, Winchester ammo has been disappointing* me for 30 years. The only Winchester ammo I'll buy at this point is if they are the importer but have no other influence on the manufacturing.

Winchester is the only factory new ammo that I just don't buy. I'd rather shoot Russian or Yugo corrosive.

Given that, I'd try a different make of factory ammo before deciding it's the pistol and going down that rabbit hole.

BSW

*Personal experience
1) Silvertips that had so much flash that they were blinding in low light.
2) Silvertip that was loaded backwards.
3) Squib in a pistol. I got lucky the bullet was far enough back it kept the next round from chambering.
4) 'Duty' .223 that had repeated FTFe in a rifle that was 100% with all other ammo.
 
Strainer said:
I wonder if you could spray brake cleaner or something in the firing pin hole to maybe clean it out well enough to save yourself the work of stripping the slide? Just a thought.
Click to expand...

Shipwreck said:
First - spray gun scrubber directly into the firing pin hold until it stops coming out dirty. Then, spray air into the hole for a while to help it dry (if you have an air compressor). Then, try it. If you still get light strikes, you will need to disassemble the slide (or have a smith do it) and check the firing pin.
Click to expand...
Thanks guys, this seems to have sorted it, at least for now. Hosed it down with CLP aerosol with the red straw thing held as tightly to the firing pin opening as possible, also sprayed in from the rear and manipulated the firing pin block to hopefully get things moving better. Hit it with compressed air, cleaned the rest of the pistol (it wasn't very dirty as I haven't shot this pistol very much, maybe 300 rounds total) and tried out a full mag of WWB, decocking after every shot.

All went bang, no issues. It makes me a little nervous that it could get dirty enough or get debris sufficient to impede function in so few rounds fired, but I'm glad I don't have to detail strip the slide, at least for now.

thanks again, all!
 
briansmithwins said:
I ain't saying it's the ammo, but, Winchester ammo has been disappointing* me for 30 years. The only Winchester ammo I'll buy at this point is if they are the importer but have no other influence on the manufacturing.

Winchester is the only factory new ammo that I just don't buy. I'd rather shoot Russian or Yugo corrosive.

Given that, I'd try a different make of factory ammo before deciding it's the pistol and going down that rabbit hole.

BSW

*Personal experience
1) Silvertips that had so much flash that they were blinding in low light.
2) Silvertip that was loaded backwards.
3) Squib in a pistol. I got lucky the bullet was far enough back it kept the next round from chambering.
4) 'Duty' .223 that had repeated FTFe in a rifle that was 100% with all other ammo.
Click to expand...
I feel that way about Winchester .22 ammo but have had good luck with centerfire. Here’s one of the first 5 rounds I grabbed out of a fresh box of Winchester “333” bulk pack:
 

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WWB is the worst. People next to me at the range today let me have about 200 9mm brass they shot, and I noticed about 25% were super light loads. I asked them what brand it was, and guess what. I told her they were light, and she said she noticed it. The only worse major manufacturer ammo is the Remington bucket stuff. Your gun is likely fine.
 
1KPerDay said:
It makes me a little nervous that it could get dirty enough or get debris sufficient to impede function in so few rounds fired, but I'm glad I don't have to detail strip the slide, at least for now.

thanks again, all!
Click to expand...

Is your 92 Italian- or American-made? Beretta Italy very often slathers the interior of the slides (and sometimes the magazines) with a viscous, non-lubricating packing grease. Sometimes the firing pin channel gets an injection of this grease as well. If it’s not cleaned out, there can be ignition issues from the first shot. (Still bizarre that your reloads with CCI primers didn’t present any problems, though.)

This is less commonly an issue with the Berettas produced over here, but it’s also not unheard of.

If everything is in proper condition, you shouldn’t have any further problems of this sort after the grease has been removed.
 
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NIGHTLORD40K said:
I only use WWB if its free. Ive found it to be unreliable and dirty-shooting garbage.
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The only ammo I have been given at the range are 150 WWB and a full bucket o' bullets in .223. The people were so mad all thier guns jammed, they swore and gave it to me, 2 different people. I got through 10 of the .223 and left it there because my ARs that had never misfed after many many thousands of rounds both misfed.
 
peeplwtchr said:
The only ammo I have been given at the range are 150 WWB and a full bucket o' bullets in .223. The people were so mad all thier guns jammed, they swore and gave it to me, 2 different people. I got through 10 of the .223 and left it there because my ARs that had never misfed after many many thousands of rounds both misfed.
Click to expand...

Good to know that the old Winchester quality is still consistent.

BSW
 
1KPerDay said:
Thanks guys, this seems to have sorted it, at least for now. Hosed it down with CLP aerosol with the red straw thing held as tightly to the firing pin opening as possible, also sprayed in from the rear and manipulated the firing pin block to hopefully get things moving better. Hit it with compressed air, cleaned the rest of the pistol (it wasn't very dirty as I haven't shot this pistol very much, maybe 300 rounds total) and tried out a full mag of WWB, decocking after every shot.

All went bang, no issues. It makes me a little nervous that it could get dirty enough or get debris sufficient to impede function in so few rounds fired, but I'm glad I don't have to detail strip the slide, at least for now.

thanks again, all!
Click to expand...

Glad it works now. But....

You probably should have used gun scrubber instead of CLP in the firing pin channel.. Using all that CLP will attract garbage from the ammo (as it is fired) and could possibly gum up the works in the firing pin again in the future.

Also, that much oil will ooze back out the firing pin hole and get all over your carry ammo - possibly deactivating the primer in the round you leave in the chamber (assuming you leave it loaded)
 
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