I got some S&B 9mm ball ammo for my SIG P226. Options are limited of late, but this seemed to be not the worst I could have gotten. But I had five out of the first box fail to fire during my last trip to the range! Two of them fired on the second try, but not the other three. I've heard S&B has hard primers, but I didn't expect this. Anyone else experienced this? Anything that can be done to help? Everything else I've tried has worked flawlessly, but this was the first time I've tried European ammo. I suppose I could try replacing the firing pin spring!?
No bang with S&B ammo
- Thread starter rtba
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I have only one experience with S&B. Back when 380 was scarce a few years ago, LGS finally got a shipment of S&B 380 FMJ. My friend had constant feed jams, due to the bullet shape/OAL. Then had a squib and subsequent bore obstruction kB. Whoops.
If you want to up the power, you want to replace the mainspring (hammer spring).
Well, check to see if it's broken, first! A broken FP spring will most certainly cause intermittent light strikes. Unload gun, cock hammer, press on the firing pin with a pencil. If it bounces back, it's fine.
If you want to up the power, you want to replace the mainspring (hammer spring).
I've heard that S&B has hard primers too, but have never had a single failure to fire in my Beretta 92FS. It was my go-to range ammo for years, because it had a little more gusto than other brands. However, my friend did have one in his Glock.
I'd say try another box of S&B, maybe you just got a particularly hard-primered box, then if you still have issues, try a stronger hammer spring.
I'd say try another box of S&B, maybe you just got a particularly hard-primered box, then if you still have issues, try a stronger hammer spring.
ID-shooting
Member
Ran a bunch of new stock S&B 9mm through my Sig 2022 saturday. All ran just fine.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
The firing pin spring on a hammer fired SIG 226 has nothing at all to do with light strikes.
It does nothing except retract the firing pin back inside the slide after the round is fired.
You might be talking about a mainspring / hammer spring.
But that is unlikely too on a fairly new SIG that doesn't have half a gazillion rounds through it.
Have you cleaned the chamber throughly with a bronze bore brush & solvent, ever??
Have you cleaned the slide & firing pin channel with spray solvent?
It could be a dirty chamber holding the slide out of battery far enough to cause light strikes.
Or it could be a dirty firing pin channel slowing down the firing pin strike.
I have shot a lot of S&B .380 and 9mm just to get the brass to reload.
And I've never had a misfire with it.
rc
Rock185
Member
Haven't tried any S&B 9MM, but did have a negative experience with S&B .223 ammo back around 2009, when ammo was difficult to get even for PDs. Does this sound familiar? Anyway,our Rangemaster had ordered a quantity of S&B .223, because that was all he could actually get at the time for training. He told me officers had been having failures to extract and he wasn't buying anymore. Within the first magazine, the S&B failed to extract twice in the Dept. M-16 I was issued. The officer next to me had a failure to extract in his rifle immediately afterwards. The rifles were clean and lubed. We had just started qualifications, were shooting semi-auto, and the rifles were not heated up from full auto fire, etc. We could not extract the fired cases until we knocked them out with steel cleaning rods. The rifles gave no trouble with Winchester, Remington and Federal ammo. I have never personally purchased any S&B, and have no plans to unless the ammo situation gets a lot worse than it is now...ymmv
BTW, I carried the P226 every working day for several years. I don't ever recall having a malfunction with any factory Winchester, Speer, Federal or Remington ammo, or my own reloads. I don't think it's your gun......
BTW, I carried the P226 every working day for several years. I don't ever recall having a malfunction with any factory Winchester, Speer, Federal or Remington ammo, or my own reloads. I don't think it's your gun......
coalbed
Member
Hey thought Id jump in, I would get another pistol and try some in it. S&B is quality ammo and they actually load for Winchester and others with Winchester head stamps. Not saying they couldn't have a bad lot, any load company could. I personally have shot literally thousands of S&B rounds in many different calibers and never had any problem with any of it. In fact its usually some of the better and more accurate of what I've tried. Just my 2 cents.
I have shot cases of 9mm 115gr S&B brass ammo over the years and can't remember any failures to fire. Don't own a Sig in 9mm but the ammo has fired in 5 other makes of 9mm that I do own without hiccup and never seemed to have hard primes.
I'd suspect it is your firearm causing the light hits on the primers. Follow RC's advice regarding cleaning to eliminate possible causes of light hits by the firing pin.
The first time I shot my Sig 220 I had similar problems with light hammer strike. After a a thorough cleaning the subsequent range trips over the last 15+ years have been event free.
I'd suspect it is your firearm causing the light hits on the primers. Follow RC's advice regarding cleaning to eliminate possible causes of light hits by the firing pin.
The first time I shot my Sig 220 I had similar problems with light hammer strike. After a a thorough cleaning the subsequent range trips over the last 15+ years have been event free.
xjsnake
Member
I've run about 500 rounds on S&B through my bersa with zero issues. I've shot a couple boxes of 9mm in my S&W with no issues either
They used to have a red sealer around the primers on the .380 ammo. Lately the red seal isn't there. I don't know what the difference is. When I got my first box of non-red, I carried a mag full in my Kahr for a while. I went to the range and on the first shot, I pulled the trigger and click. I put that round back in the mag and it did it again. It finally fired on the 4th try. I'm glad I was shooting that 1st round at the range and not at an attacker.
I had a case of S&B 9mm ammo that gave my old Taurus PT-111 problems. I found that 2-3 rounds out of every box ould not fire on the first trigger pull; they would almost all fire on the second. I sold the Taurus and bought a Glock 26 and had no problems on the remainder of the case.
Carl N. Brown
Member
I had a Grendel P10 double action only .380 pistol that ran fine with Winchester, but occasionally failed to fire on first strike with S&B .380 but would fire on second strike. Good ammo for detecting flinch at the range, I must admit, but not good for carry.
I have shot S&B 7.62x25mm in a CZ-52 for about 8 years now with no problems. I did get a batch of Berdan-primed military PPU that occasionally failed to fire on first strike but would fire on second try. The Boxer-primed commercial PPU has been as reliable as the S&B.
Basically, some foreign commercial and military small pistol primers are as thick as our small rifle primers. Some pistols will have problems with some ammo.
Test ammo at the range before relying on it for carry for defense.
I have shot S&B 7.62x25mm in a CZ-52 for about 8 years now with no problems. I did get a batch of Berdan-primed military PPU that occasionally failed to fire on first strike but would fire on second try. The Boxer-primed commercial PPU has been as reliable as the S&B.
Basically, some foreign commercial and military small pistol primers are as thick as our small rifle primers. Some pistols will have problems with some ammo.
Test ammo at the range before relying on it for carry for defense.
jimbo555
Member
I had the same problem with s&b 9mm,won't buy anymore. The ammo looks like quality stuff but the primers are a problem for a lot of guns.
railroadman
Member
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S&B 7.62x25
I use both a PPS 43 and a CZ52 I wish i could get more.Cases too.I can,t find any in florida.The PPS43 35 rds 4 different mags faultless.
I use both a PPS 43 and a CZ52 I wish i could get more.Cases too.I can,t find any in florida.The PPS43 35 rds 4 different mags faultless.
mgmorden
Member
I've personally never had any issues with S&B ammo myself. Always shot well (and for rifle ammo S&B 150gr SP grouped better than any other factory ammo out of my Savage .30-06).
That said, light strikes are somewhat rare on a hammer-fired gun too (more common on striker guns).
Maybe you just got a bad box. With the companies churning out ammo at the pace they are QC might have slipped at some plants.
That said, light strikes are somewhat rare on a hammer-fired gun too (more common on striker guns).
Maybe you just got a bad box. With the companies churning out ammo at the pace they are QC might have slipped at some plants.
1KPerDay
Member
Old, blue boxed S&B may be problematic. New, green and red box S&B is among the best ammo you can buy, IMO. I'd take it any day over Rem/UMC or WWB garbage. To the OP try cleaning the firing pin channel as suggested or a new mainspring.
Landric
Member
Just before the panic started a bought 500 rounds of S&B 147 grain 9mm JHP from a local gun shop for cost. The reason I got it for cost was because the rest of the case had been sold to other customers and had been returned for multiple failures to fire in various handguns. I was buying for my 9mm AR, so I decided to chance it. The stuff works perfectly in my 9mm AR, and is also reasonably quiet suppressed. I also use S&B .380 in my Beretta 84FS without any issues. I suspect that the primers are significantly harder than most US primers, and as such, some guns have problems with it.
jonnyc
Member
S&B is the only ammo that has miss-fired in my KelTec P32. I just don't buy it anymore, end of problem.
coalbed
Member
Well I guess this is a perfect example why you should buy a box of several different manufactures ammo with a new gun to see what is most reliable and most accurate for your new gun (tested after break in period). I would say not to throw the baby out with the bathwater and swear off S&B for all your firearms, it just may be what another gun of yours loves better than all the rest. I had cycling problems with Remington .30'06 ammo in a Remington 742 of all things, but it worked well in my Mauser custom of the same caliber and was very accurate, I suspect it was a light loading, but the point is every gun is different and even 2 guns of the same model may behave differently and like different ammo. I've had time to recollect, and I am positive I have never had so much as a jam with S&B in the many thousands of rounds and dozens of different firearms,for what its worth. So If I were you I would try that ammo in another pistol and continue to try it in other guns in the future. It is premium ammo.
kerreckt
Member
I have shot many thousand rounds of S&B in 9mm .380 and .45acp over the years. I have used their primers to reload many thousand rounds of the same calibers. I never had any problems. I once had some PPU .380 that was bad but they were aware of it when I got in touch with them and made good on it. I hope this is just a freak occurrence and not a sign of things to come. I have always viewed S&B as a good quality manufacturer of ammo and components.
Funny, I fired about 300 rounds of that exact same combo just two days ago - S&B 115 gr 9mm through my Sig P226. It went flawlessly. I've also fired thousands of rounds of the same stuff with my glocks and I've never had an issue. Sounds like you got a bad batch or something.
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