Sig P239 - Failures to Feed

[REJones]

Hi all,

I recently acquired a new Sig P239 9mm. I've put less than one hundred rounds through it. It frequently fails to feed hollow point or flat point ammunition. Once or twice per magazine. The round will hang up inside the pistol and immediate action does not remedy the problem. It's fine with round nose FMJ.

I've also noticed some marks on the feed ramp. They don't appear to be dings or anything, but they also didn't clear up with normal cleaning either.

Any thoughts? What can I do to make this pistol more reliable?

 

[sig228]

Maybe...shoot it more? Not all guns are 100% reliable out of the box.

BTW, what do you mean by "immediate action does not remedy the problem?"

 

[REJones]

By "immediate action" I mean tapping and racking. How many rounds should I consider a good break in period? And what about the feed ramp?

 

[jyo]

Sell Sig and buy a good gun---just kidding---the 239 is a modern self-defense pistol and should most any JHP ammo---send back to Sig or take to a good local gunsmith!

 

[gwnorth]

Have you tried different mags? Have you thoroughly cleaned the mag(s) you've been using? Most fail to feeds, in my expetience, can be tied to the mags and are not a fault of the gun per se.

 

[Creature]

This is a very unusual problem for a 239. Send it back to Sig ASAP.

 

[benzuncle]

I recently acquired a new Sig P239 9mm.

I'm reading that as a NIB Sig, correct? If so, call them and describe the problem you are having with your P239. I have never heard of or seen your problem mentioned on any forum. My P239 has been "To Hell and Back Reliable". I hope you will let us know what transpires.

 

[Chuck Perry]

I'd look into the magazine. Do you have more than one? If so, do the problems occur with each magazine? I've never heard of feeding problems in the P239; the 9mm ought to feed without issue.

 

[REJones]

The pistol is new in box. I have cleaned the gun and magazines.

I typically only use one mag for practice. I'll try the other one next time out, but I'm going to at least call Sig first. The pistol was manufactured very recently (a few months ago). It's also been very tight. Much more so than my p226 was when new.

Does anyone know a reason for the feed ramp to get all marked up? It doesn't seem dented, but the marks did not come out with normal cleaning either. . .

 

[MCMXI]

It frequently fails to feed hollow point or flat point ammunition.

How about some specifics such as the JHP bullet weights, COL etc. I recently disvoverd that my P225 is not reliable with Remington 88gr JHPs but just over a week ago I managed to get rid of the 30 or so rounds that someone gave me with only a couple of issues. On the other hand, that's the ONLY ammunition that it's ever had trouble with because the COL is too short. It is 100% reliable with the standard fodder i.e. 115gr, 124gr, 147gr FMJ, JHP, JFP etc.

As for your magazines, I number and use EVERY magazine that I have for EVERY firearm that I own. The magazine is an essential part of the system and you need to KNOW what works, what works some of the time and what doesn't work. This is firearms 101. My experience with the five (and soon to be six) SIGs in our house is that they all work, all of the factory magazines work, and the Remington ammunition is the only problem that I've ever encounterd in almost 20 years of owning SIGs.

 

[Tecolote]

If both mags cause the same issue then I would call SIG and ask for them to take a look at it. Since it's new shipping should on their dime. The single stack P239 is among the most reliable autos made, but no single company is immune from making lemons.

 

[~Boomslang~]

I have owned several P239's over the years. My most recent that I sold appx 6 months ago suffered from this same problem. It is rare with P239's, but all brands have these things crop up from time to time.

 

[REJones]

Talked to Sig customer service this morning. The fellow I spoke to there suggested that any pistol should have a couple hundred rounds of full metal jacket before trying to fire hollow points. Since that dovetails with what several of you have suggested I'll try that.

I'm also taking 1858's advice about numbering the magazines. That way if it's not a break in issue and it is a magazine issue I'll know immediately.

I'll post a follow up down the road - finger's crossed this problem will solve itself just by shooting more (that's a remedy I can pursue with gusto)

 

[MCMXI]

The fellow I spoke to there suggested that any pistol should have a couple hundred rounds of full metal jacket before trying to fire hollow points.

Let me ask you this question again, what HPs were you shooting ... brand, bullet weight? This may be relevant .... as I mentioned in my previous post. Just over a week ago, the ex and I were shooting a couple of new SIG P220s for the first time. My "routine" for function testing both new pistols was for the ex and I to run the following through both in the order shown:

10 rounds of factory 230gr FMJ Brand X
10 rounds of factory 230gr FMJ Brand Y
10 rounds of 200gr LRN reloads
10 rounds of 185gr LSWC reloads

So that was a total of 80 rounds with zero problems, in other words, typical SIG reliability. We both went on to shoot another 40 or so rounds each with zero problems. To be honest, this is the first time that I've followed a specific test protocol with any new pistol due to my experience with a new Kimber a few months ago. I started out with 185gr LSWC reloads for my other P220s when they were new and started with 115gr LRN reloads for the P225 without any issues.

I plan on buying a P239 at some point, probably in .40 S&W though, so I'm interested in hearing how you get on.

 

[jeepguy]

also did you clean it before you shot it? mine came with miltec-1 use that & make sure to hit the feed ramp. mine ran fine after a good cleaning, the miltec-1 & running some fmj through her.

 

[Tecolote]

Sad to hear that SIG is now on the break-in bandwagon too. I can understand a break-in period for a tight fitting custom pistol, but a mass produced defensive pistol shouldn't need a break-in to make it reliable. I've owned numerous SIGs over the years and so have my friends. Only on two occasions, once with a P229R and another with a Sig Pro, did I experience failures with a properly cleaned and lubed out of the box SIG.

Sorry for the rant, but this chaps my hide because I was seriously looking into getting a NIB P239. I don't have the time, money or inclination for break-in periods, however.

 

[MCMXI]

Sorry for the rant, but this chaps my hide because I was seriously looking into getting a NIB P239. I don't have the time, money or inclination for break-in periods, however.

Relax!! Think of it from SIGs point of view. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain by giving the OP a reasonable explanation of what might be the problem, regardless of whether it's true or not. If they tell him to ship the pistol back right away, they'll have to eat the shipping costs and inspection regardless of whether a real problem exists or not. I wonder how many pistols get sent back to SIG that don't have anything wrong with them. I've never had a problem with a new SIG shooting reloads and have never had to "break in" a SIG in the last 20 years. I would happily buy a P239 and will do just that regardless of the OP's issue ... who by the way, STILL hasn't told us what ammunition he was using!!!

 

[RETG]

I have a 239 that has been happy with anything I have fed it over the past six years. I'm selling it, but not for any reason other than it is time to rotate guns again.

 

[REJones]

Hi guys,

Sig gave me a reasonable enough explanation. It's also the same one given by several posters here, which gives me a bit more confidence My Sig P226 has never given me any problems, but I could see how small variances could matter in a machine based on millisecond timing and sub millimeter tolerances.

1848 - I was shooting 124 Gr FMJ with no problems. Fiocchi Extrema 124 Gr JHP (uses with XTP bullet) and American Eagle 147 Gr flat points. The Fiocchi has a fairly "pointy" shape to it - I can see how it might hang up in any pistol. Neither of these is my intended defensive load. In fact, if this pistol never "likes" those rounds it won't bother me all that much. I was concerned because I hadn't heard of classic series Sig pistols with feed issues out of the box.

For the record, the gun had been cleaned prior to shooting. The magazines also. I plan on giving the gun several hundred rounds of FMJ to break in. This will also give me the chance to gain greater familiarity with the weapon itself and improve my own shooting skills (which need the help). If there is still a problem at that point the pistol will still be under warranty and I can revisit the issues with Sig.