Steel case - trouble chambering first round

[utbrowningman]

My CC is a Kahr CW9. When target shooting, I usually use Tula steel case. However, the first round never wants to chamber and I have to push on the back of the slide to chamber. No problem emptying the magazine after, just the issue with the first round. I don't have this problem with brass case. Anybody else have a similar problem with steel case

 

[Dogguy]

First round only out of the magazine? Sounds like a magazine issue. Is the gun or magazine new? If so, just load it fully and let it set fully loaded for a few days to flex the springs.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Steel will sometimes gall and I think that is what is going on here. With full pressure against the top rd it doesn't slide out like a brass case would. Letting it set full may help, or just load one less rd during training with steel ammo.

 

[[email protected]]

I never had that problem with a steel case, but I have had it with a Khar cm9. On the first round you have to use the slide stop release to chamber the first round. Simply pulling the slide back so it releases will not work for mine. The slide has to slam home. From your post it sounds like the round is mostly chambering, but the slide is not locking up. At this point the magazine has done its job successfully by feeding a round into the chamber. These slides on thes guns are so light it needs the extra velocity to lock up into battery. A steel case may add just enough resistance to keep it from locking up. Like I said though I am under the impression that the round is going into the chamber. Or are you having an issue with a round being stripped from the magazine?

 

[Dogguy]

The reason I suspect it's a magazine issue rather than a steel case issue is because all the steel-cased ammo I'm familiar with doesn't use bare metal in the casing material. Some are polymer coated, some are lacquer coated and some are zinc plated. I think Tula uses a polymer coating. These coatings and platings prevent corrosion and adds to the slipperiness of the case to prevent it from sticking in the chamber.

Also, I have a new SIG P290RS and both the 8-round and 6-round magazines have occasional issues loading the first round out of the magazine. I've only had one range visit thus far and the magazines fed everything perfectly. After cleaning the gun and the magazines they now tend to hang up the first round whether the round is plain brass, nickeled brass or an A-Zoom snap cap and whether I use the slide lock lever or manually release the slide. I've also double checked to be sure I haven't inserted the spring the wrong direction--nope, it's in correctly.

Since small pistol magazines often have very strong springs, my thought is that leaving the mags fully loaded for a few weeks might improve the flexibility of the springs and prevent the first round feed issue.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Steel-cased rounds won't feed quite as easily as copper-cased rounds.

The polymer Kahrs are intended to have the first round chambered by using the slide release/slide stop -- and Kahr states that in the user manual. (That may be the case with the steel-framed guns, too, but I've not owned one of them...) If you're sling-shoting, that may be part of the problem, when coupled with a steel-cased round.

New mag springs may also be putting TOO MUCH upward pressure on the underside of the slide, when trying to load a first round of a full mag. That will get better over time, as the springs will take a set and lose some tension with use -- particularly if stored fully loaded.

(Note: while Sling-shoting or similar hand-release methods are long favored by many shooters, the US Military has gone back to training loading by using the slide release -- after too many instances of failures to go into battery in combat situations. An acquaintance spent a number of years as an instructor training Special Ops and Special forces troops at Ft. Bragg, and he said that use of the release/stop is the method they now emphasize for handguns.)

 

[utbrowningman]

Thank you for the replies.