Who has shot a "zero-jam" semi auto?

[.38 Special]

I have shot and collected S&Ws, Rugers, Dan Wessons and Colts for more than 45 years. Thousands of rounds, so many that my right thumb joint is permanently deformed. I have had many, many more failures with revolvers than I've EVER had with semi autos. And the revolver failures were nearly all unfixable at the range, whereas the few semi auto malfs were quickly cleared up. Even the time I loaded a hot 10mm load in a .40 S&W case, blowing the slide up and off a Springfield XDm. I was still was able to fix the gun right there and continue shooting. And nearly all of the malfs with semis were ammo related. The exceptions, of course, are Ruger single actions, which I believe are nearly incapable of failing. In the non-canonical scripture, it is written: "On the evening of the sixth day, The Lord spoketh unto William Ruger, his prophet, and said, "Bill, thou shall maketh a handgun which shall never fail, so all handgunners, who I hold to be blessed among all ye brethren, will have a tool they can cherish and love, and will never go 'Ka-boom' in thine blessed hands. Here's the blueprints, get to work." And He saw it was good, and it was done." View attachment 959105

Well, okay. That was written tongue-in-cheek, just goofing on the bottom feeders. I honestly have no issue with any gun man and figure that he knows more about his business than I do. By the same token, I genuinely cannot recall the last failure I had with a revolver, and I wonder what sort of failures you are having with yours.

 

[SwampWolf]

Thousands of rounds from two Smith & Wesson "Third Generation" pistols (Models 6906, chambered in 9mm, and 4006, chambered in .40 S&W), and no malfunctions. Yet.

 

[Project355]

My Kahr PM45 has never jammed. I pocket carry it, and even after weeks of not cleaning it, it ran fine. Similarly, my PM9 has been in the Atlantic ocean a few times, in my pocket. Rinsed with fresh water thereafter but never the worse or jam. I only shoot those with hardball though.

My nearly five year old Ruger American 45 has never jammed either, but that's because I've never shot it!

 

[RA40]

Some years back was doing some magazine drills with dummy rounds in the S&W 6904. This was the result from one that the OAL was short (Could be other spec issues but I could only measure OAL). This was a good malfunction practice but not the intended drill. For each one that was of similar OAL, those also failed to feed. Sent an email to the manufacturer and they replaced them with 9mm sized rounds and life went on as usual. Some of the times I could tap and it would go into battery but other times, the round would have to be ejected. The 6904 has functioned well in live fire.

 

[ol' scratch]

I have had semi autos that have rarely had malfunctions, but never one that hasn't had any. There are too many factors-ammo, mags,etc, not to have one one in a while.

 

[MJD]

Over 4,000 rounds through a M&P 9, no stoppages.
I guess in fairness, I keep it clean and lubed and don't shoot more than 150-200 rounds per session. So I've never dipped it in mud without lube and tried to run it.....but there is one data point for you.

Actually this was a good reminder to change the recoil spring.....

 

[WVfishguy]

Well, okay. That was written tongue-in-cheek, just goofing on the bottom feeders. I honestly have no issue with any gun man and figure that he knows more about his business than I do. By the same token, I genuinely cannot recall the last failure I had with a revolver, and I wonder what sort of failures you are having with yours.

Mostly, out of time cylinders. And other issues. Which spoke to my lack of experience (some might say ignorance) because I was not aware of how to properly evaluate cylinder end shake, timing issues, etc. So I had guns I should not have purchased in the first place. TW - I was also tongue and cheek. Lucky I'm not hit by lightening.

 

[Trey Veston]

None of my Glocks have ever failed other than an ammo induced failure in my early days of reloading. Last auto I had fail was a S&W M&P40 in 2007. Went back to S&W and it came back perfect. Even my Remington R1 Limited 1911 has been flawless.

Back in my military days, had a memorable range qual experience with my team in which nearly every M9 failed. Our armorer was an idiot who would not accept a weapon unless it was bone dry. We were shooting on the line and gun after gun started having issues. The RO walked up and down the line with a spray bottle of CLP and squirted each pistol. They magically started working again.

 

[Bartojc]

Over 5000 rounds the last two years in my Springfield 1911 and only one I can remember and that was my fault. I honestly do not remember any in over 6000 rounds on my Ruger SR9c, but I am sure there has been one or two. My Shield is approaching 5000 rounds and any jam or malfunction was the fault of the operator or his reloads.

Honestly any issues I've had with any of my 9mm were related to me experimenting with different reloads or changing and testing. Once I find something that has worked they all work quite well, but all will fail given time.

-Jeff

 

[HPCadm17]

Other than a poorly-adjusted 1911, the only jams I've had with semiautomatics so far have been ammo- or magazine-related, or user error. They do happen, it's a fact of life.

 

[bassjam]

Only 3 of the handguns I've owned have jammed on me.
1) Glock 23 with about 1500 rounds through it and 4 FTE's that required dowel rods to extract the brass.
2) LCP that had a couple issues during the first 50 rounds, another FTL at maybe 700 rounds when I hadn't cleaned it in a while and it jammed with pocket lint, and it's final FTE at 1200ish rounds when it locked up so bad Ruger replaced it. 300 rounds through the new one with no issues.
3) Ruger SP101 that locked up during rapid dry firing. I think I short stroked it.
Honorable mention to an Anaconda that hasn't jammed, but it is out of time.

I guess I do have 2 others that have the occasional issue, a Ruger MK1 and a Browning Buckmark, but can you really hold it against a rimfire?

I don't have anything that I've put a super high round count through, with my CZ 75b leading the pack at maybe 2,500 rounds and several others around the 1,000 round mark but they've all been problem free. Oh, and a Hi Point C9 with about 600 trouble free rounds, that's one of my favorite success stories so far. The caveat is that most of my handguns were bought used, so I don't know what sort of issues they could have had prior to my having them.

 

[Crazy Horse]

Ive actually had more problems with my revolvers than I have with my autos. So take your wiggly hands somewhere else!

Could it be because of your reloads

 

[12Bravo20]

I don't think I have every had a pistol that has not had a malfunction.

Now there are several reasons for malfunctions:
An issue with the firearm
Tight tolerances on the gun and it needs broke in
Issues with the magazines
Bad ammo
Shooter induced (bad hold/limp wrist)

Back in 90-91 while in the middle east, I saw more issues with the then new M9 Berettas than I did with the old worn out 1911A1's.

I have also bought used pistols cheap because the previous owner had issues while I did not have any. It was usually a combo of things on why the other person had issues: ammo the gun did not like, not familiar enough with it or bad grip, they used bad magazines, etc.

 

[Rubone]

Never a single issue with my Springfields, either my XD40 or XD45. Using the 40 in a self defense class fired 500+ rounds in 6 hours without a hiccup.

 

[JJFitch]

Nothing is 100%, its an impossibility.

Like you, I have too have to wonder when I hear someone has a gun that has never had a stoppage. They are either fibbing or dont shoot much.

Really! You need to talk to competition shooters sponsored by ammunition manufacturers and firearms manufacturers! As team member sponsored by Winchester and shooting Smith and Wesson P/C guns, in probably 100,000 rounds, never a stoppage due to gun or ammunition! 's

I can't say that about my Glock M17 used in Stock Auto Class! It had demons!

When matches and championships are won or lost on X count you don't have stoppages, period!

Smiles,

 

[Walkalong]

I have guns that have never jammed, maybe I haven’t shot them enough, all mechanical things can fail, but I keep them well cared for, and so far so good.

 

[Jimbo80]

Put me in the not shot enough camp. I have quite a few guns that have been 100% although none of them have seen close to 1K rounds except the AK. Some like my Nambu 14 have only seen 20.

 

[Mosin Bubba]

If my Gen 3 Glock 17 has jammed, I don't remember it. It's as reliable as a hammer.

I have a Jericho in 45 ACP that only jams when it gets really dirty (for range pistols, I usually let them run until looking in the action makes me feel bad). This is on a steady diet of Wolf ammo. If I stuck to brass ammo and a regular maintenance schedule, I think it would run 100% as well.

Also have a Ruger Mk II that I can't remember jamming on me ever. I don't know how it does it, because the ammo is usually more of a problem with rimfires than the gun is. But it gets a mix-and-match of whatever 22 bulk pack is on sale (Walmart used to sell $7.99 Thunderbolt bricks back in the early '00s, it definitely saw a lot of those), and Lord knows you don't take a Mk II apart to clean it. Still runs.

 

[Peakbagger46]

My Gen 5 glock 17 has been 100% so far... but it’s only ate about 1k rounds so far.

 

[zaitcev]

When I hear somebody say that he/she has used a pistol for years and has never had a failure to fire/cycle I always wonder.

After factory "upgrades" my Glock 42 has been pretty dependable - but certainly NOT 100%

I heard that HK Mark 43 went through 10,000 rounds with no malfunctions in U.S. SOCOM's testing, or something equally absurd.

Out of my own guns, the only "zero failures" gun is a P320, built out of a kit with a sledge hammer, hand drill, and files. But I don't have that many rounds on it - less than 2,000 at this time. It think it benefits from high quality Italian magazines by MecGar.

My Glock 42 are not 100%. Both throw an FTF once in about 800 to 1,000 rounds, which coincidentally puts them just over the threshold of 500 rounds without malfunctions, required for a concealed carry piece.

 

[tomrkba]

Most of my guns have had no failures.

 

[Rexster]

Not all malfunctions, in the cycling of an autoloader, are “jams.” A simple failure to feed, that can be cured with a tap, or a tap-rack, is not a “jam.” By that standard, the vast majority of my pistols have never jammed.

I have, or have had, at least six 9mm Glocks, four .40 SIG P229 pistols, and two Third-Generation 9mm S&W pistols, that have always fed, and have always ejected, with no taps or other assistance.

One Colt Series 80 “Classic Government” malfunctioned only once, a minor failure-to-feed, when I tried a 10-round magazine in it.

My SIG P229R DAK only malfunctioned when I was having a particularly bad day with my aging right shoulder/arm/wrist/thumb. There was more than one simple failure-to-feed, during one shooting session. I solved them with simple taps, not even needing to rack the slide.

One Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special, a full-sized 1911, malfunctioned only once, a minor failure-to-feed, when my aging right hand was having a noticeably bad “numb thumb” day. The “tap” was enough to close the slide; no rack was necessary.

I cannot fault a pistol for not liking a specific magazine, or for having a minor cycling failure that is obviously user-induced.

My first two LWS-32 Seecamp pistols have never malfunctioned. I have recently bought two more, but have yet to test-fire them. (I stupidly sold my first LWS-32, and have replaced it with a pair-and-a-spare.)

 

[R_P_K]

Had a smith and wesson 3913NL for years. Never jammed. That thing would cycle empties as fast as you could rack the slide.

 

[groundhog34]

I have a few that have never had a jam or malfunction. All have had around 1000 rounds:
Berretta 92 open slide
Sig P365XL
HK VP9SK
HK VP9

 

[ChuckB]

Zero jams with a Ruger Security 9. Zippo.

Chuck