[Teufelhund01]

First off, thanks for all the good info on the site.



I got myself a brand new .40c, my first combat-caliber handgun. In the first 30 rounds of winchester fmj, I had three clicks instead of bangs. The slide wasn't going forward all the way, and there were fairly light primer strikes towards the outer edge of the primers. I've since put another 80 rounds through it, 20 of Winchester, and 60 Fiocchi 170gr fmj. Roughly half of the time, they fail to feed, with the rear edge of the case getting caught on the extractor. This is with both included magazines. I hadn't cleaned it, but I don't think that should matter much for something I trust my life with. I'll always clean it before carrying, of course, but I expect it to function dirty.



So, it's obviously taking a trip to the factory unless someone tells me something surprising. But I'd like to know if Fiocchi is especially bad, and if S&W will install night sights while it's in the factory, or send me back a slide with night sights if they replace it, and how much they'd charge.



Any input appreciated.

 

[sholling]

Fiocchi is good practice ammo. A bit stouter than most domestic fmj ammo but there is nothing wrong with Fiocchi.

 

[coltman1985]

First thought I have is "limp" wristing. Nobody ever admits to it, but we have all done it at some point. Try again after a proper clean and lube and a very firm grip. Let us know what happens.

 

[raz-0]

limp wristing usually causes stovepipes, not failures to feed.



Two top suggestions.



1) If you are teacupping the gun STOP IT. It does absolutely nothing to control recoil, nothing to make you more accurate, and can cause malfunctions by pushing the magazine too far into the gun. Neither your strong hand nor weak hand should contact the magazine deliberately. If you have big enough hands or meaty palms, your strong hand may touch the outside edge, but that's not what I am talking about.



2) Make sure you are not contacting the slide while operating. Contacting the slide with your thumbs in a thumbs forward style grip can cause it to slow down and not return to battery.

 

[Teufelhund01]

I've tried holding it as firmly as possible, and I've tried deliberately limp-wristing with very similar results. I've tried firing one-handed (with no contact to speak of on the magazine) and the same thing happens. It even happens the majority of the time when I'm closing the slide (via the slide catch) on a full magazine. As a rule, the rounds at the bottom of the magazine feed more reliably than those at the top.



Thanks for the input so far, and again, if anyone can answer the night sight questions, it'd be appreciated.

 

[Teufelhund01]

p.s. I've also tried closing the slide with the slide catch on a full magazine while pulling on the magazine to make it sit as low as possible, letting it sit, and also pushing it up as high as possible. It does pretty much the same thing, with maybe a slight tendency to feed better with the magazine pushed up.

 

[coltman1985]

limp wristing usually causes stovepipes, not failures to feed.



Depends on various factors! As I said, first thought.



TH01, Did you strip it and clean/lube it?