I Has a Sad (PSA Dagger)

[JShirley]

I have seen the Palmetto State Armory Dagger Glock 3 clones, and have been interested. I finally ended up with one at an incredible price and got around to shooting it this weekend.

The Dagger feels good, maybe even a bit better than a compact Glock. The trigger feels workable. It's segmented instead of being a blade type. I took my mag full of Federal 150 grain Syntech and addressed the target at 7 yards.

I fired 4 rounds, and rushed a couple of the shots, which were fired pretty rapidly, and then began firing quick controlled pairs at the small diamonds in the corners. I was on my 9th or 10th round when I had a malfunction. I could tell almost immediately this was an actual jam.

The smaller holes are 5.56, and the rest are the 9mm Dagger holes. It should be clear that this is a very accurate, shootable handgun.


And, here is the culprit. You can see that the slide is slightly out of battery and it is locked up solidly. If it weren't well within warranty, I might have tried using a rubber mallet to knock the slide open.



I have emailed PSA, and am waiting to hear back from them.

 

[9mmepiphany]

the trigger feels workable. It's segmented instead of being a blade type.

That would drive me nuts.

I had to replace the articulated trigger on my M&P9 with an Apex Tactical FSS just to get rid of it.

Are those MagPul magazines you're using...mine have been working great in my Gen3 G34 and my Ruger PC Carbine

 

[trackskippy]

Is there a round in the gun yet?

Ive had that same sort of thing happen a few times with my Glocks with ammo that was a tad out of spec.

 

[JShirley]

That would drive me nuts.

I had to replace the articulated trigger on my M&P9 with an Apex Tactical FSS just to get rid of it.

Are those MagPul magazines you're using...mine have been working great in my Gen3 G34 and my Ruger PC Carbine

Yes, I might have also tried an extended ETS, if the Dagger had kept shooting...

 

[JShirley]

Is there a round in the gun yet?

Ive had that same sort of thing happen a few times with my Glocks with ammo that was a tad out of spec.

There is a fired round, yes. This is "The Official Ammunition of USPSA", so you'd think it'd be pretty good stuff. You can see from the 7 yd fast shots I was taking at small targets that it's very accurate.

 

[trackskippy]

Clearing that is usually pretty simple. You dont need a hammer, but it does take a good grip on the slide, and possibly the edge of a bench, or similar, and little effort on your part. Have you tried that?

Ammo is ammo, even the best of them have issues at some point.

 

[DukeConnor]

brass rod down the barrel and give it a push on the bench.

 

[trackskippy]

That too, as long as youre sure its a fired round.

Mine always occurred with a live round.

 

[JShirley]

Clearing that is usually pretty simple. You dont need a hammer, but it does take a good grip on the slide, and possibly the edge of a bench, or similar, and little effort on your part. Have you tried that?

Ammo is ammo, even the best of them have issues at some point.

2 of us, both quite experienced, tried to clear it. I'm reluctant to do anything likely to mar the finish on a brand new firearm.

 

[ms6852]

I had the same issue with the slide being out of battery on my Springfield 911. Firing a couple of hundred rounds of near max loads or full loads resolved the issue for me.

 

[JShirley]

That too, as long as youre sure its a fired round.

Mine always occurred with a live round.

The trigger has definitely been pulled. It appears to have jammed as the slide began to recoil backwards.

 

[Lo-Profile]

Wooden dowel down the barrel and tap it loose.

 

[JDeere]

Good suggestions already if it is a fired round. Why send it back unless it just wont budge? Stuff happens and if it does not repeat all good...

 

[beagler]

Keep us posted. I have heard that PSA has a good CS. Good luck

 

[JShirley]

Good suggestions already if it is a fired round. Why send it back unless it just wont budge? Stuff happens and if it does not repeat all good...

Yes, a jam requires mechanical intervention to clear. If the firearm is damaged, and I have done anything other than the usual clearing procedures (tap, rack, bang), the company can claim that I am responsible for the damage.

 

[trackskippy]

A jam doesnt always require mechanical intervention (Im assuming you mean tools of some sort here) to clear. Knowing what I do now from experiencing this sort of malfunction, if the TRB didnt work, Id try the "grab the slide and drive the frame forward" thing. For me, thats worked more than it hasn't, and can be quickly and easily done. At least its another option in the moment.

If that doesnt work, and you dont have time for anything else, then at least you have a good, solid impact weapon already in hand. Fight or run away.

Weird stoppages are always a good learning experience too. Worn-out, towards the end of its life, reloaded brass is a great tool for that too.

 

[murf]

i'd leave it alone and ship it back "as is". best way for the company to see what actually happened.

luck,

murf

p.s. take lots of pictures before you send it so they can't deny things.

 

[doubleh]

brass rod down the barrel and give it a push on the bench.

That should do it with no damage at all. It has for me a couple of times and one of my grandson's had that problem at the range and it took him holding the gun and me whacking the rod with the small hammer I carry in my range box. A couple of blows and it came free with no evidence and it has functioned fine since that happened. Ammo is mass produced and it isn't all perfect. Once in a while a bad one slips through unless it 22 rimfire and the odds increase with that.

 

[tarosean]

I'm reluctant to do anything likely to mar the finish on a brand new firearm.

Its a paperweight at this point.

As others have mentioned wood, brass rods or a rubber mallet will not mar the finish.

 

[Mike J]

Sorry to learn you are having problems. I like my Dagger & haven't had any difficulties yet. The only time I had a jam such as you describe it was with a Kel-Tec P-11. I put the edge of the slide against the wood on my target stand & pushed. It cleared it. If you are worried about the finish maybe you could put a piece of cloth or something over the edge of a work bench or countertop & do something similar. Hope you get it straightened out.

 

[Mizar]

If there is a fired case stuck in the pistol, then it's very likely that the chamber was not cut properly. The best he can do, as the pistol has warranty, is to send it to the manufacturer for inspection and repair. So, outside of pure "academical" interest, there is no real need to remove the fired case because it's their job to do it.

 

[trackskippy]

Id still verify that it is actually a fired case that's stuck in there. A dead trigger isnt a guarantee of that.

 

[CapnMac]

Found this photo, as I was keen to imagine the "upon what" this is hung up on

Ad, I'm drawing a blank here. Unless it's hung up in the locking block.

 

[5-SHOTS]

I still haven't figured out if there is a spent case or a live ammunition inside the chamber. If there is a spent case stuck in it, it can be either a case defect or a chamber defect. If there is a live ammunition stuck in it, it is definitely an ammo defect. If it were mine I would definitely try to get the pistol back into business because if the chamber is defective, the problem will surely recur and then you will really ship it for repair under warranty. If, on the other hand, it is a defect in the ammunition, the pistol will not need to be shipped and you can keep shooting it.

 

[JShirley]

I thought that the round fired, but didn't eject.

However, it seems more likely...now...that the Dagger fired, but didn't fully return to battery when loading the next round.

@Derek Zeanah had suggested the "wedge slide against table" approach, but I didn't want to do it because of the newness of the gun. I also was reluctant to take some of the more energetic measures suggested here. I decided to try a compromise, so I got a coated rod and gently but firmly pushed down through the barrel. I was quite glad I had been careful when the slide broke free, and I saw this.



At first glance, the round just appeared to be a little scuffed, but then I looked closer.





I'll plan on looking more closely at my chamber this week, but a quick glance doesn't show anything that looks off. Thank you for the suggestions, and I'll update if I get more information.

John