Ruger LCP Max locking back before mag is empty

[Jerkstore]

Today I bought a Ruger LCP Max and immediately took it to a range and shot 50 rounds of 380 through it. It is NOT my EDC. It is intended as my home pocket carry. Basically it is my around the house or mailbox gun. So I anticipate that my use of it would be one-handed, extremely close quarter, and basically point and shoot. So I shot it that way at the range. I was frustrated that, out of 50 rounds, about 6 of them resulted in the slide locking back WITH a round still in the magazine. Afterward, I did not google searching, and it seems that others have had this problem. Currently I tend to believe that the recoil from the small size combined with the lack of support from the one-handed grip caused the internal mechanics to cause the slide to lock back unnecessarily. Maybe the slide lock was jerked upward during recoil. The solution is simply to grip the gun more strongly. Does anyone have thoughts on this?

 

[Tinman357]

The rounds may be contacting the tab that the follower pushes up to lock the slide open. The way to test that is to use a sharpie to completely cover the bullets.

Hand cycle and look for contact marks. You may need to carefully stone that tab.

Its an issue that does happen from time to time.

 

[Mizar]

What Tinman said. Anyway, you should stick with FMJ, as lack of adequate penetration should be your main concern with that cartridge.

 

[Jerkstore]

Good advice. Thank you.

 

[horsey300]

What Tinman said. Anyway, you should stick with FMJ, as lack of adequate penetration should be your main concern with that cartridge.

Seems like Hornady critical defense may not be such a bad option.....https://youtu.be/4w4SinCEnQw?si=VHh4vf61JkooO44t

 

[Com 45acp]

Self induced by your thumb or support hand is probably pushing up against slide stop.

 

[1KPerDay]

Shoot it lefty and see if it does the same thing. Then you’ll know.

 

[dranrab]

It's a Ruger. It's doing what Rugers often do, not doing what they are supposed to do.

 

[Jerkstore]

It's a Ruger. It's doing what Rugers often do, not doing what they are supposed to do.

Are Ruger guns generally considered bad guns? My impression is that they are considered a B+ in quality, which in life is very good. It won't get you into Harvard, but it's still very good for most purposes.

 

[Mauser lover]

I may have had the same problem with my max-9.

I sent them the gun, and it came back not fixed. I told them what ammo I was using. I told them the problem. I told them how to incite the problem. I told them how to fix it.

They sent it back not able to find the problem after shooting one box of a different ammo through it. My problem was that my heavy, blunt hollow points were contacting the slide stop actuation tab. If they had taken .010” off that tab, it would have fixed it. They tried 115 grain fmj.

I got the gun back, and it promptly malfunctioned. I fixed it myself, by taking about .032” off the tab. That was too much! I asked them to send me a new slide stop, after relaying the story. They sent it, and it works without modification.

Moral of the story: if you know how to fix it yourself, it’ll be faster, cheaper, and easier to get Ruger to just send the part. They covered shipping, but I had to drive to a special FedEx location and leave work to be physically present to receive the package back.

 

[Hartkopf]

I’ve had problems with other small guns locking back and it was usually my thumb contacting the slide stop. Glock 43 and 43x I had to install Houge grip sleeves to fix it.

 

[Mauser lover]

Are Ruger guns generally considered bad guns? My impression is that they are considered a B+ in quality, which in life is very good. It won't get you into Harvard, but it's still very good for most purposes.

I really like my Max-9. It seems pretty solid.

 

[flightsimmer]

Check for a week magazine spring. Take the spring out of the magazine and stretch it some and see if the problem still persist.

 

[dranrab]

Are Ruger guns generally considered bad guns? My impression is that they are considered a B+ in quality, which in life is very good. It won't get you into Harvard, but it's still very good for most purposes.

Beyond my personal experiences with Ruger QC, I have read of many, many more issues with them.

I have probably bought 2 dozen or so new Rugers in my days. I may miss something in this recap, but here's what I have experienced with those guns off the top of my head. 3 have had to go back to Ruger. 3 more would not work out of the box and took corrective action on my part to get them to work correctly. Another had a bad burr on the bolt face that I had to Dremel down. It and another Hawkeye scratched the hell out of my brass. Not just superficial scratches either. One of the guns I sent back was a 17 Mach 2. The one I got back splits brass from all makes of ammo and has frequent failure to extract. 2 more of my American rimfires have FTE issues as well. The rear sight on my SP101 is in the last position in its adjustment range, and still not on target. The stainless finish on it is poorly executed as well. That translates to about half of the new Rugers I have bought having problems that range from serious to minor. By way of comparison, I am batting 1000 with Savage

 

[1KPerDay]

Are Ruger guns generally considered bad guns? My impression is that they are considered a B+ in quality, which in life is very good. It won't get you into Harvard, but it's still very good for most purposes.

Ruger has a wiiiiiiide range of firearms and I imagine the guns built to a very low price point may have a few more issues than their higher end stuff. However their customer service is excellent IME.

 

[Jerkstore]

I’ve had problems with other small guns locking back and it was usually my thumb contacting the slide stop. Glock 43 and 43x I had to install Houge grip sleeves to fix it.

Was that the thumb of your support hand or your shooting hand?

 

[Howland937]

Was that the thumb of your support hand or your shooting hand?

Grip the gun as you would normally shoot it to see which thumb could possibly be contacting the slide stop. Can't speak to his experience, but I've managed to hit a slide stop with my support hand thumb. Not enough to stop the slide, but slowed down enough to cause malfunction.

 

[Hartkopf]

Was that the thumb of your support hand or your shooting hand?

During firing, I’m not sure!. Thumbs and knuckles joints are all over that damn slide stop. It’s a wonder anyone can reliably shoot little guns at all.

 

[Lefty38-55]

...they are considered a B+ in quality, which in life is very good. It won't get you into Harvard, but it's still very good for most purposes.

You know what they call the PhD candidate at Harvard med school that graduates in last place with a 'C to D' average?

... wait ...

... wait for it ...

Doctor!

 

[halfmoonclip]

During firing, I’m not sure!. Thumbs and knuckles joints are all over that damn slide stop. It’s a wonder anyone can reliably shoot little guns at all. View attachment 1189703

Some pistols just don't respond well to the thumbs forward thing.

The rounds may be contacting the tab that the follower pushes up to lock the slide open. The way to test that is to use a sharpie to completely cover the bullets.

This is good advice. But unwanted slide stop engagements can be a giant PITA. When Glock first sold the G42, there were numerous customer complaints about the problem, but Glock had a hard time diagnosing it.
It finally took a second generation magazine to solve the problem; they used a small tab inside the left wall of the magazine, to keep the rounds from the slide stop.
My early 42 had the problem, sometimes. The intermittent thing made everyone crazy, including Glock.
Using marker as Prussian Blue on the bullets may tell you what's going on, but handcycling doesn't replicate all the violence accompanying actual shooting. After trying it manually, you might try it at the range, and examine the round that provoked the slide stop.
Shortening the stop just a little at a time might work as well.
Shooting it left handed sounds an idea too.
Like I said, PITA.
Moon

 

[Tallball]

"Self induced by your thumb or support hand pushing up against slide stop."

I have XXL hands and this is common for me when getting used to a new small pistol. A firm grip and being extremely careful where your hands are may solve the problem.

The little ones are a PITA to get used to, but they sure are convenient once you do.

 

[defjon]

You should clean and lube it lightly before you go to the range. It read as though you went from the store directly to shooting.

If that's the case clean out the old dried factory gunk, then give it another go.

Run 50/100 + fmj rounds and break it in. It's a small auto. They're all usually a mite persnickety.