Shield 9 started double feeding/FTE.... ideas?

[1KPerDay]

Pistol has about 400 rounds through it and has been 100% reliable. My sister is considering carrying it while running and has been training with the pistol. Last week she had one type 3 malfunction shooting 124 xtreme plated reloads which have been 100% in the shield and multiple other 9mms so far, and today she had another one with remington 115 JHP. I shot a few magazines through it of three different types of ammo and I couldn't make it double feed. I tried weak hand only, limp wristing, etc. and it ran fine. I then cleaned it and lubed it and checked extractor claw, extractor tension, chamber and ejector and all look as new. I shot 2 more mags of the flat-nose JHP after cleaning and it didn't double feed but severe limp wristing with weak hand did induce a nosedive failure on the first round from the 8-round mag, which I don't blame on the gun. I also had some erratic ejection, with one case actually going left, which I thought was a bit weird.

She's a strong woman and very fit (runs at least 2 hours a day) and has good sized, strong hands, and I've watched her grip and stance carefully, so I doubt it's a limp-wristing issue. What else can I check? If it does it again and we'll probably give up on that particular gun and maybe get her a Glock 43 or another shield I guess.

 

[Steve C]

Sounds like a shooter induced problem. New shooters often make inadvertent mistakes like placing a thumb along the slide or failure to hold the pistol with a firm grip as they get a bit fatigued after shooting a while. Failures to feed can be caused by not loading the magazine so that all the rounds are fully inserted. Some of these issues can be caused by a gun in need of cleaning so if you haven't been doing it after every range session do it before the next one.

At the next range session observe your sisters grip on the handgun. Emphasize the importance of not interfering with the slides travel and holding the grip firmly all of the time. see if this doesn't clear up her problems. Problems also give a good opportunity to practice failure clearing.

 

[zaitcev]

Last week she had one type 3 malfunction shooting 124 xtreme plated reloads which have been 100% in the shield and multiple other 9mms so far, and today she had another one with remington 115 JHP. ... I then cleaned it and lubed it and checked extractor claw, extractor tension, chamber and ejector and all look as new.

Although you checked them, I suspect a bad extractor or its spring. Well, a bad ejector is possible too. It's just that you cannot see if they are out of spec with just basic tools. In some guns, bad magazines can induce Type 3, because they require the pressure by fresh rounds or follower to eject correctly. But I don't think Shield is one. Your experience with the erratic ejection just confirms that it's not shooter's technique that is the root cause. It may be contributing.

Knowing your luck (see the PF9 story), it's the extractor spring. Try not to put your eye out when you get to it

 

[1KPerDay]

LOL
The extractor seems quite stiff with lots of tension but I'll check it out again.

 

[Blkhrt13]

Is it possible it's a grip issue? She may be locking her wrist so it's not limp wristing per say. But some shooters who try to use a more gentle grip get an effect, I believe it's called milking. Where the shooter slightly eases grip on the gun with the grasping fingers as they release the trigger.

 

[Blkhrt13]

http://dailycaller.com/2014/08/25/massad-ayoob-5-lost-secrets-of-combat-handgunnery/2/

 

[Blkhrt13]

Is it possible it's a grip issue? She may be locking her wrist so it's not limp writing per say. But some shooters who try to use a more gentle grip get an effect, I believe

I had to edit the above post. I was half asleep watching tv and typing on the iPad. Horrible spell checking.

 

[BSA1]

. Last week she had one type 3 malfunction shooting 124 xtreme plated reloads which have been 100% in the shield and multiple other 9mms so far, and today she had another one with remington 115 JHP.

I also had some erratic ejection, with one case actually going left, which I thought was a bit weird.

Sounds like a shooter induced problem. New shooters often make inadvertent mistakes like placing a thumb along the slide or failure to hold the pistol with a firm grip as they get a bit fatigued after shooting a while. Failures to feed can be caused by not loading the magazine so that all the rounds are fully inserted. Some of these issues can be caused by a gun in need of cleaning so if you haven't been doing it after every range session do it before the next one.

At the next range session observe your sisters grip on the handgun. Emphasize the importance of not interfering with the slides travel and holding the grip firmly all of the time. see if this doesn't clear up her problems. Problems also give a good opportunity to practice failure clearing.

The first thing to suspect is the ammunition since you are using reloads. Your gun may need a hotter loads.

My other thought is shooter fatigue. When are the malfunctions occurring? At our range sessions The Lady and I are shooting 6 full magazines each (102 rounds in her gun) per session. This keeps her from getting tired and keeps it fun especially in 90 degree weather. It is more important to reinforce good shooting skills rather than shooting a lot of rounds. When the shooter gets tired they start making mistakes reinforcing poor shooting habits.

 

[Mizar]

Shooter limp wristing/ammo problem with type 3 malfunction, a.k.a. double feed? Sorry, but that just can't happen - this is an extractor issue. Shooter error cannot induce double feed and ammo must be so out of spec, that even Khyber pass "reloaders" would reject it.

 

[1KPerDay]

I shot this pistol again and I had one FTE with 115 Gold Dot +P, first round feeding from the 8 round magazine. Should I try a new extractor spring? It appears to be slipping off the rim. Pistol is clean, extractor appears to have a 90 degree, sharp claw and feels like it's under proper tension. I wouldn't carry this pistol at this point. I bought her a new shield which has been 100% through 150ish rounds so far so we'll transition to that one I guess until I get this sorted.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Look on the under side of the hook on the extractor on the bottom side.
I've had a couple of S&W extractors "chip" off a small amount of metal there causing what you describe. Most problematic was a 5906 Performance Center gun. Only did it intermittently.

It's caused by dropping a round in the chamber and dropping the slide on a chambered round.

S&W customer sales gave me grief about sending out a new extractor, even though I offered to pay for it. I called back to the Performance center and told them I was a High Master Competitor and extractor was for a PC gun. (Both true). He asked me how many I needed.... no charge....
takes about 1.5 minutes to replace... Just don't loose the spring.

 

[1KPerDay]

Here's one I haven't seen before. Loaded round in chamber. DT 124 +P. Guess I'll try to get a new extractor and spring.

 

[Sauer Grapes]

That's what I would do. New extractor and spring. Whether the gun is rated for +P or not, I would shoot standard pressure ammo in it.