Sig .380 jamming

[Buck13]

My wife has a P290RS in .380 that has maybe 100-200 rounds through it. I took it to the range yesterday (without her along this time) to play with it, since I'd really never had a chance to shoot it. Had nasty failure-to-feed jams almost every round from both magazines with Speer Lawman RN and S+B RN. Some I could thumb the slide closed, but half of them I had to drop the mag and work the slide to clear.

At first I thought maybe it was just dry, but lubing the slide, extractor and bolt face made no difference

I had eight rounds of WWB FP ammo in my other .380's mag, which I ran through it. I *think* all those fed OK, but that was early in the ordeal and I may have mis-remembered it.

When I got home, I asked if she'd ever had problems. She said "No, you know me. If it had done that to me, I'd throw it out the window of the car on the way home." (This is true. Not the right thing to do, but...) She'd have been using the same S+B and Speer ammo, I'm pretty sure, since I buy all our ammo and dole it out. So, ammo selection might not be the answer.

I'm going to strip it down tonight probably for cleaning and inspection. Anything specific to look for on these?

I really want this little gun to work. I enjoyed shooting it when it cycled. If I can't solve the problem, might need to sell it and get a .380 P365

 

[9mmepiphany]

If I can't solve the problem, might need to sell it and get a .380 P365

Am I understanding you correctly?

The 290 is your wife’s gun and she isn’t experiencing any feeding issues with it, but you’d sell it because it isn’t working for you?

 

[MikeInOr]

I would pull the recoil spring out and cycle it feeling for any interruptions in the slide travel.

For several new small caliber blow backs that are known for needing a break in period I have stripped them down, cleaned them so they are dry, reassembled and worked the slide several hundred times. Then disassemble, clean and lube lightly before firing. All of my little plastic pocket pistols that supposedly need a break in period have functioned perfectly from round one when doing the pre-breakin before firing.

If it is failing to return to battery after a cleaning and working the slide a fair bit I would start with a new recoil spring.

 

[Buck13]

Am I understanding you correctly?

The 290 is your wife’s gun and she isn’t experiencing any feeding issues with it, but you’d sell it because it isn’t working for you?

She hasn't shot it much. It was working for her the last time out, but she'll say I "broke it" if it doesn't work the next time. Hard to see how I did that in the first two rounds I fired, though.

It had never been cleaned before tonight. There was a little crap in the chamber and on the slide under the ejector, so *maybe* that was part of the problem. Cycling a round after cleaning still felt a little hinky, though.

The lips of the mags have a bit of a burr on them (particularly the shorter one), which would have been true previously, of course. I'm going to hit those lightly with some 600 then 1200 grit wet-dry paper and see if that helps any. I hope it won't hurt, anyway.

 

[Buck13]

For several new small caliber blow backs that are known for needing a break in period I have stripped them down, cleaned them so they are dry, reassembled and worked the slide several hundred times. Then disassemble, clean and lube lightly before firing. All of my little plastic pocket pistols that supposedly need a break in period have functioned perfectly from round one when doing the pre-breakin before firing.

It's a short-recoil design, not blowback. The 290RS came in 9 mm as well as .380. In contrast, I have a blowback Bersa 380CC that has been flawless in terms of reliability, with all ammo offered to it. (The Bersa's only noted defect is that the slide lock has only barest hint of a grip on the slide, and lets it fall if you so much as look at the gun. Tends to self-chamber when you put in a loaded magazine, which could be a bug or a feature, depending on your trigger discipline. The SA trigger is really light, too! Good times.)

Not that this means you're wrong. I've read that tiny short-recoil designs can be quite finicky, since there are several moving parts and not much momentum to make things work, relative to a full-sized pistol. Needing some break-in would make sense. But the fact that she's had no trouble previously makes me doubt that rough surfaces are the explanation.

I was also aware of the potential for limp-wristing being a factor, and after the first few failures I thought I was bearing down on my grip firmly although I wasn't absolutely trying to crush the gun. Again, while my wife isn't the most delicate, my hands are much stronger than hers and yet she reported no problems. It's a mystery.

 

[5-SHOTS]

I've read that tiny short-recoil designs can be quite finicky, since there are several moving parts and not much momentum to make things work, relative to a full-sized pistol.

This.

 

[5-SHOTS]

I have a blowback Bersa 380CC that has been flawless in terms of reliability, with all ammo offered to it.

And this.

My last range trip was together with a close friend of mine that has a Beretta 84F, a blowback .380 that I gave to him some years ago. It was bone dry but it worked perfectly. The problem between a blowback pistol and a woman is that it's more difficult to rack the slide and the recoil is faster and more noticeable than locked breech pistols of the same caliber.

 

[Buck13]

For several new small caliber blow backs that are known for needing a break in period I have stripped them down, cleaned them so they are dry, reassembled and worked the slide several hundred times.

I think all the gun-cleaning products I have now are CLP type. What solvents are good for removing the lube and leaving the parts dry? Preferably something that won't hurt either the plastic grips of this gun, or the rubber or wood grips on some of my other guns.