H & K jamming up..

R

Redneck2

New member
Have a friend that's shooting reloads in a 9mm. After maybe 100 rounds the slide gets jammed with debris. He thought it was lead, but I'm guessing it's residue from the bullet lube. No problems with jacketed.

He gets the bullets from the same store I used to get mine. The lube is gummy, almost like soft crayon or wax. Says the build-up is hard like lead shavings. Any thoughts???
 
Which model of HK? If it is a P7, he is probably clogging up the gas system with that stuff. You should be shooting jacketed bullets in a P7.
 
Dont know for sure...

But if its a USP with a polygonal barrel you shouldnt be shooting lead bullets either.

If it is a P7 its DEFINITELY because he's shooting lead bullets. Go to jacketed and stay there for HK's

JT
 
No lead bullets for polygon rifled barrels. You didn't specify what model of H&K so anything more specific is a guess, but I use only jacketed bullets for my P7 and it's been nothing short of fantastic, even if it's ugly ;)
 
Perhaps the lead he's using is too soft. There are plenty of USP and Glock owners with polygonal bores that shoot lead. They say that cleanup isn't as easy, but they don't report any problems.

Some 1911 shooters I know run their new lead bullets through a tumbler to remove the lube. Try it on a batch of 200 and see if the problem goes away.

I've never shot lead through my USP, but I've sent 750 rounds through it without cleaning and it seemed good for another 750, at least.
 
I'm thinkin' you're right...

He said it had a gas system. Didn't put it in originally as I wasn't familiar with them. I'm a 1911/Ruger SA guy and the gas system concept is foreign to me (on pistols). I'm going to assume (which I know is dangerous) that it's similar to semi-auto rifles and shotguns (my 7400 and 11-87). If so, how does the lead get into the gas system, or is it lube?

If he needs to go to unleaded, guess I'll have to tell him. Supposed he'll have to bite the (jacketed) bullet and pay the price.

Guess this brings up a point, which I can already see will get me in trouble.......but........why would they use a gas system when my pre-WWII 1911A1 will shoot 230 hardball or 200 LSWC's equally as well???? Supposedly the H&K is top 'o the line, so I guess there's a good reason.
 
I am going to go out on a limb and say try a different brand of ammo. Some pistols just don't like certain brands for whatever reason. Try some other brand. Not reloads. Both of my pistols have had nothing but problems with reloads. Seriously, try it! :)
 
GAAAHHH!!!!

If he said something about gas systems, and HK's, it's a P7. Shooting lead bullets is VERY, VERY bad for the gun.

www.hkp7.com <---- has a diagram of how it works.

Basically, a the end of the barrel closest to the chamber there is a small hole through which a small amount of gas is bled off into a chamber below the barrel. This chamber is thus kept at the same pressure as the expanding gas in the barrel behind the bullet. The expanding gas in the cylinder below the barrel works via a piston attached to the slide, to delay the slide from opening until the bullet has left the barrel.

Take it to an authorized HK armorer immediately! It needs some serious taking care of. Do not try to remove the lead yourself. The gas system has very tight tolerances, and trying to remove the lead yourself is worse than leaving it as is.

The lead which is scraped off by the barrel, enters the gas system, and can clog it in all sorts of ways.

Make sure he stops shooting anything in it before anything else. After that come on over to the P7 bulletin board.

http://www.parkcitiestactical.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

Someone will know where to locate and HK armorer to help you out. It's a $1000 gun, it'd be an awful shame to see it ruined because someone failed to read the manual.

It might not be that damaged... it'll depend on how many rounds were put through. Either way it'll get taken care of. The first link I gave you has pictures of what they look like.

Why does the H&K use a gas system? It allows the slide to be smaller, and lighter, because it doesn't rely on inertia to keep it closed until the bullet has left the barrel. It's a little smaller than a SIG P225, and has a full size 4.15" barrel.

If he hasn't been shooting lead... the P7 STILL needs cleaning. There is a tool which is usually supplied with the gun, that is used to clean the cylinder. It can be purchased at a variety of locations though. The P7 really, really, really likes being clean. Carbon is usually deposited in the cylinder, and if left uncleaned can cause the slide to stick like that.

If it's not a P7, it's probably OK, the USP's are tough.
I again strongly advise you to head on over to the P7 bulletin board, and ask questions there. But first and foremost, make sure he doesn't shoot the gun again until the problem has been fixed appropriately.

-Morgan
P7 zealot
 
Thanks for all the help...

Told me what he'll need to know. I'll pass it on. Thanks for all the help. The parkcites board looks excellent. Thanbks again.
 
I have a P7M8 and the slide stuck back once after putting a 100 factory jacketed rounds through it. After I got the slide to release I found the gun was very dry inside. I have since started putting a dab of Tetra Gun Grease on the slide rails after I clean it. The gun has been 100% reliable since.

Randy
 
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