Jam-Free… Why???

S

September11

New member
This might be a stupid question, but I am new to firearms so here I go…

I read the post regarding jam-free auto pistols and was excited to see that there were so many different ones mentioned. That means I can make purchases based on feel and taste and not worry so much about if it is going to work. But I also started to wonder if there might be other factors involved. How much does the quality of a pistol being jam-free depends on the excellence of manufacture and how much of it (if any) is you being a good owner by doing things that ensure jam free operations? Like what??? I don't know. Maybe buying good ammo versus cheap stuff, cleaning the pistol every few hundred rounds, tweaking the pistol in some way, using a certain type of magazine… I don’t know – you tell me…
Again, maybe this is an ignorant question. I realize those pistols listed come from aged and respected companies, etc. but I also have to wonder to what degree the user effects the reliability and durability of the weapon? – Certainly, I realize that if you never clean a gun it will jam and if you clean the gun every time you use it, you reduce the likelihood of it jamming. I also realize that if you own a poorly assembled pistol, no amount of cleanliness will cure it. So, excluding those extremes how much of this quality is the gun maker and how much is you?
 
This is too open-ended of a question. How reliable are automobiles? For example, are mechanical breakdowns more a matter of engine parts going bad, or the owner's poor maintenance habits?

There are many factors that may cause a semi-auto to malfunction.
 
fair 'nough - it is vague, but as you said there are so many reasons that a pistol may manfuntion and yet, on the jam-free post many of the people said they never experianced a jam - not once. In some cases the pistol had several thousand rounds through it.
I was wondering if there are other factors involved.
 
"How much does the quality of a pistol being jam-free depends on the excellence of manufacture and how much of it (if any) is you being a good owner by doing things that ensure jam free operations? Like what???"

Okay, September, I'll take a stab at this. A manufacturer can make sure that your pistol is jam-free my requiring employees to wash their hands after returning from their lunch breaks, and prohibiting the eating of sandwiches on the production line.

You can ensure your pistol remains jam free by not leaving it out in the kitchen where your kids can get their sticky little fingers on it. You can make sure it is properly covered by a shirt while you make your lunch, and by eating said lunch in a careful and prudent manner.

Following this simple advice will keep you pistol free of jam, peanut butter and crumbs. This is also an effective strategy for the prevention of gravy stains and getting chicken bones stuck in the mechanism.

Regards,
 
There is no such thing as absolute perfection. With that as a starting point, first buy a quality pistol.

Use round-nosed bullets--"hardball". Their shape suits the feeding design. There are things which can be done to make feeding semi-wadcutters and such reliable, but I'll stick with unmodified stuff.

Then, take care of the magazines. The feed lips are not really delicate, but they won't tolerate sloppy abuse--dropping on concrete, for instance.

Keep clean, lightly oiled, and dirt free.

I don't think any of the above is particularly novel, complicated or "big deal". It's just common sense.

Abuse is the big factor in unreliability. There are some gunsmiths who should actually be blacksmiths; horseshoes are the upper limit of complexity for them--yet they try to "improve" on the factory design. Some owners don't really get the grunge out of the "innards", and then blame the gunmaker.

Age is not a factor. A couple of days ago I ran a couple of quick magazine loads through a pair of WW II souvenir semi-auto pistols; both made around 1925. Smooth and easy...

FWIW,

Art
 
Jam-Free . . . . Why ????

You've asked a great question.

You'll find, if you don't know already, that there are a lot of experts and very experienced people out there who have questionable knowledge. Trust yourself and your own judgment -- be your own expert.

For example, how many times have you seen a TV actor pull the slide on a semi-auto handgun, and then ease it forward? I've jammed guns that way. You pull it back and let go -- the force is needed to properly seat the cartridge into the chamber. Yet some "consultant" taught the actor how to handle a gun.

And how many times have your more experienced friends made you nervous by waving their loaded guns in every direction -- in YOUR direction?

Pay careful attention to everything you see and hear about guns. Then, use your own good judgment to filter out the nonsense.

Your question -- mechanical malfunction vs. human error -- is one of the best questions yet asked on this forum, and it's the kind most people are afraid to ask. Thanks.
 
All good advice. The fact is that some guns are more prone to jamming than others, but the two big factors for auto pistols are ammunition and magazines. Most autos will run fine with full metal jacket, but many people insist on the biggest hollow points they can get, and thus increase the possibility of jams. (Ammo makers and gunzines can print pictures of expanded bullets until the cows come home, but if the round ends up jammed in the gun when you need it, all the pretty pictures in the world won't help.)

Magazines can range from excellent to trash, with the latter usually being the no-name ones found cheap at gun shows. Even some manufacturers cheap out when it comes to quality magazines, using ones without properly hardened feed lips or with weak springs.

I recommend that anyone using a gun for serious purposes make sure the gun will fire at least 200 consecutive rounds with the carry ammo and carry magazine. Some will say that is too much, others that it is too little. Make your own judgement.

Jim
 
As said, buy a good quality pistol, first and foremost. Take my own experience for example- I was a diehard Beretta fan because they never let me down...not once. I thought partly it was because of the "open slide" design.
Then I bought a CZ 75 with a little itsy-bitsy ejection port and it's just as reliable as any Beretta I ever owned. It's gotta be just good engineering. The Makarov is another. Tiny, little ejection port....works every time.
If you keep a good quality pistol clean, well lubed (more is better than less), and function fire your carry ammo you'll be happy as a pig in slop. Best Regards, J. Parker
 
IMHO jam free starts with design. For example, S&W .45 Autos arew noted for feeding anything because there is a very shallow angle from the mag to the feed ramp, and onward to the chamber. The design of the mag itself has something to do with it too, judging by the number of comments about aftermarket mags that don't feed as well as factory. Also, simplicity in design makes for reliability -- fewer moving parts, less stuff to go wrong (Glocks, for example).

After design comes the whole prototype & test cycle. A good manufacturer will give his new design a thorough workout with a wide variety of ammo. This lets them refine the design with real world feedback.

Once the design is perfected, manufacturing execution comes into play. It's easier to make one reliable pistol than 50,000. The manufacturing process must exactly repeat the design every time. CNC machines have done wonders in this regard.

It's worth noting that consistent, high-quality materials come into play here. A bad batch of metal or weak lot of springs can mess up a production run.

Much fuss has been made about "quality control", and most people think of it as inspectors weeding out the bad products before they get to teh customer. That's QC circa 1950. Modern quality managers have studied the works of Philip Crosby and Shigeo Shingo, and know that true quality control is engineering variation and mistakes out of the process for lower cost and higher yield.

Once the pistol is produced and sold, reliability is in the hands of the shooter. Proper cleaning and maintenance will make any mechanical device last longer and work well.

Dave Scott,
Certified in Production and Inventory Management by the American Production & Inventory Control Society
Graduate, Philip Crosby Quality Training
20 years in Manufacturing.
 
GUN FIRST

A 'good' gun works when filthy. It feeds, fires, and ejects crap ammo. It is impervious to incorrect grip or angle. It works in any environment.

Choices: 9x19 caliber.

Guns: CZ75, Ruger P89, Glock M17, Beretta M92, SIG 226, H&K USP, S&W 5906 / 3913, and various custom-maker guns.

Your results may vary.
 
I think it is interesting that Inspector Callaghan asks people to list their jam-free pistols and gets five pages of people listing their guns and I post the question "why" and barely get five answers!!!
Thanks to those who answered... interesting things to think about

Oh, well... :confused: :( :D
 
Last edited:
Don't be too discouraged by the lack of responses. It's very easy to say your gun is jam-free, it's a binary type of question, it either is or it isn't and the number of responses could ultimately be the total membership of TFL. However, it is usually hard to say why something doesn't happen. Too many things can go right. :) It's hard to say that this or that is the reason a pistol doesn't jam. How do we really know that not doing this or that will indeed make it jam without experimenting in a scientific manner? Very few of us do that or even want to do that.

If you asked why do pistols jam, you would still get only a few answers because there are actually only a few reasons and then you can add a few variations of those reasons. After that, the reasons for jamming will be repetitive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top