PPK double feed with Rem. ammo.

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Ignition Override

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The gun was "Made In W. Germany". Most of the time a case seemed to be chambered with the slide jammed by a second round.

The gun is in excellent condition, and with Remington these are about every fourth/fifth round. The private shooting club manager checked the extractor and found it to be much looser than on his semi-auto handgun (1911 style). He suspected the PPK extractor's spring.

However, changing ammo to a local company with remanufactured .380 Auto was a perfect operation, although only approx. twenty rds. were used.
Only these two brands have been tried.
The good news-the recoil did not appear to be as stout as the first tryout seemed last week.
 
I would think the problem is probably extractor related. Extractor hook falling off the rim and allowing the slide to retract and free a round to chamber under the empty still in the chamber.
 
michael t: That's a good idea.

Having begun two or three recent topics at Walther Forums, the topic was started here to avoid a high profile over there. Did not want to "hog" the page.

The secondary point was that among the types used (both fmj), it only happened with new Remington .380 ammo, but not the local re-manufactured brand sold in the club house.
Maybe powder loadings (recoil speed) or brass thickness/bulging are factors?
 
Walther 380s aren't that reliable. They need a throat job. And a forgiving feed profile like Corbon Powrball. Old Remington JHP had a feed profile like ball (and would expand about like ball). It may be out of print.

Obsolete with pocket nines of today that are more powerful, more reliable, and no worse recoil. I've still got one that a friend (who is no longer with us) made some nice ebony grips for.
 
...a case seemed to be chambered with the slide jammed by a second round.
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Is what is in the chamber a live round or a fired casing?

If there's a fired casing in the chamber then this is a failure to extract. It could be a problem with the extractor, but a blowback gun like the PPK will usually function even without an extractor. If it's leaving the fired casing in the chamber that would most likely indicate a very dirty or very rough chamber. I guess it could also be some kind of weird issue with the casings not being in spec or some kind of a tolerance mismatch between the chamber and the casings.

If there's a live round in the chamber being chased in by a second then it's a double-feed. That's usually a magazine problem, as already mentioned.
 
Thanks very much.

JohnKSa: At least a few were live rounds, and the magazine is a Walther factory mag. The mag has a slight 'give' when pushing up on it, even after fully inserted in the mag. well.
This reminds me that when first releasing the slide, a little finesse is sometimes needed to chamber the first round if I analyze it and close the slide slowly (this might Not be a symptom).

When back in town I'll take a sheet of paper to the range, take accurate notes and ask the gun smith his opinion, giving him both types of ammo.

This will probably not be a summer carry gun anyway (even if resolved with multiple ammo types), with such nice bluing in a hot, sweaty climate.
 
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The give when pushing up on the magazine is normal. My PPK does that too. The way the magazine catch notch is cut in the magazine allows some upwards play when the mag is latched in place.

If you're finding live rounds in the mag being chased in by a second live round, then it almost has to be a magazine problem. Check the feedlip spacing. The inside edges of the feedlips should be 0.29" to 0.30" apart--at least that's the range I see in the PPK magazines I have.
 
Appreciate the feed lip stats. Will give that to the gun smith if I decide to let him evaluate it, along with a new .380 ("9mm") mag spring from Wolff. The gun's date is '80, but shows limited wear.

The strange thing is that the locally remanufactured ammo has been perfect (approx. 60 rds. fmj), but the only other ammo has been green/white box Rem., also fmj.
Almost no chance that a different powder loading and/or brass case expansion between two types causes this?
 
Almost no chance that a different powder loading and/or brass case expansion between two types causes this?
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It's not likely those things would have much to do with it.

If it leaves empty cases in the chamber it's an extraction problem, whereas two live rounds feeding at one time is normally a bent magazine or faulty mag spring

Often it can be solved by simply squeezing the mag lips in a little so rounds can't pop out the top too easily
 
I have to agree that most malfunctions are magazine problems, but in the case of Walthers, Remington ammunition has been observed on the P38 forum as well as my personal observations to be a problem.
This is particular to the 9mm. The bullet shape has some slight variations that affect feeding issues. Also, the depth of seating of the bullet.
That's not to say that Remington ammo is crap. I use a lot of it in my .45 Remington R1.
Some Walthers have no problem with it. This has been my experience with the P38 and P1's. I have also observed that with 7.65 in a pre-war Walther PPK.
My advice for what it's worth is don't go messing around with magazines and feed ramps and try some different ammunition.
 
Lets be clear, a "Double feed" is more than one live round coming out (or partially out) of the magazine.

It has nothing to do with extracting or ejecting the fired case (or failure to do so). That's a different problem.

Double feeds are always magazine issues.

But, sometimes, its not a flaw in the magazine, the issue is the fit of a certain ammo in that magazine. If it works with brand A,B,C,DEGF etc but won't work with Brand R, don't use brand R.
 
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