Why couldn't I load just 1 round into the...

J

Josh17

New member
Okay, so today I went shooting to get rid of the "old Ammo" to refresh it with new ammo. I was firing a Glock 19.

They where 115 grain Remington 9mm.

So empty two mostly loaded mags and fired them, no problem. Even with the mag being a few hours old it's still stiff-ish so it's hard to fully load it.

Then there was this target I kept missing and was determined to hit it. So I picked up 1 round, and figured I'll shoot one last round and try. So I put the round into the mag. I put the mag in the gun and tried to rack the slide to chamber it, Problem: it wouldn't.

First time I simply put 1 round in the mag, and tried to chamber it. It didn't work as the slide wouldn't close. So I racked the slide and the round fell out. Then I tried again to load it, and again when trying to rack the slide it wouldn't let me chamber the round and the slide wouldn't close. But on the 2nd try I pulled the slide back, and I actually saw the round appear fully chambered inside the barrel. So I tried to close the slide, but again it wouldn't chamber and the round came lose, and fell out again.

So I grabbed a different kind of ammo (hollow point), loaded the HP into the mag, then loaded the same round that kept falling after. I racked the slide and the HP round in went no problem. Fired it once, and hit my target, then fired it again and it worked. So it only worked when another round was chambered first, and it had to come from the mag on up, that was the only way it worked

What would cause this? Never experienced before a round that refused to chamber before, and for a few seconds looked like it was in the chamber then fell out. If the size of the ammo was an issue (such as a bad round) then how did it fire and chamber fine when loaded with the a HP found first?

Confused. Probably the only jam I ever have had with the G19..
 
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If the round is going into the chamber but the slide isn't closing fully then here are the possible problems:

  • The round is oversized.
  • The chamber is obstructed in some manner.
  • There is a mechanical interference somewhere in the gun internals that is preventing the slide from moving far enough forward to close on the chamber.
 
9mm (9x19 or 9mm Luger) has been made all over the world, in literally thousands of variations, since 1906. It is not surprising that it seems to be subject to more variations than any other type of ammo except maybe .22. All I can suggest is that you find the makes/types of ammo that works in your pistol and use that kind.

Sometimes, a gunsmith or someone with expertise in "tuning" pistols can modify a gun to handle a "different" type of ammo, but you run the risk of having some other kind that previously was OK fail to work.

Probably the best thing to do is to simply find what ammo works in your gun and use it.

Jim
 
"...hard to fully load it..." Something's wrong with it or your thumb. Springs do not get less strong from use.
"...So I picked up 1 round..." From where? Outta the box? Like JohnKSa says, if the action won't close it's the cartridge being too long(Usually) or the crimp is wrong. Both are unlikely if the stuff is factory.
Other reason is crud in the chamber, under the extractor or somewhere else in the pistol. Clean the thing before you do anything else and change ammo.
 
Gun was cleaned a few weeks or a month prior to use. I grabbed 1 round from a box of Remington 115g FMJ, a round I have fired hundred of times no problems.

So if the round wasn't the right size or a bad round, how come it fired fine when I loaded a HP (on top of mag, and then the Remington round that failed to chamber before, underneath it. So I forced the HP to chamber first, and the "round that wouldn't chamber" was 2nd in line to fire. It fired perfectly fine when done this method, so if round size was off, how come it chambered from when "being the 2nd round chambered" -- but the Remington FMJ wouldn't chamber when trying to load it as a single round?

I also heard many youtubers like Hickok45 say the springs are sometimes hard to fully load on Glocks, so I figured it was a normal problem. That's why the often include the tool that helps you load the mag. It seems the used mag I got from the store I can load fully as the springs aren't as stiff. I dunno. Could just be me.
 
"...hard to fully load it..." Something's wrong with it or your thumb. Springs do not get less strong from use.
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Springs DO get less strong from use -- but if the spring isn't over-stressed, it'll break in quickly and lose a bit of it's resistance and then be fine for a long, long time.

If a recoil or mag springs is kept compressed, or when working, is compressed to or past it's design limits (called the spring's "elastic limit") -- and that can happen with some mag or gun designs -- the spring will degrade over time.

That is NOT a problem with most guns mags or recoil springs, but is more possible and common with some of the sub-compacts, or very high-capacity mags. (That's why the recoil springs of sub-compact guns never have the same service life as full-size guns -- the sub-compact recoil springs have to do the same work using less metal and must fit in a smaller space. Something has to give, and they have to be pushed farther to do the job. That is also why Wolff Springs, in their FAQ area, suggests downloading hi-cap mags a round or two for long-term storage.)

There are also crappy springs used in some of the cheaper mags, too, and they don't last as long --even if used wisely.

Glock mags are notorious for being very difficult to load (fully) when new, but after a week or so of use, they'll take a set and not be as difficult to load. Leave that new mag fully loaded for several days/a week or so, and you'll see a difference; it'll take longer if you just use it and store it unloaded.

Trying to manually cycle the slide with some guns, if the mag is fully loaded, is a problem too -- especially if starting with the slide closed and a full magazine inserted -- as the next round in the mag will press up against the underside of the slide, and slow the slide down as it goes forward. If the spring is strong, you'll notice a big difference.
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The round would not let the slide closed when it was placed in the chamber and then slide released but would chamber, slide closed and round fired when fed from the magazine?

It sounds like the extractor was sitting on top of the extractor groove rather than riding over it. Do you normally load a round directly into the chamber and then close the slide?

I always load the first round from the magazine and then top off the mag but I am not a Glock man and I don't know if that would be the issue here.

OOPS! I just re-read the original post and had somehow missed that you had loaded the one round into the mag and then it would not feed/close slide properly after that. Now I don't know......maybe somehow it still wound up in front of the extractor or maybe it was something else. At least you fired it and its gone now.
 
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Josh17 said:
...Even with the mag being a few hours old...
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It's been a few years since I've dealt with new factory Glock mags but I'd load & shoot a new mag a few times before I would try to load and shoot single rounds.
 
It's been a few years since I've dealt with new factory Glock mags but I'd load & shoot a new mag a few times before I would try to load and shoot single rounds.
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The mag has the most force when fully loaded. The mag should get weaker with break-in, but one round in a new mag should not be nearly as tight as a broken in full mag.
I think with anything new it sometimes takes a few (hundred) rounds to break in correctly, so I agree things may not go smoothly with a new mag, but I don't see why loading one round is more of a problem with a new mag. I generally fire a dozen or so shots one at a time with a new gun. I don't load more in the mag until I get a feel for the trigger and some confidence it is working correctly.
 
New Glock factory mags are a bit difficult to load until the springs take a set and the follower wears in a bit against the steel liner. The MAGPUL PMAG 17 GL9 mag I use in my G-17 was easy to load from day one, these are cheaper and a bit lighter, and 100% reliable, and I'd recommend that the OP try out a PMAG 15 GL9 mag in his G-19, a great product at a fair price!
 
I don't do Glock.I don't know the extractor/feed.
Is it controlled round?
With the 1911,the design intent is for all cartridges to feed up from the mag,up under the extractor.

Same with the Mauser 98,etc.

In an emergency,a 1911 extractor will snap over,but its hard on the extractor.

If you want to load +1 in a 1911,you feed one from a mag,then change to a full mag,or pull the mag and add a round.

Is that true for a Glock? I do not know.

Controlled round feed has its advantages.The round can't fall out the ejection port if you are running,or the gun is ejection port down,sideways,or even upside down.
 
New Glock factory mags are a bit difficult to load until the springs take a set and the follower wears in a bit against the steel liner.
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I agree totally in regard to loading fully. I'd say even worn in mags can be a bear to load fully, especially mags with extensions. Load a few hundred wounds manually to full capacity and your thumbs will be screaming at you(unless you are a whole lot tougher than me). One of the reasons Glock includes the mag loader with all their pistols when most companies do not.
Never had trouble loading one round though.

The slide often closes harder when the gun is fired than when the slide is dropped by hand.
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This may be part of the issue. Slingshotting or using release lever? If one slingshots incorrectly by riding the slide forward, it can cause all sorts of problems. Glocks aren't known for being especially sensitive to this, but if one slows it enough it probably won't feed well.
 
I'm not sure the full story is here. It is very possible to load a .380 round into a magazine and gun that is chambered for 9mm. Even with this situation, the round should strip off the magazine and into the breach and the slide should go into battery.

If the round was seated in the breach, it is possible that the case was not fully inserted which would prevent the slide going into battery.

I think you may have had a misshaped reloaded round or perhaps a round of the wrong caliber mixed in with your other stuff. You did say it was old ammo. Perhaps it had sucked in some moisture along its shelf life and slowly expanded enough to put it out of tolerance.
 
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