Two things can’t occupy the same space at the same time, but occasionally cartridges try to in the chamber, resulting in a double- feed malfunction. This happens, and requires the attention of a gunsmith. It may be damaged or just out-of-spec from the factory. If the malfunction occurs with a variety of different loads and through different magazines, the feed ramp is the likely culprit. If the failure occurs with certain loads, the cause has been found. Loads with a short overall length can also cause tip-ups. The short bullet nose hits low on the feed ramp and bounces above the chamber mouth and up into the hood in a classic tip-up. I have a Smith & Wesson M&P45 that will not feed factory 185-grain wadcutters. Gunsmiths have learned how to throat the barrel and alter the 1911 ramp to feed other bullets, but the incompatibility problem is not confined to the 1911. That system was created to shoot 230-grain ball loads, and may not readily accept some other profiles. This is not uncommon in 1911-pattern guns using John Browning’s original feed-ramp design. Some guns just will not feed certain loads. Not every bullet profile will properly fit every barrel’s feed ramp. If you can’t duplicate it with other magazines or if the tip-up occurs while the gun is cycling during firing, it’s time to look at the load. If other magazines function properly, you have isolated the cause to that specific magazine. See if you can duplicate the tip-up with other magazines using the same load. It could also involve a weak magazine spring that allows the leading round to bounce. If the lips are not holding the round securely, the nose can bounce up and take an upward-and incorrect-angle into the chamber. If the gun is at slide lock, a new magazine is inserted forcefully and hitting the slide release results in a tip-up malfunction, the cause could be worn magazine feed lips. Determining when and where the malfunction occurs will help in discovering and correcting the problem. It requires a methodical approach, because it could be magazine-, ammunition- or firearm-related. Sometimes this works, but sometimes it makes things even worse.ĭiagnosing the exact cause of a tip-up malfunction can be frustrating. Some shooters may try to retract the slide, turn the gun onto its side and jiggle the loose round out. The support hand should move to strip it out of the pistol. If the round is jammed up tightly, simply hitting the magazine release may not drop the magazine. The immediate-action (IA) drill for a tip-up is to strip the magazine from the gun, rack the slide to clear the action, insert a new magazine and rack the slide to chamber a fresh round. It is characterized by the round feeding from the magazine, but failing to enter the chamber-instead having the bullet’s nose lodge up against the barrel hood above the chamber and locking up the action. This is one of, if not the, most common malfunctions in a semi-automatic pistol. The nose of the bullet of this dummy round is jammed against the top of the barrel hood-typical of tip-up malfunctions. Here’s a look at the four most common malfunctions. Then, the shooter should analyze the specific malfunction to determine the cause and take corrective action to prevent it from happening again. Operation can be quickly restored if the shooter recognizes the type of malfunction that has occurred and takes the correct Immediate Action (IA) to restore the gun to proper operation. If any leg of that gun/magazine/ammunition triad fails, a malfunction can occur and temporarily stop the operation. Reliable semi-automatic operation depends not only upon the gun working correctly, but also upon properly functioning magazines to feed the firearm, ammunition loaded within the range of pressure levels required to operate the action and loads that feature the correct length and bullet profile to feed smoothly from magazine to chamber. The gun is only part of the operational equation. Most shooters have likely experienced a malfunction at some point, and a lot of us may cuss the gun itself. Or, more commonly, they can suffer a temporary stoppage rendering the gun inoperable for that often crucial moment. Still, they’re mechanical devices made by man and can suffer breakage that renders them totally inoperable. Modern semi-automatic handguns are remarkably reliable tools.
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