[matthewmurray706]

I have a SW40VE and have had no issue with this pistol until today. I have maybe just under 1,000 rounds shot on this pistol. After a few shots, the slide will lock back and the magazine will get stuck. And you can clearly see that there is ammo still left in the magazine. The last round clears just fine.

So after you strip the magazine out and then put it back in, the gun will rack just fine. Then after a few rounds, it'll malfunction again. What is the name of this malfunction and how can I prevent it?

I was using Federal FMJ .40 cal rounds. Also, I was told that over lubing our gun could cause this. I put the same amount on there as I normally do, but could this be the problem?

Also, does repeatedly stripping the magazine ruin your gun?

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[TnShooter83]

Does the slide latch catch and keep the slide open.
Like it does when the mag is empty?

Could be the slide latch spring is weak or has broken.
If it is weak/broken then the latch could come up when the pistol recoils and cause the slide to lock open.

Hold the pistol upside down and pull the slide back a then let
if slide forward. and see if the slide stays open.

Or you could also remove the slide and turn the frame upside down and see if the slide stop lever falls down. If it does it is most likely a broken spring.

It still could be a weak spring and NOT broken. take the slide off and pull up EASILY on the slide stop. There should be some spring tension/ resistance.

I'd start there.....As not many things will just cause a slide to lock open with rounds in the mag.

 

[matthewmurray706]

Does the slide latch catch and keep the slide open.
Like it does when the mag is empty?

Could be the slide latch spring is weak or has broken.
If it is weak/broken then the latch could come up when the pistol recoils and cause the slide to lock open.

Hold the pistol upside down and pull the slide back a then let
if slide forward. and see if the slide stays open.

Or you could also remove the slide and turn the frame upside down and see if the slide stop lever falls down. If it does it is most likely a broken spring.

It still could be a weak spring and NOT broken. take the slide off and pull up EASILY on the slide stop. There should be some spring tension/ resistance.

I'd start there.....As not many things will just cause a slide to lock open with rounds in the mag.

I just checked it. The spring is fine. When the slide locked open, I had to strip the magazine. Before stripping the magazine, I tried tapping it. I noticed that the magazine would click. So is this a bad magazine?

 

[jkm]

Did you ever have the mag apart?
What do you mean when you say you have to 'strip' the magazine..... And the magazine gets 'stuck'?

 

[matthewmurray706]

Did you ever have the mag apart?
What do you mean when you say you have to 'strip' the magazine..... And the magazine gets 'stuck'?

I have never taken the magazine apart. And what I mean is when the slide locked back, I would try and press the magazine release button. When I pressed the button, the magazine didn't drop out like its supposed to. I had to hold the button and yank the magazine out as hard as possible. It got stuck in the magazine well.

 

[TnShooter83]

So when the slide locks open you have to take the mag out before it will close?
You mention the "magazine will get stuck" this is the part that confuses me.
When the slide locks back are the rounds up top touching the "lips" of the mag?
Or are they setting low down inside the mag?

If they are sitting low it is most likely a Mag problem.
The mag is bent, the follower is bad or possably the round(s) them self are catching on something.

Although on the that pistol the mag catch goes inside the magazine
to hold the mag in. So it could be a bad Magazine catch button. (The button you push to release the Mag.)

Can you explain how the magazine is getting stuck?
Is there a round that is "nose diving" into the feed ramp and keeping the slide open.
That could make the mag get stuck. But that doesn't seem to be your problem.

 

[TnShooter83]

Just read post #5.
Does the mag come out any at all before it "gets stuck"
Or is it stuck in there all the way?

There is a hole in the front of the mag that holds the mag in place when inserted in the pistol. Is the side of that hole dented or anything? If it were it could also cause the mag to stick since the button will not press in far enough to let the mag fall free.

Do you have any other mags to try and see if it happens with those?

 

[jkm]

I have never taken the magazine apart. And what I mean is when the slide locked back, I would try and press the magazine release button. When I pressed the button, the magazine didn't drop out like its supposed to. I had to hold the button and yank the magazine out as hard as possible. It got stuck in the magazine well.

OK, that's what I thought you meant. I asked if you had ever taken the mag apart, because your problem sounded like a magazine spring that was put in backwards. It'll cause the bullet in the mag to nose into the feed ramp. But, if you've never had it apart, then that's not it.
It sounds to me like the bullet is nosing into the feed ramp, and that's why you have to 'rip' the mag from the mag well.
If the slide was locking back, the mag should drop free. Am I wrong about this?

 

[collim1]

One problem I had when I transitioned to Sigs several years ago was letting my thumb put upward pressure on the slide stop and locking the slide back in the middle of shooting. I changed my grip and the problem went away.

 

[matthewmurray706]

One problem I had when I transitioned to Sigs several years ago was letting my thumb put upward pressure on the slide stop and locking the slide back in the middle of shooting. I changed my grip and the problem went away.

Hmmm. That's interesting. Maybe that's what it is. I was taking turns shooting my sw40ve and my glock 26. I need to watch out for that. thank you.

 

[Kulprit]

i agree with collim1. a female range friend of mine shoots an sw9ve. right after buying it, the slide would not lock back after the final round. i found the follower was getting stuck and not engaging the slide stop. i disassembled her mags and found very rough edges on the plastic follower that were getting stuck on the inside of the mag. after i fixed it, she had the opposite problem, the slide locking back early. i watched closely as she shot and found that she was pushing the slide stop up upon recoil. i brought it to her attention and she has not had a problem since.

 

[WiskyT]

The reason the mag is stuck is because the slide is locked back on the jammed round that is partly in the mag. Next time it jams, pull the slide back the rest of the way and lock it manually with the slide lock. The mag will then drop out.

Why it's jamming in the first place, I have no idea.