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What is your experience with .380 compacts and jamming?

3K views 24 replies 20 participants last post by  Clipper 
#1 ·
I tried one at the range. My wife hit the mag release by accident and it jammed. I tried it and it jammed on the second shot. What is your experience? We used HP. Maybe they run better with ball? Makes me like revolvers more.
 
#2 ·
Wow. Very limited info. What kind of gun? Was it new? Was it torn down and cleaned prior to firing? Was it old and dirty? My wife has a bersa 380 that is flawless since day one. Most bersa 380 owners will report similar reports...
 
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#3 ·
Once had a Sig P238, never jammed, Had a Bersa, never jammed, Had a Russian thing in .380, never jammed. But, I did own a Kel-tec .380,that did jam a few times. I only have one .380 now, a Llama, I don't recall it ever jamming. As Double D said, nor really enough information in your post.

I will say that if it only jams with Hollow Point ammo, then you need to have someone polish the feed ramps.
 
#4 ·
I have never had an issue with mine... Sig P238 and Ruger LCP... Did it jam feeding or ejecting? What king of gun? Need more info... could have just been a dirty range gun...
 
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#10 ·
Was it taken apart and cleaned and oiled? Is the feed ramp shiny and burr free?
 
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#12 ·
I have a sig p238, it is flawless with any ammo.

I have a keltec p3at and a p32.

They offasionally will jam on truncated nose ammo, but a nudge of the slide with your thumb puts them in battery, they run ok with hydrashock HP's

I do have a lorcin 380 in the safe in case I need a junk gun.. it's old.. all I've ever run thru it is ball, and it runs as good as a 99$ gun can run.

I have a sig p238, not a compact, but it runs anything, sams as my 238
 
#13 ·
My Bersa 85 (25yrs 0ld now) burns up anything I put in it as does my LCP. Many thousands through the Bersa and close to a thousand through the LCP. Couldn't ask for two better .380s.
 
#15 ·
Never have had a jam in my LCP, "lil p".
 
#16 ·
I own three 380 pistols:
  • Ruger LCP
  • Beretta 85BB
  • Bersa Thunder 380
Honestly I can't remember the last time any one of these guns jammed with Ball ammo,,,
I did buy one brand of Winchester HP that none of them liked,,,
But they all feed & fire several other brands flawlessly.

Aarond

.
 
#18 ·
If you are experiencing feed problems with your pistol of choice, it can probably be fixed with a simple feed ramp job. I recommend a qualified gun smith to do this work, but if you feel capable, then do it yourself. Usually a good polishing, and deburring of the ramp is all that is needed. Probably no more than a $50 job at the smiths.
 
#20 ·
Not to change the "gun" involved but along the line of limp wristing causing jams. This past Friday while visiting a friend I got to see and shoot my first PMR-30. The trigger was so light on it, my first shot went off before I was expecting it and there was a jam (stovepipe). I know right away that a limp wrist caused the jam and after that first round it did not happen again.
 
#22 ·
If you have a tendency to limpwrist - a small lightweight gun will amplify the potential to cause a jam due to limpwristing.

I'm not saying that is what is happening - but it could be.
 
#23 ·
There is nothing about the 380 cartridge that will make it jam in a semi-auto gun. If it happens to yours it is that the gun has a problem. If it jams on the feed ramp then the ramp needs polishing or use a bullet style with a closed nose. If it feeds high or low or to the side then the magazine lips need adjusting. If it jams on extraction then fix the extractor or ejector as they can need adjustment in most modern production guns of almost any caliber. There are many failures that are possible and fixes to match. Most 380's are blow back operated just as virtually all 22LR handguns. Most fixes that work on 22's work on 380's for jams.

LDBennett
 
#25 ·
My S & W Bodyguard has never jammed, I have had a few misfires due to light hammer strikes, but I kept pulling the trigger until it fired. It may have been light strikes by the hammer or hard primers, haven't made a determination yet...It does create a quandary....
 
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