[gman1868]

I just got a new P30 and I get consistent problems with stove-piping.

Regardless of which of my 5 magazines I use, in most cases where the last round in the mag is fired, it does not eject completely and ends up with a stove pipe. It occassionally does it where there are a few rounds left in the magazine. When this occurs, the spent shell rim is still usually hooked by the extractor claw.

I cleaned the gun thoroughly before firing it, and I'm using factory Remington UMC FMJ. Help?

 

[Nra-life-member]

Just a thought on this.. Had this happen before.. It was recommended to clean the lightly lubricate the magazine springs..

It worked and solved my issue..

 

[Nra-life-member]

Just wondering what you paid for the P30??

 

[sfguard]

Just wondering what you paid for the P30??

Dont know about him but I ended up paying $820 for mine after tax, and all was done. But I havent had a chance to shoot it yet

 

[uncut]

I sold one last week for $799 + tax
And no, not to a HKholic as I suspected..... for months people walking in the store asking for the P30 and then some gal walks in who doesn't even know who HK is and takes it....
I got to shoot it at the range after the lady bought it. Great handling gun but I am sorry to report that the SA trigger sucks big time (reset is way to long, but I guess the P99/AS and P7 spoil me in that department)

 

[10mm Sonny]

I am sorry to report that the SA trigger sucks big time (reset is way to long, but I guess the P99/AS and P7 spoil me in that department)

Interesting POV from a P99 fan.

 

[Goose5]

Sucky trigger. I'm glad to hear HK didn't change anything.

 

[BOXERDAD214]

Change your ammo, I dont mean to sound stupid but unltil you kinda break it in, I woundnt be critical on the gun just yet. Go out and buy different kinds of ammo and just try that, and please let us all know. I have had problems like this before, and different ammo has worked for me. On the flip side to that, That NEW HK should eat everything you put in it. Good Luck

 

[badkarma56]

Change your ammo, I dont mean to sound stupid but unltil you kinda break it in, I woundnt be critical on the gun just yet. Go out and buy different kinds of ammo and just try that, and please let us all know. I have had problems like this before, and different ammo has worked for me. On the flip side to that, That NEW HK should eat everything you put in it. Good Luck

+1 on the suggested ammo change.

My two H&K's (USP9C and USP45) didn't suffer any break-in related stovepipe failures, but my three month old Sig P226 Navy sure did! At first, the Sig simply wouldn't cycle the sedate commercial stuff reliably. Case in point, Winchester "white box" 115 gr. (Q4172 load) caused 6 horizontal stovepipe failures out of 100 rounds.

Frustrated, I ended up switching to some "hotter" 9mm NATO-spec ammo for 200-250 rounds and successfully "broke the pistol in." After that, the P226 functioned with any 9mm load that I cared to use (S&B, Winchester, Remington, etc.). The round count in my P226 is now at 1200 rounds fired, and I haven't experienced any more stovepipes besides the intial 6 that occurred very early on.

Thus, whenever you can, I recommend using a few hundred rounds of fairly "hot" NATO-spec FMJ ammo to "break in" a good pistol. AIM Surplus has some Winchester 9mm NATO in-stock right now, I suggest getting a few hundred rounds for break-in purposes. Most new weapons need to "wear in" a bit before they settle down and act right, particularly with regard to a tight slide/frame fit, stiff recoil springs, spring-dependant parts, etc. As I said before, I didn't have this issue with either my USP9C or USP45, but maybe the boys over in Germany are building the P30 a little tighter at the factory...just keep shooting!

 

[Vader]

Jam goes on toast

 

[ED_P]

I've recently switched from Glocks to HK's as my primary shooters and despite careful cleaning, found humorous that I had EXACTLY one jam with both HK's (a USP Compact 9mm and a P2000SK)

The first round fired, immediatley followed by the second round going nose up into the top of the barrel chamber. With both guns, I cleared the jam and they've shot several hundred rounds a piece with no more issues.

 

[Bentonville]

Probably won't help at all but one Compact .45 I had did the exact same thing. Someone on this forum advised me to load the mags full and let stand for a couple of day. I did and never another problem. Good luck with yours.

 

[sfguard]

I am sorry to hear about your luck with it I have shot mine the last two days and didn't have a single problem. Let us know if the problem continues after trying some of the other suggestions I am interested to see what the problem was.

 

[dtibbals]

I would call HK on Monday. new gun, maybe a new issue. HK will give you a solution.

 

[bigghk702]

strip the mags clean and lube everything and i mean EVERYTHING in the mags. that worked for me anyway

 

[a1class3]

WAIT!

I would def. recommend against shooting any NATO spec ammo in even the mighty P30. Most of these loads run in the mid 40k psi range which is 5-8k higher than +p+. It might hurt it or it might not but it is def not worth the rist to safety or your pistol. No HK I have ever had has ever needed a break in...but its worth a try. Just do it with standard vel. ammo. I agree with some of the other folks that the fault lies in the mags since it is always the last round. Clean as described previously and good look with that nice looking gun.

 

[badkarma56]

On the Contrary...

I would def. recommend against shooting any NATO spec ammo in even the mighty P30. Most of these loads run in the mid 40k psi range which is 5-8k higher than +p+.

A1class3,

I gotta disagree with you here, dude, most currently available 9mm NATO ammo is perfectly fine for quality service-grade handguns. After all, the standard M882 9mm round for our troops is "NATO-spec," and it works just fine from the standard-issue Beretta 92FS/M9 platform. Ditto for any currently produced H&K pistol which is at least equal to, if not more robust than the M9.

It seems that you're referring to certain other 9mm NATO ammo which is intended for use in "open bolt" subguns (i.e., Uzis and the like). That stuff is indeed too hot for pistols, and is loaded to very high pressures. Further, that variety of 9mm NATO exceeds common +P+ pressures (fyi, there is no "standard spec" on "+P+" so those numbers vary some from country-to- country/factory-to-factory). I've seen some of that "hyper 9mm," and it's normally of either Isreali or German manufacture. Old Hirtenberger and IMI stocks of "surplus 9mm" for subguns comes to mind...great ammo if you own an Uzi, but certainly not meant for handguns!

On the other hand, I should have clarified at the beginning that the "NATO-spec" ammo that I'm referring to, and like to shoot, is the 124 gr. FMJ round currently in use by our troops with the M9 Beretta pistol (known in the military as 9mm NATO/M882 "ball"). This ammo normally carries the NATO cross on the cartridge headstamp, but it is intended for use in handguns. While certainly hotter than sedate commercial 9mm from Walmart, this type of 9mm NATO is not inherently dangerous in quality pistols of modern manufacture (i.e., H&K, Sig, Beretta, Glock, etc.). My research indicates that 9mm NATO/M882 is loaded to approximately 36,000-38,000 psi...well below your quoted stats of "mid 40k psi range."

Further, my first-hand experience has also demonstrated that the NATO-spec loads that I like to shoot (Winchester Q4318 and Federal XML9N1) recoil far less than some of the premium defense loads available. For example, Winchester Ranger-T 127 gr +P+ (my carry round), Ranger 115 gr. +P+, and Federal Hydra-Shok 124 gr. +P+ are all significantly "hotter" and offer greater recoil than any of my NATO/M882-spec ammo.

Aside from initial "break in"/"wear in" applications (whichever you prefer to call the first few range trips), I've also found that shooting a bit of 9mm NATO every so often is helpful for the purposes of replicating the noise/flash/recoil of more expensive defensive loads like the ones I mentioned above.

No biggie, dude, but I just wanted to clarify my original post and the specifics of the load in question.

 

[compassman]

A1class3,

I gotta disagree with you here, dude, most currently available 9mm NATO ammo is perfectly fine for quality service-grade handguns. After all, the standard M882 9mm round for our troops is "NATO-spec," and it works just fine from the standard-issue Beretta 92FS/M9 platform. Ditto for any currently produced H&K pistol which is at least equal to, if not more robust than the M9.

It seems that you're referring to certain other 9mm NATO ammo which is intended for use in "open bolt" subguns (i.e., Uzis and the like). That stuff is indeed too hot for pistols, and is loaded to very high pressures. Further, that variety of 9mm NATO exceeds common +P+ pressures (fyi, there is no "standard spec" on "+P+" so those numbers vary some from country-to- country/factory-to-factory). I've seen some of that "hyper 9mm," and it's normally of either Isreali or German manufacture. Old Hirtenberger and IMI stocks of "surplus 9mm" for subguns comes to mind...great ammo if you own an Uzi, but certainly not meant for handguns!

On the other hand, I should have clarified at the beginning that the "NATO-spec" ammo that I'm referring to, and like to shoot, is the 124 gr. FMJ round currently in use by our troops with the M9 Beretta pistol (known in the military as 9mm NATO/M882 "ball"). This ammo normally carries the NATO cross on the cartridge headstamp, but it is intended for use in handguns. While certainly hotter than sedate commercial 9mm from Walmart, this type of 9mm NATO is not inherently dangerous in quality pistols of modern manufacture (i.e., H&K, Sig, Beretta, Glock, etc.). My research indicates that 9mm NATO/M882 is loaded to approximately 36,000-38,000 psi...well below your quoted stats of "mid 40k psi range."

Further, my first-hand experience has also demonstrated that the NATO-spec loads that I like to shoot (Winchester Q4318 and Federal XML9N1) recoil far less than some of the premium defense loads available. For example, Winchester Ranger-T 127 gr +P+ (my carry round), Ranger 115 gr. +P+, and Federal Hydra-Shok 124 gr. +P+ are all significantly "hotter" and offer greater recoil than any of my NATO/M882-spec ammo.

Aside from initial "break in"/"wear in" applications (whichever you prefer to call the first few range trips), I've also found that shooting a bit of 9mm NATO every so often is helpful for the purposes of replicating the noise/flash/recoil of more expensive defensive loads like the ones I mentioned above.

No biggie, dude, but I just wanted to clarify my original post and the specifics of the load in question.

NATO: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization members have established their own peak pressure standards and testing protocols for ammunition. It is unclear to me whether there are absolute general standards for the NATO calibers, or whether each member nation has drawn up standards compatible with those of the other member nations. Unfortunately, comparing these standards to those of either CIP or SAAMI poses some difficulty. Most data on ammunition bearing the NATO headstamp was devised using the metric MPa measurements, and SAAMI claims that the various military testing protocols differ significantly from both CIP and SAAMI. Military ammunition is traditionally higher in pressure than its sporting equivalents, and NATO standards follow this general rule.

The current SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturing Institute) standard for 9mm Luger ammunition specifies a maximum product average chamber pressure of 37,400 p.s.i., but, the +P+ loads exceed this by a substantial margin. A limit of 42,000 p.s.i. has been proposed for this ammunition. For comparison, proof load pressure (nominal average) is set at 49,800 p.s.i. Now the situation is even further confused, for Remington has begun to market +P 9mm Luger ammunition with a proposed pressure limit of 38,500 p.s.i. To clarify, +P ammunition is available for commercial sale while +P+ loads are not.
All of this raises the question of what the civilian shooter can use in his gun. Even though the ammunition manufacturers take pains to insure that special law enforcement loads do not circulate in civilian channels, it is unrealistic to expect that some will not "leak" out. The same is certainly true for M882 service ammunition, and it is important that the civilian shooter who encounters any of these loads be able to recognize them and understand that this ammunition is different. M882 NATO ammunition as loaded by Olin Corp. (Winchester) and formerly loaded by Federal is currently specified to drive a 124 grain FMJ bullet at 375 meters per second (1230 f.p.s.), which puts it in nearly the same league as the various +P+ loads.
U.S.‑manufactured M882 NATO 9mm ammunition can be identified by the headstamp which, in the typical military fashion, identifies the maker and year of production‑‑example WCC 88 or FC 86 (signifying Western Cartridge Company, Olin Corporation's Winchester‑Western ammunition division, manufactured in 1988 or Federal Cartridge Company, manufactured in 1986). In addition, the current production also carries the NATO stamp of a circle with a + sign inside of the circle. Law enforcement loads will usually have the +P+ designation as part of the headstamp and may have "L" or "LE" as well. We should quickly point out that civilian use of this ammunition is discouraged by all concerned and carries many of the same cautionary statements that were issued for +P and +P+ .38 Spl. Loads

GlockWorld

 

[Kenji]

I just got a new P30 and I get consistent problems with stove-piping.

Regardless of which of my 5 magazines I use, in most cases where the last round in the mag is fired, it does not eject completely and ends up with a stove pipe. It occassionally does it where there are a few rounds left in the magazine. When this occurs, the spent shell rim is still usually hooked by the extractor claw.

I cleaned the gun thoroughly before firing it, and I'm using factory Remington UMC FMJ. Help?

Hi Gman1868,

My wifes P30 had a little similar issue when we brought it to the range, directly from the gun shop (before cleaning), we were firing Remington UMC and Winchester 115gr FMJ.

When we went back the second time, after a thorough cleaning, I did not have any problems, but Mrs. Kenji had some failures to eject after putting some rounds through the gun.

After watching her and a long time firearms instructor, we kind of figured out that she had to get a better grip on this gun than she was used to. She is used to shooting 9mm, .38, .357, and .45s with no problem, but it seems that this particular gun requires a stronger grip. After we got her to tighten up on the grip and get a little stronger stance, her ejection problems seemed to have gone away. We had her concentrating on her grip and stance, not trying to hit the target.

I do not know if you are an exerienced or newer shooter. I am not saying that you are "limp wristing" the gun, but try to tighten your grip, and take a stronger stance. This gun may need more than your are used to until it breaks in. Try just concentrating on your stance and see what happens.

Also are your spent casings ejecting aggressively to the right? In not this may be another sign.

Please come back and tell us what you find.

 

[MaD HuNGaRIaN]

But, if a pistol is designed to handle .357 Sig, what's the concern?

Do any of these hot 9mm loads exceed the pressure of .357 Sig?