New gun misfires/jams

**TripleF** · 02-13-2012, 05:55 PM

Today I bought a new Diamondback .380. Really excited about the way it feels in my hand. Couldn't wait to shoot it. Load the mag with 5 shells and shot. Gun failed to eject a spent round on the third shot. Second mag (five shots) and a misfire on the second round. Third mag, misfire on the 4th round. Both misfired rounds had no pin marks and both fired without a problem when loaded a second time alone.

Every other pistol I've owned I bought used and have only very rarely experienced a misfire problem.

Is this normal with a new pistol? Will it improve with use? Or it this a real problem I need to go back to the dealer on?

**Sunburn** · 02-13-2012, 05:59 PM

definitely not normal to misfire that many times. It could be the ammo not knowing what kind you used. try it with a different type of ammo see if it happens again. Then you will know for sure whether or not it is the gun. Also give it a good cleaning could be debris around the firing pin not allowing it to strike all the way.

**Carbonmated** · 02-13-2012, 06:02 PM

I have no experience with Diamond back. In my experience with shooting, some new guns do need a break in period and will shoot and perform better after several hundred rounds. Ammo selection could have something to do with it as well, some .380's are real picky about ammo. I would run a few hundred rounds through it, if it continues after that it would be going to the manufacturer.

Just my opinion based on my own experiences. You should have bought a Glock, if you did we would not be having this discussion

Sorry I could not resist, I am a Glock poster child.

**Bushmonkey85** · 02-13-2012, 06:03 PM

Hmmm, failure to eject/feed/stovepipes/etc, may be normal for a gun until you put it through the break in process. But failure to fire, eh, that's not normal. Even a brand new gun should go bang every time you pull the trigger. The fact that you don't see a pin mark definitely means it's not your ammo. I'd call the manufacturer pronto!

**Roamer** · 02-13-2012, 06:04 PM

Yeah, try some different kinds of ammo. I know that will get expensive with a .380, but you need to eliminate that variable. Be sure and try different bullet weights.

Another issue is you may be gripping the gun too loose or too tight. How hard you grip the gun sometimes affects an semi-auto pistol's ability to cycle (depends on the gun), so experiment with your grip.

After all that, if it still doesn't improve, send it back to the factory for a massage.

I didn't believe how ammo-sensitive a pistol could be until I bought a used S&W 2213. After replacing the recoil and firing pin springs, I still had a hell of a time getting it to feed a whole mag without misfires and ejection problems. Finally I bought six kinds of ammo and spent an hour at the range just burning through all of it, not worrying about target placement, until I found two that worked nearly without flaw (for the record, those were CCI Mini Mags and Remington Yellow Jackets).

EDIT: Another issue I remembered. With some new guns, you need to clean it before you start shooting because it is shipped with a gummy residue to prevent corrosion. If you didn't do that, you've now added powder residue to the problem. So take it apart, do a good cleaning, and start over.

**ohski** · 02-13-2012, 06:06 PM

I picked up a Sig P238 a couple of weeks ago... put 150 rounds or so though it and had no issues. I used the cheapest ammo I could find too.

Ski

Edit: Sellier & Bellot was the ammo.

Pic of pistol right after purchase..

**blkbd** · 02-13-2012, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by Carbonmated

I have no experience with Diamond back. In my experience with shooting, some new guns do need a break in period and will shoot and perform better after several hundred rounds. Ammo selection could have something to do with it as well, some .380's are real picky about ammo. I would run a few hundred rounds through it, if it continues after that it would be going to the manufacturer.

Just my opinion based on my own experiences. You should have bought a Glock, if you did we would not be having this discussion

Sorry I could not resist, I am a Glock poster child.

Glock can not import the model in .380 as it did not earn enough points to be imported under the sporting clause by the ATF.

Notify the dealer of the problem to give him a heads up and that you will try different ammo and see if a few hundred rounds will break it in.

**Carbonmated** · 02-13-2012, 06:15 PM

Originally Posted by blkbd

Glock can not import the model in .380 as it did not earn enough points to be imported under the sporting clause by the ATF.

It was a joke regarding reliability, I thought that was obvious.

**Roamer** · 02-13-2012, 06:15 PM

Since people brought up other guns, if you can't get your Diamondback to work, I suggest you look at a Bersa .380. I've got one. Great little gun at a great price that has never failed to go bang.