Stovepiping on Colt Gov't 380

[joe817]

The title says it all(I think that's the correct term for my problem). It's creating failure to feed issues. But only on rounds 6 & 7(the little magazine has max capacity of 7 rounds. On rounds 6 & 7, when attempting to chamber, the slide forces the round to take a nosedive into the front of the magazine causing the failure to feed.

What causes this, and how can it be remedied(without having to throw away the existing mags I have & go out & buy new ones? I'd like to take the magazines apart but I'm not sure it's possible. The floorplate refuses to budge. Perhaps it's spot welded to the magazine itself.

The magazines themselves look to be in good shape...no dents anywhere on the mags, no deformities, nada. Followers are in good shape. Perhaps weak magazine springs? It's causing failures in Monarch hollow points(I know....I know). Haven't tried round nose bullets yet.

Any ideas anyone?

[Ruark]

I assume these are top quality mags? If so, it's not recoiling with enough energy to feed the next round. 380s barely, barely have enough oomph to operate the slide. So something is bleeding off some of that oomph - the recoil spring needs something solid to "push against" when the gun fires. The mostly likely cause is limp-wristing. Your wrist isn't stiff enough, or you're holding it too loosely, or you're holding it with a bent elbow. A lot of .380 shooters make this mistake, and then go all weird about something being wrong with their guns.

[mrvmax]

The first thing I would try is to buy new Wolff springs for it. I've got five different mags for mine and they all function fine.

[Zombified]

Try this method for taking magazines apart.

https://youtu.be/BvlgVYzobXk

[mupepe]

Has the gun always had this problem or is it a recent development?

If it's recent I would first look at mag springs (depending on their age) or recoil springs.

[rotor]

I don't think this is stovepiping as I believe that occurs when the fired casing doesn't eject and sticks up in the chamber keeping the next round from going into battery. I have a similar gun and the mags don't come apart.That youtube video is interesting and should work though. If you are limp wristing I would expect problems on more than just the last two cartridges. Perhaps cleaning the mags or new springs will help. Keep us informed.

[Flightmare]

If it is an issue with only the last round or 2, and happens more often than not, that would indicate to me an issue with the magazine(s). A simple way to confirm would be to purchase a single replacement and see if it occurs with the new magazine. Just my 2 cents.

[Pawpaw]

This is a stovepipe:



(It may not be pointing straight up, but you get the point.)

[joe817]

Thanks everybody for the replies. First off, Pawpaw, many thanks for showing me what a stovepipe looks like! I used totally incorrect terminology in attempting to describe my problem. It's definitely not that. It's not a failure to eject issue at all.

Mupepe, good question. The failures to feed are recent developments. I've shot hundreds of rounds through the gun using the 2 mags I have for it with no issues. The mags are factory Colt Mark IV Series'80 Government Model - 380. One that came NIB when I bought it(new) at the Original Fort Worth Gun Show back in 1984 or 1985. The second one I bought a few years later. Both Colt mfg. And it's only started recently. I'm thinking it's the mag springs. I'd go out & buy a new mag to test it out, but that gun is so old, replacement mags run about $35.00 and I want to explore the fix it alternatives first.

Thanks rotor, will do!

Zombified, many thanks for the uTube link! That's what I was looking for but couldn't find it. I tried that same method of disassembly before I posted the OP and couldn't get the follower out. Will try again. The follower is not like a standard 1911 mag follower. It's got a hump in the middle of it and shaped differently.

Flightmare, yes it's only in the last 2 rounds of a full magazine. When I insert a fully loaded magazine into the butt of the gun, rack the slide, it jams because that bullet is caught on the curved lip of the magazine. Nosedives right into it. It doesn't even make it to the feed ramp.

I remember several years ago, I wanted to try out the Winchester Supreme elite PDX 95 gr hp's, and it did the same thing. Jammed on the first round. I switched to Monarch 95 gr hp's and had no problem with them.....until recently.

Thanks everybody for your input. Appreciate it!