Beretta 96A1 Jamming Problems

[deepcreek]

I bought a brand new Beretta 96A1 took it to the range yesterday and it was plagued with jamming problems. I got about 80 Federal round nose target rounds through it jamming on about 1 out of 4 then tried running 2 different brands of hollow points which jam on every other one.

The gun will chamber the bullets with the slide back using the side release, but not with the gun recoil or by releasing the slide by hand.

The bullets are all catching on the bottom of the barrel feed.

I have tried 3 different magazines, 3 different types of ammo(hollow points catch the worst due to the squared tip) and I have disassembled cleaned and lubed the gun. Still same jamming problem.

Does anyone have another ideas that I can try? Or advice? Thanks

Pics and video of jamming problem.

http://youtu.be/Tv_smgf1ci4

[B.O.F.H.]

Send it to Beretta. My first thought was clean it as these guns come dripping in factory oil. Then I thought about cleaning the mags and swapping ammo. Sounds like you did all this though. Its Berettas turn.

[ohen cepel]

Have someone else also try to shoot it. Could be that you're limp wristing it, not likely given all the issues but it's worth a try.

[Ben]

On the video, you are clearly riding the slide. Pull the slide back and let it shoot forward. The way i do it, hold the slide with you left hand, and actually push the gun forward until the slide l shoots out of your left hand. That way ensures you arent riding the slide. When ypure shooting , hold that gun real firm. Dont let it jump around too much. Its called limpwristing if you let the gun move too much when shooting
Ben

[deepcreek]

My wife shot it Saturday, I also put the gun on a bench rest and shot it (the rail on the bottom makes it shoot really well off of the square bench rest).

I am going to call Beretta this morning and hopefully they will send postage and fix it of give me a new gun. I really like this gun I hope Beretta makes it right.

@Ben a someone else was say that it was user error in the video so I made another video with the side all the way back. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO4b2zqab9A

Thanks, for the advice guys.

[Theohazard]

My first thought was that you were riding the slide or limp-wristing, but after watching the first video I can tell something else is definitely wrong.

I'm guessing you're probably a newer shooter (your use of the word "clip" gave it away ), so is it possible you're using the wrong type of ammo or the wrong magazines? Maybe you bought Beretta 92 magazines by accident, or maybe Beretta accidentally shipped the wrong mags with the gun? I'm actually curious how you've managed to fire the gun at all, it looks like it won't even let you chamber a round.

You may want to have an expert look at it before you send it back to Beretta. When a high-quality gun like that won't even let you chamber a round, something is wrong enough that it may be obvious to an experienced eye. Sending the gun back to Beretta is going to be a long process, so you may want to eliminate any simple fixes first.

On a side note, I HIGHLY recommend not getting into the habit of pulling the trigger while loading or unloading a gun; that's where most negligent discharges happen. And on a Beretta like that there's no reason to do it anyway; the safety will also safely decock gun for you.

[deepcreek]

"I'm guessing you're probably a newer shooter (your use of the word "clip" gave it away ), so is it possible you're using the wrong type of ammo or the wrong magazines? Maybe you bought Beretta 92 magazines by accident, or maybe Beretta accidentally shipped the wrong mags with the gun? I'm actually curious how you've managed to fire the gun at all, it looks like it won't even let you chamber a round.

You may want to have an expert look at it before you send it back to Beretta. When a high-quality gun like that won't even let you chamber a round, something is wrong enough that it may be obvious to an experienced eye. Sending the gun back to Beretta is going to be a long process, so you may want to eliminate any simple fixes first. "

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I have been shooting guns for almost 30yrs, I have only owned 4 semi auto pistols so I am a little new in that realm.

The bullets stick on the bottom of the barrel feed the first box was target round nose so they were not quite as bad as the hollow points you see in the video.

I have used 3 different types of good quality ammo and 3 different clips that came with the gun from the Beretta factory.

I also really wonder about the mags because the bullets really seem to be feeding to low.. and the rest of the gun just feels smooth and nice, no sign of bad wear.

I called the place I bought it from and asked if the had a gunsmith they said he was gone for a few months. After this experience it made me really want to only buy guns from a place that has an experienced gunsmith on site, that could save a lot of headache like sending the gun back to the manufacturer. Now most gunsmith will want money because I bought the gun somewhere else and I really don't want to throw money at gun I just paid top dollar for and has problems out of the box.

[Dragline45]

Edit: Just saw your second video. There is definitely some sort of problem. Are the magazines seated all the way? Give the magazine a good whack when you insert it, in the second video it seems it may not be seated correctly.

[deepcreek]

"Edit: Just saw your second video. There is definitely some sort of problem. Are the magazines seated all the way? Give the magazine a good whack when you insert it, in the second video it seems it may not be seated correctly."

Yeah, this was my first guess because the bullets hit low so right off I think magazine. So I have been making sure they click all the way. I took the slide off also to look at how the mags are setting in place, they seem fine. and with a bullet in the slide off the bullet lines up well with the barrel feed. so idono?

[Wreck-n-Crew]

It's evidently an alignment issue with the angle of the feed of the round into the chamber.

If you field stripped it before you fired it, maybe go back and make sure you seated and aligned everything properly.

Here's a side view slow motion....notice the angle of the bullet when it racks the round http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=FJWGIzk-5Tg

Your not getting that from what i have seen so far.
Check for burrs or obstructions, and inspect the "feed ramp".....what ever is wrong is right there unless you have three bad magazines (highly unlikely, yet slim chance it's possible).

[Theohazard]

I called the place I bought it from and asked if the had a gunsmith they said he was gone for a few months. After this experience it made me really want to only buy guns from a place that has an experienced gunsmith on site, that could save a lot of headache like sending the gun back to the manufacturer. Now most gunsmith will want money because I bought the gun somewhere else and I really don't want to throw money at gun I just paid top dollar for and has problems out of the box.

A lot of shops won't charge you just to look at the gun; they charge only if there is work done. Also, you don't necessarily need the gunsmith to look at it. Many shops have salesmen that have decades of experience; find the right guy at your shop and he might be able to save you the wait of sending it back to Beretta. It definitely can't hurt to bring it in to the shop where you bought it and see what they say.

[BoogieMan]

Looks like one lip on the mag is bent causing the round to chamber off center. Seeing as you have 3 mags thats an unlikely issue. Get Beretta on the phone and maybe they can give you an indication of what the issue could be. Considering that its new I wouldnt hesitate to send it back to them. I have a 96 and know many people with a 92. All have been 100% reliable. I have never found a ammo mine wont cycle.

[deepcreek]

Thanks for all advice and help guys..

The place I got the gun from is closed until thurs so I called Beretta yesterday and they forwarded me to their regional gunsmith who does warranties and they are sending postage today or tomorrow. So hopefully they can fix this..

I will try to find out exactly what was wrong if they do fix it so I can post it.

[Theohazard]

Keep us updated, I'm interested to know what's wrong with it.

[Wreck-n-Crew]

Keep us updated, I'm interested to know what's wrong with it.

Me too.

[TailGator]

Do the rounds always lodge in the same place, to the left of the chamber?

[deepcreek]

The UPS guy just drove off with it, I will be sure to try to find out what exactly is wrong with it and let you guys know.

Do the rounds always lodge in the same place, to the left of the chamber?

yeah, Always on the bottom of the barrel feed.

[TailGator]

I'll be interested to hear what you find out.

My question about whether they were consistently lodging to the left of the chamber was because the rounds appeared to be angled with the nose to the left of the chamber in the two rounds on your video. I was wondering if that was consistent or just a coincidence with a sample size of two.

That is a weird problem on a usually highly reliable pistol. I hope Beretta makes this right for you. I have two Berettas and my daughter one, and they have been fine pistols.

[deepcreek]

I got the 96A1 back Wednesday, took it out today and put about 120rds through it of 4 different ammo types. It works fine now.

Beretta had me send it to their place that does their western state warranties Bolsa Gunsmiths, they said they refit the extractor and polished the chamber.

It was a bummer getting a new gun with problems but so far Beretta has been good at making it right. Hopefully it will work good from here on out.

[Wreck-n-Crew]

Awesome! Customer service has suffered severely in this country and it's good to know someone get's right!

[10-96]

My first guess would have been to check to ensure the mag springs weren't installed backwards. Even though I can't see how the extractor comes into play on the feed issue of that sort- I'm glad they were able to cure it's woes. Enjoy!

[LockedBreech]

While Beretta doesn't have the greatest service compared to Ruger or Smith, in my experience quality control from the factory is very high. I'm glad that in this case they took care of you.

I just bought my dad a 96A1 recently and it's a beautiful firearm. Now that it's all aces, enjoy it!

[deepcreek]

Even though I can't see how the extractor comes into play on the feed issue of that sort-

yeah I haven't figured that out yet, I have been reading some threads trying to find similar problems where extractors hinder feeding but haven't really found that much.

I tried to talk to the gunsmith but was sent to shipping and they said he was really busy.

I would really like to know.

[g.willikers]

If the extractor tension isn't correct, it can lose control of the cartridge rim, allowing the round to slip down the breach face, or prevent it from being fully seated up against the breach face.
Maybe that's what it was.
(Were the primer strikes high or were they centered)?

When the chamber was polished, maybe it was also widened a bit, at the entrance.
A common fix for 1911 feeding problems for semi wad cutters.

[Wreck-n-Crew]

Even though I can't see how the extractor comes into play on the feed issue of that sort-

yeah I haven't figured that out yet, I have been reading some threads trying to find similar problems where extractors hinder feeding but haven't really found that much.

I tried to talk to the gunsmith but was sent to shipping and they said he was really busy.

I would really like to know.

Since your initial trouble was feeding the starting with the first round they polished the feed ramp and got it feeding first.

I would say they either went ahead and took care of the extractor as a precaution or just as likely discovered the extractor had issues too when they test fired it.

Any good gunsmith will test fire it, either way...had to be one of the two.