P238 Feed Problem

[TN_Hiker]

I recently bought a P238 and I also decided to buy the extended 7 round magazine, which I'm having problems with.

When using the standard 6 round the magazine feeds correctly into the gun but not with the 7 round magazine. When I rack the slide to try and feed the first round it gets jammed into the feed ramp of the gun. If I take a round out and leave just 6 in there it feeds perfectly.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Here's the best picture I could get

[Jonnin]

sounds like a bad magazine. If the magazine is new, using it to break it in may help, or it may never work right. You can also try cleaning the mag: take it apart, get all the grease and crap out of it, relube it and all that jazz.

When a semi auto works with one mag and not the other, its the mag, not the gun.

[sigmtnman]

Is it only happening when loading the first round? are you sling shotting it, dropping it from he slide stop? Is it brand new?

Edited March 26, 2012 by sigmtnman

[TN_Hiker]

Well, it seems to have something to do with the Hornady Critical Defense ammo that I have in it. I have some FMJ ammo that I swapped it out for and it fed perfectly. As soon as I put the HCD ammo back as that 7th round the problem occurs again. I'm wondering if it has something to do with that rubber (?) tip that the HCD ammo has?

I called Sig, they're willing to replace it. I just didn't know if I'm going to run into the same problem again.

I've kept the magazine fully loaded for about two weeks. Sadly I've had no chance of shooting yet. New job has me working third shift so not as much playtime as there used to be. Speaking of which, it's waaaaaaaaaay past my bed time.

Edited March 26, 2012 by Spank

[sigmtnman]

If you've not cleaned it you may want to try that. Also may want to run a few mags through it with ammo that it likes and try again after awhile. It very well could be drag from a rubber tip causing a timing issue. I'm not familiar with that ammo, so I can't comment.

[TN_Hiker]

Well, here's a top down picture. With some decent light, it seems to me like the tip could be causing it?

But why does that one extra round affect the feeding? Is the magazine design not the same aside from being a tiny bit longer?

I really need to try and make some time for going out and shooting one morning.

[Jonnin]

A useless comment, but mine feeds the critical defense ammo 100% so far. I shot 1/2 the box out, and 0 issues. The rubber plug should NOT hit the feed ramp. If it does, that sure could create problems, but not on 1/7 shells. It would do it every time. Instead, I again point to the magazine. Perhaps HCD ammo is a nanometer fatter, and pushing that 7th round in the mag overcompresses the spring or something. I dunno. But if it were the plug hitting the feed ramp, it would do it EVERY time or at least consistently, not on JUST the full magazine.

Mix up your ammo, try it again. Mix up the ammo, try it again. Is one round messed up? Or always the 7th shot? Could have 1 round of it with a problem!

[bronco302]

We shot my Wife's P238 this weekend for the first time without a hitch, WW White box, Speer, and Hornady CD. We were using the Sig 7 round and a metal form 7 round. That said I've read on the Sig forum about problems with some extended mags. If Sig will replace it I would let them, they are good about it. HTH.

Joe W.

[dickenscpa]

Mine has shot everything I put in it. Hornady CD is my carry load and reloads at that. Although I've no interest in the ext mag. My money is the mag is the problem. Only question I have is it this specific mag or will all 7 rnders have a problem with Hornady CD.

Brad

[johnk4jmk]

I would say the mag also, i would load the stock mag and then chamber a round then remove the mag and put the last one in agian, and always pull the slide back and let it go try not to ride it at all. CD feeds no problem in my 238 but at first i was concerned about the rubber also. what i did was load the gun with every different kind of ammo i had just not to waist alot of the same stuff i believe i had 1 flat nose winchester 2 cor-bons 1 round nose 1 hydro-shock and a CD and it fed without a problem.I have since put a whole box of CD through it without a problem, if it will feed hydro's or cor-bons it should feed anything since they are so wide mouthed.hope this helps you

[Guest canebreaker]

Get this straight, story wondered somewhere.

6 rd mag works right with the HCD ammo and FMJ ammo. The 7 rd mag won't feed the first bullit if it's the HCD. I will feed 6 rd HCD ammo and 7 FMJ ammo.

Spring is to long. If you shorten it, it may not feed the last round.

Send it back and get a replacement.

[Oh Shoot]

Will it feed using slide release instead of slingshotting by hand? Perhaps just a matter of more tension on the top round from mag spring, needs max force to drive it from mag.

Kahr's are well known for this, manual recommends chambering first round from slide lock lever rather than by hand.

Also make sure top round is all the way back in mag (smack mag against hand couple times), make sure top round is tilted slightly up like top round in the shorter mag.

- OS

[TN_Hiker]

I did what you suggested OhShoot and let slide release push the round in and it seems to feed most of the time but it still jams the gun on occasion. I've made sure that everything is seated and loaded properly every time.

Something else I didn't add on earlier was when trying to rack the slide by hand sometimes it will jam with the Hornady CD before I can even get the slide back all the way.

To recap (since I have things spread over a few posts ), all these problems have only been with the Hornady Critical Defense in the 7 round extended magazine and only with the first round that I try to chamber IF it's a Hornady CD round. I've tried feeding through several different Hornady CD rounds to be sure it wasn't just one bullet causing the issue and they've all done this if it's the first round.

If I have a round in the gun already, slide in the extended mag, and try to rack the slide, then the round in the gun ejects while the first round in the magazine will jam.

If I replace that first round with an FMJ and made the rest in the magazine the Hornady CD then the FMJ feeds properly then I can rack the slide to feed the rest of the Hornady CD rounds through perfectly. If I only load the 7rd magazine with 6 rounds of Hornady CD then it feeds perfectly. The stock 6rd mag also works perfectly.

This is a brand new gun and I've still not even got to take the gun out on its first test run. It's just a problem I had noticed today when I had emptied the gun and tried feeding a round in using the extended mag. Previously I had used the stock magazine for doing this. Also this new extended mag has sat around about two weeks fully loaded before I tried doing this.

Is that about as clear as mud? Lol. I've done my best to explain what's going on. I wish I could just somehow do a video.

I want to say thanks to everyone that's taken the time to read and reply so far.

[Erik88]

When was your Sig made? If it is one of the more recent ones then you should have the correct magazine follower and recoil spring. If you have one of the first ones made than you may need to get a new magazine follower. My p238 had the same problem that was corrected by getting an upgraded magazine.

[Xtarheel]

I had the same problem with a P238 I bought for my wife, only it was with WWB ammo. Hornady CD worked fine. I polished the feed ramp, shot a couple hundred rounds through it, and left the mag loaded for a couple of weeks, then retried the WWB and had no problems with feeding. I could tell a difference after polishing the feed ramp and suggest you try that. The p238 I got has the latest spring and magazine. I also picked up another 7-round mag and am having no problems.

The only other problem is one stovepipe with the Hornady CD with the wife shooting - possibly a limp wristing issue.

[Jonnin]

store the offending mag loaded to the max for a couple of days. Use it -1 round for a box of crap ammo when you try out the gun. It may break in, mags do sometimes. If it does not in a reasonable time, replace the mag.

Its not an old style messed up mag, they didnt have a 7 rounder at that time (you could use a 7 rounder from a colt or something, but sig didnt make it at that time).

[TN_Hiker]

Sorry for the delay, life gets in the way!

I finally got to go out after work this morning and do a little shooting. The magazine performed perfectly while shooting but still had issues if I had to chamber a round by hand, either by racking the slide or using the slide release.

I'm thinking I'm just going to end up mailing it back for the few dollars it'll cost me. I'll see if the new one has an issues and go from there.

I appreciate everyones input.

[TN_Hiker]

Old topic I know. Took a little bit to get the magazine back and then I apparently forgot my password so a little delay in an update.

Got the new magazine and everything is perfect. Not a single issue at all now I want to say thanks for everyone that gave their

[Jonnin]

Hooray! Thanks for the update, always good to see a problem resolved.

[alwaysonjohn]

yeah, when that happens its usually the spring. i recommend just buying new wolf springs so you don't have to throw away the magazine.

[Geno]

yeah, when that happens its usually the spring. i recommend just buying new wolf springs so you don't have to throw away the magazine.

Yeah... what he said.