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Help with Stovepipes on EAA Witness 9MM Full size


Jollymon32

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I was wondering if the experts could help out a Noob!

I bought an EAA Witness Full Size 9MM pistol and had perfect shooting for the first 300 rounds. Then the pistol started stovepiping rounds; 1-3 per magazine, on all 3 magazines.

I removed and cleaned out the extractor. No change

I replaced the extractor spring. No change.

I started inspecting the feed ramp and noticed that one corner of the feed ramp was not as smooth as the other. Almost looked looked like a small chunk is missing.

I am wondering if this could be the reason for my stovepipes. I have enclosed pictures that show both edges of the feed ramp as it joins into the barrel.

What do you think?

Is this something I should try to fix on my own? Send to a gunsmith? Send back to EAA?

Thanks!!!

Jollymonpost-33914-0-01990500-1314404048_thumb.jpost-33914-0-21915600-1314404073_thumb.jpost-33914-0-33832600-1314404085_thumb.j

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I don't think that "chip" would cause your problem. If you're gun is still under warranty, I'd have them replace it any.

Are your magazines marked K9 with black followers, or do you have the old 9mm mags with the red followers? If you have the old mags send them in to EAA asking for a exchange for the new mags from MecGar.

If you wait to send stuff out anyway, check the feedlips to make sure they are straight and parallel. I don't recall the expected gap for the old mags, but I'm quite sure somebody in this forum knows.

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Skydiver

I do have the newer mags with black follower. Could it be the extractor? I am using the gun for competition and I would hate to send it back to EAA and it take several weeks to be turned around. I can buy the extractor for Hennings sports for $30.

A bit more info; gun operated flawlessly for the first 300 rounds or so. Then it started stove piping. The spent case is NOT sticking up vertically, it is caught horizontally between the barrel and the slide. The new round is seated correctly inside the barrel.

ANY help or input is appreciated!

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loads that are too light for the spring/slide weight setup will do that, work ok for a bit then as the dirt accumulates and adds a bit of friction, slows things down. How far away are the spent brass landing of the rounds that do eject ? Should be 6 foot plus.

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White boy

You may be on to something. Could it be that the spring is too strong and when encountering a slightly underpowered round the slide does not recoil far enough? The first 300 rounds where all MFS steel zinc coated rounds. Problems started happening when I ran out those and started running American Eagle 115 and RWS 124.

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White boy

You may be on to something. Could it be that the spring is too strong and when encountering a slightly underpowered round the slide does not recoil far enough? The first 300 rounds where all MFS steel zinc coated rounds. Problems started happening when I ran out those and started running American Eagle 115 and RWS 124.

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gun operated flawlessly for the first 300 rounds or so. Then it started stove piping. The spent case is NOT sticking up vertically, it is caught horizontally between the barrel and the slide. The new round is seated correctly inside the barrel.

Jolly, you didn't mention if this is your reload or factory

ammo, and if so, any details on the rounds?

Jack

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Jack

I'm a noob! Getting this shooting thing down pat before I even think about reloading. All factory new ammo.

I also bought a Wulf spring, supposebly lower power, but it was actually longer than the stock one and the slide felt harder to reset, so i did not replace it. I am assuming that the spring power is determined by its length. Me thinks that the Wulf site has the default weight of the stock spring wrong for this particular pistol.

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Guys

In just happen to have a video of the jamming and also of the ejection. If you go to about 2:16 in this video you can see the ejection of the rounds ( they seem weak) as well as a stovepipe.

Let's stick to the issue; no comments on my technique (or lack thereof) or my shooting prowness (or lack thereof) :rolleyes:

Thanks!

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Holy cow! Looking at the video again, I see a pattern! I suck!

No, actually, the jamming occurs only on the initial rounds of a full magazine! Specifically on the third round of a new magazine! What does that mean? I load them to their max 17 rounds each.

Did you notice the piss poor ejection on the initial rounds prior to the stovepipe, and then real good ejections thereafter.

Edited by Jollymon32
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you need a lighter recoil and main spring and or heavier ammo, If your gun worked for three hundred rounds, then stopped working after you changed to an underpowered load, I would look at what I had just changed.

It happens early in the magazine because the rounds are pushing up on the bottom of the slide, with each shot fired there is less force from the mag spring.

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Did you notice the piss poor ejection on the initial rounds prior to the stovepipe, and then real good ejections thereafter.

Ejection seemed okay to me?? And, I thought I noticed that

your stovepipe was a "standard stovepipe" - i.e. sticking

straight up out of the ejection port??

More lubrication, less thumb riding the slide, or a

less powerful spring should do it??

Good luck,

Jack

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Jack

On the one that can be noticed, it is a prototypical stovepipe, sticking straight up. Usually it is horizontal.

Jack, if you look at the ejections right after the mag changes, or after the transition - you will see that the ejection is piss poor. After the jam, they start shooting out much farther.

Joe

Now that I think of it, the initial 300 rounds where at the indoor range, where I never loaded the mags to the top. Stopped at 15. When I changed ammo, I started loading them to the top for course running.

I am beginning to suspect the mag spring.

So I would need a more powerful mag spring, correct?

Edited by Jollymon32
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  • 2 months later...

UPDATE

Sent the pistol back to EAA with detailed pictures and video. Got the pistol back in about a week and a half. The work order stated "Adjusted Barrel, Test Fired". Ran the same problematic ammo on full mags and the pistol performed flawlessly.

Ok, help a noob out, what exactly does "adjusted barrel" mean? How would this fix the issue?

Thanks!

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  • 1 month later...

UPDATE

Sent the pistol back to EAA with detailed pictures and video. Got the pistol back in about a week and a half. The work order stated "Adjusted Barrel, Test Fired". Ran the same problematic ammo on full mags and the pistol performed flawlessly.

Ok, help a noob out, what exactly does "adjusted barrel" mean? How would this fix the issue?

Thanks!

That's shop code for " We tinkered around with it, changed a few parts, still don't know what was wrong but its working now."

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