What Is The Number 1 Malf. With Your Major9 Pistol

[Harmon]

looking into building 9mm major STI and would like to know what are the most common types of malfuntions associated with these guns.

people say they are hard to tune and keep running, i have a buddy who has two and hasnt had a minutes trouble with either!

[PaulW]

It's all BS, they run and run well if setup correctly. The biggest malfunction on my Bedell 9mm is well, me.

[Harmon]

paul, i think thats the case with all guns!

i kinda thought it was bogus rap for being hard to tune...should be EASIER to tune than it is to get a gun to run semi-rimmed super brass!

[old shooter]

I am just about at the 2 year mark for my Bedell major9. After landing on my reloads - length - powder, the only time that my gun has failed in a match is when I didn't clean my magazines after ejecting them in the sand (the follower jammed).

The only serious incident that I had was when a .380 case made it through my press.

Mike

[XRe]

The only serious incident that I had was when a .380 case made it through my press. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Geez - did the bullet have *any* case to hang on to???

[.40AET]

this may change the way you look at some " safe" major 9 loads

over 70Kpsi!! Thats a loaded 18 wheeler sitting one one square inch surface!

I would consider safe loads as being less than 55KPSI.

that N340 load IS making more chamber pressure than a lazzeroni magnum!

for me the 9mm major looks like it would be at home in a 5.5 inch bull barreled gun with no barrel holes...now that SP2 is no longer available.

i dont think i want a major 9 shorty any more!

WOW!!! What a complete turnaround!!

I thought that you already decided that Major-9 was too dangerous? If you're going to build one, then you need to go back and edit all of your posts to let everyone know that you were wrong. It's hard to believe that after all of the warnings that you posted, you've changed your mind.

people say they are hard to tune and keep running

More unsupported BS!!!

To answer your question: I have 5" 9-Major built by BrianH that runs f***in' awesome. No malfunctions of any kind.

[Alan Meek]

No problems with mine that I can attribute to the gun or the cartridge.

Even at Area 2 last year when I had to shot wally world 9mm white box due to not getting my ammo delivered by the Big brown truck. Hmmm maybe the truck color indicates their service.

Just ignore the Sky is falling posts and you will be okay.

Alan

[Larry White]

In the 1911 pistols, both single stack and wide body of all cal. the #1 malfuction is a ftf due to mags with weak springs or dirty mags, if the pistol was set up right to start with.-----Larry

[dirtypool40]

I gotta agree with Darth Whitacre on this one. The Bedell I had ran like a raped ape. You almost couldn't feel it pick up a round.

(yes, I said HAD, past tense. You may slap me. )

[BEDELLCUSTOM]

there is no malfunction to be attributed to a particular cartridge type. if the firearm is put together properly and tuned properly to feed, fire,extract and eject whatever cartridge it is designed to run on then there should not be malfunctions. now we all know that malfunctions do occur so if the gun is up to snuff then what is the problem. well here it is in a nutshell, it is most likely what the shooter is doing to or putting in the gun.

what could a shooter do to or put in the gun:

#1-improperly loaded ammunition, meaning the following:

poor quality brass,wrong type of brass,wrong primer,wrong powder,wrong bullet, too much crimp,too little crimp, OAL too long,OAL too short,too much powder,too little powder, no powder, no primer.

#2-handling and gripping, meaning the following:

too loose grip(limp wristing),thumbing the slide,bumping mag release while shooting and releasing mag, trigger freeze(not letting trigger reset),etc.

#3-maintenance,meaning the following:

taking the gun apart to clean it and not reassembling properly, not cleaning the gun at all, not lubricating the gun at all, using the wrong lubricant, not keeping the comp clean, not keeping the mags clean, not keeping yourself clean(this won't affect the gun but may offend other shooters, not doing a routine inspection of high wear parts.

there are a lot more things i could probably list that may cause malfunctions but the fact that someone can attribute malfunctions to any one particular cartridge is not one of them. and i will not leave out the one that everybody likes to blame for all of their gun problems, THE GUNSMITH. it would be total bullshit if myself or any other gunsmith said that he has never made a mistake building a gun. our jobs as builders is to give you a firearm that if you put all the right stuff into it and handle it properly and maintain it properly, it should work. but the reality is that this is not a perfect world and we are not perfect people and no matter what the gunsmith does or the shooter does, there will always be that one malfunction that happens at the worst time and costs you the match and there probably isn't a damn thing you can do about it.

[PaulW]

Dan your not perfect???

[Merlin Orr]

there is no malfunction to be attributed to a particular cartridge type. if the firearm is put together properly and tuned properly to feed, fire,extract and eject whatever cartridge it is designed to run on then there should not be malfunctions. now we all know that malfunctions do occur so if the gun is up to snuff then what is the problem. well here it is in a nutshell, it is most likely what the shooter is doing to or putting in the gun.

what could a shooter do to or put in the gun:

#1-improperly loaded ammunition, meaning the following:

poor quality brass,wrong type of brass,wrong primer,wrong powder,wrong bullet, too much crimp,too little crimp, OAL too long,OAL too short,too much powder,too little powder, no powder, no primer.

#2-handling and gripping, meaning the following:

too loose grip(limp wristing),thumbing the slide,bumping mag release while shooting and releasing mag, trigger freeze(not letting trigger reset),etc.

#3-maintenance,meaning the following:

taking the gun apart to clean it and not reassembling properly, not cleaning the gun at all, not lubricating the gun at all, using the wrong lubricant, not keeping the comp clean, not keeping the mags clean, not keeping yourself clean(this won't affect the gun but may offend other shooters, not doing a routine inspection of high wear parts.

there are a lot more things i could probably list that may cause malfunctions but the fact that someone can attribute malfunctions to any one particular cartridge is not one of them. and i will not leave out the one that everybody likes to blame for all of their gun problems, THE GUNSMITH. it would be total bullshit if myself or any other gunsmith said that he has never made a mistake building a gun. our jobs as builders is to give you a firearm that if you put all the right stuff into it and handle it properly and maintain it properly, it should work. but the reality is that this is not a perfect world and we are not perfect people and no matter what the gunsmith does or the shooter does, there will always be that one malfunction that happens at the worst time and costs you the match and there probably isn't a damn thing you can do about it.        

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Has the ring of Truth!

[BEDELLCUSTOM]

no Paul, i am not perfect but my wife is, just ask her.

[RC1]

Going on 2 years on My Hardy Mongoose and zero problems. I could not be happier.

RC

[Harmon]

40aet, i still dont want a major 9 shorty.

im not editing anything

i do not think that a short 9mm loaded to major power with relativly quick burning powders is "safe"

if i decide to get one built, is going to have a 5.5 inch bull barrel...not a 4.xx inch commander type barrel.

If i do go through with it, im NOT going to use any of the fast type powders, N340 being one of them! probably gonna be using 3N38.

the only trouble my friend had with his was when some 7625 loads were blowing primers(again, fast powder)

if you read my post you quoted, i stated

for me the 9mm major looks like it would be at home in a 5.5 inch bull barreled gun with no barrel holes...now that SP2 is no longer available.

i dont think i want a major 9 shorty any more!

since sp2 is gone, 3n38 would be the powder to use(for me)

money saved on brass would go towards the more expensive powder.

[.40AET]

I read your post. You didn't need to highlight anything in red. There's very little difference between the charge necessary to make major in a shorty Vs. a 5.4" gun without ports. If you build a 9-Major gun, you will be in the lazzeroni magnum of pressure anyway. (By your definition) I just find it difficult to fathom that someone would bad mouth the 9-Major cartridge with absolutely no data for backup and then start thinking about building 9-Major.

Why don't you just keep shooting the .38 super that you have? You think that your in the super safe of pressure, why not keep it that way?

[Sandro]

I am in the process of building a new open gun in 9Major. I am current shooting my SVI IMM which is SUPER FLAT, soft, VERY LOUD. I like my current setup, it is light, track fast, stop fats. The only reason to go 9Major is the savings, I want to shoot more and practice more. I tried a full size open gun and I dry fired it for two week, I COULD NOT get use to it. Now, is there a consensus here that 9major and Shorty don't mix? If you do have a shorty in 9 Major, do you have any holes in your barrel? Thanks, Sandro

40aet, i still dont want a major 9 shorty.

im not editing anything

i do not think that a short 9mm loaded to major power with relativly quick burning powders is "safe"

if i decide to get one built, is going to have a 5.5 inch bull barrel...not a 4.xx inch commander type barrel.

If i do go through with it, im NOT going to use any of the fast type powders, N340 being one of them!  probably gonna be using 3N38.

the only trouble my friend had with his was when some 7625 loads were blowing primers(again, fast powder)

if you read my post you quoted, i stated

for me the 9mm major looks like it would be at home in a 5.5 inch bull barreled gun with no barrel holes...now that SP2 is no longer available.

i dont think i want a major 9 shorty any more!

since sp2 is gone, 3n38 would be the powder to use(for me)

money saved on brass would go towards the more expensive powder.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Alan Meek]

Sandro,

My Major 9 has a 4.5" barrel and no holes.

Alan

[Merlin Orr]

Harmon

The way you burned down that classifier today I think you should have the gun you are shooting plated in gold and framed! Damn - why would you want to change guns with results like today?????

[.40AET]

Now, is there a consensus here that 9major and Shorty don't mix?

NO! There is not. Only Harmon thinks that the shorty and 9-Major don't mix. (One person's perspective) The shorty's are light and quick. If you like that, go get one. They need a few thenth's more powder to make major. That's it!

One person does not make the majority.

[Sandro]

Thanks guys, I going shorty but haven't decide if making any holes in the barrel would make it flatter or not???

Now, is there a consensus here that 9major and Shorty don't mix?

NO! There is not. Only Harmon thinks that the shorty and 9-Major don't mix. (One person's perspective) The shorty's are light and quick. If you like that, go get one. They need a few thenth's more powder to make major. That's it!

One person does not make the majority.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[BamBam]

I recently built a shorty-9 with no blow-holes. However, I like using 115's to have the gun shoot faster and flatter. I have found that its a bit dicey to make major with 115's in a short 9mm gun. You can do it... but not easily.

If you like the feel of shooting 125's and want a more nimble handling gun, then a shorty Major-9 is a wonderful choice. The cheap brass only makes the deal that much sweeter!

If you are going to be the "boy-who-cried-pressure" after consulting a computer analysis program, then maybe the major-9 is not for you. In reality, its a safe as the old 9x21mm in every measurable factor when loaded to the same length.

[Newguy]

There's apparently a consensus that barrel holes will make an open gun shoot flatter. However, a few tenths of a grain more for a 9mm shorty and a few tenths more for barrel holes adds up quick, especially for a cartridge already pushing pressure. The choice depends on your tolerance for risk.

[PaulW]

Having had both the short 9 and a full size 9 I'm not sure I'd put holes in either of them again. Shot one of Dan's full size super comp w/o holes and it was, well, sweet.

[Alan Meek]

I myself do see the purpose of putting holes in the barrel. I have even talked at length with a friend in the industry and he has said that he knows of people that apparently were losing velocity at distance due to barrell porting. I for one like the idea of pushing the projectile completely out of the barrel. With porting, at least in my opinion, that last bit of barrel that the bullet need to pass down is accomplished by a mix of momentum and decreasing pressure.

(I really need ballsitic lab to investigate some of this stuff)

Alan