Para Todd Jarrett 40 misfeeds

[MagicTH]

Bought a new ParaOrd SX1640J which is the Todd Jarrett Limited model.

Photos here FYI: http://www.rivelle.com/TJ1.jpg and http://www.rivelle.com/TJ2.jpg

Break-in procedure says to shoot 250 rounds of 5 different ammo types through it, clean it and shoot 250 more. I did the first 250 with about 3 in 10 cartridges mis-feeding. I talked to Para and they said just put another 250 through it. I bought some ammo from a local store which uses Winchester .40 S&W brass and 160 gr bullets. 9 of 10 rounds failed to feed. After about 50-60 rounds of this I bought some Independence 180 gr. This cartridge shot with only 1 mis-feed in 10-15 rounds. The mis-feed on the Independence is easy to clear as the round "almost" chambers, but the slide closes on it while it's still at a 15 degree angle or so. Just pull the slide back 1/8" and release and it loads. The other ammo was not so easy to clear and even had complete failures where the bullet was not even partially chambered (pointing sort of down below the chamber). For these I had to completely unload the gun, once even needing a tool to get hold of the round to remove it.

So, here is a photo of this cartridge and the Independence cartridge.

http://www.rivelle.com/40SW.jpg

The photo also has a third cartridge from Ultramax which is a 180 gr bullet, but uses the same winchester brass and has the "exact same shape" as the custom 160 gr. rounds (as proved by copying and overlaying the photo A onto C). I have not tried to fire the Ultramax in this gun yet, but since it is of identical shape to the custom loads I suspect it will not work either.

Both the Custom and the Ultramax fire perfectly in my son's Glock 35.

The gun is still new and tight and this certainly could be part of the problem, but 9 of 10 failures on one and 1 of 10 on the other is pretty strong evidence something else is going on.

So, any ideas why one works better (but not perfectly) in this gun. Any recommendations on commercial ammo? We will probably get into reloading, but we're not there yet...and I would still need to know what works in this gun.

SUGGESTIONS APPRECIATED!! I want to shoot this gun in a match TOMORROW in Steamboat Springs, CO!

[Bird_Dog0347]

Could be a mag problem, does it do it more with one mag than any of the others?

[Merlin Orr]

Perhaps....Extractor to tight failing to allow bullet rim in far enough. The round nose goes up further before hitting the top of the chamber so the angle is more acute and it won't make the "turn" into the barrel. The fatter bullet profile hits the top of the chamber quicker turning the bullet into the chamber faster so there is less angle. Bottom line the extractor is too tight.

Disclaimer...I am not a gunsmith but I have seen one at work before.

My .02

[John Dunn]

Check extractor tension and bevel job.

[Larry White]

Perhaps....Extractor to tight failing to allow bullet rim in far enough. The round nose goes up further before hitting the top of the chamber so the angle is more acute and it won't make the "turn" into the barrel. The fatter bullet profile hits the top of the chamber quicker turning the bullet into the chamber faster so there is less angle. Bottom line the extractor is too tight.

Disclaimer...I am not a gunsmith but I have seen one at work before.

My .02

Just exactly where did this happen? ---------------Larry

[Joe4d]

Buy some ammo that isnt garbage. good grief guy, you bought a semi custom tricked out edition pistol and then try to run it brand new on junk ? Were they all out of Wolf ammo or something?

[wide45]

Buy some ammo that isnt garbage. good grief guy, you bought a semi custom tricked out edition pistol and then try to run it brand new on junk ? Were they all out of Wolf ammo or something?

HA! That was funny!

[G-ManBart]

Certainly sounds like an extractor issue, but sometimes mags will cause similar problems.

As suggested...try some decent ammo. Winchester White Box at Wal-Mart is pretty cheap and runs in most any gun I've seen or heard about.

Glocks in general, are very forgiving when it comes to ammo, so it's no surprise the ammo worked in your son's gun.

[Kingman]

I agree with a couple others. Semi custom means very little.

[mwx40x40]

I sure you have already done this , but make sure the gun is clean and properly lubed. My son purchased a new Para and when he brought home to show me, he indicated it had a few malfs in the first 100 rounds. When he handed it to me it was dry as a bone as he took it straight from the store to the range. I cleaned and lubed and no issues since.

[tpcdvc]

I agree with some other folks here that the almost chambering problem sounds like an extractor. Also if a barrel is really tight this can also happen. Keep it wet every 50-100 rounds or so as you break it in. The nose down problem is more times than not a mag issue. If you can get some longer ammo and your chamber will except it that can really help as well. 2 cents given.

Edited October 6, 2007 by tpcdvc

[MagicTH]

Buy some ammo that isnt garbage. good grief guy, you bought a semi custom tricked out edition pistol and then try to run it brand new on junk ? Were they all out of Wolf ammo or something?

HA! That was funny!

I tried PMC, CCI Blazer, Federal, Magtech and Fiochi on the first 250 rounds. None seemed better or worse than others. On the second 250 I tried the local supplier. Why is this automatically "junk"? The Independence was recommended by the range I was shooting at as ammo that runs well in most guns. It did work much better for me.

As someone noted, the wider bullet profile seems to help. In the meantime I did go buy some Winchester tonight.

In any case. thanks to all who DID respond to my question. I will have a gunsmith check it out.

Good Shooting.

[MagicTH]

I sure you have already done this , but make sure the gun is clean and properly lubed. My son purchased a new Para and when he brought home to show me, he indicated it had a few malfs in the first 100 rounds. When he handed it to me it was dry as a bone as he took it straight from the store to the range. I cleaned and lubed and no issues since.

Thanks. I tried a whole 9 rounds out of the box with about half not feeding right so I took it home, disassembled, cleaned and lubed. It did have a decent amount of oil on it already. Then I shot the 250 rounds of 5 different types. Cleaned and lubed again per the manual. Then had all the trouble with the smaller profile ammo.

Thanks.

[MagicTH]

Could be a mag problem, does it do it more with one mag than any of the others?

I thought one mag might have been worse, but switching to the wider nose bullets gave the huge improvement with all four mags. I ddi notice that the last round in any mag seems more prone to FTF than other rounds.

[Kingman]

sometimes bullet profile does make all the difference in a gun that is not properly tuned. It is a factory gun and probably could use some fine tuning. Check the extractor fit first, check the feed ramp second, does it hang into the mag? I have seen some interesting problems.

[Loves2Shoot]

Dang, I thought someone had the low down on why TJ's Para gun was jamming at the Nats.

+1 for the extractor, feedramp, mags.

[wide45]

Buy some ammo that isnt garbage. good grief guy, you bought a semi custom tricked out edition pistol and then try to run it brand new on junk ? Were they all out of Wolf ammo or something?

HA! That was funny!

I tried PMC, CCI Blazer, Federal, Magtech and Fiochi on the first 250 rounds. None seemed better or worse than others. On the second 250 I tried the local supplier. Why is this automatically "junk"? The Independence was recommended by the range I was shooting at as ammo that runs well in most guns. It did work much better for me.

As someone noted, the wider bullet profile seems to help. In the meantime I did go buy some Winchester tonight.

In any case. thanks to all who DID respond to my question. I will have a gunsmith check it out.

Good Shooting.

I'm sorry MagicTH, it was not your posts I found funny.

Fraid I can't help without seeing what is going wrong. Doubt it's ammo.

[Religious Shooter]

Umm... all the break-in rounds sound like they were factory. As in SAAMI OAL cartridges.

If you reload, load a box of bullets with and OAL of 1.7-1.2" and try them out.

Some .40 1911's that were originally made for a .45 choke on SAAMI length bullets.

If you don't have reloading equipment... try to see if you can buy some of the long loaded Precision Delta or Armscor.

[Rob Boudrie]

I'd suggest you try some Precision Delta "Long Major" 180gr 40 S&W ammo.

This is loaded to the "longer than SAAMI" length that SxI and Para prefers, and the bullet is a flat tip round nose rather than the truncated cone shape more prevalent in 40 S&W. The ammo is available with both recycled and new brass, and they offer 250 round sample packs as well as complete cases. www.precisiondelta.com

[VeryBadshot]

Wow, please post when you heal the gun. I was thinking of getting out the jaws of life and opening my wallet for one of those after the first of the year.

[Zerwas]

Dang, I thought someone had the low down on why TJ's Para gun was jamming at the Nats.

+1 for the extractor, feedramp, mags.

I know why. 'Kuz it was a Para....

I felt bad for him. You could see the frustration level rise after the last malfunction he had.

[Singlestack]

Dang, I thought someone had the low down on why TJ's Para gun was jamming at the Nats.

+1 for the extractor, feedramp, mags.

I know why. 'Kuz it was a Para....

That is not a fair statement.

[Kingman]

The thing is factories put together guns and have to do so many per day. It goes back to the true custom versus factory gun discussion we have had many times. I don't know the price of these off the top of my head.

Para does make some nice stuff. I am happy with several I have, granted I don't use them for competition. Tuning will probably complete a great firearm

[Sean Gaines]

I'd suggest you try some Precision Delta "Long Major" 180gr 40 S&W ammo.

This is loaded to the "longer than SAAMI" length that SxI and Para prefers, and the bullet is a flat tip round nose rather than the truncated cone shape more prevalent in 40 S&W. The ammo is available with both recycled and new brass, and they offer 250 round sample packs as well as complete cases. www.precisiondelta.com

After reading this posts I agree with Rob on this one, You can try Atlanta Arms ammo also. Hopefully you dont have a power extractor in your gun. I have a friend who had one and had nothing but problems with it, actually it just kept breaking on him. Like most everyone have said have a gunsmith look over it, or call para and pick thier brain, they should warranty it. But I suspect its your extractor.

[Joe4d]

Assuming the photo of TJ's gun posted on this websight was acurate, His gun wasnt put together by a factory, I would be surprised if any part beside the frame was Para. That gun had as much in common with a Para ordnance as a NASCAR Ford does with a dealership model.

In your original post you didnt mention that you tried standard American factory ammo. I think some minor tuning and polishing will have it running fine.