ekelly50

Hello All,
First time poster so be gentle! I've notice a peculiar behavior when I rack the slide on my new LC9. Let me describe the issue. I load the magazine with dummy rounds (I reload). I insert the magazine and rack the slide chambering a round. I pull the trigger. The dummy round obviously doesn’t fire so this simulates a misfire. I try to rack the slide to eject the dummy round but the slide jams after about .25” of travel. I release the slide and try to rack again. This time the slide functions normally and I’m able to eject the round normally. My question is why would the slide jam the first time I try to rack it but not the second? Another puzzling aspect is that I’ve put about 30 rounds of live ammo (Win white box) through the gun and the gun and slide seems to function normally. I thought this behavior might be caused by defective dummy rounds but they are within specification, dimensionally, so I doubt that’s it. I called Ruger and they said run a box of ammo through the gun. Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to get to the range. I’m just curious if anyone else has experienced this behavior with their new LC9.
Thanks,
ekelly50

GunLover

You might be chasing a problem that doesn't exist. I'd run a few hundred rounds thru the gun and then try again. Alot of guns need a little use to break in.

Jtiv19

+1 How can you see how a gun works without really firing it?

VaGent

Nobody seems to like to hear about guns needing a break in; however I believe it's just a fact of life that many guns seem to run better after a break in. I would run a lot more rounds through it before I determined it had a problem. Keep shooting.

RAYMOND

Welcome from northern wyoming

laidlerj

OK, I just got back from the garage, where I was checking out my LC9 after reading your post.

In mine, after retracting the slide about 1/4", the resistance increases suddenly and dramatically, apparently as the slide starts engaging the striker mechanism. My pistol hasn't had that many rounds through it - about 50 - but I do that it was a lot harder to retract when I first got it.

Since your pistol operates without malfunction with live ammunition, it doesn't sound like a flaw in the mechanism. It may simply be that you got an LC9 with a bit more roughness in the machined surfaces that will wear smooth with time. Also, the LC9's slide isn't the easiest to grasp well, so you may not be able to apply your full strength to it.

Here's a suggestion - two, actually. First, with your dummy rounds, try grasping the pistol with your "weak" hand (left hand, for most right-handers) and operating the slide with your "strong" hand. If you can get it retracted without hearing any expensive crunching noises (you probably won't be able to break the pistol unless you're Hulk), then it's probably just roughness. Second, run a hundred or so rounds through it and see if things smooth out - they did for mine.


Jim

ekelly50

Guys, thanks for the replies and the welcome. I agree that this seems like a break-in issue and will run a couple of hundred rounds through it before getting too concerned.

Laiderj, believe me I’ve tried different ways to operate the slide – to the point of almost taking skin off! No go. I can operate my SR9 slide just fine so I think I’m applying adequate force.

It just seems strange that that once it jams/binds after .25” of travel and I release it, I can then immediately rack it just fine. It's almost as if something in the mechanism is slightly shifting after the first attempt just enough that I can rack it without it binding. In any event we’ll see what happens after a couple of hundred rounds. Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

WGolf

You might try giving all the surfaces a light coat of lubricant and operate the slide several times and see if that clears it up. I had a similar experience with my MkII years ago.

recumbent

My suggestion is Clean it, Lube it and shoot it..................a lot.

tarza

Put your dummy loads in rack the slide-to feed one in the chamber. Then remove the magazine. Then try to rack the slide? Maybe the mag is doing it.