finicky PPK/s 380... what can be done?

MacEntyre

MacEntyre

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I just traded for a nice stainless PPK/s 380 import marked Alexandria, VA. It runs fine on the bottom 5 rounds in the four Mec-Gar mags that came with it. The top two rounds almost always fail to feed, jamming facing up, unable to make the turn into the chamber. Once those two jams are cleared, it runs fine.

This pistol is very hard to slingshot, but with no slide stop, that is the only way to chamber a round. It feels like the recoil spring is stacking.

Does anyone know what it takes to make this gun run well enough for James Bond?

Edit:
I just ordered a recoil spring kit and a hammer spring kit, with various weights for each. I bet it will run better with weaker springs.
 
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First try it with Just 5 rounds in it to see if you have a stoppage with the first 2. If not..try a softer recoil spring. If neither of those works.....sell it to me.

Folks always crow about these guns but I've never seen one here that would run 100 rounds through without a problem.
 
All 4 mags are experiencing the same failure? By face up you mean the tip of the unfired bullet is pretty much like a stove pipe type failure?
 
Johnny said:
Mag springs would be my next inclination.
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Mine too... except that it occurs with all mags.

BatteryOaksBilly said:
First try it with Just 5 rounds in it to see if you have a stoppage with the first 2. If not..try a softer recoil spring. If neither of those works.....sell it to me.
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Did that. Works fine with 5 rounds in the mag. That's why I ordered the softer recoil springs. I still might sell it to you, but not just yet!

NCFubar said:
All 4 mags are experiencing the same failure? By face up you mean the tip of the unfired bullet is pretty much like a stove pipe type failure?
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Yes, all 4 mags. Yes, stovepiped, usually jammed into the top of the chamber.
 
You don’t have even 1 good mag to compare to?

If it was just 1 or 2 magazines I’d say maybe the feed lips or maybe follower ... but all 4?
 
NCFubar said:
You don’t have even 1 good mag to compare to?

If it was just 1 or 2 magazines I’d say maybe the feed lips or maybe follower ... but all 4?
Click to expand...
Actually, I've also got two Pro-Mag 10 rounders, and they can't choot two bullets from anywhere in the stack without jamming!

So, no... there are no good mags in the bunch... unless they have only 5 rounds in'em.

Note: the feller I traded for this gun says none of this ever happened to him. I don't think he shot it much at all.
 
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I think you are on the right path. The tension may be creating a speed that puts the nose up. I’m not familiar with the gun but I read somewhere where another manufacturer corrected that issue with a lower tension recoil spring.
 
Are you wearing a tuxedo and speaking with a Scottish accent while shooting?

Those conditions seem to make the gun run flawlessly.
 
I bought my wife a PK380 that was a Jam-o-matic. We had to send it back to Walther for warranty repair. They swapped in a new extractor. It works ok now but its a safe queen. The customer service soured us on ever buying anymore Walthers.
 
The easiest way to get nearly perfect reliability is to sell it and buy a CZ.
 
PPK/s are beautiful looking pistols but the two I have owned, both Interarms versions, feed very unreliably. One I bought brand new, the other was gently used.
Between that and the slide bite made the decision to sell them and not buy another easy.
James Bond made them look good.
 
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