Px4 Malfunction

About a month ago I bought a new Px4, full size, type F, .40

I shot a box of (50) ammo through it a few weeks ago, no issues at all. Last weekend, I had gone through one box of 50, and was midway through the second, and something went wrong.
I had fired a round, and as I pulled the trigger for another, the hammer fell, but all I heard was click. I looked at the slide from the rear, and it appeared to be closed, so I knew I wasn't out of ammo. I looked at it from the side, and saw that it was about 1/8th of an inch from being closed.
I tried to move the slide, but it wasn't moving at all.
Eventually, I got the slide removed from the gun, and could see the round jammed in the barrel.

I took the gun back to the dealer yesterday, and he said they would bring it to a local gunsmith to have the live round removed, then send it to Beretta, to have it inspected/repaired. He said he would send the casing with the gun, so Beretta could see the case that caused the problem, assuming that it was even the case.

I just don't understand what could have caused the case to get jammed like that. Have any of you had this issue with a Px4? Any thoughts?

Thanks

This breaks my heart, I love the look and feel of this gun. I was picking between this and a Glock kinda glad I went with the Glock

I'm not that upset about it...it's just one of those things that happen. I'll be very curious to find out what caused it. I looked at the Glock, and my friend let me shoot his 23, but I didn't care for the square feel of the grip. He has the Glock 23, compact .40, and a Springfield XD 9mm. He shot my Beretta, and was very surprised at how well it shot, said he was very impressed.
I just hope the turn around on my gun is relatively quick...

How do you like the slid in it? The safety's were getting in the way of where I like to put my hand

So far I haven't noticed it being a problem. Then again, this is my first automatic pistol, so I don't have anything to compare it to, in terms of preferences....

What brand of ammo did you use?

That day....Federal 180gr. FMJ

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Originally Posted by Triple7

This breaks my heart, I love the look and feel of this gun. I was picking between this and a Glock kinda glad I went with the Glock

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I'm sorry to hear his situation, but don't judge the gun just off of this 1 experience. I prev owned one in 40, and now I have one in 9mm. Nary a problem - nor for the vast majority of users at the Beretta Forum website. First time I've seen this issue mentioned, actually.

Yeah It will be something I consider in a .40. Actually the safety's (being one of each side) bother me more than this malfunction. I wonder how easy they are removed? But I love the feel of the px4 for sure.

Hope everything works out.

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Originally Posted by Danny

Eventually, I got the slide removed from the gun, and could see the round jammed in the barrel.

I took the gun back to the dealer yesterday, and he said they would bring it to a local gunsmith to have the live round removed, then send it to Beretta, to have it inspected/repaired. He said he would send the casing with the gun, so Beretta could see the case that caused the problem, assuming that it was even the case.

I just don't understand what could have caused the case to get jammed like that. Have any of you had this issue with a Px4? Any thoughts?

Thanks

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Danny:

There is no way at all that your Beretta PX4 is responsible for this malfunction. You yourself said that it fired 75 rounds just fine, before this happened. How could the pistol possibly cause a round to BOTH stick inside the chamber so that it cannot be removed, PLUS fail to fire? The answer: your gun was not at fault here. This was caused by defective ammo.

Just think about it logically. After all, did the size of your barrel's chamber suddenly change in size so cartridges no longer fit? Of course not, that would be impossible. What you did get here was a defective round that got past Federal's QA process.

You didn't buy this FMJ ammo at Walmart, did you? I no longer buy any ammo at Walmart, because they simply put too much pressure on their vendors to cut costs. And when it comes to ammo, cutting corners to get lower prices is not a good thing at all.

Unless the barrel is actually damaged, the gun probably does not need to even go back to Beretta.

Please do get back to the forum and let us know what the gunsmith finds when he examines the pistol and removes the stuck cartridge. I would be very interested to see what he found when he checked the gun out.

The Beretta PX4 is a simply awesome handgun. I've tried and/or purchased almost all of the popular brands and models of handguns, and it is my most favorite full size gun by far. Mine has both a fabulous DA and SA trigger pull. Much better that what my HK USP, a much more expensive gun, has. It handles and shoots great, and has excellent ergonomics and controls. In fact, I'm currently in the middle of doing a number of upgrades to my PX4 Storm, to really trick it out big time.

Here is a photo of how it looks currently. My next steps are to install Beretta's brand new fully adjustable combat sights on it ( $60 from BerettaUSA.com ) and the DPM Systems Advanced Recoil System ( $75 from theshootersbox.com ).


http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...g?t=1306843252

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Originally Posted by Triple7

This breaks my heart, I love the look and feel of this gun. I was picking between this and a Glock kinda glad I went with the Glock

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Defective ammo in Glocks have been known to do far worse damage than happened here to Danny.

Just look at what bad ammo did to this Glock in the photo below. This shell was also stuck inside the barrel:


http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...CK40KABOOM.jpg

.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Triple7

Yeah It will be something I consider in a .40. Actually the safety's (being one of each side) bother me more than this malfunction. I wonder how easy they are removed? But I love the feel of the px4 for sure.

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Triple7:

I've own a PX4 Storm for a couple of years now, so I am very familiar with the gun. In fact, I've come to love my PX4 Storm so very much, that it has become my favorite full size pistol. And this year I'm in the process of doing a number of upgrades to the pistol to really trick it out.

Some folks do indeed object to the standard safety levers on the PX4. The good news, though, is that if they really bother you, they can be replaced with low profile slide levers that are almost flush with the slide. The replacement kit sells for $70 at the online store at BerettaUSA.com Beretta does recommend having a gunsmith make the replacement.

Here is a photo showing the low profile safety lever installed on a PX4:

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/m...torm_dett3.jpg


And here is a comparision photo showing a PX4 slide on the left with the standard safety levers, and the low profile levers installed on the slide on the right:

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/m...px4slidesb.jpg

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Originally Posted by cougartex

Hope everything works out.

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Well, let's hope that Danny comes back to the forum, and gives us a report on what the gunsmith found when he examined the pistol. I really cannot see any chance here that the pistol can be at fault for the ammunition suffering not just one, but two failures.

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nice!!!!!!!! where did you get you stainless barrel i have a px4 storm and was looking for some custom parts, and where or how did you chrome line your slide.

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Originally Posted by Slobmare

nice!!!!!!!! where did you get you stainless barrel i have a px4 storm and was looking for some custom parts, and where or how did you chrome line your slide.

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It is still the factory barrel.

The finish on the barrel and the slide is ROBAR's NP3 PLUS, which is the latest improved version of their Nickel -DuPont Teflon Polytetrafluoroethylene coating. The Teflon Polytetrafluoroethylene in the finish makes it self-lubricating, as well as extremely corrosion resistant.

I also had them give my concealed carry gun, my Walther PPS, the same treatment:

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s.../_DSC6800c.jpg



Here is a link to info about ROBAR's NP3 PLUS finish, if you would like to learn more about it:

Robar's NP3 Plus Finish

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Lance,

Thanks for your comments. My gun was shipped to Beretta by the dealer, last Tuesday. He says that the turn-around is usually 2 weeks...not sure how accurate that is but...
I hope that it was just the ammo, as you said. I'm trying to call Beretta to get an update, but no luck so far.
The ammo was bought at Academy.

I will update the status of my gun as soon as I hear something.

Thanks!

....by the way, that finish looks great!! Very expensive, but I like it!

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Originally Posted by Danny

....by the way, that finish looks great!! Very expensive, but I like it!

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Good luck in getting a fast turnaround on your pistol. It is too bad that the gunsmith could not provide any feedback.

The cost of Robar refinishing a PX4 Storm can range from $200 to $250, depending on options and discounts.

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FYI...I just got my gun back, but Beretta found nothing wrong with my gun. The dealer was supposed to send in the case that was jammed, so they could determine what the cause of the jam was, but there were no notes from the Beretta tech. about a casing being sent. Fucking dealer...I'm not happy with them at all on how they handled this!
I will have to call the gunsmith they used, so I can ask him myself, since they don't seem to give a shit about supplying the customer with the info.
It was obviously a problem with the ammo, but I just want to know exactly WHY it happend. Has anyone ever heard of those plastic speed-loaders that come with the gun, actually creating a dent in the case, which could create a jam?? Considering the cases are sized, prior to being loaded at the factory, this was the only thing I could think of....

If you had a bullet lodged in the barrel, that would be a "squib" load. There is either no powder or not enough powder to propel the bullet out of the barrel. It's rare with factory ammo, but it does happen. Unfortunately, most people rack the slide and load another round. Then you have a potential disaster on your hands. If the case was stuck in the chamber, you had an overpressure situation which can be equally dangerous. You definitely had an ammo problem. Gun dealers are notorious for not providing info regarding malfunctions. I doubt there was anything wrong with the case itself. You probably could not have chambered the round if it was dented or not properly sized. Sometimes a malfuntion remains a mystery. I've experienced them myself and am fortunate that no one was injured. The best thing you did when you heard the "click" is to stop shooting and inspect the gun.

Hud,

Thanks for your comments! I've never had an issue like this before. I just spoke with the local gunsmith that the dealer brought the gun to initially to inpsect my gun. He only had the gun for about 15:00, and he said that he didn't remember exactly what might have caused it, but saw no issue wih the gun. He said it could have just been a freak thing. He did say that the primer was NOT struck, since the slide was not completely closed.
Ironically, his shop is less than 5:00 from my house, so if I have another issue, I'll just deal with him directly.
He said to just shoot it again and see what happens.
If the primer was not struck, it seems to me that the casing was on it's way into the chamber, and didn't make it all the way, and jammed. Why...seems to be the question.

Oh well, we're planning a trip to the range on the 17th, so we'll see what happens.

I suspect the ammo, as I have witnessed this more than once. I cannot be sure without seeing the round, but it sounds like a case rim that was defective or damaged when the bullet was seated. The ammo companies are having production pushed as much as possible, and the problem is not limited to just one manufacturer. Wal-Mart has nothing to do with the problem.

If the round was "jammed" in the barrel, highly likely it was an issue with the round and not the pistol. Defective casing, case rim, bullet not seated properly in the case, would probably be the main culprit. If you've had beretta and gunsmiths check it out without a satisfactory explanation it sounds like a case for CSI.

Exactly same issue happened to me yesterday with Federal 165gr fmj. Bad ammo caused it but I don't like the fact that gun locked up the way it did. Eventually the whole slide came off okay after some struggles, then I needed to use tools and hammer to get the barrel out safely without damaging the gun. Strongly recommend to stay away from Federal fmj for .40 cal.