Yesterday I had three different training sessions with three different clients. Each client experienced a different failure during training and I wanted to share the experience. Experiencing failures is nothing new. Though these were all a bit odd and rather unexpected.
Client “A”, religiously carries a concealed handgun do to his occupation. Carries a Kahr CW9 in a kydex in the pants holster. I work with this client for1-2 hours almost weekly. The gun is well maintained. During training Client “A” had issues with his magazine release sticking. What we discovered was the Kahr CW9 magazine release is made of metal and had corrosion and pitting. which caused it to fail. I removed the mag release/catch and it took 5-10 minutes of chemicals and a copper brush to clean it off. The cleaning solved the initial problem but the finish on the metal is gone and I believe the corrosion will continue to be an issue if the mag release/catch is not replaced. I plan on contacting Kahr and letting them know. This should not happen to a gun less than 2 years old.
Client “B”, a semi retired business woman who carries a Sig239 but has been working with a 380 from time to time because of her failing hand strength. Client “B” and I have been working together 1-2 times a week for the past 2 years and on this day she only brought her Sig 239 9mm to train with. About 125rds into our training she experienced a malfunction she could not physically clear. I cleared it for her and discovered she had loaded .380 rounds into her Sig 9mm. The round fired, the casing expanded and lodged in the chamber. Client “B” is not an inexperienced shooter and I was surprised this happened until we went back to where her gear and ammo were sitting. I found she was using Sellier and Bellot which label their .380 ammo as “9mm Browning Court .380”. Even the bottom of the brass is stamped 9mm B&C. I have worked with a lot of .380 shooters over the past 2 years and I can not recall having anyone use Sellier and Bellot ammo. After the training I researched the issue and can not find anyone else who labels their ammo as such. Not smart for S&B but for an instructor and anyone shooting a .380 or 9mm for that matter, important info to know.
Client “C” a business man who has a MP5K N as one of his options at his business. I work with him on this weapon in conjunction with handgun training 2-3 times a month for the last several years. Client “C” has only used Remington 124gr or Winchester 124gr (white box) for as long as I can remember. This day he was using Winchester. For those not familiar with the MP5 family, they do not lock back when the mag is empty, you simply get a “click” and not a bang. About halfway through our session, Client “C” got a click and not a bang, he transitioned to his handgun after he was done he returned to the holster and reloaded the MP5. I noticed the magazine he removed from the MP5 had a few rounds left in it, this indicated to me he had a malfunction. This did not cause me any alarm until the next drill when the MP5 failed to fire again. After he transitioned and finished the drill I stopped him to investigate the issue. The round we removed was a light hit on the primer, we retrieved the partial magazine he removed from the ground, this mag was from the initial malfunction. I noticed un-burnt powder around the feed lips. Just by luck I noticed one shiny piece of brass near many tarnished pieces of brass with the trade mark fluted chamber marks of an MP5. This round had a spent primer and almost no powder burn. I assumed we had a squib round. A quick check of the barrel found the round lodged just past the chamber and just in the perfect spot not to allow another round to fully chamber. This could have been ugly if the round made it another .25 of an inch further. The round was removed and all is well. I have witnessed squib rounds in the past with good production ammo. They are rare but they happen. I love Winchester ammo. They make a great product and I have been around literally millions of their rounds down range with out a hiccup…. Until today. Shit happens, just glad it wasn’t worse.
What a day. Usually in a big class one students slide lock will break or a gas key will come loose or a 700 trigger will go to shit. During private training the problems are far and few between. Though after yesterday I starting wondering, “what’s next?”
Client “A”, religiously carries a concealed handgun do to his occupation. Carries a Kahr CW9 in a kydex in the pants holster. I work with this client for1-2 hours almost weekly. The gun is well maintained. During training Client “A” had issues with his magazine release sticking. What we discovered was the Kahr CW9 magazine release is made of metal and had corrosion and pitting. which caused it to fail. I removed the mag release/catch and it took 5-10 minutes of chemicals and a copper brush to clean it off. The cleaning solved the initial problem but the finish on the metal is gone and I believe the corrosion will continue to be an issue if the mag release/catch is not replaced. I plan on contacting Kahr and letting them know. This should not happen to a gun less than 2 years old.
Client “B”, a semi retired business woman who carries a Sig239 but has been working with a 380 from time to time because of her failing hand strength. Client “B” and I have been working together 1-2 times a week for the past 2 years and on this day she only brought her Sig 239 9mm to train with. About 125rds into our training she experienced a malfunction she could not physically clear. I cleared it for her and discovered she had loaded .380 rounds into her Sig 9mm. The round fired, the casing expanded and lodged in the chamber. Client “B” is not an inexperienced shooter and I was surprised this happened until we went back to where her gear and ammo were sitting. I found she was using Sellier and Bellot which label their .380 ammo as “9mm Browning Court .380”. Even the bottom of the brass is stamped 9mm B&C. I have worked with a lot of .380 shooters over the past 2 years and I can not recall having anyone use Sellier and Bellot ammo. After the training I researched the issue and can not find anyone else who labels their ammo as such. Not smart for S&B but for an instructor and anyone shooting a .380 or 9mm for that matter, important info to know.
Client “C” a business man who has a MP5K N as one of his options at his business. I work with him on this weapon in conjunction with handgun training 2-3 times a month for the last several years. Client “C” has only used Remington 124gr or Winchester 124gr (white box) for as long as I can remember. This day he was using Winchester. For those not familiar with the MP5 family, they do not lock back when the mag is empty, you simply get a “click” and not a bang. About halfway through our session, Client “C” got a click and not a bang, he transitioned to his handgun after he was done he returned to the holster and reloaded the MP5. I noticed the magazine he removed from the MP5 had a few rounds left in it, this indicated to me he had a malfunction. This did not cause me any alarm until the next drill when the MP5 failed to fire again. After he transitioned and finished the drill I stopped him to investigate the issue. The round we removed was a light hit on the primer, we retrieved the partial magazine he removed from the ground, this mag was from the initial malfunction. I noticed un-burnt powder around the feed lips. Just by luck I noticed one shiny piece of brass near many tarnished pieces of brass with the trade mark fluted chamber marks of an MP5. This round had a spent primer and almost no powder burn. I assumed we had a squib round. A quick check of the barrel found the round lodged just past the chamber and just in the perfect spot not to allow another round to fully chamber. This could have been ugly if the round made it another .25 of an inch further. The round was removed and all is well. I have witnessed squib rounds in the past with good production ammo. They are rare but they happen. I love Winchester ammo. They make a great product and I have been around literally millions of their rounds down range with out a hiccup…. Until today. Shit happens, just glad it wasn’t worse.
What a day. Usually in a big class one students slide lock will break or a gas key will come loose or a 700 trigger will go to shit. During private training the problems are far and few between. Though after yesterday I starting wondering, “what’s next?”
