Hello! New gun owner here—I grew up shooting a wide variety of friends’ firearms but never owned one before so I’ve never had to worry about maintenance, etc. I apologize in advance for my ignorance on technical terms, but I’ll try to describe my issue and see what the consensus is.
I bought a G3 at the end of August and grabbed a couple boxes of 115 grain, brass Blazers because that was all that the store had available. Finally got some time to take it to the range today and ran into stove-piping approximately every third shot. About every other shot (when the case did eject fully) the next round in line wouldn’t chamber—either not leaving the magazine at all or a couple times getting jammed against the feed ramp and getting the slide and chamber stuck open. I’d have to manually rack the slide to get anything going. There was one time where I blessedly had 5 shots in a row with no problems, but that didn’t last. Note, that I had disassembled, cleaned, and oiled the internals last night in preparation for my time at the range today. Got a ton of factory crap off of it. Pretty sure I didn’t leave too much lube on it either.
I admit that limp wrist may be part of the problem, but I’ve taken a CCW course from a former deputy who did an excellent job of coaching on stance and hand hold—so I think there’s more going on. Another shooter was getting the same issues when he tried it. I searched on these forums and the most recent stove-piping issues I could find were a few years old and for the G2C so I thought I’d ask to see if anyone else has seen these problems with the G3 and if anyone can suggest a course of action?
My first thought is that it simply needs to be broken in and that putting a couple hundred rounds down range should help loosen things up, in which case I just need to deal with the manual racking and push through. Another thought is that I might need different ammo—but good luck to me in finding even the crappy stuff these days!
Am I on the right track or should I be aware of anything else?
Welcome aboard and you've come to the right place!
While I don't have a G3, the common experience, is that they require a break-down and thorough cleaning, before the break-in rounds. They have been notoriously packed with goo (as you saw) but could still be binding things up. During a 500 round break-in, I'd tear it down and scrub it every 100 rounds. Also, you didn't mention if the problem was with the same mag, but you may want to check inside the mag(s) for any burrs and clean/lube the follower and spring. That's where I'd look first as I'm not inclined to blame the ammo just yet. IMHO Blazer isn't THAT bad. LOL
During a 500 round break-in, I'd tear it down and scrub it every 100 rounds. Also, you didn't mention if the problem was with the same mag, but you may want to check inside the mag(s) for any burrs and clean/lube the follower and spring. That's where I'd look first as I'm not inclined to blame the ammo just yet. IMHO Blazer isn't THAT bad. LOL
Wow, this forum is awesome! Lots of great things to consider. Yes, it was happening from both mags so I’ll add a mag disassembly and cleaning YouTube video to my list. Thanks for the suggestion! Also good to know that the Blazers shouldn’t be an issue—I didn’t see anywhere in my pre-purchase research that Taurus was overly-particular about ammo brands, and that was one of the selling points for me!
I think you're on the right track. Clean it thoroughly first, then check for burrs on the magazine lips.
Good you have the "limp wrist" instruction already, that takes a lot of the problem.
Now, look at the feed-ramp for burrs, machining marks, etc. That is frequently a point of failure with new semi-autos.
Also look carefully at the extractor-claw to see if the new cases slide up under it without drag or interference - (feed issues). A Browning-design feed intends for the cartridge rim to slip up under, not for the extractor to "snap down over" the rim. A burr on the claw could also hinder positive ejection (stove-pipe).
Blazer is about as generic as ammo gets, and about as reliable as anything. Probably NOT an ammo issue.
Oh yeah, as ABOVE, these things DO require a break-in period. Some more, some less, but YES !
I think you're on the right track. Clean it thoroughly first, then check for burrs on the magazine lips.
Now, look at the feed-ramp for burrs, machining marks, etc. That is frequently a point of failure with new semi-autos.
Also look carefully at the extractor-claw to see if the new cases slide up under it without drag or interference - (feed issues). A Browning-design feed intends for the cartridge rim to slip up under, not for the extractor to "snap down over" the rim. A burr on the claw could also hinder positive ejection (stove-pipe).
Now that’s something to think about! I’m wondering now if it isn’t a few burrs in all of those places cascading into the issues I’m having. Are all of those things you think I could remove on my own with a file, or should I find a gunsmith to make sure I don’t screw anything up?
Good advice above, but don't forget about the limp-wristing issue. It happens even to trained shooters when they're not paying attention. So, pay attention to your hold and ask yourself about muzzle flip. Training helps (something hard to do with ammos shortages, I know.). One thing that might help you decide whether your hold is contributing to the issue is analyzing where your rounds are hitting. A diagnostic target can help with that.
Good advice above, but don't forget about the limp-wristing issue. It happens even to trained shooters when they're not paying attention. So, pay attention to your hold and ask yourself about muzzle flip. Training helps (something hard to do with ammos shortages, I know.). One thing that might help you decide whether your hold is contributing to the issue is analyzing where your rounds are hitting. A diagnostic target can help with that.
I’d be pretty embarrassed if I come to find that it really is just my technique, but I’ll pay as much attention to it as I will to all the other suggestions above. Thanks for the advice—I didn’t even consider looking for a diagnostic target!
I have never shot a G3, but I own two G2C's and a TH9C, and have never had the problems you're having with your G3. I did own a 738 years back that gave me problems, but not until two years in. I think my 738 had extractor issues. I sent it back, and Taurus replaced it with a G2C.
I've read all the suggestions, and agree with all of them. Do all of them, and if you still have stovepipes and FTE's you may need to send it in. Your G3 should NOT be failing like that.
Taurus makes a good weapon, but I think they have a problem in their Quality Assurance division. Too many lemons slip through production (I estimate 5%). If they replace it, you'll probably get a good one next time.
Not sure if you can tell or not, maybe get a buddy to watch you shot to see if the slide is going all the way back after fired. Could be a short stroking issue with a bad recoil spring assembly. Since this is happening with both mags, chances are slim that both mags are faulty. Take the slide off and remove barrel, if you know how to take the firing pin out, do that and spray everything (just the slide) down good with non-chlorinated brake cleaner. This will get into all the tight spaces and flush out anything sticky. Let it dry and lube it with a good light oil. If it is not short stroking, then it may be an extraction issue. So check the ejector pin and the extractor for any defects.
I have the G3 and shot it straight out the box without any cleaning and it had no issues. Maybe get a few pics of the pistol and post them here. See if you can get a closeup shot of the extractor arm and the frame with the slide off.
Have a G2C that had about the same issue and found out that a short throat made it very ammo particular. Fixed it using lapping compound and some RemRodz. When I later purchased my G3 before I even shot it, I gave it the same treatment and never had an issue.
If you find burrs or places where there are machining marks, I would recommend NO FILE as they remove to much metal too quickly and also leave their own marks. All polishing should be done with a fine stone or some maybe 600 grit or finer wet-or-dry black oxide "sandpaper" moistened with oil (any kind, light lube G-96, RemOil, CLLPS, whatever). Any strokes should be made in the direction of travel (fore and into and out of the gnamber aft) that the cartridge goes.
Take your time, and you'll probably have this thing in good shape in just a few strokes. They are remarkably good guns, but like all guns, they need a finishing touch, here and there to make them a fine, reliable shooter. Good luck.
Another thing we forgot to mention - - - butts on the edge of the ejection-port. We mentioned this a week or so ago to another person who was having extracttion issues, you may profit from the mention, too.
Zylo X has the right way to start. Most guns will function just fine with an amazing amount of crud in them, but they all have limits. A close friend just cleaned his .223 AR - - - for the first time in 17 years! Just enough crud . . ..
I agree with those who say to check you magazine(s). Thing is, do you know what you're looking for? I've had the occasional magazine that looked just fine but would not feed. A far more experience shooter - I recommend IPSC shooters - took one look at it and showed me a TINY bump in a lip. Turned out it was soft metal, so I tossed it.
Another thing mentioned, that you should not overlook, is the recoil spring, especially if it is a second-hand gun. Some people put in springs that a cricket couldn't bounce, or an elephant couldn't compress. The slide has to reciprocate within a certain velocity range to expell a shell and pick up the next cartridge.
I don't put much stock in a break-in period unless the gun is a very tight one made for bullseye competition. Like a Les Bear. Anything else made within the past 10 or 15 years will not choke, right out of the box.
So I have the same issue without the stovepiping. (Bought brand new in June.) About every 3rd round jams on the feed ramp. (Have tried Federal, lawman, & remington ammo) Ordered a new mag and it happened with that one too. I was told to polish the feed ramp real good. I've cleaned and scrubbed everything 3 or 4 times.
That is Totally UNSAT!!!
You can try polishing, or maybe a little light work with a very fine emery cloth, but if you can't get it to fire correctly, I'd send it back.
I don't even like my guns to be sensitive to brands. I want them to shoot anything I put in them, except maybe some steel Russian crap.
A simple test. Have an experience shooter give it a try. If your friend has the same problems, send it back now. This is not normal, and not a break in problem if it fails for an experience shooter. Ammo is to too valuable today to waste to prove it is not functioning.
That is an improvement, but still not what I would call a reliable weapon.
Keep trying; that thing should be able to go through a couple hundred rounds without a misfire.
Double check your warranty to see if and when it runs out. Send it back if you're not happy.
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