Sig P238 & Magtech Ammo

[Zatoichi]

Are some pistols finicky about ammo no matter what the brand?

My GF & Cousin both have P238's ... one shoots Magtech without issues & one has major stovepipe issues with Magtech.

The stovepipe gun has been sent back to Sig twice, their advice is not to shoot magtech.

You would think after buying a $600 + gun it should shoot anything.

I figure Magtech to be decent ammo if gun ranges sell it.

[tizzo]

Does the gun have issues with magtech when everyone shoots it? My 238 eats everything.

[Zatoichi]

Does the gun have issues with magtech when everyone shoots it? My 238 eats everything.

Yes... He bought the gun for his wife and it happens when both shoot it.

[Tin Man]

My 238 had the same problems with Magtech. Switched to PMC and Winchester and the problems went away.

[onebohemian]

Guns are built to specs, but there's typically some range that falls within that spec. In other words, all guns of the same make are not identical. The overall length of the magtech ammo may just be at that point where it's hanging up because the one gun is at the tighter end of the specs. It happens all the time. And although Sig is a good company, $600 is hardly the price point at which to expect exact repetitive high precision manufacturing. The reason Sig can sell these guns at only $600 is because the range in its specs is larger than the range in specs, quality control, type of materials, etc., on a $2500 gun.

In other words, don't shoot magtech in that one gun. (BTW, the gun ranges sell magtech because it's cheap, weak, range ammo which the ranges can mark up to the price of better ammo so they make additional money when they force you to use their ammo if you rent their guns.)

[Thunderjohn]

PMC seems to be the 380 ammo to use when you have a picky pistol.

[Lights]

There is nothing Wrong with Magtech ammo. How about the gun's action spring is just not right?

[grousemaster]

Try some Kypu....you can get boxes of 30 rounds for $9.99 at FF....

[JustPlainT]

Have multiple people use the same gun and ammunition to rule out user error/issues.

If it's the ammo/gun combination, then just use other ammunition. Different tolerances, like everyone else has suggested, can cause different results. Just make sure to verify it isn't user error first so you can correct the user error.

[grousemaster]

Guns are built to specs, but there's typically some range that falls within that spec. In other words, all guns of the same make are not identical. The overall length of the magtech ammo may just be at that point where it's hanging up because the one gun is at the tighter end of the specs. It happens all the time. And although Sig is a good company, $600 is hardly the price point at which to expect exact repetitive high precision manufacturing. The reason Sig can sell these guns at only $600 is because the range in its specs is larger than the range in specs, quality control, type of materials, etc., on a $2500 gun.

In other words, don't shoot magtech in that one gun. (BTW, the gun ranges sell magtech because it's cheap, weak, range ammo which the ranges can mark up to the price of better ammo so they make additional money when they force you to use their ammo if you rent their guns.)

IMO the Sig P238 is a Cadillac of .380 pistols...unless I'm missing some much nicer ones (the $2500 ones)?

[jshuberg]

A stovepipe is basically an extraction without proper ejection, and can be caused by several things. Does it only happen on an empty mag, but rarely on a loaded one? Then it's probably the mag - the position or angle of the feed lips may be slightly out of spec and interfering with proper ejection. The fact you have two P238's to play with allows for some diagnostics. Try the following:

Switch the magazine between the working and malfunctioning gun. Test the malfunctioning gun. If the problem goes away, that's the problem. Otherwise switch the mag back and:
Switch the slides, fully assembled. If the problem doesn't go away, its most likely the ejector is out of spec. Otherwise switch the slide back and:
Switch the recoil spring. If the problem goes away, it's most likely the problem. Otherwise switch the spring back and:
Switch the barrel. If the problem goes away, it's most likely an out of spec chamber. Otherwise, it's most likely an out of spec extractor/spring.

Those are the most likely culprits, and a how to identify them. Generally, you want to observe the absence of a malfunction for 10x the number of rounds that it tends to occur in. In other words, if on average every 10 rounds you get a stovepipe, you want to shoot at least 100 rounds malfunction free before determining that the malfunction went away. Here's what to do with this knowledge:

Mag: Throw it away and buy another one.
Ejector: Replace it.
Recoil Spring: Replace it.
Barrel: Get the chamber polished.
Extractor: Replace it and it's spring.

Any competent gunsmith or armorer will be able to replace the extractor/ejector or polish the chamber for you. Hope this helps!

[JustPlainT]

IMO the Sig P238 is a Cadillac of .380 pistols...unless I'm missing some much nicer ones (the $2500 ones)?

I agree with you. IMO it is the 'best' of the .380 choices out there.

[Zatoichi]

thanks everybody for the feedback,

The stovepipe gun... My cousin has shot Blazer, American eagle, and WWB .. 50 each or 150 total.. no issues. So he is on the hunt for different ammo. On its first trip back to Sig, the did replace the extractor. 2nd trip to Sig, they shot 80 rounds with no issues and sent it back with instructions not to use magtech.

My GF gun.. had extraction issues at first. With different types of ammo.. She sent it in, they installed a new recoil spring, mag extractor spring, and polished the feed ramp. Sig put 40 thru it, and she has put 300 of magtech thru it with no issues, it throws brass better than my glock.

I have 100 rounds of magtech from my cousin.. . GF skiddish about shooting it.. bad karma.. so I will be trying it with my LCP.

[Lunchbox]

I've seen a couple come through the shop recently where there's just a slight amount of surface rust in the chamber hanging everything up. Had one of the smiths spend less than 5 minutes polishing it... No more issues. Just some food for though.

[Rodentman]

I *think* Magtech ammo uses CBC brass. I find that when reloading CBC brass it *feels* stiffer in the dies and I think the brass is a little thicker than other brands.

Not that this has anything to do with your issue, but I find that when I reload CBC brass I have to be careful that it will seat properly, even in a revolver!