HK P2000 Jamming

[Cannell]

I've owned my HK P2000 since February of last year. It seems once I shoot 2-300 rounds it starts to jam on me. And once it starts it only gets worse until I clean it. Has anyone else had this problem? Are these guns really that particular? It is never really that dirty when I do clean it. I usually use Winchester ammo., and have recently used Remington, but neither seem to be any better or worse when it comes to this. I love the gun for all it's features, but I'm to the point that I want to trade it. Any ideas before I let it go?

[HK_Shooter]

You mention 2 -300 rounds.
Does it happen towards the end of the 200 round plus sessions ?

Does it happen when someone else shoots the gun ?

[LaRue]

P2000 will "eat" anything that you feed it, so ammo is not the issue. I use WWb 115gr for practice and Federal HydraShock for defense.

I have two possible solutions:

1. Next time you shoot, pay careful attention to how your holding the gun, make sure you have a "stiff" wrist. "Limp wristing" will cause failure to feed. This "limp wristing" could be happening without you even noticing, so before you write it off and say theres no way your doing that, just try to pay extra attention the next time to be sure. Ecspecially towards the end of your shoot when you could be possibly getting tired.

2. Another issue that could be causeing this is weak mag springs. If after you carefully review your grip, try changing out your mag springs. Weak springs have been a problem of HK for a while and many members use WOLFF +10 as replacements, with only good reviews.

Try these two things before giving up on a great firearm. Good Luck!

[Cannell]

I feel confident that I am not limp wristing, although it seems the logical explanation. I have been shooting now for a few years, is it realistic that I'd still be that weak? My son has shot it and it does the same thing to him, but doesn't with my boyfriend. I shoot a Glock also and never have that problem. And I shot (today) a 40 caliber version with a lot more kick and had no problem shooting 30 rounds on a timed reload. But a few minutes before my own HK jammed on every shot.

Most often it starts in the middle of 1-200 rounds and by 2-300 I just give up, angry.

If I am limp wristing it, do you have any suggestions? Is there a certain hold that might help me out?

I do rest my thumb on the trigger guard to control the recoil a bit. I find that helpful in general, but not when it comes to it jamming. But it doesn't make it any worse either.

[Cannell]

Should I try the smaller grip? My HK came with 3 different grip sizes. Right now I use the medium one.

Thank you for the suggestion re: the mag springs. I will look into that.

[LaRue]

You just have to be consius of it and find out if that is what it is. There are better shooters on this board that could intruct you better than I. About you shooting the .40, you could have just anticipated the more recoil and tensed up, making your wrist stiffer. I would also think about changing the mag springs.

[Cannell]

Thank you LaRue. I will do both.

[sns3guppy]

What lubricant are you using for the weapon? If you're using a lot of lubricant (components look wet) or it's a grease, you might try using less, or lubricating in areas that won't pick up powder residue when the weapon is fired. Some lubricants can also change properties in the presence of heat, or may be good for friction resistance in a low duty environment, but not suited to heavy duty as in a firearm. Certain rod and reel lubricants that are in common use fall in that category, as do other types of lubricants. Not saying that's it, but it's a possibility.

I may have missed it, but you didn't appear to describe the type of malfunction ("jam" doesn't tell us much). Is this a failure to feed, extract, double feed, stovepipe? What's going on?

Because the function appears to deteriorate with continued fire, and then improves upon being cleaned, I suspect a buildup of residue and crud from the firing process. Can you provide more information?

[Scooter]

It's not so much having a limp wrist. Limp wristing that everyone likes to blame it on is really a bad grip. More often people tend to hold the gun way too low. This requires the gun to work harder to cycle a round, and you have to keep the wrist much more rigid for the gun to cycle. If you change your grip, see the links in the FAQ, grab the gun as high as possible, even with a completely limp wrist the gun will still cycle 100%.

[Jason R]

I'd send it back to HK. All gun makers will turn out a bad apple/lemon once in a while.

I've tried to limp wrist my HKs and they still just keep on firing!

[LaRue]

I'd send it back to HK. All gun makers will turn out a bad apple/lemon once in a while.

I've tried to limp wrist my HKs and they still just keep on firing!


Theres no reason to send the gun back, I am confident that it can be corrected with new mag springs and/or grip adjustment. She has stated that the problem exists when her and her son shoot the firearm, but NOT when her boyfriend fires it; and it only happens after 100 or 200 rounds. This makes me believe it is not the gun but the mag sprongs or her wrist getting tired after that much shooting and her grip relaxing a little.

[Cannell]

Thank you for all of the responses. I am going to go out today and try shooting it without cleaning after yesterday. If it DOESN'T jam right away, I figure I can blame it on myself, since when I put it away yesterday it had jammed with every shot. Unless heat is a factor...

If it jams right away I am going to clean it and then go back out and shoot. That way I could say for sure that it is the pistol. Again, unless heat is a factor...

To answer you question - it stovepipes and has failure to feed. Sometimes I have to drop the magazine because 2 bullets get bunched up so tight in there that I can't easily loosen and dump them out. Other times I just hold the slide back and dump out an empty shell and it's good to go.

I wonder about the heat issue. It has only jammed once in competitions. In these competitions we usually only shoot 18 rounds in a row at the most, and repeat that at the very most 6 times. So less than 100 rounds with lots of time inbetween and I never have a problem with it. But that could also be me not getting tired...

For oil I use Rem Oil with teflon. I do notice a lot of gold/yellow flecks when cleaning, but they don't seem to collect in one area inparticular.

[LaRue]

I don't believe it is a heat thing. I usually shoot 200 or 300 rounds a session. I have 4-13rd. mags, so I put 52 rounds through it before reloading and have never had a problem. I'm begining to think it is the springs more and more, but don't neglect your grip.

Keep us posted on what happens. Good Luck!

[orfeo]

+1 that a very possible culprit is the mag-springs. Try Wolff +10% mag-springs, available at : www.gunsprings.com

A 3-pack for under $20

[jhiller]

My 40 cal P 2000sk has jamming problems too. It is always the final round in the mag . It has been back for repair to the HK repair center twice. Wolff doesn't make mag springs for the SK or I would put them in . I believe that's the problem but have swapped mags twice and they only work for a short time.
I suspect that I just have a bad one
Jim

[Cannell]

Thank you! I was going to ask where I could purchase them. That is my next step.

[2000ARMY]

+1 that a very possible culprit is the mag-springs. Try Wolff +10% mag-springs, available at : www.gunsprings.com (http://www.gunsprings.com)

A 3-pack for under $20


I don't see any for the P2000

[Cannell]

Well... I took it out yesterday morning and shot less than 100 rounds (before cleaning it) and it jammed consistently - mostly failure to feed. I paid close attention to how I was holding it, as well as the "solidness" of my wrist. I admit I had not been holding it as high as I should have (thanks for mentioning that). I felt a great difference in the absorption of the recoil (felt it really push back into my hand more), but it did not decrease the jamming. Although I think it decreased the "stove pipe" type jams, and it did more failure to feeds.

I then cleaned my gun thoroughly and oiled it lightly. I also put the smaller grip on it. My pistol came with 3 different grip sizes, and I've been using the medium size one (even though my hands are average size).

I then shot the clean pistol about 100 rounds and paid close attention to my grip and wrist. Out of the 100 rounds it failed to feed 3 times, and the slide failed to lock back on the last shot 2 times. The failure to feed was almost always the last or second to last bullet.

All of this experimenting tells me that weak springs are VERY possible, it likes to be super clean, and me as a handler are ALL factors.

I am going to order new springs and practice more with the small grip on and hope the combination straightens it out. I don't think I should have this much trouble though. I am a good shooter and have shot other pistols without this problem. I am also in good shape, but I know in general female wrists are not as strong as males. Should that really make such a difference though? I think I'm getting increasingly frustrated, but I'll give it some more time.

Does the HK P2000 have a lot more recoil than other pistols? Specifically the Glock 9mm.

Thanks for everyone's help & suggestions!!

[Cannell]

Does anyone have any other suggestions on springs if the ones mentioned above are not available for the P2000??

[Cannell]

One more question...

I was just looking through the Wolff website and came across text re: the recoil spring. It said that those springs are replacable and can be bought in different "strengths" based on the fire arm and the shooter.

Is that something to consider?

[Scooter]

It's starting to point more towards bad mag spring.

HK's plastic pistols' felt recoil is different than other plastic guns like Glock and XD's. Hk will feel softer but more flippy than the other guns. The other guns tend not to flip as much, but will feel snappy.

Changing recoil springs does affect the timing of the gun. Generally if you only shoot standard loads, you can often go to a lighter spring. Lighter spring will make the gun feel snappy, but you'll notice less muzzle flip. You will have to do a lot of experimentation to find what works and what doesn't work. Probably not the avenue you should head down. If replacing the mag springs doesn't fix your problem, the gun might need to make a trip to HK.

[mefly2]

Could it be shooter fatigue - not just limp wristing - after several hundred rounds? Just a softening of the grip can cause difficulties ... $.02

[Cannell]

FYI - I just got off the phone with a gentleman from Wolff. He said that they supply - pretty much in bulk - magazine springs to law enforcement who have bought HKs and now have the same problem with them as I am having. He was an obvious Glock fan, so I have to take that into consideration, but he said it is well known that springs that HK provides are not always reliable. He said I need to check with HK to be sure the P200 can be interchangable with USP. If so, I'm good to go with a set of their springs. If not... well... I'm not sure yet what I'll do...

Yes - I am sure fatigue is an issue. I do find myself loosening up on my grip, and can feel it flip more the more I shoot. Combine that with poor magazine springs and I think we've solved the mystery. I might be better suited for a gun that can be a little more forgiving.

[Cannell]

[QUOTE=Scooter;355550]It's starting to point more towards bad mag spring.

HK's plastic pistols' felt recoil is different than other plastic guns like Glock and XD's. Hk will feel softer but more flippy than the other guns. The other guns tend not to flip as much, but will feel snappy.

QUOTE]

THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE TO ME. I'VE BEEN TOLD IT TENDS TO "FLIP" WHEN I SHOOT. IT MAKES IT HARD TO SHOOT MORE THAN ONE ROUND QUICKLY AND ACCURATELY.

THANKS.

[orfeo]

FYI - I just got off the phone with a gentleman from Wolff. He said that they supply - pretty much in bulk - magazine springs to law enforcement who have bought HKs and now have the same problem with them as I am having. He was an obvious Glock fan, so I have to take that into consideration, but he said it is well known that springs that HK provides are not always reliable. He said I need to check with HK to be sure the P200 can be interchangable with USP. If so, I'm good to go with a set of their springs. . .

Glock fan or not, he is quite right that this is an, unfortunately, common problem with HK mags.

The P2000 takes the same mags as the USP Compacts. They are interchangeable. I am guessing your P2000 is a 9mm using 13 round mags. To the best of my knowledge, that is the same spring as is used in the 8-round USP Compact 45 (which IS listed on their website).

If you want to verify that your springs are the cause of the problem, disassemble one mag, and remove the spring. Then carefully stretch it out to make it about 35% longer or more, taking care to align all the coils to keep the spring staight and the coils evenly spaced. Clean and lightly lubricate the follower and the inside of the mag body before reassembly. After reassembly, mark the mag in some small way so you know which one it is compared with the others. Try it. . . you'll likely see an immediate improvement. . . but keep in mind that this is in no way a fix for the problem. . . you will still need to replace the springs with Wolff as soon as possible. :)

Good luck with it, and let us know how it turns out by following up on this thread!

[orfeo]

I don't see any for the P2000

Their website info is not very complete

[orfeo]

My 40 cal P 2000sk has jamming problems too. It is always the final round in the mag . It has been back for repair to the HK repair center twice. Wolff doesn't make mag springs for the SK or I would put them in . I believe that's the problem but have swapped mags twice and they only work for a short time.
I suspect that I just have a bad one
Jim

If it is always the final round in the mag, it is too-weak mag-springs. If you could mail one of the disassembled mags to Wolff, perhaps they could match up the spring with another they already make.

I also think you could possibly modify a P2000/USP Compact Wolff spring to fit in your SK by maybe cutting off the last coil or so, and putting a new bend on the end of the spring to mate with the baseplate.

I don't know how many rounds you have through your pistol, but if it is relatively new, sometimes they are a bit tight until they "break-in" for awhile. It is possible that after enough use, regular, factory-strength springs will work reliably. But I wouldn't wait for that. I'd definitely try to find a Wolff spring to work first.

If however, you end up deciding that this pistol is good for nothing but a paperweight, send it to me, and I'll be sure and give it a good home! :)

[Cannell]

The P2000 takes the same mags as the USP Compacts. They are interchangeable. I am guessing your P2000 is a 9mm using 13 round mags. To the best of my knowledge, that is the same spring as is used in the 8-round USP Compact 45 (which IS listed on their website).

If you want to verify that your springs are the cause of the problem, disassemble one mag, and remove the spring. Then carefully stretch it out to make it about 35% longer or more, taking care to align all the coils to keep the spring staight and the coils evenly spaced. Clean and lightly lubricate the follower and the inside of the mag body before reassembly. After reassembly, mark the mag in some small way so you know which one it is compared with the others. Try it. . . you'll likely see an immediate improvement. . . but keep in mind that this is in no way a fix for the problem. . . you will still need to replace the springs with Wolff as soon as possible. :)

Good luck with it, and let us know how it turns out by following up on this thread!


I am shooting the 9mm., but they are only 10 round magazines. That was the only downside of this purchase. Do you know if they have something that will work for those? I will call later today, but if you have some info. for me that would be great.

I will try what you suggested with stretching the spring. Good thinking!! Thanks. I'll be in touch.

[LaRue]

I am now 100% positive its the mag springs! After your last description of what is happening.

10 rounders have been the main problem. Assuming you can legally own 13 rd mags where you live, pick up some of those, they seem to have less problems. You will still need to change those springs eventually though as well. HK makes a great weapon....to bad the mag springs suck!

[Montrala]

I am shooting the 9mm., but they are only 10 round magazines.

And this is your problem. I never heard of such problems with 13rd and 16rd magazines for P2000. And my P2000 have over 17000 rouns on it. It was originally not designed to work with such beast as "ban magazine" and HK didn't put anny effort into them.

[Cannell]

New springs or new magazines?

If new springs will do the trick AND last, I'd like to settle for the cheaper option and not get the magazines right now. I already have 3, 10 round capacity ones.

Someone mentioned before that the 8-round USP Compact 45 is the right choice for an 11 round magazine. How about a 10 round? Take a look at my choices:

http://www.gunsprings.com/SemiAuto/HecklerKochNF.html#USPMags

Thanks!

[kdogg]

I know this is a tad old but um I don't suppose you were using Wolf or some other steel cased ammo were you?

[kartar]

There is a mag spring sticky at the top of the HK handgun threads. It explains which Wolff springs go with which model.

[snake9]

I'm having the same problem with my p2000. I also have a p2000sk and would use the full sizes' mags (13) and it worked fine, but I'll get failure to feed, stove pipes and failure to extract the last round.

Do you think it's the mag even though they work fine on the sk?

[cbigbrick]

I have shot over 7000 rounds though my P2000 9mm v3 and have never had a problem. I bought the gun brand new last December. I clean every 500 rounds or so and I make sure that the gun is wiped down. No wet areas. I did have the issue of the back strap but after some trail and error, I settled on the large back strap. The gun seemed to float in my hand with the small and medium back strap. I also work with an instructor that taught me all the proper techniques. My mags are the 13 round. BTW...I'm female too.

[Ken_In_Colo]

I have shot over 7000 rounds though my P2000 9mm v3 and have never had a problem. I bought the gun brand new last December. I clean every 500 rounds or so and I make sure that the gun is wiped down. No wet areas. I did have the issue of the back strap but after some trail and error, I settled on the large back strap. The gun seemed to float in my hand with the small and medium back strap. I also work with an instructor that taught me all the proper techniques. My mags are the 13 round. BTW...I'm female too.

Over 2,000 through mine, mostly WWB 115 FMJ. Never had a FT(anything). I clean it after every range session, usually at least 100 rounds. Longest range session was 300 rounds. I really pay attention to cleaning the residue around the extractor and other angles where residue could build up.

cbigbrick, really love your handgun inventory...my To Get list includes a Python & P7M8. I don't know which to get next though.

Though born & raised in USA, I gravitate towards German products too: H&K, Kreighoff, M-B, BMW. Are Volkls German made?

[Cadillac Johnson]

I'm having the same problem with my p2000. I also have a p2000sk and would use the full sizes' mags (13) and it worked fine, but I'll get failure to feed, stove pipes and failure to extract the last round.

Do you think it's the mag even though they work fine on the sk?

Usually when you're having a failure to feed (FTF) with the last round or two, it's the mag springs at fault. The springs are under the least tension and dont always have enough 'oomph' to push the next round up fast enough.

HK's and weak mag springs aren't a new phenomenon.

I would however say, that if this is a new gun, I would lean more towards the recoil spring and hammer spring being new and heavy. Once they 'break in' a bit they problem should go away. The rails may not be as smooth when new and that can lead to slower slide speeds.

99% of HK's wont need a 'break in' period, but some do.

Shoot some +p or +p+ ammo through it and see if you still have FTF issues. If not, I would look at the mag springs. If there's no issue's with higher power ammo, it's most likely just the gun needing some time to loosen up.

[Bentonville]

My P30 is the only HK I had to break in with ammo that was a little stouter. I used a couple of boxes of Fiocchi which seemed to be a little hotter. After that, the gun fed perfectly and has for many rounds since.

[HK_64]

I wonder what the cause was. I've had my .40 P2000 for about 3 years now with P2000 and USPC mags and I haven't had any mag related malfunctions.

[bzdog]

I'm having the same problem with my p2000. I also have a p2000sk and would use the full sizes' mags (13) and it worked fine, but I'll get failure to feed, stove pipes and failure to extract the last round.

Do you think it's the mag even though they work fine on the sk?

Regarding failure to extract, make sure it is clean under your extractor. It is easy for gunk to build up in there, esp. if you run dirty ammo, and/or run the gun wet. And it is hard to notice it in there.

-john