New USPc throwing brass at my forehead!

[MueveloNYC]

Ok, this is really weird. I have my new USPc, and put another 100 rounds in her today... (grand total of 200 rounds).

I was shooting fine for 2 mags, when all the sudden the ejecting brass starts pelting me straight in the forehead! (and no it's not my grip/limp wristing)

I remember from my P2000sk (as I posted in my FAQ) this usually happens with the spring assembly angle locking surface isn't properly seated.

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/2421/p2kcompositesy0.png

I stripped the gun, saw that it was seated fine, even took it out and reseated it, and it still pegged me square on the forehead.

One of the other guys at the range had a brand new unused USPc mag which I tried and it shot perfectly. I try my own USPc mags and 2 of the 7 of my mags seem to have this problem. Any ideas? I'm thinking it might be the springs, but these mags are relatively new... Maybe the feed lips are off ever so slightly?

Ideas?

[tastysp]

Brass in the forehead is usually a symptom of weak/unaligned extraction.
It could also be weak ammo but as it happens only once in awhile that doesn't seem to be the case. Next time shoot it side by side with mine and we'll swap out barrel/recoil assemblies and see if we can nail down the problem.
It could be dirty extractor.
It could be you are putting your finger on the slide and slowing down the cycling thereby weakening the extraction.
Could be your ejector needs to be looked at.

[softmentor]

My daughter also had this problem. I was shooting the same gun, same mags, same ammo same day, taking turns and I never had the problem. I atributed it to one of 2 things but can't say for sure that it is either one of them.
1 She sights with her left eye even though she is right handed. She is left eye dominant. It could be because she aligns more to the left. But, I tend to discound this possibility because it didn't happen all the time.
2. Her grip gets tired. Since it didn't happen at first but grew progressivly worse as the day went on, I wonder if her grip was changing or becoming less strong as we kept shooting.
of course, that would be the dreaded limp wristing. so, I can't really say what it is. She had good strong hands and a strong grip.
Thinking out loud here, maybe a third option. Perhapse it's something like compensating except that in this case instead of anticipating and trying to comensate for recoil, her hand is moving with the trigger release? or the compensation is a little later, resulting in "throwing" the brass a different way.
Maybe something like that? Hmmm, now that I'm thinking about it, I'll have to chew on that one a little and think it through, maybe try to duplicat it at the range.
one thing I do know, that brass is hot when it runs down your shirt! Bet you know what I mean!

[ironchef]

Mue,

Let me know when you will be at the range again. I'll bring my USPc for comparison also and I'll bring a bunch of my mags as well. I rarely get pelted in the head with brass. If I do, I usually know its because of my grip or I am getting tired as Soft mentioned above.

[ulose2]

Lets us know the results, I am curious as well

[CrippledPidgeon]

My USPf also has a really weak ejection. For the first 300-400 rounds or so, rounds would fairly frequently eject straight into my forehead or go over the left side of the weapon. Even now it puts all its casings into the range bag that sits at my left foot. A friend of mine (who's shot thousands more rounds than I) says he's never seen a 9mm with such a weak ejection.

I'm sending it in to HK to get a trigger job, so I'm going to have them look at the ejection as well. If I can get them to give me a detailed explanation then I'll pass it on to you. Maybe your problem's the same as mine.

[orfeo]

My USPc 9mm has done this as well when I first got it. It will also do it if I run really soft powder-puff handloads that don't cycle the slide all the way, or if my little 90 lb wife is shooting it with a really poor grip. Gun never failed to function, but the brass would bean the crap out of ya.

All USPs and P2000s are rather OVERSPRUNG (meaning the recoil spring is very strong). This is intended to help them handle the hottest LE and MIL loads without battering themselves to death. When a recoil spring gets weak, it ejects the brass farther and farther from the gun. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but it is so. When the new spring "breaks in" a bit, it should eject the brass a bit farther, and it changes the way the shell flies out of the ejection port such that it will not continue hitting you in the forehead.

Try different ammo, in particular try hotter ammo. See if maybe your grip also plays a small part after you've shot 100 rounds and could be loosening up. Either way, I predict it will greatly improve as your round count goes up! :)

[MueveloNYC]

yeah I think I'll try the 145gr Speer Lawman since that's got a lot more energy to it.

But to Tastysp's point, it could be my left thumb on the slide edge, as I did do that with the P2000sk as that wouldn't hinder it at all (and there's really no real estate on the SK to put your thumb anywhere else. LOL) Maybe also try shooting one handed to see if this is the case as well. Eliminate the variables one by one.

If it still happens, I'll have to do a side-by-side with TastySP's gun next friday.

[Big Bore]

Quit holding it gansta style. Shoot like a man, a real man, not like a Hollywood actor. ;)
Ok, enough from the peanut gallery.

My 9s also have weak ejection but they always eject and I've never been beaned or had a failure of any kind. I believe this is due to the pistol being designed for the .40 then made to work with the 9mm, unlike others who make it for 9 then try to beef it up for the .40.
I agree with the others that it may be a combination of grip, damaged or dirty extractor, or weak ammo.
Does this happen when shooting one-handed or with a double grip? If one handed then that may be the problem. If double, then back to what the others said.

[tastysp]

I find that when I shoot gangsta style the brass hits me in my gold grill ;)

[rohardi]

My tactical will toss brass strait back at me some times. thank god I use eye protection!!!

[ironchef]

Mue,

I'll try to stop by on Friday as well. Nothing like triple redundancy. :D I'll bring mags and some different 9mm ammo. We'll make sure everything is working right. Let me know what time you plan on being there...

[MueveloNYC]

I should be there around 7:30.

Quit holding it gansta style. Shoot like a man, a real man, not like a Hollywood actor. ;)
Ok, enough from the peanut gallery.

My 9s also have weak ejection but they always eject and I've never been beaned or had a failure of any kind. I believe this is due to the pistol being designed for the .40 then made to work with the 9mm, unlike others who make it for 9 then try to beef it up for the .40.
I agree with the others that it may be a combination of grip, damaged or dirty extractor, or weak ammo.
Does this happen when shooting one-handed or with a double grip? If one handed then that may be the problem. If double, then back to what the others said.

I'm going again Friday to try one handed as I think it probably wouldn't happened one handed... I really think it'd be my left thumb that's slowing the slide down...

[ironchef]

I might need a little help on mine. I think my sights are off a little. Could just be me, but it'll be nice to have two other USPc 9's to compare with. See you Friday...

[MueveloNYC]

Actually I forgot this week is valentines day. Doh! Lets make it next friday.

[rohardi]

I put 100 rounds of brass blazer 230 gr down range today. Of that 100 rounds, 7 or 8 came back and hit me in either the fore head or my eye protection.... my copact 40 never did this.... If I ever had to use my gun for protection I would have to tell the bad guy to hold on while I put on my shooting glasses lol

[CyberH&K]

I had that problem with my P30. But that was the CCI BB 115. When I went to WWB 115. No more bouncing everywhere.

[CyberH&K]

When I spoke with Travis at HK. He's a Gunsmith. He told me with new HK 9mm to break in. You need to use 124 or 147. I was using 115.

[rohardi]

I had that problem with my P30. But that was the CCI BB 115. When I went to WWB 115. No more bouncing everywhere.

had the same problem with WWB 230 gr also......

[MueveloNYC]

hmm... I should try running a few boxes of speer lawman through her then. What's the unofficial break in period count?