P30 Horror Story

[robert14]

OK, I picked up my P30 several months ago & immediately took it to the range & shot 200 rounds without a single malfunction other than me hitting the long slide lock lever & causing it to lock back prematurely. After carrying it on duty for the last two months, I took it to the range today & put another 100 rounds thru it. At least once every mag I had a jam with the round sitting up out of the mag at an extreme angle, not going into the breach, but nose against the upper inside of the breach. Sorry, no camera at the range. This happened with all three mags. I left the pistol with the shop / range (it's where I bought it) to repair or to send to HK. I am going to suspect mag spring issues, but they should not have this problem after carrying them loaded for several months! Has anyone else had similar problems with their
P30? I am so glad I did not need to use the pistol!!

[terrible1one3]

Nope not a problem in 1000 rounds.

[MarcDW]

Let someone else shoot the gun and see if that shooter has the same / any problems with it.
I just had a customer today bring me a Glock 30 which he claimed would not shoot reloads and in his hands it did not. I ran 20 rounds through it, without any problems!!!
Sometimes it's not the gun! ;)

[AwaySooner]

He said "after carrying it on duty for 2 months", have to assume he's a competant shooter, maybe he just got a lemon. What ammo were you running? I have great result using quality 124gr (Speer Lawman), no problem with S&B 115gr and Magtech even. Remington UMC, often FTE or not lock back when emptied, but not a serious problem, it's just not strong enough to lock, I don't really care.

[gunut45]

If it happen with all 3 mags and no issues before it may just be an ammo issue. What were you using?

[djlethalweapon]

I have had a couple of small issues similar to the above post but I'm just assuming it was part of the break-in period since it was within the first 200 rounds, plus I was still learning how to clean and oil a gun at first. I shot 200 rounds of the UMC 115gr. and had a couple of FTE and FTL. I'm guessing it was either the ammo or me not putting enough oil in the gun before shooting that day. But since then it's been absolutely perfect. It seems to do best with Winchester White Box 115gr for everyday shooting as I haven't ever had a single malfunction with that stuff in the clip. I've only shot about 10 rounds of Federal HST 124gr just to see how they shot and performed, but didn't have any problems with those either.

[AaronUSP]

I have had a couple of small issues similar to the above post but I'm just assuming it was part of the break-in period since it was within the first 200 rounds, plus I was still learning how to clean and oil a gun at first. I shot 200 rounds of the UMC 115gr. and had a couple of FTE and FTL. I'm guessing it was either the ammo or me not putting enough oil in the gun before shooting that day. But since then it's been absolutely perfect. It seems to do best with Winchester White Box 115gr for everyday shooting as I haven't ever had a single malfunction with that stuff in the clip. I've only shot about 10 rounds of Federal HST 124gr just to see how they shot and performed, but didn't have any problems with those either.

You mean "magazine?'

[SIGtrarian]

I had this exact same thing happen with 2 different USPf40's. Replacing the magazine springs with Wolff +10% springs cured it. It would always happen with the 2nd to the last round.

[Catalina]

You mean "magazine?'


1) Are you serious? This isn't a 1911 forum.

2) Did you need to quote the entire message? Allow me - no.

[AaronUSP]

1) Are you serious? This isn't a 1911 forum.

2) Did you need to quote the entire message? Allow me - no.

Okay, this is no Miami Vice, and if you were ever in the military you would know better, so I think ...Yes.

[Mark71]

robert14,
I am also interested in knowing what kind of ammo you were using? Did you try more then one type at the range?

[IMTHESKI]

Okay, this is no Miami Vice, and if you were ever in the military you would know better, so I think ...Yes.


Not trying to start an arguement or flame you in any way. Being either a current or prior member of the Military doesn't make one any better or more knowledgable than any other American. Sure he called a magazine a clip, but he was also trying to offer help from his own lessons learned. I don't think he meant to offend or harm anyone. One of the many reasons this forum is by far the best is the willingness of people to help each other. Besides it is a lot more fun to talk about P30's than the difference between a mag and a clip. Again not trying to start an arguement;)

[geoff]

You mean "magazine?'

Did you mean to put a quotation mark after the question mark instead of an apostrophe? Stick to the topic. You only typed three words and I still managed to argue about semantics.

[steelshooter]

There is good reason to call things by their proper names.

This is a magazine.
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s27/P220SAO/IMGP1063.jpg

These are clips.
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s27/P220SAO/m1gar_4.jpg

One of these things is not like the other.

To answer the question I have not had this issue with my P30's or HK 45's. My guess would not be that it is a spring issue but something else and not so called "limp wristing" either.

[djlethalweapon]

Sorry for calling it by the wrong name. I honestly didn't mean for it to cause an argument. I was just typing quickly and didn't really notice until later. I've heard to it referred to as a 'clip' many times before, which is obviously incorrect. But I'm still fairly new with guns, so I hope you all will forgive me. I just need to pay more attention to my terminology. ;)

Anyway, back on topic... I was just sharing my experience, since that was the original question. I've never had more than one malfunction in a magazine. I've actually had very few total. I was honestly surprised to have any given the reliability of HKs, but I'm just guessing it was still breaking in(as all mechanical things must) and the ammo used also probably had something to do with it. I did put two boxes of Monarch through it, which I will never do again. It had a couple of problems with that stuff, and some with the Remington UMC as I mentioned before. It's done fine with everything else, though, including CCI Blazer(aluminum casing) and Winchester.

[dtheman]

You mean "magazine?'

Beat me to it.

Its only for your benefit djlethal weapon, don't take any of this nonsense to heart.

[AaronUSP]

Did you mean to put a quotation mark after the question mark instead of an apostrophe? Stick to the topic. You only typed three words and I still managed to argue about semantics.

You are so brilliant! I bet you are going on tour in Europe to translate Shakespeare into Latin!

[AaronUSP]

I meant no harm to the poster who made the mistake, I was just simply correcting. ...

[Danner]

Magazine/clip what a big SNAFU.

James Bond called it a "clip" and that's good enough for me.

[cueist]

Guys, lets get back on track about the helping the OP with his problem instead of arguing about "magazine vs clip".

[robert14]

robert14,
I am also interested in knowing what kind of ammo you were using? Did you try more then one type at the range?
Thanks for everyone's response. I shot 200 rounds of Remington green box FMJ. I considered ammo as a source of the issues, even though I shot the same ammo when it was new with no issues. I then shot 50 rnds of Gold Dot duty ammo & had the same problems, so I am guessing that it is not ammo related. I have been carrying weapons on duty since the wheelgun days in 1985 (I still miss my 3 1/2" nickle M27) and have been thru several firearms instructors schools, so I know to check grip, limp risting and other operator issues. I know that I am far from perfect & may have overlooked several issues, especially when your duty pistol does this & you get shaken. The malfunctions occured with a fellow officer as well, so I am fairly sure that it is the pistol. As when this occured, the base of the "jammed" round was well below the edge of the feed lips as the round was shoved forward & almost verticle by the slide attempting to close, I am guessing weak mag springs. I would consider a "bur" inside the mag, but for that to be the case with all 3 mags is most unlikely. Hopefully Coal Creek's gunsmiths can figure it out without having to send it back to HK. I think that I remember someone else posting a issue with weak P30 mag springs. This is what I get for posting on the 1911 vs HK thread that I have never had a HK malfunction. If I need to go with replacement springs, what brand does the group recommend?

[hifiguy7]

I had your exact problem with an M&P 45. I sent it back to S&W and it returned to work flawlessly. I think they polshed the feed ramp and they replaced a part (but I just can't remember what it was.

I would have it sent to HK. This is a chance to see how good their customer service is. Better to have the gun serviced by the factory. I would think they would go over the insides with a fine tooth comb and polish all the moving parts and make sure the gun runs smoother than fresh out of the box.

Good Luck!!

[H&K 4 LIFE]

I trust you bought the pistol new? If so, +1 for sending it back to HK for warranty repair.

[jnkirk1974]

I trust you bought the pistol new? If so, +1 for sending it back to HK for warranty repair.

I agree.....send it back and have it done right. However, I'm willing to bet that a simple feed ramp polishing will solve the problem.

If you can afford to wait for your gun, I'd definitely send it back and have them look at it. There could be something that we've missed.

This is an H&K.......so, nothing less than perfection should be considered acceptable!

[s2000ap1]

I don't have my round log in front of me, but I have over 1200 rounds in my P30, of which probably 800 of those were Remington UMC FMJ 115 grain.

ZERO PROBLEMS.

[geoff]

You are so brilliant! I bet you are going on tour in Europe to translate Shakespeare into Latin!

No wonder being in the military has made you so smug. Not only do you have the amazing technical ability to tell the difference between a clip and a mag, you are also hilarious.

Anyway.. I have had some of the same problems with my P30. UMC 115gr. doesn't cycle reliably at all. I know everyone agrees it is pretty crappy ammo, but the P30 is my only gun that doesn't work well with it.

[AaronUSP]

No wonder being in the military has made you so smug. Not only do you have the amazing technical ability to tell the difference between a clip and a mag, you are also hilarious.

Anyway.. I have had some of the same problems with my P30. UMC 115gr. doesn't cycle reliably at all. I know everyone agrees it is pretty crappy ammo, but the P30 is my only gun that doesn't work well with it.

What a donkey! Lol

[robert14]

I agree.....send it back and have it done right. However, I'm willing to bet that a simple feed ramp polishing will solve the problem.

If you can afford to wait for your gun, I'd definitely send it back and have them look at it. There could be something that we've missed.

This is an H&K.......so, nothing less than perfection should be considered acceptable!

Yes, I did buy it new 3 - 4 months ago at Coal Creek. I'll give Coal Creek's smiths several days to look at it & if it's not ready by then, I'll have them send it in along with all 3 mags to HK. I have one of my HK45s on my hip now, so I guess that I will be cursed with carrying it for the time being.....I will post when I have additional info as to what the issue is.

[Dr. No]

I would suggest in the future putting a bit more mileage on a weapon than 200 rounds before trusting your life to it. I don't even think about carrying a weapon on duty unless I have at least 1000 rounds through it.

Doc

[robert14]

I would suggest in the future putting a bit more mileage on a weapon than 200 rounds before trusting your life to it. I don't even think about carrying a weapon on duty unless I have at least 1000 rounds through it.

Doc
Dr. No, excellent advice, I totally agree. In the past when I had a weapon that was not 100% reliable, I instantly got rid of it. I believe that the P30 is going by-by.

[gman1868]

I've had the problem with low power loads like Remington UMC. I only use what I have left for practice and now that the gun has over 1000 rounds thru it I haven't seen it happen in a while.

With better ammo it never happens.

[Dr. No]

10-4. You can't fall in love with your weapon, magazines, or ammo. They are tools and they need to be treated as such! I am evalling the HK45 to see if I'll move from the USP45 to it in the future, but since there aren't any holsters available for now I have lots of time to train up on it and get some mileage. So far it's been flawless.

I would call Travis at the HK LE section and ship the weapon back to him for a look-see. He's always been prompt and helpful with me any time I had a request or issue. If he can't fix it, 86 it for sure!

Doc

[thefryzone]

Not trying to start an arguement or flame you in any way. Being either a current or prior member of the Military doesn't make one any better or more knowledgable than any other American. Sure he called a magazine a clip, but he was also trying to offer help from his own lessons learned. I don't think he meant to offend or harm anyone. One of the many reasons this forum is by far the best is the willingness of people to help each other. Besides it is a lot more fun to talk about P30's than the difference between a mag and a clip. Again not trying to start an arguement;)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

thank you. you get my thumbs up.

[AaronUSP]

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thank you. you get my thumbs up.

He is right, but you are trained more.

[cmdrdredd]

10-4. You can't fall in love with your weapon, magazines, or ammo. They are tools and they need to be treated as such! I am evalling the HK45 to see if I'll move from the USP45 to it in the future, but since there aren't any holsters available for now I have lots of time to train up on it and get some mileage. So far it's been flawless.

I would call Travis at the HK LE section and ship the weapon back to him for a look-see. He's always been prompt and helpful with me any time I had a request or issue. If he can't fix it, 86 it for sure!

Doc

No holsters for the HK45? Comp-tac offers a few for the HK45, and Safariland has some duty holsters available for LEOs. I suppose if you want a leather holster that takes 2 years to get then there isn't an option for you. Personally, I don't have 2 years to wait before I carry my gun so I don't even look at those shops.

[Dr. No]

No holsters for the HK45? Comp-tac offers a few for the HK45, and Safariland has some duty holsters available for LEOs. I suppose if you want a leather holster that takes 2 years to get then there isn't an option for you. Personally, I don't have 2 years to wait before I carry my gun so I don't even look at those shops.

Safariland does not offer a holster that will run the HK45 with a Surefire x300 or TLR1 or any light that I know of at this time. I don't care about leather.

Doc

[cmdrdredd]

Safariland does not offer a holster that will run the HK45 with a Surefire x300 or TLR1 or any light that I know of at this time. I don't care about leather.

Doc

Light no, but you said "there aren't any holsters available..." which was too broad a statement for me to ignore :D

I guess if you have to have a light on it, it will be a bit of time before someone has something available.

[robert14]

10-4. You can't fall in love with your weapon, magazines, or ammo. They are tools and they need to be treated as such! I am evalling the HK45 to see if I'll move from the USP45 to it in the future, but since there aren't any holsters available for now I have lots of time to train up on it and get some mileage. So far it's been flawless.

I would call Travis at the HK LE section and ship the weapon back to him for a look-see. He's always been prompt and helpful with me any time I had a request or issue. If he can't fix it, 86 it for sure!

Doc
I have carried a stainless USP45f as my primary duty weapon for a few years now. The only time it ever malfunctioned was last year during an active shooter school when the instructor had us press check our weapons every time we finished a single presentation & firing. My weapon did not completely return to battery one time. I consider this to have been "instructor induced". In fact, every other HK pistol I own has been perfect in function, I guess that is why I trusted the P30 after 200 rounds. I still feel that, even if I had put 1000rnds thru the pistol when new, it would have worked fine. I believe that the mag springs weakened after being carried loaded for over two months. I told the smith today to send it to Travis if he cannot find the issue this week. My HK45 has been flawless after 1350rnds & I agree on it being my new primary duty pistol as soon as Safariland catches up & turns out a 6280 for it. Currently, I can FORCE it into my USP 45's 6280, but it is too tight for me to trust the setup. I have been told that if you get the 6280 for the Glock 21 that it will fit, but you have to remove the "plug" at the end of the holster & glue it back in place further down to fit the longer X300. Don't have the resources nor uniform allowance left to risk wasting it on this setup. I'll just wait for the right one to come out.
Stay safe...

[Dr. No]

We have similar taste. I've been shooting the USP45 for the better part of 8 years now, for the majority of my IDPA competition career, and since the start of my career as my duty weapon. I probably have a rough estimate of about 40k rounds through various USP45's, I've owned 5 different ones at different times. I've had a few malfunctions here or there, but with the mileage on the guns, usually its because of ammunition or not cleaning. :) I trust mine to the end, and they really do feel like an extension of my hand. That is the one reason I'm having trouble thinking about switching over to the HK45.... so much time and experience with the USP line will be hard to break.

I've heard the same about the HK45/G21 holster - I tried it on a friend's rig and the safety lever prevents the weapon from going fully into the holster even without a light. I'll wait for a 6280 or an ALS system to come out before I switch over.

Doc

[hessy]

I had a problem in the beginning with my P30, similar to what original poster described. The CS took care of it and now the pistol is flawless. No probs even with UMC ammo. All it cost me is shipping one-way. I think they polished the feed ramp and replaced springs in the mags.

[robert14]

OK, this should wrap up this thread as far as the origional issue goes. I just got the P30 back from the shop with new mag springs & it runs fine with UMC and Gold Dots, which it did not before. The smith states that I must have got weak / soft springs with the pistol or they would not have "set" from just 2 months of being loaded. Now, in my younger days, I rotated out my Glock mags monthly because of this issue (real or perceived). Thanks for everyone's assist & stay safe!

[steelshooter]

Thats weird. Soft springs? Oh well at least its fixed. Enjoy your P30!

[cmdrdredd]

Not the first time I've heard of this. Many people have noted some HK mags having weak springs and moving to heavier Wolff springs as a result.

[steelshooter]

Yeah I've seen it mentioned for previous HK pistols but I was kind of hoping it wasn't an issue on the P30 and HK 45. Wishful thinking I guess and something i will have to keep an eye on. The Hk mags are of such high quality you would think they wouldn't have spring issues.

[robert14]

Yeah I've seen it mentioned for previous HK pistols but I was kind of hoping it wasn't an issue on the P30 and HK 45. Wishful thinking I guess and something i will have to keep an eye on. The Hk mags are of such high quality you would think they wouldn't have spring issues.
Now, my HK45 has had all 4 mags fully loaded longer than my P30 with no issues. Perhaps it was one batch of springs like CZ just had with some hammer springs.

[smschulz]

Dr. No, excellent advice, I totally agree. In the past when I had a weapon that was not 100% reliable, I instantly got rid of it. I believe that the P30 is going by-by.
Seems a shame to give the P30 the death penalty...maybe a 'time-out' is in order. I would move one of your HK45's in to the starting spot. :cool:

[robert14]

Seems a shame to give the P30 the death penalty...maybe a 'time-out' is in order. I would move one of your HK45's in to the starting spot. :cool:
I fired 100 rnds thru it yesterday when I picked it up without a hiccup & I'll put several hundred more thru it this weekend & see how she runs. It may go to the back of the safe until I feel confident in her again. I realy don't want to part with it, but I will not keep a weapon I cannot trust. Today I have my "old reliable" stainless USP 45f on my hip. It has seen years of service & I trust it totally. My HK45 has been totally reliable so far with now 1400rnds thru it, but no Safariland duty holster....
The second HK45 is an unfired safe queen, sn#224.

[kdogg]

Just got a P30 today. Hope I have no issues although my springs are so damn tight I can hardly load the mags so I doubt I'll have any soft spring issues.

[geoff]

Just got a P30 today. Hope I have no issues although my springs are so damn tight I can hardly load the mags so I doubt I'll have any soft spring issues.


That's weird my NIB P30 had the softest mag springs I've ever used. When I loaded the 15th round I couldn't believe it was the 15th and had to double check. It went in like it was the 2nd round. I wonder why these guns are so inconsistent. It seems like if they are the same design and all reliable they should all be leaving the factory in the same condition.

[kdogg]

Weird... After about the first 3 rounds they got pretty tight and stayed tight right up til the end. I would say these are stiffer then my HK P2000 mag springs and as tight as any GLOCK 19,17,22 or GLOCK 23 magazine I own.

[robert14]

That's weird my NIB P30 had the softest mag springs I've ever used. When I loaded the 15th round I couldn't believe it was the 15th and had to double check. It went in like it was the 2nd round. I wonder why these guns are so inconsistent. It seems like if they are the same design and all reliable they should all be leaving the factory in the same condition.

That's how my springs were, very soft & very easy to load the mags. It was not an issue when new but after leaving them fully loaded for two months they became unreliable.

[kbrhk]

buy yourself some new clips and then clip your hair back into a ponytail!!!

[geoff]

That's how my springs were, very soft & very easy to load the mags. It was not an issue when new but after leaving them fully loaded for two months they became unreliable.

What did you do to fix them, change the springs? Now I'm worried mine will do the same. I've had a few episodes of failing to lock back. Is that what you mean by unreliable?

[robert14]

What did you do to fix them, change the springs? Now I'm worried mine will do the same. I've had a few episodes of failing to lock back. Is that what you mean by unreliable?
Mine suffered failure to feeds. I had issues with the slide locking back prematurely because my thumb was resting just below the slide lock lever, so I occasionally engaged it due to recoil. A lot of folks are having failure to lock back because their thumb is resting just over the slide lock, keeping it from locking back. The smith told me he changed out the springs with Wollf (spelling?) springs. They do have a great deal more resistance than the factory springs.

[steelshooter]

I thought I was bad...

buy yourself some new clips and then clip your hair back into a ponytail!!!