IDPA Match with the 97BD and a Strange Issue

[tdogg]

Today I had a great time with the 97BD!  We had some great stages that has a good mix of steel, reactive targets, and unique challenges.  I shot well and was reasonably accurate and fast.  I ended up second overall out of about 35 shooters and second in SSP division.

I did have something happen today that I've never seen happen in any pistol?  I was shooting through a stage and was in the prone position shooting under a barrel.  My gun jammed and I racked the slide to clear the failure to feed and there it was, my 97BD somehow fed a round into the chamber backwards?



I can't explain it, I know I didn't load the round backwards in the magazine.  Everyone was a little baffled.  We had to figure out how to handle it and ultimately a range safety officer and I went to the safety table to clear it.  We had to use a rod to push it out as it was fairly stuck in the chamber.  It was a little dicey but in the end it came out without issue.  They let me reshoot the stage and I didn't have any further issues.  Has anyone ever had this happen?  Any realistic explanation?

I didn't inspect the chamber but I finished the match without issue.  Is there anything I should inspect?

Cheers,
Toby

[Riptide439]

Did you make sure the 1st round was clear before you re-racked?

[tdogg]

Rip,

That's a good question?  I was on my right side lying down with the gun under a 50 gallon barrel and it didn't fire when I pulled the trigger (couldn't see the chamber).  I racked the slide and would expect the round to fall out (didn't see anything fall out but didn't look at the chamber at first) since the ejection port was open to the ground.  When it didn't fire after racking the slide, I looked at the chamber and found the round fully inserted in the chamber backwards.

Maybe somehow the round flipped around during the rack operation?  I would expect the next round in the mag to keep the original round from going into the chamber though? 

I can't explain it?

Cheers,
Toby

[Joe L]

My bet is that you were very weak when racking the slide from prone position, the round came loose from the extractor but didn't make it out of the gun, and then the slide came forward and just rammed the round in to the chamber backwards.  I am right handed and would have had to tilt the gun to the left to grasp the slide with the left hand so the port would be up, not down.  Then just bump the ejector enough to loosen the round, have it flip 180 but lie in the breech face area, and get loaded backwards. 

I'd put a snap cap or two in a magazine and try to duplicate it on the floor prone.  My bet is its all related to being prone, worst position for being able to rack the slide with any speed. 

Was the magazine latched in or free when the jam occurred?  If it was latched in, then maybe you pulled the slide back far enough to bump the ejector and free the round that never fully chambered but not far enough to catch the next round in the magazine.  Again, seems to me to be consistent with prone position weak attempt to rack the slide. 

Any idea why the gun jammed in the first place?  Was it the first round in the string or after a reload or mid magazine? 

Joe

[tdogg]

I should state that it didn't jam but it didn't fire when the trigger was pulled.  I don't know why it didn't fire?  It could have been a light strike or not completely in battery?  It was mid mag after about two or three shots.  In my haste to keep going I just racked the slide to attempt to clear the issue.  I wish I took the time to look when I attempted to clear it.  I was in a strange prone position and trying to go (too) fast.

The magazine was fully latched/seated.  It's entirely possible that my racking the slide flipped the round 180 just as you hypothesized.

Cheers,
Toby