Failure to feed question

[EDinNC]

First of all, I am a newbie to semi auto handguns. I have had my CZ82 for around a year and have fired maybe 200 rounds through it in that time with no problems. I really like the gun.

Around a month or so ago I took my ccw class. When we went to shoot I had a failure to feed. It was about 95 degrees and 98 percent humidity and I was nervous as hell, hands shaking, and sweating so profusely that the instructor gave me a towel. At about round 18 (of 30 rounds) I had a failure to feed. After the failure was cleared there were no further problems.

Since then, I have lost confidence in the gun and semi autos. At least with a revolver you can pull the trigger again. With a semi auto you are out of business.

I know I was probably making every mistake that can be made, but can anyone tell me what might have caused this and what can be done to eliminate the problem?

Thank you in advance for any help.

[Hurryin Hoosier]

No offense meant, but I think that you're pole-vaulting over mouse poop. Anything mechanical can have a problem from time to time - even wheel guns. What you encountered was probably pure happenstance. Don't be too quick to give up.

[1SOW]

ED:

At about round 18 (of 30 rounds) I had a failure to feed. After the failure was cleared there were no further problems.

Since then, I have lost confidence in the gun and semi autos. At least with a revolver you can pull the trigger again. With a semi auto you are out of business.

Ed,  maybe I'm missing something,  but you said a failure to feed problem,  then you mention a revolvers ability to pull the trigger again.  If it didn't feed there would be no cartridge in the chamber  to DROP a hammer on.  What I'm asking for is more step by step description of the problem so we can try to help.
1. You fired a round
2. It didn't eject, OR it partially ejected but their was a jam,  OR ....fill in the blanks.

[knoxy]

Weak mag spring, dirty mag?

If it was a FTE/stovepipe, check the extractor. Were you limp-wristing it?

[fullerb1]

i would have to echo knoxy's last comment. I have had 2 stovepipes in the 3000ish rounds I have put through my 82.
They were both because I limp wristed. They like a firm hand.

[recoilguy]

Nervous, sweaty palms, My first thought is operator error.

Like 1SOW said we do need some more info to say for sure but you need a good grip on any gun to make it work right. I would be inclined to say you limp wristed the gun and or didn't have a good enough grip to ensure proper function.

Its easy to say the gun didn't work or the ammo is not and either of those may be, but of the folks shooting that I have seen get FTE or FTF's it has almost everytime been improper technique.

RCG

[Terminatorret]

Magazines are a strong possibility. Lots of cheap look-alike magazines on the market. I sent my son to his CHL class with my CZ83...sent him with the crappy mags (I discovered later). FTF at the same round remaining in every mag. He came home (after passing), and I noticed I had sent him to the range with aftermarket mags. Then (without cleaning) we  loaded and used REAL CZ "crossed saber" mags and couldn't get it to FFT at all! Hmmmm? Great pistol made unreliable by crappy imitation magazines.

[EDinNC]

Thank you all for your speedy replies and interest in helping. What happened was that the round did not fully enter the firing chamber. All of my prior shooting was alone, in the woods behind my house in cooler weather. The ammo was the same as I've used before: Federal American Eagle, 95gr. fmj. I have 2 mags and they both have what I think are "crossed sabers" on the lower left rear of the mags.

Thank you all again.

[Wishoot]

As others have mentioned, I would replace every spring possible in the pistol and mags. 

If you didn't replace the springs when you bought it, it may just solve your issues with the gun. 

[1SOW]

With it clean and oiled:
knoxy:+1 on the mag "springs" are important to present the next round for smooth feeding
RCG:  +1  on the good grip/"limpwristing"--- can make a big difference,  somewhat dependent on the recoil spring weight and cartridge load strength. 
               Just to mention:  with a light recoil spring in my 75B,   a three finger sideways grip did feed and fire reliably with minor PF loads.   I tried hard
                to limpwrist it and couldn't.

[EDinNC]

Thank you again guys. I'm looking at the 2 mags now. I don't know which one failed. On the back of the mags there are the 3 holes. On 1 mag the center of the rounds line up pretty much in the center of the holes in the mag. On the other mag the holes are very much off centered, upward. And the 1st round sits higher and is pointing more upward. Right now I sure wish I had paid more attention to which mag had the failure. 

The problem is much more probably me but there is certainly a difference between the mags.

[Hurryin Hoosier]

If (and I say if) they are both factory magazines, they should be identical - unless, of course, one of them was "bubba"d.

Something else I would suggest would be quality ammo (my favorites being Sellier & Bellot and Fiocchi). I have never been impressed with American Eagle in any form.

[EDinNC]

Thank you HH. AE is the ammo that my local independent guy, Woody Wood stocks (you just gotta love a guy with a name like that ) I bought the gun from Century, so I'm assuming no one here messed with it. The difference in the way the rounds are sitting in the mags is troubling to me. Unfortunately, we are at the height of tourist season here and I cannot shoot at my "outback" range right now or I would go out back and do some comparison shooting with the gun and 2 mags and keep track of the results. Things will slow down in a few weeks.

Been checking springs at CZ USA. Fortunately they are available and cheap. Unfortunately I have never done anything like that before. I guess that is what retirement was invented for

[EDinNC]

As a side note, Woody's store is on Bullseye Lane which is right off of Alligator Rd. I kid you not. I just love living here

[Skookum]

Thank you again guys. I'm looking at the 2 mags now. I don't know which one failed. On the back of the mags there are the 3 holes. On 1 mag the center of the rounds line up pretty much in the center of the holes in the mag. On the other mag the holes are very much off centered, upward. And the 1st round sits higher and is pointing more upward. Right now I sure wish I had paid more attention to which mag had the failure. 

The problem is much more probably me but there is certainly a difference between the mags.

Take-home lesson:  Mark your mags so you can easily identify different contents (eg, FMJs vs JHPs) or any potential mag-specific problems.  Silver Sharpie wears off too easily.  Stickers covered with clear nail polish are better, but must be affixed somewhere the friction of inserting and releasing the mag won't wear it off.  A simple system of nail polish dots in a friction-free area is probably the best I've found.


CZ 82 and 83 (.380 Auto and 9 Makarov) are interchangeable.  Some milsurp mags have different bases, but the walls of the mags are the same.  Thus, the differences you are observing are suspicious.  Try marking the mags and reproducing the problem before replacing all springs.