.380 jamming on last round....

Hey guys.. I've got a Star .380 pistol, 1960's vintage that was passed down to me from my dad. I'm not a real big gun person... in fact this is the first firearm I've ever owned myself. I'm having a jamming issue with it and thought I would ask some people who know. The pistol is a 6+1 but the slide will jam EVERY single time on the last round, requiring me to manually remove the round from the chamber. I've looked at the magazine and to me it looks fine, but I don't have another to compare it to, so I can't be sure..as far as I know its the original magazine that came with the gun. I'm assuming that the magazine is catching the slide prematurely on the last round instead of waiting until the last round clears the chamber... my questions are; is this a common issue with these guns and is there anything I can do myself to stop it from happening...

Welcome to the forum. I wish I could help you, but I cant.:confused: Hope you get your problem worked out though!

I would try a fresh magazine spring first to see if that solves your problem.
Call Wolff Gunsprings.....or since you really need more than one magazine for every pistol that you own - Go to gunbroker.com & type "Star .380" into the search block.
Anywhere around $25.00 for a fresh Star mag is a fair price.
There are always Star .380 mags listed.

Also you might try switching to a different brand of .380 ammo since there are always very slight dimensional differences between ammo brands.

Welcome to the Forum. I tend to agree with QK, the gun is 40+ years old, if it has never been changed out, good possibility the mag spring is worn out. Replace it and see if that resolves your troubles.

Wolff Gunsprings - Firearm Springs for Semi-Auto Pistols, Revolvers, Rifles, & Shotguns

I would say weak mag spring too. Sometimes it is worth a trip to the gunshop before you start ordering parts. Most good guys will take a look and give you advice for free. Even if they are not a gunsmith, they handle tinker and tune them all day.

mag problem. new mag and/or a new mag spring will fix the problem.

Might not be a bad idea to give your gun a thorough cleaning, if you haven't already...including the magazine(s).

Thanks for the replies.. I guess I'll look into another mag for the gun.. although the spring on this one does seem pretty strong (takes a fair amount of pressure to load it).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RegularJoe

Thanks for the replies.. I guess I'll look into another mag for the gun.. although the spring on this one does seem pretty strong (takes a fair amount of pressure to load it).

---

Well, let me say one thing.........I figure .380 pistols jam more than anything when they are in top shape. A lot of them were not engineered for long term use. There are ways to mitigate problems with the .380 autos of the past. but very seldom available. Lots of them had magazines a gorilla couldn't open even to replace springs or followers. New magazines may be hard to find, or at a premium price even if you can. I'd look for used at your local gun shop as for their trade ins when possible.

Quote:

---

Hey guys.. I've got a Star .380 pistol, 1960's vintage that was passed down to me from my dad. I'm not a real big gun person... in fact this is the first firearm I've ever owned myself. I'm having a jamming issue with it and thought I would ask some people who know. The pistol is a 6+1 but the slide will jam EVERY single time on the last round, requiring me to manually remove the round from the chamber. I've looked at the magazine and to me it looks fine, but I don't have another to compare it to, so I can't be sure..as far as I know its the original magazine that came with the gun. I'm assuming that the magazine is catching the slide prematurely on the last round instead of waiting until the last round clears the chamber... my questions are; is this a common issue with these guns and is there anything I can do myself to stop it from happening...

---

Springs, extractors, etc.........those .380 pistols made in the past can be more of a burden than what they're worth. You should determine this pistol's worth to you. Since it's a hand me down from a family member, and probably worth little for resale, I'd keep it as is with some cleaning. I figure it's not worth more than $50 on the market if even that. If you are thinking about keeping it for your own use at the range or for CC, then IMO......the costs of finding parts or magazines will lead you on a long search and more than likely take it's toll financially with no means to an end. Best advice I can give you is to preserve your pistol passed down from your dad as a keepsake. If you are interested in a pistol of your own, find one, and get one in the here and now. IMO, forget about selling that pistol your dad passed down to you, and forget about using it in the practical sense. It's an heirloom and as such it should remain. Just my 2¢

RegularJoe

Check your pm's

Yeah sounds like a weak magazine spring to me....... you can buy a new one from Wolf Springs..... n replace it yourself.