Feed Jams on H&K USPc .40

As the title states, I've been having some issues with my H&K USP Compact. These jams are usually within the first few feeds of the day. I don't know if they occur with normal 180gr JHP loads, but they occur with the 165gr Winchester FMJ Target loads with some regularity. The gun feed jams around once every 100-150 rounds. Anyone who shoots with some regularity knows that this is FAR too often. :tired:

I have tried new magazines and this has not fixed the problem. I shoot with a fairly firm wrist, and I always tap my mags before putting one in. I'm fairly confused by this. I know an instructer from Gunsite and he said he had no idea what could be causing it either after looking at it. I love this firearm but I'm losing faith in its ability, especially because its currently my carry weapon.

OTHER THAN BUYING A NEW ONE..... lolol ..... Like I know some of you are itching to suggest - what do you guys and gals think I could do to try and fix this issue?

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I don't know if they occur with normal 180gr JHP loads, but they occur with the 165gr Winchester FMJ Target loads with some regularity.

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If you think about it imho you answered your own question , simply dont shoot that load and move on to function test with another .

No matter the autoloader it will have its preferances , just like some 2 yr olds dont like vegetables . Can the pistol be made to work with that ammo .... Yes but it may well impact its reliability with other loads . Try some other loads is first step imho

i would pass on that load to if its fine with your carry load thats all ya need

We'll see. I'm headin off to pop off about 200rds with some friends. We're gonna be shooting 180 JHPs. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Had a sequencial jam on the JHPs. Two rounds in a row. Any ideas?

how are you lubeing it and what kind of jams?

The H&K pistols are noted for their extreme functional reliability.
So.........your problem is RARE.
The first thing I would do is switch to a different ammo maker.

How important is it to that your pistol function perfectly with that exact ammo brand and weight? If not that important then usually an ammo switch is the quickest way to stay happy w/ your pistol.

Meanwhile...with top round in your mags FTFeed ~ I would look at the extractor first.

Possibly an incompatibility with that particular ammo case & your pistol extractor.
If the round cannot easily ride up into the extractor then it cannot feed into the chamber.

That being said...You need to take a real close microscope look at the rounds that are failing to feed.
Look for tell tale marking on the rounds.
You'll need to determine exactly how/why they are hanging up before you'll know how to correct the problem.

I never shoot anything Winchester anymore BTW.

I took a 3-day handgun course where we fired ~800 rds of WWB .40 165gr FP ammo in my H&K USP .40c. NOT one hiccup (also did NOT clean the gun until after the end of the course). I have also fired probably another 1500-2000 rds of the same WWB ammo in that gun with absolutely no feed problems.

Your problem is indeed rare.

I'd try some different ammo and if it occurs again, I'd have a competent gunsmith take a look at it.

Yeah I really don't need to use Winchester. It's just what I've normally shot. I'm going to try shooting some Remington. Unless you guys have a better reccomendation.....?

The ammo is failing to feed in a really odd manner. The rounds will feed out of the mag and lodge at about a 10 degree angle to the barrel. The bottom of the slide comes forward and jams the round into this position with the head of the round in the chamber with the brass "smooshed" outside.

LenS: Yeah I prolly put ~4000 rounds through this thing before this started happening. The problem came around rather abruptly . . . . . when I moved to Arizona. ::rubs stubble:: I dunno.
I've also noticed that this gun tends to shoot better once you put a few rounds through the barrel. It seems to get more accurate to me. lol

My agency issues Winchester WinClean 165 grain BEB ammo for training. It works fine in my issue SIGARMS P229; but it's caused malfs in my Walther P99 QA and CZ-40B which are normally reliable guns. My Beretta 96F Centurion and Steyr S40 haven't had any problems with that load. Speer 165 grain Gold Dot JHPs work well in those guns....so I know it's the Winchester ammo.

Well, Your FTFeed are happening with the top rounds in a fully loaded mag.



fully stoked mag = maximum upward pressure on the cartridges.

a very easy and painless thing to try would be to buy a fresh recoil spring...since an old recoil spring may not be providing quite enough forward slide energy to strip your top rounds from the fully loaded mags properly timed.
This would especially be something to try if....when you get that jam a sharp palm smack to the rear of the slide feeds the jammed round.

you can try to lightly break any sharp mag feed lip edges where the cartridges contact those edges.

again...also look at the extractor.

Good idea with the recoil spring, man. I checked the extractor last night. Everything looks good. Can I just order a recoil spring off the internet or do I need to goto a shop for it?

+1 on the recoil spring. I've had my USPc .40 for 8 years and replaced the spring about 3 years ago. Never had any jams or malfunctions. Good luck

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Maybe contact HK. They may fix it for nothing. Not sure my 14 yr old USP has never had any issues.