10,959 rounds
7 stoppages, 0 malfunctions, 0 parts breakages
The test gun returned from HK’s service center in Columbus, Georgia today. It went straight to the range and …
… 1,000 trouble free rounds in a row, fired in about three hours, without any cleaning or additional lubrication. In fact, I even fired 100 rounds each of the Atlanta Arms & Ammo 115gr TCJ and the 115gr Blazer FMJ which had suffered stoppages previously. No problem. At one point, I was randomly staggering magazines with the AA&A, Blazer, and Federal 124gr +p HST just to see if something would stop working … but it didn’t.
HK reports that the gun apparently left the factory with an out-of-spec hammer spring (a.k.a. mainspring). Even after nearly 10,000 rounds, it was still putting too much tension on the hammer. Thus, when the gun recoiled, it had to fight more resistance than intended and once in a while (7 times, at least) it wouldn’t cycle completely. This resulted in the extraction failures.
An HK gunsmith called me earlier this week to discuss his findings. I was extremely impressed with his knowledge and professionalism. He documented every single thing done to the gun, including the one replaced part (hammer spring). HK test fired 255 rounds while the gun was in Georgia, split between 115gr American Eagle FMJ, 124gr American Eagle FMJ, and 124gr Remington FMJ. Finally, the gunsmith performed what the repair form calls a Basic Cleaning along with the handwritten note “Didn’t want to take all your fun away.” 8)
My confidence in the gun is 100%, and it is back in my holster after tonight’s marathon. Before next week’s P30 Thursday entry, we should have 2,000 Round Challenge results, finally!
Train hard & stay safe! ToddG
Previous P30 Endurance Test posts at pistol-training.com:
- Week Seven
- Week Six
- Week Five
- Week Four
- Week Three
- Week Two
- Week One
- Initial Report
ooh a VP, got to play with one similar to that just recently.
Interesting how a mainspring can cause such problems. Especially when you consider us gamers play with hammer spring weights all the time, and we have to work our loads to accommodate spring strengths and such.
Let’s hope that all will be well, now. Happy shooting!!
Could this run in the P30 line and be what is making it prone to slide lock failures? Or is it likely the extra long slide release getting interfered with by thumbs on the grip? I get quite a few slide lock failures. One could be riding the slide but this is the only gun with this problem for me.
P30Man — The P30’s slide lock lever is fairly large and extends farther back than some people are used to. The vast majority of people who are having slidelock issues are almost certainly causing it themselves. The easiest way to test your gun is to load all of your magazines with a single round and then fire them one-handed, being sure to bend your thumb down into a “fist” to be sure it’s not contacting the lever in recoil. If all your mags lock back, it’s not the gun …
Todd – Is there a site or forum where you are posting this also? Similar to the test done on the M&P.
Russell — HKPRO.com and M4Carbine.net both have ongoing threads about the P30 testing.
Hey Todd, Suzi’s (the one you fired) P30 has the same problem of every once in a while having a stoppage (stovepipe). Is this something that HK warranties on their springs? Cheers, Stay Safe
Terry N – Stovepipes are not usually caused by the same thing. It could be weak mag springs or, more commonly, an improper grip or bad ammo. If it happens when you shoot the gun, I’d consider sending it — and your spare mags — off to HK for a check-up.