My Win SX3 jams in cold - fixed

K

klask7

New member
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
The colder the weather the more it jams. Last weekend after just 10 shots on trap range it jammed really bad. Used shell was still in the chamber and new one was out of magazine in the feeder. And I had real hard time to pull back action to extract used shell. In summer time I would get jams once in a while after maybe 100 shots or more. Winter time is awful! One guy told me once when I bought this gun that Beretta would never jam not after a 100 or 1000 shots in a raw and told me to get rid of my sx3 and buy Beretta instead. Did I make a mistake buying sx3? Why is it jamming so much? I clean it really thorough. Lube the points specified in manual (actually only rails where bolt slides are specified in manual to be oiled). So what is wrong with it? Is there perhaps winter oil that I can use? I usually use Outers gun oil but this last time I tried G96 synthetic oil and it jammed again! Please help.
 
Last edited:
Dont lube it!

Oil turns to some sticky stuff in extreme cold. Slows down or can even stop it from cycling.

I dont lube any of my guns when shooting in the winter. Just a wipe with an oiled rag is all they need.

Other option is a dry lube like a teflon powder.

You can test the theory by leaving your car running and when it starts jamming go sit in the car for 10 minutes with the gun with the heat on full blast aimed at the open action.

I will bet you the next few shots don't jam till it gets cold again.
 
Yes, DO NOT LUBE A GUN when using in the winter.

My SX3 has never failed once and I have shot a lot of trap with it 250-500 shells in a weekend and never had one failure in fact the gun was not dirty at all.

And I second the s**tty wal-mart crappy tire ammo. Go to a real gun store to buy your ammo, not only does it come in flats of 250 its actually cheaper to buy there then at wal-mart and the shells are of better quality.

Maybe there is a machining flaw that was not caught at the factory, surprising as every SX3 is shot before it leaves for pattern testing.

Or

Did you buy it used and maybe need to clean the gas ports in the barrel and the gas piston.
 
X2 on the cheap 2 3/4 Ammo

I have an SX2 and It runs like crap on the cheap 2 3/4 ammo...

And also the cheap plastic mag follower, Change it to a Nordic Component ...

And like Winchested said clean the gas regulator... I dump mine in solvent, Then CLP...
 
How cold was it? What type of ammo were you using? How long has it been since you checked the gas ports? Was the failure to eject you mentioned the typical jam or does something else happen? Have you checked the extractor to ensure it's clean?

I don't necessarily agree with the "don't lube your guns in the cold" advice. Use less lubrication with an oil doesn't gum up at lower temperatures. I've used BreakFree CLP and G96 in temps as cold as -25C in my semi-autos without a problem.
 
IMHO if your shotgun was jamming in the summer it is not a cold weather issue. You do need to lubricate firearms in any weather, cold or hot. I use (regular) Nyoil in above freezing temps and either Birchwood Casey, G-96 or Nyoil synthetic oils in below freezing temps. In this case I think proper lubrication is not the issue. I would have a qualified gunsmith look over your firearm to see what is causing the malfunctions.
 
get some 3 inch magnums and report back... sounds like ammo to me...

I keep my SX2 dry except for the Bolt rails... I put 1 drop of CLP in the rails...

-10 ish that day

cheap 3 inch crappy tire birdshot. The same ammo in 2 3/4 dosent cycle


[youtube]XvO6_Aei2B8[/youtube]
 
klask7 said:
Thanks for responses guys!

Temperature was -5 C. First jam happened after maybe 10 shots. After that we had more jams. Sometimes it would not extract shell and do 'smoking pipe' - when shell is stuck perpendicular to the barrel. Even with just one cartridge sometimes it would fail to extract it. Once I believe it extracted it but action did not stay opened like it's supposed to, but I maybe mistaken on this one. But I believe one most often type of jam was when used cartridge would be still in chamber, action is closed, or perhaps a little bit open and stuck. I did use drop of oil on each of the railings like instructed in manual. So yes - perhaps oiling is a problem.

Ammo used was Winchester Super Target 2-3/4, 1200 fps, 3 dram, 1-1/8 oz. I did not buy it in walmart - it was Lebaron. I thought winchester gun, winchester ammo should be good combination, no? :)

Gas ports are clean as everything else, including extractor. As I said I REALLY thorough in cleaning it.

So to those who is not using any oil in cold - what provides lubrication to moving pats then? Or are metals not subjected to friction in the cold? Am I missing something?

Also let me ask you this - how are other guns in this situation? I mentioned beretta. Would berretta autoloader work in any circumstances no matter what?
Click to expand...
It's tough to say what the problem might be without seeing the gun but I would definitely try another brand of ammo. Winchester Super Target is lower end product and I've had trouble with it before. I'd suggest Remington Gun Club or, if you can find it, Kent.
 
klask7 said:
Thanks for responses guys!



Temperature was -5 C. First jam happened after maybe 10 shots. After that we had more jams. Sometimes it would not extract shell and do 'smoking pipe' - when shell is stuck perpendicular to the barrel. Even with just one cartridge sometimes it would fail to extract it. Once I believe it extracted it but action did not stay opened like it's supposed to, but I maybe mistaken on this one. But I believe one most often type of jam was when used cartridge would be still in chamber, action is closed, or perhaps a little bit open and stuck. I did use drop of oil on each of the railings like instructed in manual. So yes - perhaps oiling is a problem.

Ammo used was Winchester Super Target 2-3/4, 1200 fps, 3 dram, 1-1/8 oz. I did not buy it in walmart - it was Lebaron. I thought winchester gun, winchester ammo should be good combination, no? :)

Gas ports are clean as everything else, including extractor. As I said I REALLY thorough in cleaning it.

So to those who is not using any oil in cold - what provides lubrication to moving pats then? Or are metals not subjected to friction in the cold? Am I missing something?

Also let me ask you this - how are other guns in this situation? I mentioned beretta. Would berretta autoloader work in any circumstances no matter what?
Click to expand...

So have you cleaned the recoil spring or not?
 
I don't think it's a problem with the gun, the SX3 is a top notch shotgun. If I were a betting man, I'd wager it's the ammo that's causing the jam. The base of the shell is swelling too much (which the low end Winchester and Federal is well known for doing). It's why I mentioned the Walmart ammo. I have seen it at LeBaron's as well.
When you had a shell stuck in the chamber, did you have to struggle with the action to get it out? It could possibly be the ejector is now beginning to fail, (but I doubt it), which could have been originally caused by the ammo jamming.
Try a better grade of ammo next time out and let us know if your problem is solved.
 
klask7 said:
You are asking about the spring on magazine tube, correct? Then yes - I did clean it. I did not clean the spring inside the stock though.
Click to expand...

Yes the recoil spring is in the Stock. But I also agree it is probably an ammo problem.
 
I forgot about the part about the ST winny ammo. They don't always work with alot of diff guns.

I was referring to the spring in the stock as 64 had pointed out.
 
I would bet a fair chunk of change it was the winchester super targets. I've seen that ammo make more than a few semis unreliable. I also disagree with not lubricating guns in winter. Use appropriate lubricants (G96 is cold weather appropriate - excellent stuff) for the weather and you won't have issues. Again, I doubt you issue is lubricant related. You're shooting 2 3/4 shells out of a 3 or 3 1/2" gun that may barely cycle them in warm weather. Add cold weather and powder doesn't burn as well and primers aren't as hot and the shell doesn't produce the required pressure to cycle the gun. Try Federal Top Guns or Remington Gun Club as others have suggested.
 
Seems like it was over-oiling problem. I used just 'dry' lube last weekend and it cycled well. Thanks everybody.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom