Pistol Slide Jammed Solid

DiMP

DiMP

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UPDATE on Post #18

Last set of days off I went to the range for some pistol shooting. When I went to shoot my Ruger P345 (which I've owned for 15+ years and put hundreds, if not thousands, of rounds through without a single issue) I inserted a loaded magazine and released the slide. Pulled the trigger and the gun did not fire. After keeping the pistol pointed downrange for a minute or two in case of hangfire, I removed the magazine and attempted to rack the slide. The slide will not budge a millimeter! No movement at all! So now I have a loaded round in the chamber and seemingly no way to clear it. I have reached out to Ruger customer service and they directed me to contact Gravel Agency as they are Canada's Ruger Warranty center; I am still waiting to hear back from them

I have thought of two courses of action, but will not try either one until I hear back from Gravel or an expert on here, in case a better solution is out there

1) Attempt to clear the stuck round by attempting to fire it again. Once the pistol jammed up, I was hesitant to fire it. But I could use a vise and a string to fire the pistol 'remotely' in case something goes awry
Pros: Easy to try
Cons: Could damage firearm in unexpected ways

2) Refer to attached photo, but if I can cut/gring/(choose your word) the slide release/take down pin (part number 54 on the attached picture) I should be able to remove the takedown pin and disassemble the firearm by pulling the slide off the front just like for cleaning, but without the need to move the slide rearward like is normally required to remove that pin.
Pros: Disassembly would show what's broken without having to fire the gun
Cons: I can't find that part in stock anywhere. Ruger simply asked me to ask Gravel without answering any of my other questions, such as "was this takedown pin/slide release lever used on any other pistols?" If it was, I could search for that part from a different pistol


To try and answer some questions I assume are coming:

Were you shooting factory ammo?
Yes, this was factory ammo. In particular, this is the last of the stock I have of the classic Canada Ammo 1911/ammo deal where they had crates of Norinco 45acp for dirt cheap. As mentioned above, I've probably put 1000-1500 rounds of this exact ammo through this pistol without any issues over the last decade

Why don't you just bring it to a gunsmith?
Obviously, I can't mail the firearm in it's current condition and the nearest smith is a multi-hour drive. I will do it if I need to, but if at all possible I would like to avoid it

You shouldn't have travelled home from the range with a loaded pistol
I know, but options are/were limited. In it's current state the pistol's safety (which is also a firing pin disconnect) is locked on as this pistol has a key-locked safety, plus a trigger lock, plus locked in a hard case, AND locked in a gun cabinet. I'm trying to make this as safe as I can given the circumstances






Attached photo showing the part I assume if I cut to remove I should be able to disassemble the pistol but is also as-I-believe-it-to-be not currently replaceable (Part #54)

Ruger_P345_schem.jpg
 
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Is the slide all the way forward in battery? Completely locked?
Try to fire it again.
Handload?
Hold the slide firmly, and ram your hand hard against the grip - don't hold the grip and try to pull the slide back. Repeat. Really good chance it will pop loose with the extra force being applied.

No way I would start cutting things in an attempt to dismantle a loaded pistol.
 
tiriaq said:
Is the slide all the way forward in battery? Completely locked?
Yes, fully in battery
Try to fire it again.
Handload?
No, factory ammo
Hold the slide firmly, and ram your hand hard against the grip - don't hold the grip and try to pull the slide back. Repeat. Really good chance it will pop loose with the extra force being applied.

No way I would start cutting things in an attempt to dismantle a loaded pistol.
Click to expand...

Answered in quote bubble in bold
 
I'm going to assume that you are at home, not somewhere you could fire the pistol.
Try holding the slide and slamming your hand onto the grip. This does apply a lot more force that simply tugging the slide back.
 
I would guess the bullet is jammed into the rifling. Try cycling the slide. I know you did already so try harder. I have had to press the nose of the slide against a wooden tabletop to increase the force, which can be significant.
 
I think it would be a good idea to NOT work on the pistol at home, there is too much risk of a accidental discharge and someone calling the cop.
 
What tiriaq is suggesting, is what has worked for me, when I have had a slide jammed in "battery" position. Other than that, if you can't exert enough force with your hand - you could lock the slide in a vice - with wood or plastic between the jaws and the slide (so you don't mar it) and tap the back of the handle of the pistol with a rubber mallet. Many light taps, rather than a hard blow. Be mindful of where the muzzle is pointing - just in case.
 
If you want to try holding the slide in a vise, take the vise and pistol to the range.

You don't want to be like the President of the NFA who put a bullet through the wall into his neighbor's apartment.
 
I'd normally tap the muzzle off the wooden bench. Just catch it under the barrel so it moves the slide and not just hit the barrel, or guide rod.
 
OkayShooter said:
I'd normally tap the muzzle off the wooden bench. Just catch it under the barrel so it moves the slide and not just hit the barrel, or guide rod.
Click to expand...

Which is more or less what I suggested. To each their own but I wouldn't be hitting a loaded gun with anything when you can just simply do that.
 
I had this happen when I first started loading 45 acp, went by the manual for oal and not the plunk test. I’ve had factory ammo in different calibers that were poorly loaded as well, it happens.

Stuck a peice of staedler eraser in between the hammer and firing pin after I saw the firing pin was all the way back and a couple gentle taps with a brass rod and out it popped. Probably not 100% safe, more like 95%.

Tapping on the slide will do the same, peice of soft wood.

Held in a vice, pointed down the range of course
 
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I’ve had this happen and I used the rear sights to force it open. Hook the sights on something solid and push forward on the grip. I recall reading about this technique from done well known instructor but can’t recall whom. I’ve done it a few times and it worked.
 
Looks like my OT day tomorrow may be cancelled, so I'm working on sourcing a vice to bring to the range tomorrow. If I can't find a vice I'll try to rig something up using wood clamps. I hadn't even thought of attempting any solutions at home, like others said, too much risk. I'll update this thread if/when I solve this

EDIT: It's also somewhat good to know others have had similar issues and got it solved. It doesn't seem common enough though to start packing a rubber mallet in my range bag though
 
did you try re cocking and firing again , or more?
are you sure it loaded a round , check the chamber with a range rod or wood dowel , bad ,bent brass is the usual problem
Most times the slide will not be all the way ahead, hammer will not fall, did the hammer fall? if not the slide is not in battery
 
marshall said:
did you try re cocking and firing again , or more?
are you sure it loaded a round , check the chamber with a range rod or wood dowel , bad ,bent brass is the usual problem
Most times the slide will not be all the way ahead, hammer will not fall, did the hammer fall? if not the slide is not in battery
Click to expand...

I did not attempt to re-fire. After it jammed up I got a little concerned. Hindsight I wish I had attempted this

Hammer did fall and slide is/was all the way in battery
 
UPDATE:

Took a drive to the range today with a couple clamps and a rubber mallet and got the gun cleared. After bringing it home and fully disassembling it, I can't see anything obviously broken. I think I have narrowed it down to a group/section of parts. If I reassemble it with the ejector (part #46 on Numrich's diagram) in the down position (where it needs to be for disassembly) the slide moves without issue. If I put the ejector in the assembled/upright position (or it gets pushed up with a magazine) the slide jams up solid again. One of the times I reassembled it today with the ejector upright, the slide moved freely but the hammer would fall every time the slide closed as if the safety/decocker was engaged

Luckily, now that I have narrowed it down, I can reassemble the pistol and if it locks up, I can use a dental pick through the magwell to pull down the ejector and move the slide to disassemble. Obviously, I can't use the pistol, but at least now it's unloaded and can be, if required, mailed to a gunsmith

Anyone see anything obvious that I can't see in this photo set of the ejector?

20230907-121846.jpg
 
When you say that the slide was in battery and the hammer fell ... and the round did not fire - did you check to see if the primer was struck? If the primer was not struck -- you may wish to have a closer look at the safety/decocker mechanism as it may have blocked the striker. When you fully disassembled the firearm did you try and drop the round you had problems with, in the barrel chamber to see if chambered properly/completely?
 
The round had no marks on the primer. I did not try the plunk test and dropped the ejected round into the dud container at the range
 
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