Ruger ARX self defense ammo .380 gone bad?

dmacman · Nov 10, 2019

I was shooting with a friend when I decided to try some of my Ruger ARX self-defense ammunition in .380. To my surprise, 2 out of the 6 rounds in the magazine failed to fire. The gun is a Smith and Wesson Bodyguard and I have never had any issues with the gun like this in the past. And for the ammo, it is approx. 2 years old and I purchased it from a reputable shop in my home town. I will enclose some pictures. The round in the upper right is one that failed. A heads up to make sure you practice with what you intend to defend yourself or your family with.

edzz · Nov 10, 2019

I may be off the mark on this one however to me that looks like a light firing pin strike.
Did you have problems with any other .380 ammo in that gun on this outing?

As the weather gets colder light strikes can become more common.
Cold can cause lubricants to thicken creating increased resistance thereby causing lighter strikes.

I had a similar problem with a Taurus that turned out to be caused by the factory grease congealing and preventing the firing pin from striking properly.
Stripping cleaning and lubricating with Breakfree restored its reliability.

Nick Burkhardt · Nov 11, 2019

S&W Bodyguards are prone to light primer strikes.

Pandaz3 · Nov 11, 2019

I have used a lot of different ammo of all kinds in my many 380's and concentrated on SD ammo. I have tried many brands, but settled on Underwood with XTP's both standard and +P. The XTP has a smaller mouth for a JHP than most and that seems to allows it to feed well. Never a problem with it.

I did have a similar problem with a XDS 45 and found I had used a lube that congealed with a excess in the striker channel. Like edzz said a good cleaning then CAREFUL lubrication, took care of the problem.

dmacman · Nov 11, 2019

I did use some Blazer Brass ball ammo on the same outing and the pistol did not miss fire a single one of those. I did clean it gun and will try the ARX ammo again, but I will not be using it for EDC.

revjen45 · Dec 29, 2019

This is why we should always shoot our EDC loads at the range before we carry them.

The Heretic · Dec 29, 2019

Insert the offending cartridge manually and try with a second strike. I have read that 80% of misfires are remedied by a second strike.

I've had a few fail to fires, mostly rimfires, but also had some with a DW .44 Mag - occasional light strikes and the factory fixed it.

Which is why I like my DA/SA SIGs; fail to fire? Pull the trigger again.

Pandaz3 · Dec 29, 2019

The Heretic said:
Insert the offending cartridge manually and try with a second strike. I have read that 80% of misfires are remedied by a second strike.

I've had a few fail to fires, mostly rimfires, but also had some with a DW .44 Mag - occasional light strikes and the factory fixed it.

Which is why I like my DA/SA SIGs; fail to fire? Pull the trigger again.

Ans my Taurus G2C's in 9 MM and 40 S&W.

The Heretic · Dec 29, 2019

Bought an almost new Marlin .22 bolt action rimfire here. First few shots were misfires about every third cartridge. Took the bolt apart, cleaned with alcohol. Still had congealed grease from the factory - now it shoots fine.

revjen45 · Dec 29, 2019

80% - Hmmm.
*CLICK* (The loudest sound there is under fire)
80% chance of >BANG< with 2nd pull
So...
80% right now, or cycle a new round and hope it feeds, etc. for almost sure to fire just a tad later.
I'm going for a new round.
That's why some people carry revolvers too.
Plan B:
Deploy B.U.G.