1st shot flier ????

[mainiac]

Ive been shooting the crap out of a bersa 380,,little sucker shoots way better then it ought to!but alas,it will shoot the 1st shot,about 2 to 3 inches high,this is everytime,so i know it has to do with manually chambering and rackung slide.this being a fixed barrell gun,has me awful curious why it does it.

Anybody hadthis issue before?

[44MAG#1]

Just shoot the first shot into the backstop, drop the mag and put extra round in the gun and then you will be set. I know that is a simplistic answer but what else could you do that would be more simple?
At self defense distances does it really hurt anything for it to puke on the first shot as long as it fires reliably?
It is odd though.

[Dan Cash]

All kinds of auto loaders tend to throw the first round somewhere out of the group. The problem is as old as autoloaders and I doubt anyone has the definitive answer. I too have a Bersa among my Colts and Savage and other odds and ends and am not concerned about it as I doubt I will get a one shot stop any way.

[mainiac]

All kinds of auto loaders tend to throw the first round somewhere out of the group. The problem is as old as autoloaders and I doubt anyone has the definitive answer. I too have a Bersa among my Colts and Savage and other odds and ends and am not concerned about it as I doubt I will get a one shot stop any way.

Ya,,i know it happens,,but this gun does it everytime.with a fixed barrell,,then this has to be slide not shutting hard enough,by hand.i just thought it was intresting to share.

[NC_JEFF]

Are you following the slide home (still holding on as it chambers the first round)? I let my off hand come off the back of the slide so the first round clambering is under the same forces as any subsequent round, just my thoughts, hope it helps,

[mainiac]

Tried it every different way there is,same thing.if i slow mo,easily let the slide foward,,it will shoot high,but no more so then letting it slam.this is intresting to me.

[country gent]

recoil and slide movement combination, slide isnt seating the same from hand chamber to fired. Another area to look at is mags. Try leaving mag one short and shooting.

[shooting on a shoestring]

Perhaps the rounds after the first shot are experiencing a small amount of setback due to higher slide velocity returning to battery. I’m thinking when fired, the slide bounces when it contacts the frame at the end of it’s rearward travel like a ball bouncing when dropped on the floor. Hand racking the first round would not have the extra energy bc the slide would be at rest before being released to travel forward under only force from recoil spring.

In addition, when releasing the slide by hand there will be a little bit of slide travel forward as the hand pressure is relieved probably in microseconds. During that brief period the slide will be dragging against skin friction. Small amount of difference for sure, but it adds in the direction of reducing slide velocity.

A test would be to measure the over-all length of 2 cartridges. They should be within a couple of thousandths of each other. Load both into the magazine, manually rack the first, fire, eject the second, measure and see if there is set back.

Probably won’t be and this theory will evaporate.

[mainiac]

Shot it some more lately, and the lyman 358252rn,,hardly does it!so i think its got something to do with that 105swc,sharp front drive band,hmm

[Groo]

Groo here
Is this the first from each mag or first shot of the session?
First shot of mag most likely gun seating in your hand,, try putting in new mag with out taking your shooting hand off..
Also , just shoot one handed, two hand grip related..
If first of the session, stop cleaning the gun every time.
This a carry over from the BP/crossive primer times.
Modern ammo will coat the barrel helping to shield the metal .
Many guns shoot a different place clean vs dirty.
if the gun MUST shoot the same place the first shot [hunting /PBP]
I DON'T clean till the action starts to feel sticky or if I drop it in the mud etc.
Just wipe it off may be just a drop of oil.
Ps, for best groups , don't clean a 22lr barrel at all and don't change ammo willy nilly.
The lube on the bullet coats the barrel,, change load changes the lube...

[lar45]

Groo here
Is this the first from each mag or first shot of the session?
First shot of mag most likely gun seating in your hand.

Yes, what Groo said ^^^
When you shoot the gun will seat it'self in your hand different than just grabbing it. So after the first, it's seated in your hand the same for the following shots. Maybe try pushing the gun into the web of your hand, with your hand up high on the back of the gun. Not so high as to get bit by the slide, just push it up in there and try the first shot to see if it's the same.
That's why revolver shooters cock the gun with the offside thumb so you don't have to reseat your grip after every shot.

Another way to test it would be to shoot the first round as normal, set the gun on the bench, pick it up and shoot one round, set it on the bench, pick it up and repeat for the whole magazine. If this is what's happening, you should have shot a group where your first round flier is going.
Maybe try both and report back?

Hope this helps
Glenn.

[mainiac]

Was just reading 9mm loads,in my bible,,ken waters book.if you look up that data,he talks about a 39 smith that would throw 1st shot,on demand.he was gonna send it back to smith,and see what they said.guess we will never know.