It could be if your not running dry lube. Try eezox or Hornady one shot. The only time I have had repeated jamming of any kind in my A390 was in low temps running it too wet or mainspring corrosion.

 

When you load the round into the chamber while hunting, are you using the bolt release button to close the bolt?

It would help to know if the "CLICK" produces a dimple in the primer.

Have you tried your hunting ammo during warm weather? Results? Could be bad ammo or hard primers.

Are you making sure that the barrel is seated fully into the receiver and that the magazine cap is screwed on really snug?

There's got to be some reason why the gun works well for the guys at Coles, but won't work for you during critical moments. Different ammo? Different gun assembly procedures? Different lube? Different temperatures? Different loading procedure?

I suggest that as a test that you take the gun and ammo out to the field/range under similar weather conditions as your hunting conditions and load it and shoot it EXACTLY the same as if you were in a hunting situation and observe what happens. If it will work for you using the same exact equipment, ammo, techniques, lubrication, etc., then there is no reason why it shouldn't work with a duck or goose in the air. Something is different. Your job is to find out what it is. Good luck.

P.S. When was the last time you soaked the internal assemblies (bolt assembly, trigger assembly) in mineral spirits or kerosene, then reassembled with a VERY LIGHT lubricant such as Breakfree CLP?

 

Thanks Ulysses ...appreciate the input. I'll try a few of your suggestions and see what happens. Definitely a head scratcher . Gun is very clean with a light coat of One Shot. I always use the bolt release when loading . I'll try a mineral spirit soak on all the parts. I did not look at the primer for indentation marks...too flustered from the ducks giving me the finger...but that's something I will do . I'll let you know.

 

Did not see where the folks in Maine did any work to replace the recoil spring in the stock tube...if you have not replaced this spring and cleaned the inside of the stock tube, it may be time to do this...just remember to heat the end of the stock tube to loosen the factory loc-tite.

 

I have a Beretta 390 sporting (rounded receiver). Love the gun and fits me like a glove. I would estimate I have about 1000 rounds through it in total. I do a lot of duck hunting and I have a waterfowler and a couple of A400's which I mostly use. Every once in a while I get nostalgic and pull out the 390 and take it to the blind if the weather isn't too nasty. Three years ago I was duck hunting with it and it started having intermittent light strikes / fail to fire issues. I figured OK maybe it's time for some springs and other maintenance what with the gun being about 20 years old. I boxed it up and sent it to the good folks in Maine for the work. They put in a new firing pin spring, hammer spring, recoil spring, removed a knife edge from the locking block and polished it. They ran a box of shells thru it for testing …all good.
One year later back in the blind again with the 390, mallards coming in ……..feet down……. wings cupped …CLICK! Same issue all over again (this was exactly 43 rounds fired after getting back from repairs). Really p#$%%%d off at this point. Boxed it up and back it went to Maine .This time the work performed was as follows ; adjusted protrusion of mag .tube cap retaining spring, polished carrier lever, polished locking block, adjusted fit of hammer braces, test fired 75 rounds. …all good.
Took it on a preserve hunt this spring, first time I used it since getting it back from the second repair job .Shot it a dozen times or so …all good. Was in the blind yesterday with it, temp. about 27 degrees but dry. A brace of mallards cupping into the dekes ….yep….CLICK! AARRRGGGH!!! Are you kidding me??? My hunting partners laughing their a@#s off at me didn't help in the moment either.
So as I sit here pondering yet another boxing up job and return trip to Maine ( this thing is starting to accumulate more air miles than the space shuttle ).I am Just wondering if anyone could hazard a guess as what ails it. I'm wondering if the cooler temps have anything to do with it. All of the failures occurred when the temps were in the 20's. Not wet or snowy just cold. I don't want to throw the good people at C's under the bus. I think they are good and I enjoy doing business with them but I've about had it with this issue. Comments welcome please and thank you.

When you load the round into the chamber while hunting, are you using the bolt release button to close the bolt?

It would help to know if the "CLICK" produces a dimple in the primer.

Have you tried your hunting ammo during warm weather? Results? Could be bad ammo or hard primers.

Are you making sure that the barrel is seated fully into the receiver and that the magazine cap is screwed on really snug?

There's got to be some reason why the gun works well for the guys at Coles, but won't work for you during critical moments. Different ammo? Different gun assembly procedures? Different lube? Different temperatures? Different loading procedure?

I suggest that as a test that you take the gun and ammo out to the field/range under similar weather conditions as your hunting conditions and load it and shoot it EXACTLY the same as if you were in a hunting situation and observe what happens. If it will work for you using the same exact equipment, ammo, techniques, lubrication, etc., then there is no reason why it shouldn't work with a duck or goose in the air. Something is different. Your job is to find out what it is. Good luck.

P.S. When was the last time you soaked the internal assemblies (bolt assembly, trigger assembly) in mineral spirits or kerosene, then reassembled with a VERY LIGHT lubricant such as Breakfree CLP?

Just an observation. This is a prime example of what makes SW such a great site ( and addictive! :lol: ).

 

Did not see where the folks in Maine did any work to replace the recoil spring in the stock tube...if you have not replaced this spring and cleaned the inside of the stock tube, it may be time to do this...just remember to heat the end of the stock tube to loosen the factory loc-tite.

The only issue I have ever had with my AL390 Silver Mallard was a rusty recoil spring. I don't know if that issue could possibly cause light primer strikes, but it might be worth checking...

 

The OP stated that they replaced the recoil spring.

Just to clarify, in my above question about using the bolt release to close the bolt, what I meant was that you should press the bolt release button and let the bolt SLAM shut on the cartridge that you manually loaded into the chamber. Don't ease the bolt forward with your hand/finger in order to make less noise or the bolt might not close completely.

Another suggestion is to make sure that the chamber is clean, especially the rear most portion of the chamber where the rim of the cartridge seats. If that ring/rim area is dirty, it might not allow the cartridge to seat properly and could cushion the blow of the firing pin on the primer thereby resulting in a misfire.

 

Yes I always use the bolt release when loading a round in the chamber and allow it to slam shut and it happens with different brands of ammo...all magnum duck loads. I'm not sure if the recoil spring tube in the stock would be influencing this problem but it would be a good idea as mentioned to put a new one in anyways as it's most likely past it's shelf life. I'm going to try a mineral spirit soak as Ulysses suggested and see what happens.

The annoying part of this issue is I could take it out of the safe right now , load it and go in the back yard and it would most likely fire. It's when I load it , sit in the blind for an hour or two in a colder environment that this occurs .Again, the gun is clean and has a light coat of One Shot applied so it should not be prone to a gummy solvent type of issue . I guess that MS soak will cure that if there is some old stuff lingering in there .We'll see what happens.

Thanks to all for your input.

 

Ya, that will drive you crazy. Is it the same ammo that fails to fire all the time? I had a 391 that had a similar problem. I sent it to Beretta twice. In the end it wasn't the gun at all. It was hard primers. I bought some brand X primers because of the price and paid dearly for it. When I stopped using those primers the problem went away. I hope you can track down the problem because there is nothing worse than using a gun you can't depend on.

 

Ya, that will drive you crazy. Is it the same ammo that fails to fire all the time? I had a 391 that had a similar problem. I sent it to Beretta twice. In the end it wasn't the gun at all. It was hard primers. I bought some brand X primers because of the price and paid dearly for it. When I stopped using those primers the problem went away. I hope you can track down the problem because there is nothing worse than using a gun you can't depend on.

Yes several different brands of ammo tried. Nothing worse than sitting in the blind wondering how your gun is going to function.

 

I have a Beretta 390 sporting (rounded receiver). Love the gun and fits me like a glove. I would estimate I have about 1000 rounds through it in total. I do a lot of duck hunting and I have a waterfowler and a couple of A400's which I mostly use. Every once in a while I get nostalgic and pull out the 390 and take it to the blind if the weather isn't too nasty. Three years ago I was duck hunting with it and it started having intermittent light strikes / fail to fire issues. I figured OK maybe it's time for some springs and other maintenance what with the gun being about 20 years old. I boxed it up and sent it to the good folks in Maine for the work. They put in a new firing pin spring, hammer spring, recoil spring, removed a knife edge from the locking block and polished it. They ran a box of shells thru it for testing …all good.
One year later back in the blind again with the 390, mallards coming in ……..feet down……. wings cupped …CLICK! Same issue all over again (this was exactly 43 rounds fired after getting back from repairs). Really p#$%%%d off at this point. Boxed it up and back it
went to Maine .This time the work performed was as follows ; adjusted protrusion of mag .tube cap retaining spring, polished carrier lever, polished locking block, adjusted fit of hammer braces, test fired 75 rounds. …all good.
Took it on a preserve hunt this spring, first time I used it since getting it back from the second repair job .Shot it a dozen times or so …all good. Was in the blind yesterday with it, temp. about 27 degrees but dry. A brace of mallards cupping into the dekes ….yep….CLICK! AARRRGGGH!!! Are you kidding me??? My hunting partners laughing their a@#s off at me didn't help in the moment either.
So as I sit here pondering yet another boxing up job and return trip to Maine ( this thing is starting to accumulate more air miles than the space shuttle ).I am Just wondering if anyone could hazard a guess as what ails it. I'm wondering if the cooler temps have anything to do with it. All of the failures occurred when the temps were in the 20's. Not wet or snowy just cold. I don't want to throw the good people at C's under the bus. I think they are good and I enjoy doing business with them but I've about had it with this issue. Comments welcome please and thank you.

When you load the round into the chamber while hunting, are you using the bolt release button to close the bolt?

It would help to know if the "CLICK" produces a dimple in the primer.

Have you tried your hunting ammo during warm weather? Results? Could be bad ammo or hard primers.

Are you making sure that the barrel is seated fully into the receiver and that the magazine cap is screwed on really snug?

There's got to be some reason why the gun works well for the guys at Coles, but won't work for you during critical moments. Different ammo? Different gun assembly procedures? Different lube? Different temperatures? Different loading procedure?

I suggest that as a test that you take the gun and ammo out to the field/range under similar weather conditions as your hunting conditions and load it and shoot it EXACTLY the same as if you were in a hunting situation and observe what happens. If it will work for you using the same exact equipment, ammo, techniques, lubrication, etc., then there is no reason why it shouldn't work with a duck or goose in the air. Something is different. Your job is to find out what it is. Good luck.

P.S. When was the last time you soaked the internal assemblies (bolt assembly, trigger assembly) in mineral spirits or kerosene, then reassembled with a VERY LIGHT lubricant such as Breakfree CLP?

OK Ulysses . Finally had a chance to do a complete mineral spirit soak on all of the components mentioned . This morning I loaded 3 rounds of Remington Nitro Steel duck loads and placed the gun on the porch for two hours ( to simulate a duck blind scenario ). The temperature was 24 degrees. The first shot did not fire, light strike . Manually ejected that round and racked the next shell in . That fired and ejected and round three cycled into the chamber but upon firing was a light strike also.
I then loaded three rounds of Winchester Drylok into the gun and again let it sit for two hours on the porch, now 26 degrees . The first round fired and ejected but the next one was a light strike and so was the third .
Both brands that FTF had light dimple marks on the primers . So it is not a brand specific issue. I guess I'll send this back to Cole's again and maybe third time will be a charm in their attempt to fix this . I just wanted to get back to you with some feedback as I appreciated your comments and time earlier( as well as everyone else also !).I'll post down the road again with this thread. Thanks again.

Carl

 

I have a Beretta 390 sporting (rounded receiver). Love the gun and fits me like a glove. I would estimate I have about 1000 rounds through it in total. I do a lot of duck hunting and I have a waterfowler and a couple of A400's which I mostly use. Every once in a while I get nostalgic and pull out the 390 and take it to the blind if the weather isn't too nasty. Three years ago I was duck hunting with it and it started having intermittent light strikes / fail to fire issues. I figured OK maybe it's time for some springs and other maintenance what with the gun being about 20 years old. I boxed it up and sent it to the good folks in Maine for the work. They put in a new firing pin spring, hammer spring, recoil spring, removed a knife edge from the locking block and polished it. They ran a box of shells thru it for testing …all good.
One year later back in the blind again with the 390, mallards coming in ……..feet down……. wings cupped …CLICK! Same issue all over again (this was exactly 43 rounds fired after getting back from repairs). Really p#$%%%d off at this point. Boxed it up and back it
went to Maine .This time the work performed was as follows ; adjusted protrusion of mag .tube cap retaining spring, polished carrier lever, polished locking block, adjusted fit of hammer braces, test fired 75 rounds. …all good.
Took it on a preserve hunt this spring, first time I used it since getting it back from the second repair job .Shot it a dozen times or so …all good. Was in the blind yesterday with it, temp. about 27 degrees but dry. A brace of mallards cupping into the dekes ….yep….CLICK! AARRRGGGH!!! Are you kidding me??? My hunting partners laughing their a@#s off at me didn't help in the moment either.
So as I sit here pondering yet another boxing up job and return trip to Maine ( this thing is starting to accumulate more air miles than the space shuttle ).I am Just wondering if anyone could hazard a guess as what ails it. I'm wondering if the cooler temps have anything to do with it. All of the failures occurred when the temps were in the 20's. Not wet or snowy just cold. I don't want to throw the good people at C's under the bus. I think they are good and I enjoy doing business with them but I've about had it with this issue. Comments welcome please and thank you.

When you load the round into the chamber while hunting, are you using the bolt release button to close the bolt?

It would help to know if the "CLICK" produces a dimple in the primer.

Have you tried your hunting ammo during warm weather? Results? Could be bad ammo or hard primers.

Are you making sure that the barrel is seated fully into the receiver and that the magazine cap is screwed on really snug?

There's got to be some reason why the gun works well for the guys at Coles, but won't work for you during critical moments. Different ammo? Different gun assembly procedures? Different lube? Different temperatures? Different loading procedure?

I suggest that as a test that you take the gun and ammo out to the field/range under similar weather conditions as your hunting conditions and load it and shoot it EXACTLY the same as if you were in a hunting situation and observe what happens. If it will work for you using the same exact equipment, ammo, techniques, lubrication, etc., then there is no reason why it shouldn't work with a duck or goose in the air. Something is different. Your job is to find out what it is. Good luck.

P.S. When was the last time you soaked the internal assemblies (bolt assembly, trigger assembly) in mineral spirits or kerosene, then reassembled with a VERY LIGHT lubricant such as Breakfree CLP?

OK Ulysses . Finally had a chance to do a complete mineral spirit soak on all of the components mentioned . This morning I loaded 3 rounds of Remington Nitro Steel duck loads and placed the gun on the porch for two hours ( to simulate a duck blind scenario ). The temperature was 24 degrees. The first shot did not fire, light strike . Manually ejected that round and racked the next shell in . That fired and ejected and round three cycled into the chamber but upon firing was a light strike also.
I then loaded three rounds of Winchester Drylok into the gun and again let it sit for two hours on the porch, now 26 degrees . The first round fired and ejected but the next one was a light strike and so was the third .
Both brands that FTF had light dimple marks on the primers . So it is not a brand specific issue. I guess I'll send this back to Cole's again and maybe third time will be a charm in their attempt to fix this . I just wanted to get back to you with some feedback as I appreciated your comments and time earlier( as well as everyone else also !).I'll post down the road again with this thread. Thanks again.

Carl

I appreciate the feedback. Now we are getting somewhere.

I'm starting to suspect the lubricant as the problem. Here is what I want you to do. Leave your gun and ammo some place where it's warm (say about 65-70 degrees) for an hour or two. Then load the gun and take it outside and fire it immediately. Try both different types of ammo mentioned above. If both types of ammo work well at 65-70 degrees, then I think it's the lubricant.

In that case, you will want to clean the trigger assembly and bolt assembly again with mineral spirits and then lubricate with a very light oil such as a penetrating oil. Be especially sure to get the penetrating oil on the hammer, hammer spring, and hammer braces area. Also get the penetrating oil on the firing pin and the spring that surrounds the firing pin. Then try the test again in COLD weather with the gun and ammo being out in the cold for at least one hour.

Now I'm going to mention one more thing you could try if that doesn't fix the problem. If it were my gun, I'd remove the firing pin return spring and clip about 2 or 3 coils off of it. You see, the firing pin return spring retards the force of the firing pin hitting the primer. That spring's job is to return the firing pin so that it doesn't stick in the primer. Sometimes, these springs are stronger than they need to be. I will emphasize that this would be my last ditch effort at fixing this problem. Try the other solutions first. Worst case scenario, you have to buy a new firing pin return spring which costs a few dollars.

Keep us posted on your results.

 

Will do...I'll shoot it "warm" tomorrow.

 

Hello Ulysses. Just took the 390 out of the safe (71 deg.) and loaded 3 Remington Nitro Steels in the gun. Stepped out on the porch and ripped off three perfect rounds as fast as I could pull the trigger . Next I loaded three Winchester Dryloks and squeezed off three perfect rounds in fast order as fast as I could pull the trigger. Mmmmm…..maybe your onto something Sir.
I'll try to do another mineral spirit soak this weekend. Blow it out and lube it . I have the following lubes on hand .

Hornady One Shot
Break Free Powder Blast
FP-10
Ballistol

Which one would you recommend to use ? Maybe we'll solve this P.I.T.A. yet ! Thanks for all of your help.

Carl

 

Find another trigger group and try it. If that doesn't work try another piston and then complete bolt assembly. Time to start a process of elimination. You need to find someone with a functioning 390.

 

Hello Ulysses. Just took the 390 out of the safe (71 deg.) and loaded 3 Remington Nitro Steels in the gun. Stepped out on the porch and ripped off three perfect rounds as fast as I could pull the trigger . Next I loaded three Winchester Dryloks and squeezed off three perfect rounds in fast order as fast as I could pull the trigger. Mmmmm…..maybe your onto something Sir.
I'll try to do another mineral spirit soak this weekend. Blow it out and lube it . I have the following lubes on hand .

Hornady One Shot
Break Free Powder Blast
FP-10
Ballistol

Which one would you recommend to use ? Maybe we'll solve this P.I.T.A. yet ! Thanks for all of your help.

Carl

Yep, we're making progress. Personally, I wouldn't use any of those 4 products for cold weather use unless it says "penetrating oil" on it. You want to use the lightest oil possible for cold weather use. I would go to the auto parts or hardware store or Amazon and buy something that says "penetrating oil". Then use it.

Kerosene will also work although it doesn't provide a great deal of lubrication, but then you don't need much. Heck, you might even shoot it dry for a few shots, but I would be hesitant to shoot it a lot without any lubricant. I think your best bet is penetrating oil for cold weather use.

Say, when you replaced the recoil spring in the buttstock, what kind of lubricant did you use on the spring or inside the spring tube?

 

Hello Ulysses. Just took the 390 out of the safe (71 deg.) and loaded 3 Remington Nitro Steels in the gun. Stepped out on the porch and ripped off three perfect rounds as fast as I could pull the trigger . Next I loaded three Winchester Dryloks and squeezed off three perfect rounds in fast order as fast as I could pull the trigger. Mmmmm…..maybe your onto something Sir.
I'll try to do another mineral spirit soak this weekend. Blow it out and lube it . I have the following lubes on hand .

Hornady One Shot
Break Free Powder Blast
FP-10
Ballistol

Which one would you recommend to use ? Maybe we'll solve this P.I.T.A. yet ! Thanks for all of your help.

Carl

Yep, we're making progress. Personally, I wouldn't use any of those 4 products for cold weather use unless it says "penetrating oil" on it. You want to use the lightest oil possible for cold weather use. I would go to the auto parts or hardware store or Amazon and buy something that says "penetrating oil". Then use it.

Kerosene will also work although it doesn't provide a great deal of lubrication, but then you don't need much. Heck, you might even shoot it dry for a few shots, but I would be hesitant to shoot it a lot without any lubricant. I think your best bet is penetrating oil for cold weather use.

Say, when you replaced the recoil spring in the buttstock, what kind of lubricant did you use on the spring or inside the spring tube?

Ulysses, the buttstock recoil spring has never been replaced. There is only approx. 1000 rounds thru this gun in total ….but it is 23 years old. Do you think I should replace? Might as well I guess. clean and lube with ????

 

When replacing the recoil spring in the 300 series of beretta semi's, I like to lube the spring by giving it a spray of white lithium grease...works well and doesn't gum up over time.

 

Ulysses, the buttstock recoil spring has never been replaced. There is only approx. 1000 rounds thru this gun in total ….but it is 23 years old. Do you think I should replace? Might as well I guess. clean and lube with ????

Absolutely, I would replace it if it's that old. That could be a large part of the problem. I've replaced several of them over the years. Recoil springs are cheap... about $5 or so.

Remove the old one. Clean the tube with mineral spirits. Install the new one and lubricate with Breakfree CLP (my favorite, although other lubricants would probably work too). Then reassemble. It could be that the spring and/or the tube it runs in is crudded up with rust. This rust, along with the heavy lubricant in cold weather, could be enough to make it not work right in cold weather.

When you get done with it, you'll have essentially a new gun with all the new springs and stuff for less than the price that the shipping would cost you to send it to someone else to work on. It's always great when you can do your own work. That way, you know for sure what was done and how it was done.

EDIT: You MIGHT need to apply a LITTLE heat to remove the end cap on the recoil spring tube. Can't remember for sure since it's been a while since I did my first replacement.

 

EDIT: You MIGHT need to apply a LITTLE heat to remove the end cap on the recoil spring tube. Can't remember for sure since it's been a while since I did my first replacement.

Maybe more than a little, in my experience... enough to loosen some semi-permanent thread-locker. That cap is on there good!

 

[quote="Ulysses"
EDIT: You MIGHT need to apply a LITTLE heat to remove the end cap on the recoil spring tube. Can't remember for sure since it's been a while since I did my first replacement.

Maybe more than a little, in my experience... enough to loosen some semi-permanent thread-locker. That cap is on there good![/quote]

Exactly! You need to apply heat until you see some smoke as that is the sign that the thread locker is finally gone. Why they do that is beyond comprehension and defies logic when it houses a replaceable spring. Just weird!

 

Ulysses, the buttstock recoil spring has never been replaced. There is only approx. 1000 rounds thru this gun in total ….but it is 23 years old. Do you think I should replace? Might as well I guess. clean and lube with ????

Absolutely, I would replace it if it's that old. That could be a large part of the problem. I've replaced several of them over the years. Recoil springs are cheap... about $5 or so.

Remove the old one. Clean the tube with mineral spirits. Install the new one and lubricate with Breakfree CLP (my favorite, although other lubricants would probably work too). Then reassemble. It could be that the spring and/or the tube it runs in is crudded up with rust. This rust, along with the heavy lubricant in cold weather, could be enough to make it not work right in cold weather.

When you get done with it, you'll have essentially a new gun with all the new springs and stuff for less than the price that the shipping would cost you to send it to someone else to work on. It's always great when you can do your own work. That way, you know for sure what was done and how it was done.

EDIT: You MIGHT need to apply a LITTLE heat to remove the end cap on the recoil spring tube. Can't remember for sure since it's been a while since I did my first replacement.[/quote\

Just ordered a new recoil spring and firing pin spring from Coles , it's worth a shot for fifteen bucks ! Let's see what happens !

 

Just ordered a new recoil spring and firing pin spring from Coles , it's worth a shot for fifteen bucks ! Let's see what happens !

 

Wait a second. Now I'm getting confused.

If the recoil spring was replaced a couple of years ago and with only a few rounds through the gun, it shouldn't need a new one now. Also, upon further consideration, I don't think the recoil spring would have anything to do with the light primer strikes. Certainly the HAMMER spring could have something to do with it, especially in cold weather, but not the recoil spring. Sorry about the confusion in my post a few hours ago. I was getting your gun mixed up with another one I've been troubleshooting recently.

 

I boxed it up and sent it to the good folks in Maine for the work. They put in a new firing pin spring, hammer spring, recoil spring, removed a knife edge from the locking block and polished it.

Ulysses, the buttstock recoil spring has never been replaced. There is only approx. 1000 rounds thru this gun in total ….but it is 23 years old. Do you think I should replace? Might as well I guess. clean and lube with ????

Was the recoil spring replaced or not?