Pistol jam

[Pofoo]

This is for a Ortgies .32acp pistol, but the basic principal should apply to any semi auto.
This pistol is over 100 yrs old, but in like new condition. No worn out parts as far as I can see.
2 factory mags.
When I cycle the slide by hand it feeds and ejects fine.
But, it will not feed when shooting. The cartridge from the mag jams half in the mag with the bullet stuck on the top of the barrel chamber, at approximately a 45 angle. Full mags, 1/2 mags, 2 rounds, makes no difference.
Well cleaned and lubed.
New Wolf recoil spring.
2 new mag springs ordered.
I'm at a loss here as to why it will hand cycle 100% but not auto load.
Any ideas??

[hermosabeach]

speed might be the issue

hand cycling is slow

I have some AR mags that will not feed an M16. The cyclic rate is too dang fast... the bullets cannot move up fast enough
The mags work fin in my own semi auto guns...

When you hand cycle, you open the slide 100%.
All the way back / to the rear means 2 things
1- 100% spring power of recoil spring
2- time- more time as slide went all the way back. Time for bullets to move up into the correct feeding position.

Have you disassembled the magazines and cleaned them out? With any semi auto, malfunctions - aka stoppages- are commonly a magazine issue.
(Jams need tools and or gunsmith to resolve) As all ammo was corrosive in the 1920 and 1930s, rust was sometimes an issue. Any pitting inside the magazine that might slow the process?

Does it Fail to Feed when magazine is fully loaded and when only 1 or 2 rounds are in the magazine?

secondly- when you hand cycle, you hold the gun differently. When you shoot, does your hand interfere with the slide and slow it down? I have meaty hands and on many guns, especially smaller guns, they can slow the slide a lot

I had to google the gun to see what it looks like...

[SharedShots]

Speed isn't the issue. Weak wrist hold could be. Did the pistol cycle with the old spring or did you just replace it first?

The check for this is simple and shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

1. Cycle the chambering, extracting and ejecting incrementally.
2. Start with a known good position which you already established.
3. Next cycle slightly less slide travel rearward.
4. Continue until you get the stoppage

Repeat to verify the condition.

Now you'll have the reference point you need.

To verify if the pistol is cycling to the failure point but not to the function point you can use tape. Cut a thin piece of tape at adhere to slide and frame so that it's tight. This would be the failure point length. You'll have sort of a loop. Fire. If the tape broke then the slide went past the failure point and you know that isn't the problem. It could still be the spring though or the ammo.

Test the old spring vs the new spring. Are they the same length? Do they have the same resistance? You can make your own pull gauge using just about any weights but sand works really well but again, anything can work. Check the resistance between the old spring and the new.

If the old spring is serviceable give it a try. Measuring the length of both will tell you if there is a difference. That doesn't mean the old is better than the new or vice versa but its a starting point.

['ol shooter]

Sounds to me like the mag lips are too wide, causing the bullet to rise up too far during feeding. Lot's of things like feeding and ejection will fail under the higher speed of slide movement during actual firing.

[pacrat]

Sounds to me like the mag lips are too wide, causing the bullet to rise up too far during feeding. Lot's of things like feeding and ejection will fail under the higher speed of slide movement during actual firing.

^^^THAT^^^

Would be my first guess. Switching recoil spring back to Orig and experiencing same issue would confirm.

[Pofoo]

OK, good suggestions.
Limp wristing is out. I have quite a few other semi autos-.22, .32acp, .380acp, 9mm, .45 that all function well.
Mag lips? Could be. 1 weird feature of this pistol is that the mags for the 7.65 (.32acp) and the 9mm kurtz (.380acp) are the same. Factory mags are marked 7.65 on 1 side and 9mm on the other. Obviously, .380 is fatter.
I've checked manual slide travel and there is no spring coil bind.
The Wolf spring I bought is sold as being for .32 and .380. I would think that a .380 spring should be heavier. I've checked Wolfs web site and they list 2 different springs for a similar Walther PP. The .380 is a 15lb spring, but they don't list the weight of the .32.
So, I'll check the slide travel when firing, and the mag lips, even though I doubt that 2 factory mags would be defective. I just recently bought the gun and I would assume that the recoil spring is original, but who knows. It could be too strong. Same problem with both springs.
FYI These pistols are very well made and are considered very reliable. Very popular in the day. In fact, they were 1 of, or possibly the best, selling pistol made when they were new. About 400,000 were made in 5 yrs after WW1. They made so many that the Allies forced them to shut down per the armistices agreement.
I'm shooting Geco ammo which shoots well in a few other .32's I have.
I don't have any other brand right now.
Thanks for the help.