ausfahrt Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 I asked what it was in my introductory post and your answers were great but I probably should have waited to post my question here. I do, however have a follow-up question... How does a FTE (fail to eject) differ from a stovepipe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryinIN Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 Basically, Failure to Eject is a broader term and Stovepipe is a specific type of FTE.An FTE could mean anything from an empty case that stayed in the chamber to one that was extracted but didn't quite make it out of the ejection port. Maybe the slide never moved at all. Any of those things could in turn be caused by numerous other things. For example, a case could remain in the chamber because it's rim sheared off so the extractor couldn't remove it, or because the extractor broke, or because the case split and gripped the chamber walls too hard. Or it could be something else entirely. If it did make it out of the chamber but not completely out of the gun, it could be from the extractor losing it's grasp early, or the ejector tip being broken off, or the case rim being damaged, etc. It could even be that it did get out but bounced back in. Almost any of the above predicaments could come from a bad cartridge and not a gun's mechanical failure.A Stovepipe however, is a specific failure, where the case got most of the way out but not quite, to be pinched between the slide and barrel. The cause may be one of a few different things, but the result will be the same. Usually, they are trapped vertically as the name implies, but some guns tend to have what some call "horizontal stovepipes" where the case is trapped longitudinally. I'd rather have neither, but would prefer a Stovepipe. With the Stovepipe, the case almost made it out so there is a chance most others will. At worst, it will repeat every shot but is easily cleared. A FTE on the other hand could be caused by a much more serious problem, and it might not be correctable on the spot. You might be able to get the old case out, and that might be the last shot you ever fire. Just one reason of many I carry more than one gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfahrt Posted February 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 Got it. Thanks for the detailed explanation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 I was gonna say a stovepipe is not something I worry about too much. I have at the range several feeding type jams with live ammo naturally. Sometimes that can allow a bit of a "YIKES" to escape. I have been fortunate enough to be able to unjam the gun.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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