Which firearm malfunction involves a spent casing stuck in the ejection port?

A stovepipe malfunction occurs when a spent casing does not fully eject and instead gets caught vertically in the ejection port of the firearm. This situation typically arises during the cycling of a semi-automatic pistol, where the slide moves rearward, and the spent cartridge case fails to clear the ejection port, creating a blockage that resembles a stovepipe standing up from the slide.

Understanding stovepipe malfunctions is crucial for shooters, as they require specific remedies to ensure the firearm operates correctly again. Typically, the shooter needs to tap the magazine to ensure it is seated properly and rack the slide to remove the obstruction. Recognizing this type of malfunction is important because it is distinct from others like a failure to extract, which involves the mechanism not pulling the spent casing from the chamber, or a double feed, where two rounds try to enter the chamber simultaneously, and a failure to feed, which occurs when a round does not make it into the chamber altogether. Each malfunction type requires different correction methods and signifies different underlying issues with the firearm's operation.