[Rzeig]

I loaded 15 rounds in each of clips and let them set for a while to wear down the springs (as suggested). I used cheapo 3.86 a box CCI Blazer aluminium cased ammo. When I unloaded them I noticed some of the cases had small dents in them, near the middle of the bullet. Is this from me loading improperly? Is this safe to shoot?

When I went to the range the second time I had 4 failure to feed. The slide was mostly foward it just needed a lil tug and it snapped forward fine. Once was when I just got there and my hands felt almost frozen, the next time was one handed, then weak handed, and finally during a 10 round rapid fire (and that was last one in clip). I think I was limp wristing it, would this be a common malfunction due to "limp wristing"?

Rzeig

PS: If you guys charged I would be broke.

 

[TCD]

Well I had the same experience in my XD .40 I didn't notice the casings but Ficohhi would almost feed, but not quite, I little tug on the back of the slide and letting it go would allow the gun to into battery... This would happen nearly 8 out of 10 rounds, and always when releasing the slide with a fresh magazine I think my gun just doesnt like that ammo

 

[ajamesp51]

I have tried to make many xd`s fail to limp wristing, I think its an urban ledgend when it comes to the xd thats an excusse people use when their Glocks/xds wont shoot properly.
Was it with both magazines or just one?
Are these factory proper mags or some that have been tweeked?
How was the bullet not feeding, did the round drop under the feed ramp, in the middle of the feed ramp or a three point jam almost in the chamber but not quite?
was you pistol new or used, was it oiled. How many rounds have you shot through it total. if its under 200 why dont you put another 200 through it to break things in a little.
Try different ammo.

 

[Rzeig]

I didn't pay attention to which magazine it was, I should have though. Its a new gun it happened between rounds 250-500, it was oiled. The first 250 performed flawlessly. The bullet that failed to feed was stuck by the slide, like it was almost in the chamber but not quite, I could easily cock it back just a hair and release and it would be all the way in no problem.

It may just be because it's new, I was just trying to figure out if the problem was me.

Rzeig

 

[Hawaii-5-O]

Aloha,

Had a similar problem with my 9mm reloads. Slide would not snap forward all the way and had to push slide for pistol to go into battery.

Take a micrometer and measure the bullet diameter below the mouth of the case. It should be within specs. For 9mm that's less than 0.380". Mine are 0.378". I had one that was 0.381" and it would not seat properly in my disassembled barrel.

Also check the over all length of the cartridge. I use lead bullets that have to be seated to a certain depth in the case otherwise it will also FTF all the way in. You shouldn't have this problem with jacketed bullets unless the diameters are way off. Again popping them into your disassembled barrel will tell you if you loaded it right for your pistol.

Take a look at the inside of your barrel at the chamber. For 9mm the chamber ends at a lip where it will stop the case from going any further. The bullet should enter the barrel where the rifling starts. If bullet or case is too large it will jam in chamber and you will have a FTF correctly and the pistol will not go into battery.

As for dented casings, I'm assuming they weren't there before you started reloading them, and the dents was then cause by your reloading. You could be crimping to hard and the case is buckling. Or the bullet may not be sized correctly and case has expanded where the bullet is seated in the case. If the case is buckling, I would not use the ammo. Unload the cartridge and save the bullet and powder. If case is expanded check with micrometer or disassembled barrel.

Hope this helps.

 

[hobocircus]

I believe Rzeig is a fairly new shooter and don't think is a reloader.

Just a few questions:

1. Have you used the same brand of ammo for all your shooting sessions? this time around, it sounds like you used Blazers.

2. Was some of your failure to feed on your very first round? (from mag to chamber)

3. The dents you mentioned are not really dents, but just scratches on the aluminum cases, right?

4. You wrote that the dents are on the middle of the bullet, but you are refering to the cartridge case? correct?

Sorry to sound like a detective, but some questions needs to be asked before we can give you a proper response. :?

 

[Snake-eater 1]

Three suggestions:

1: Get a new recoil spring assembly. Better yet, get a Don's guide rod and a 22# spring. This might give a little bit of extra "oomph" to get the slide into battery.

2: Make sure the web of your thumb is as high up on the pistol grip as you can get it. So high that if you had a really fat hand, the bottom of the slide would leave "railroad track" marks on the web skin upon recoil. Gripping the grip frame too low is one form of "limp-wristing".

3. One needs to get "into" the gun. This means, among other things, that one must lean forward a little, or at least have one's center of gravity directly over or slightly forward on one's feet. (Bend your knees slightly and lean forward--just a LITTLE bit). Don't let the pistol rock you back, if you do, you're not doing it right.

A final thought: make sure the pistol is clean and well lubed. Oftentimes, a little oil in the slide grooves where the frame rails fit will clear up problems like the ones you are having.

 

[Rzeig]

Thanks for all the responses.

First to answer questsions, I have used CCI Blazer since I started shooting it. It's what the guy at the gunshop recommended for target practice. One out of the 4 FTF was on the first round in the magazine, one FTF was on the last round.

Now the dents are an unrelated issue. This was something I noticed before I went shooting. I loaded the magazines full (15rds) and left them that way to wear down the springs. When I unloaded there where small dents kind of a slight U shape in the "cartridge case" (not the bullet sorry). My assumption was that I pressed them in the mag so hard it bent the ammo, and this is now my conclusion. Now I am just wondering if this was safe?

Rzeig

 

[C.H.Luke]

"I loaded 15 rounds in each of clips and let them set for a while to wear down the springs (as suggested). I used cheapo 3.86 a box CCI Blazer aluminium cased ammo. When I unloaded them I noticed some of the cases had small dents in them, near the middle of the bullet. Is this from me loading improperly? Is this safe to shoot?"

If the mags were new should not force the full 15 rounds in them. Only load with as many as will take using reasonable pressure. Spring "set" doesn't happen overnight. Not saying it's a problem with XD mags but forcing the full compliment of rounds in some mags runs the risk of spreading the feed lips out of tolerance permanently.
IME, Blazer never feeds as well as brass casings. Dents are probably from forcing and if minor or probably OK to fire.
Best to leave the mags loaded for as long as it takes for them to eventually accept the full # or rounds.

 

[Hawaii-5-O]

You're right. Getting old and staying up late for Santa made me bug eyed and I saw "reload" vice "unload". :shock:

Since the ammo maybe questionable ("cheapo"), they could be out of minimum cartridge specifications. To remove that factor out of the analysis, recommend measuring the diameter of the cartridges and/or slipping them into your disassembled barrel. If they jam or stick in the chamber and not seat fully, you've found a possible answer to your problem.

I've made mistakes in reloading, so I've learned to do Quality Control and not assume that it's perfect coming out of the reloader. Cheapo ammo is cheap for the following reasons...... it's made fast, use cheap labor and components are minimal in quality. Do you think they perform a lot of quality control too? All it takes is to be off by 0.001" and it won't fit right and you'll have problems.

Denting the cases could also throw it out of specs. Question is: Did dents happen right when you reloaded the magazines or did they appear after a day or so after being left in the magazines?

This is like being a detective. 8) Keep checking to eliminate suspects.

Let us know what if you're still having FTF problems.

Aloha & Merry Christmas!!!

 

[hobocircus]

Rzeig:

So far so good and others have given you some great advice. Here is a few suggestions from my side.

1. Try some different ammo next time. For some reason your XD isn't taking well to your current batch of 9mm.

2. When loading magazines take your time and make sure each round is placed firmly in and back. The base of each case needs to be well seated in the magazine. I often tap the back of the mags on the palm of my hand or if some other hard surface is available I will give the mags a gentle, but firm taps to make sure the rounds are seated properly. Sometimes you will see soldiers shooting M-16 rifles and they will tap their mags on the side of their helmets. They are attempting to insure that the rounds in magazines are stacked properly. Even after you have a mag filled to capacity, give it a slight shake and occasionally you will hear a slight rattle. This means "somebody" is out of line in there.

3. When cycling your slide to load a empty chamber, remember to use what is known to most as a slingshot type of procedure. Have a firm grip on the frame (keep trigger finger out of the trigger guard) while pulling back on the slide and let it go free (just like shooting a slingshot). SNAP! Some shooters seem to "baby" the slide into battery and this is not a good habit to acquire. Give the slide a good "snap". It won't hurt it. Look how fast the slide moves for each shot. You can hardly notice the slide going back. :shock:

4. Magazine springs are tough and if well manufactured should last you quite a long time. Yes, the springs will break in after time, but compressing them for a few days may not make a big noticable difference. As suggested, just load to near capacity and go from there. If you have to press so hard that it is denting cases, well then it isn't worth the effort just to get to your 15 round limit. I would go to 12 or 13 max for now and after several more shooting sessions you should get to your goal of 15.

5. Next time you go out shooting, think positive. Keep a clear mind and take your time. Soon you will not even consider keeping track of how many FTF, FTE or other "F"s.

Good luck, shoot safe.

P/S. I charge 2 cents for each piece of advice. You owe me 10 cents (tax is included) :mrgreen: Sorry, no refunds without a receipt :mrgreen:

 

[Fly-Sig]

Stop using cheap Blazer ammo.

Us reloaders can't use the aluminum casings! 8)

 

[papasmurf]

I noticed when I tried a few boxes of aluminum blazer I slightly dented the soft aluminum cases when I was loading the magazines, especially toward the top when the spring was tight. They all fed and shot fine. I think next time I use blazers I'll try to load the magazines without using the back edge of the round to press the spring down and try to use the flat portion of the case.

 

[one-eyed-fatman]

Stop using cheap Blazer ammo.

Us reloaders can't use the aluminum casings! 8)

I use cheap Blazer cause my range has a rule. If it hits the ground they own it. If they want my cases it's gonna be A cases they get.

 

[Don]

When I went to the range the second time I had 4 failure to feed. The slide was mostly foward it just needed a lil tug and it snapped forward fine. Once was when I just got there and my hands felt almost frozen

If the weather is freezing your lube can get thick and slow the slide down and cause feed problems. Near freezing temps run with a dry lube for best results. FP10 is supposed to be good down below freezing, and seems fine when I switched to that, but I will try some dry lubes sometime this winter.

 

[The Tegnu]

I use cheap Blazer cause my range has a rule. If it hits the ground they own it. If they want my cases it's gonna be A cases they get.

Better not drop your XD there! :lol: