Failure to feed and failure to eject

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  • Michigander08

    ridiculous and psychotic
    MDS Supporter
    May 29, 2017
    7,685
    I was naive. I thought that if a handgun was made to its specification, it should shoot any ammo in its caliber.

    My HK 45 compact has trouble FTF and FTE with Winchester 45 ACP - 185 Grain FMJ wadcutter nose. However it has no problem with 45 ACP - 230 Grain FMJ round nose.

    Whose fault is it? The ammo or the handgun manufacture? It drives me crazy. It is like saying 87 octane gasoline will not work on your "regular" vehicle but 89 octane will.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,178
    Sun City West, AZ
    It's not unusual for some pistols to not function correctly with some brands of ammunition, a particular loading or a specific bullet profile. It's likely just a mismatch between that particular round and that particular pistol. The simple fix is not to use that ammunition and stick to one that you know works.
     

    Michigander08

    ridiculous and psychotic
    MDS Supporter
    May 29, 2017
    7,685
    You mean Winchester ammo in general or the Winchester 45 ACP - 185 Grain?
     

    clandestine

    AR-15 Savant
    Oct 13, 2008
    37,031
    Elkton, MD
    Most non defensive ammo from Winchester for handguns suck in my experience, but what do I know?

    HK's like to be wet as well, but we have debated this topic before as well.
     

    Michigander08

    ridiculous and psychotic
    MDS Supporter
    May 29, 2017
    7,685
    What brand did you have better result for non-defensive (i.e. target practice)?
     

    Michigander08

    ridiculous and psychotic
    MDS Supporter
    May 29, 2017
    7,685
    Well, I tend to pick up the cheapest ammo at Walmart and that is what available. I didn't give much thought about them since I was just going to pop some rounds at the range.
     

    DaemonAssassin

    Why should we Free BSD?
    Jun 14, 2012
    23,970
    Political refugee in WV
    Well, I tend to pick up the cheapest ammo at Walmart and that is what available. I didn't give much thought about them since I was just going to pop some rounds at the range.

    Sometimes being cheap, will bite you in the ass. Buy good ammo and you won't have problems. I tend to wait till it is on sale for a good price. I'm also not above buying re-manufactured ammo, as long as it is from a reputable company.
     

    photoracer

    Competition Shooter
    Oct 22, 2010
    3,318
    West Virginia
    Win 185g WC is a great round, for a .45 ACP revolver. In general wadcutters were originally designed for revolvers. Most autos want a round that has most of the bullet shape and taper of a JHP at the worst and a FMJ at the best. Due to bullet size the ramp on a .45 doesn't have a lot of leeway when it comes to feeding like a 9mm/.40 does. I see too many 1911 .45s at matches that choke occasionally on handloads or cheap over-the-counter ammo. While I have a good HK USP-C it is accessorized to shoot 9mm/357Sig/.40S&W only (could not really make it shoot .45 due to frame size). One reason none of my 1911s shoot .45 either.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,881
    Historically semiauto pistols were designed around std weight FMJ , and guns that used swc primarily for certain bullseye events were specifically set up for that by specialist 'smiths. In the dawn of the era of modern JHP ammo, it was big business for gunsmiths ( and LE armorers ) to set them up for either a specific load, or a range if bullet shapes.

    Starting in late '80s or so mfgs reacted to consumer demand to start making them reliable with variety of loads. In recent years the general expectations for quality pistols is to function with * most * commonly available loads . This is why you see recomendarions to do a reliability test of X number of rounds of a particular load thru your pistol before using it for serious purposes
    ( The size of X is subject to debate.)

    Most does not totally equal All . SWC for Semiautomatics is inherently the most challenging bullet shape to feed.



    If you want usable with any safe ammo that chambers, that is spelled Revolver .
     

    Czechnologist

    Concerned Citizen
    Mar 9, 2016
    6,522
    I agree with Chad. I've also had issues with Winchester .45 ACP, particularly White Box, in my Sig P220 so I tend to avoid it when possible.

    Nowadays, I stick to ordering .45 ACP online. I usually save $7-10 per box over buying it in a store and it's possible to get free shipping, most of the time, from places like Brownell's and Sportsman's Guide.

    For plinking/practice, my two favorites are Geco and Sellier & Bellot 230gr FMJ. They work in all my .45's without issues and if you catch them on-sale, you can get a box of 50 for $13.99-14.99 with free shipping.

    For defense, I prefer Federal HST in either 230gr or 185gr. because I know they work reliably in all my pistols and are very accurate.
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,410
    Glen Burnie
    Wadcutter is the issue. How much "cheaper" are wadcutters? I love my HK45c. Probably the most accurate pistol I've ever owned. Winchester white box sucks.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    185 grain semi-wadcutters are generally target rounds and lower pressure. It could be they have too little energy to fully cycle the slide.

    This is a BIG point.

    Also, the 185 grain SWC is a short stubby projectile. BAD for feeding well.

    That is why the 200 grain SWC, starting with the iconic H&G #68 exist. They feed much better due to the longer nose.
     
    Most non defensive ammo from Winchester for handguns suck in my experience, but what do I know?

    HK's like to be wet as well, but we have debated this topic before as well.

    Yeah I have problems with the Winchester ammo as well. Both of my M&Ps don't like it. The primer will be struck, but won't discharge. Reload the round, it'll fire the second time or the 3rd. All other ammo they run just fine.
     
    Well, I tend to pick up the cheapest ammo at Walmart and that is what available. I didn't give much thought about them since I was just going to pop some rounds at the range.

    I have started getting Blazer FMJ ammo for the range as I have never had a single failure and it shoots accurately out of everything I own, no matter the caliber. Plus it's not expensive
     

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