*Whew* Glad that was at the range. . .

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Mike,

If you think about it you're taking that same gamble (if that first round is going to pop) day after day:what:, your title says it all!
 
That was the ONLY problem I've ever had with that ammo. I had experience using it, knew it to be good ammo that fed reliably and shot well enough, so when I chose ammo for my gun, that's what I chose. If you fault me for my choice of ammo, you should know I chose it for good reason because I knew it worked well in that gun. I can't count how many boxes of the stuff I've shot out of both the P90 and the 1911.

With any semi-auto, you know there's always a slight chance of a jam. If you carry chambered, you also know that you've only got 1 shot guaranteed, and you have to make it count. You should be prepared to clear a jam, but you can only count on that first shot.

A freak dead primer changes that whole game plan. You lose your element of surprise, you lose the stunning effect of the muzzle report. All you get is a *click*. Even if you tap and rack immediately, you're still standing there with a dead gun for about 2 seconds. A dead second or third shot may not be disastrous, but a dead first one almost certainly will.
 
I once had a Federal American Eagle 45acp give me a 'click' instead of a 'bang'.
The autopsy revealed a primer complete with anvil, but no primer compound!
Like matches, with ammo, you can't test each rd to be sure it's a good one.
:D
I have little doubt that handloading can produce more reliable ammo. One can check for primer anvil and compound, a flash hole through the case, and dry powder in the cartridge. You could even seal each primer and bullet as you load.
 
If you're looking for some other brand of ball ammo, I've shot thousands of rounds of Blazer Brass and WWB through my 1911s and my G30 without a single hiccup.
I normally only buy ammo for the brass anyway though, I use my own reloads for SD. I just trust ammo that I put together myself a lot more than the mass produced stuff. I inspect every piece of brass, every primer, weigh every powder charge one at a time, inspect and put the calipers on every single finished round when they're done.
Probably takes me 2 or 3 hours to put together 100rds of my SD ammo, but I KNOW every single round is PERFECT.
Just my .02 YMMV
 
Mike, I also live in AZ, and I swap out carry ammo every 6 months. Safety, plus I take the old duty ammo for target practice, stay "up" on how it acts in my sidearm. If you must have a FMJ profile, may I suggest you look into the Federal Expanding Full Metal Jacket ammo?
 
I once had a Federal American Eagle 45acp give me a 'click' instead of a 'bang'.
The autopsy revealed a primer complete with anvil, but no primer compound!
Click to expand...

I had a round of this same brand in 9mm, which had the primer installed backwards.

I usually keep my P90 loaded with some type of hollow point. Hoover, I do keep a box of Hornady Custom, 230-Grain FMJ, just in case I think I might need them. I don't know if they are any more reliable than any other generic brand, but they should run fine in just about any gun.

BTW, My P90 is one of my favorite range guns. I hope you take yours out and enjoy it more. I know the trigger isn't as good as the Colt 1911 models, but it handles recoil well, and it is a pleasure to shoot. :)
 
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All right. I'll probably pick up some S&B. Hornady is nice, but oh so expensive. I really hate to put different ammo in for the range and for self defense. I always feel you should shoot what you intend to use.
 
Its a fallacy that just because you've shot 10K rounds through a pistol without any failures that it won't fail on number 10,001. Everyone talks of the gun being reliable but a bad round of ammo is a weakness that can pop up with any gun.
 
its a white box with a green label . 100 round box of rem 230 gr.jhp ammo . costs $40. per box . 100 % reliable in my colt defender or star pd45
 
The only time I ever had a jam in my Ruger semi was using Remington UMC for practice. I now use Blazer Brass for practice ammo-its cheaper & I've never had a problem with it. I don't use either of these for carry.
 
That is the ONLY US-made factory centerfire round I've ever encountered with a dead primer
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The thing is, it's a mass production item. There will always be a bad round from time to time. For plinking it doesn't really matter. When it is your life, go with something that is more expensive and has more QA involvement in the production process.

Had that been a DA wheelie, no big deal.
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The only Remington Yellow I've shot is 38 special. I've never had a round go "click," but like the man says, it's a wheelie, no big deal.
 
Yikes.

I scanned the thread, but didn't catch why you were using FMJ for SD. I've heard that Ruger autos should feed just about anything, but if you can't get any JHPs to feed, try Remington Golden Sabers. From what I've seen, they'll feed even in finnicky, unpolished 1911s.

Keep in mind that even if you can't get JHPs to feed reliably, you can at least keep one in the chamber, assuming you carry with one in the pipe. Take however long you need to get it in there... it'll extract just the same as an FMJ would.
 
AZ car gun that sat loaded and dormant for two years, eh? Could it have been heat degredation? Gets pretty hot in AZ cars during summer. High temps have a way way of affecting chemicals. Could get up to perhaps 200+ in a closed car on a hot summer day down there. Maybe primer and powder were both affected?

I have no actual experience with this mind you, it just crossed my mind... I guess that wouldnlt explain why other rounds fired and the first didn't? Could it have been from a different lot? Older and longer exposure to heat maybe?
 
Most ranges with a range officer are COLD RANGES... and you show up with a loaded firearm... Please tell me you don't live in Kentucky... that's right AZ, good! Responsible gun ownership and use starts with good safety practices...
 
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Ummm...
I'm supprised nobody mentioned this yet (maybe they did and I missed it...

But... Have you considered that it was not the ammo, but the gun? If you ejected the old round, then the hammer was back, and was in SA mode.

I had a gun once that would have Fail-to-Fires in double action, but in single action would work every time. - Now, it was a rimfire, so I wasn't counting on it, so it wasn't a big deal... but still the possibility remains.


I suggest going back to the range and firing 2 full magazines Double-action only (decocking after each shot)

If the chance is there, I would be absolutely sure that it isn't just a weak spring in the gun.


just my opinion, I COULD be wrong.
 
i have'nt shot a lot of it but the mag-tech fmj worked real well for me and seemed to be cleaner than WWB. oh and by the way that "possibility of shots through a car door" statement. have you ever shot through a cars door? well strangly enough, i have, more than once. the place me and my friends usually shoot at is an old abandoned strip mine. and about once or twice a year, teen idiots will jack an old car and deposit the remains there, usually burned or wrecked beyond repair. my buddys and me use them for targets and senario drills and such, and i gotta tell ya, car doors don't stop a hole lot of anything. not even .22's in some cases. I don't think there's a .45 on the market that won't go through a car door handily at close range. I'm not slamming your choice. people have there reasons for what they do. but if you decide to try somthing that expands, i don't think barrier penatration will be an issue. you might take a look at cor-bons powr-ball ammo, a hollow point with a polymer tip in a ball shape that seems to feed like crazy in 1911's. might be worth a look. good luck , hope you find the right one.
 
Yep, some S&B should be fine...I like their sealed primers....or the PMC you mentioned should work well also. A bad primer is just one of those things...you might shoot UMCs from now on and never get another...but...I think the S&B or PMC is better....I use the 50 rd boxes of WWB for my defensive FMJs....fingers crossed..:uhoh:...:D
 
I've got boxes of UMC empty brass in front of me. .357 mag is a yellow box and probably a good 5 yrs old. 9mm and .38 spcl +P is the green and white box. Don't know if they went to the green/white box more recently or if .357 and others still use the yellow box. That being said, I have never had a problem with UMC and think it's a good value and don't hesitate to use it for SD carry.

I have had problems with Win. White box. .30 Carbine had 4 boxes and 1 in 5-10 FTF in 2 boxes. Win had me send the other 2 back. They said the primers had been contaminated with oil, not me as the boxes were unopened. They sent me coupons for 4 new boxes. I've shot lots of other WW in .357 mag and .38 spcl with no problems.

I have also had a number of FTF with Wolf Military in the camo boxes, primers failed to go bang. Had a Golden Tiger with no powder and I have handful of S&B .223 rounds found at my gun club with primer strikes, albeit light, but bullet and powder intact.

Take it for what it's worth.
 
Most ranges with a range officer are COLD RANGES... and you show up with a loaded firearm... Please tell me you don't live in Kentucky... that's right AZ, good! Responsible gun ownership and use starts with good safety practices...
Click to expand...

I emptied the chamber and put the round back in the mag. Gun was locked open and unloaded when I arrived. Although they don't inspect cased firearms and you're allowed to show up with one holstered.

AZ car gun that sat loaded and dormant for two years, eh? Could it have been heat degredation? Gets pretty hot in AZ cars during summer. High temps have a way way of affecting chemicals. Could get up to perhaps 200+ in a closed car on a hot summer day down there. Maybe primer and powder were both affected?
Click to expand...

All the other rounds in the mag shot fine, and I've never heard of that happening. We had some old ammo stored in the garage for over 30 years and it always went bang. Note: our good pistol and rifle ammo is NOT stored in the garage, but in the air conditioned and heated house.

Ummm...
I'm supprised nobody mentioned this yet (maybe they did and I missed it...

But... Have you considered that it was not the ammo, but the gun? If you ejected the old round, then the hammer was back, and was in SA mode.
Click to expand...

I rechambered that round and tried it in single mode. No dice. Totally dead. I also tried several more rounds in double action mode. They all worked flawlessly. This gun has only seen light use, and is stored decocked. There's no real possibility the spring is weak. It's an isolated incident.

I've got boxes of UMC empty brass in front of me. .357 mag is a yellow box and probably a good 5 yrs old. 9mm and .38 spcl +P is the green and white box. Don't know if they went to the green/white box more recently or if .357 and others still use the yellow box. That being said, I have never had a problem with UMC and think it's a good value and don't hesitate to use it for SD carry.
Click to expand...

We used the yellow UMC for a while. Last batch we got was probably 3 years ago. We hadn't used much of this box, but the quality of it was definitely worse than the older stuff. The older stuff fed well in the 1911. This box did not.

i have'nt shot a lot of it but the mag-tech fmj worked real well for me and seemed to be cleaner than WWB. oh and by the way that "possibility of shots through a car door" statement. have you ever shot through a cars door? well strangly enough, i have, more than once. the place me and my friends usually shoot at is an old abandoned strip mine. and about once or twice a year, teen idiots will jack an old car and deposit the remains there, usually burned or wrecked beyond repair. my buddys and me use them for targets and senario drills and such, and i gotta tell ya, car doors don't stop a hole lot of anything. not even .22's in some cases. I don't think there's a .45 on the market that won't go through a car door handily at close range. I'm not slamming your choice. people have there reasons for what they do. but if you decide to try somthing that expands, i don't think barrier penatration will be an issue. you might take a look at cor-bons powr-ball ammo, a hollow point with a polymer tip in a ball shape that seems to feed like crazy in 1911's. might be worth a look. good luck , hope you find the right one.
Click to expand...

I'm aware that other variants might still penetrate, but I'd REALLY rather it not expand on the outer metal and then potentially lose mass going through the inside paneling. Plus the fact that most modern vehicles have a metal beam in the door to protect against side impacts. The P90 may eat most ammo types well, but whatever I buy I want to also work in the 1911. My replacement ammo is MagTech 230-grain FMJ. It seems to feed well in both guns in non-firing function tests.
 
double action?

You emptied the chamber... Put the round in the magazine and fired it double action? Had to jack the slide to chamber the round again... And you fired it double action...wolf scat!
 
You said in the original post that you fire the first round in double action. No one i have ever seen at a range releases the slide on a full mag and then decocks the gun to fire the first round in double action... The only reason a shooter at the range fires the first round in double action ... The gun was loaded when it got there... Now i really don't mean anthing personal but i have a lot of experience with careless gun owners at various ranges most will never get any better, i hope you realize that it was not an ammunition issue that caused this misfire...but carelessness in your storage, maintenance and use of a firearm
 
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