Hey friends I once again need some feedback. I noticed about 10 minutes ago when I chambered a round into my xds (bought it two months ago) and then cycled the bullet back out (I wasn't quite ready to leave the house and I don't keep that gun loaded in the house) that there was a dent about half way up the cartridge. I'm assuming its from the extractor. I'm relatively new to shooting but have never seen this before. I proceeded to cycle all the bullets in the mag through and sure enough each round had a small dent quite a ways away from where the extractor is supposed to grab the bullet but in generally the same spot as the first round. I'm wondering if this is normal or if I should be alarmed? Thanks for your feedback.
Extractor denting cartridges?
- Thread starter ryno31
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The Lone Haranguer
Member
Any time an object makes contact with another - and the hard steel of an extractor against soft brass in particular - it is going to leave a mark. I see spent cases get nicked up all the time. One should probably not reuse a round that has excessive nicking or denting.
I wouldnt think an extractor would be long enough to make a dent half way up the case? After all, theyre typically just long enough to reach in to grab the rim.
. Do the rounds contact the back side of the ejection port on their way out? What brand of pistol is this?
. Do the rounds contact the back side of the ejection port on their way out? What brand of pistol is this?
Thank you...it's just that I've never noticed these before when rounds have cycled through. Are the dents on the rds above large enough to render the round dangerous? If so I would see that as a problem if every round that gets chambered is dented to the point that it becomes questionable.
The Lone Haranguer
Member
OK, I was only talking about the rim of the case. I too have a hard time believing the extractor did that. I think the case must be hitting the ejection port. A good reason not to reuse and rechamber rounds all the time. This is really of no concern when shooting the gun, unless cases are being flung at your face or something.
It's an xds .45 and I know they have a very steep feed ramp but like I said I've cycled rds through before and never noticed this but it could be that I wasn't very observant. Could it be the extractor is sticking out too far for some reason?
From the pictures you posted, it looks like a 45 ACP? Id say something is out of spec if this was a 1911 type action. The extractor may not be grabbing the rim properly and the round is trying to enter the chamber at too steep an angle, causing the dented case.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
It has noting to do with the extractor hitting it, because it can't.
It's a case wall dent caused by the feed ramp break-over angle when the round comes out of the magazine and the bullet hits the top of the chamber.
Then has to break-over and change directions to align itself with the chamber.
A different bullet weight or ogive design may not do it at all.
That looks like an awful short bullet for a FMJ .45 ACP round.
rc
It's a case wall dent caused by the feed ramp break-over angle when the round comes out of the magazine and the bullet hits the top of the chamber.
Then has to break-over and change directions to align itself with the chamber.
A different bullet weight or ogive design may not do it at all.
That looks like an awful short bullet for a FMJ .45 ACP round.
rc
You might contact Springfield Armory about this, especially if the weapon is new. They have a pretty good reputation for fixing issues, and it might be dirt under the extractor that is causing it not to grab the rim properly. In that instance, the extractor is not grabbing the rim properly and the breechface might just be slinging the round to the chamber at a bad angle, causing the dent.
RC, thats a hollow point round in the pic, notice the cuts in the jacket?
RC, thats a hollow point round in the pic, notice the cuts in the jacket?
otasan56
Member
What handgun is being used here?
For all those interested: Turns out the issue was me not racking the slide hard enough which is a must for the xds. I had a buddy cycle a few rds through his xds and the last one had a dent identical to mine. He said on the last round he did rack it as hard as the other two. I proceeded to cycle a few rds on my xds as hard as I could as opposed to just enough to get the rounds to eject and surprise: no dented cartridges. Thanks for the feedback everyone I appreciate it as always!
J2FLAN
Member
I just tryed my XDs, no dent but I do rack the slide with some force.
BTW, those bullets you show do look very short, to safe, you might check the oal befor shooting them.
BTW, those bullets you show do look very short, to safe, you might check the oal befor shooting them.
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Skylerbone
Member
Ryno, do you understand what rc wrote because it is important. Mark a round at 6:00, place it in the magazine and cycle as you did previously. The cartridge is hanging up on the top edge of the feed ramp in a near 3-point jam. Then the recoil spring is exerting enough pressure to force the round to chamber. As the spring weakens with time or perhaps with a different bullet profile problems can arise.
The rounds bullets shouldn't be suffering from any bullet setback yet as each of the bullets pictured was only fired once but I will definetly check them. As far as the feed ramp issue I believe my feed ramp was already polished by Springfield but I could definetly be wrong about that. If it really is a problem with feed ramp what is the best solution? I assume let SA know and send it to them? This stuff is confusing!
The three point jam comment is interesting though because that's exactly what happens when you don't rack the slide hard enough when chambering a round. As much as I love this xds I'm starting to wonder if I should have purchased something else.
Skylerbone
Member
Preferable to allow SA to handle it, especially if you have any doubts about tackling it yourself. Polished is nice but angle is more important. What you appear to have is a sharp corner.
Breechface contacts round and pushes forward (via recoil spring), round contacts feed ramp and noses up. Nose of bullet hits top of chamber while still in contact with breech and ramp (at chamber entrance). Round becomes wedged temporarily, brass is crushed. Recoil spring overcomes jamb and forces round into chamber. Spent casing exhibits no sign of damage as pressure from firing reforms brass.
Solution is to round the sharp transition enough to feed reliably without damage while maintaining chamber support. Google "Glock Smile" and you'll see examples of bulged cases (at 6:00 as they were fired) from older Gen. 1 models usually firing reloads. What is often misunderstood about the original Glock design is that this was done to improve feed reliability. The pistol was also designed for a soft fail, the oft referenced KB, in case of overpressure rounds. As the project was meant to be a service pistol from the beginning, little regard was given to spent brass for reloading.
Not a deal killer for your pistol and Springfield's CS will take care of things for you. You'll rave about it (positively) and the pistol for years to come. Good luck.
Breechface contacts round and pushes forward (via recoil spring), round contacts feed ramp and noses up. Nose of bullet hits top of chamber while still in contact with breech and ramp (at chamber entrance). Round becomes wedged temporarily, brass is crushed. Recoil spring overcomes jamb and forces round into chamber. Spent casing exhibits no sign of damage as pressure from firing reforms brass.
Solution is to round the sharp transition enough to feed reliably without damage while maintaining chamber support. Google "Glock Smile" and you'll see examples of bulged cases (at 6:00 as they were fired) from older Gen. 1 models usually firing reloads. What is often misunderstood about the original Glock design is that this was done to improve feed reliability. The pistol was also designed for a soft fail, the oft referenced KB, in case of overpressure rounds. As the project was meant to be a service pistol from the beginning, little regard was given to spent brass for reloading.
Not a deal killer for your pistol and Springfield's CS will take care of things for you. You'll rave about it (positively) and the pistol for years to come. Good luck.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Once again, the ammo you are using is too short to feed properly in that gun.
Ammo with a longer bullet profile more similar to a 230 FMJ will hit the top of the chamber sooner, and break over properly at a lower angle without denting the case.
Try different ammo.
Don't polish the feed ramp.
That has nothing to do with anything either.
rc
Ammo with a longer bullet profile more similar to a 230 FMJ will hit the top of the chamber sooner, and break over properly at a lower angle without denting the case.
Try different ammo.
Don't polish the feed ramp.
That has nothing to do with anything either.
rc
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