Reading primers

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Blakenzy

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I am working up .45acp loads and have noticed that when reaching the upper limits for a powder charge, the primer indent is no perfectly round, but has a little tail-like impression leading downward, presumably created by the firing pin. It kind of looks like a tadpole(I think that's what people call it "tadpoled primer", not sure). Why do you suppose this is? On lesser powder charges this does not happen. Could the heavier powder charge be messing with my pistol's timing?
I'll try to get a pic up later.
 
It's called primer swipe, and it's common in semi-auto pistols. It's caused by the slide moving to the rear before the firing pin has fully retracted. You can change firing pin springs and recoil springs, or you can just live with it, as long as it's not severe.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
Nah, ain't shootin' a block, I mean Glock ;)

This is with my 1911 Colt. So, the slide is moving backwards so fast that firing pin doesn't have enough time to fully retract? The spings are quite new. I recently replaced them with Wolff Springs. Standard loading for recoil spring and extra power for firing pin. Still I get this fenomenon.

I suppose I should back down on my loads. These hot loads aren't really as accurate as the milder ones. I just wanted to see what a very stout load felt like and how the pistol handled. Hot loads are not that good it appears.
 
There's not a lot to be gained by hot-rodding the .45 ACP -- as I have thoroughly proved to myself. The M1911 and .45 ACP are a system, developed for each other, and work best when kept pretty much to original specs.
 
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