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Old August 19, 2012, 12:07 PM   #1
Coyote WT
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unspent powder

.45 ACP, 230 FMJ, 6.4 Unique powder.

I recently increased the powder charge to the 6.4 mentioned above. I went the range yesterday and fired 60 rounds with only one misfire.

When I looked down at the targets waiting on my bench, however, I did notice that there were a few grains of unspent powder. I'm assuming it's escaping as the round is ejected.

Any ideas?
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Old August 19, 2012, 12:09 PM   #2
Jim Watson
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A few granules of unburnt powder is not unusual or harmful.

"Only one" misfire out of 60 rounds is unacceptable.

Concentrate on the real problem. Do you know WHY it misfired?
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Old August 19, 2012, 12:29 PM   #3
Coyote WT
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Jim,

Yeah, I had the same problem when I first started. That round didn't go fully into battery so the pin hit the primer off center. I posted a quality control question earlier about measuring rounds. Clearly I'm not 100% reliable on my technique yet so I'll make sure to measure each round instead of spot checks.
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Old August 19, 2012, 12:31 PM   #4
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Getting complete combustion of anything is difficult, just look at the PCV valves and catalytic converters on your car. One way to reduce residue and unburnt powder is to raise combustion temperatures. Titegroup does this, but the trade off is that the pistol gets hot and people using lead bullets report increased leading.

I dump my empty revolver cases from the cylinder right into a container, I always have lots of partially burnt powder in the can. So what, my loads shoot well.

And I also consider a misfire rate of one rounds in 60 is undesirable.
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Old August 19, 2012, 01:29 PM   #5
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Thanks Slam.

1/60 is WAY better then my 10/20 results from my very first attempt just a couple months ago. Practice makes closer to perfect and I'm greatly encouraged by the progress thus far.

Thanks also for cluing me in on unburned powder. I wasn't sure if it was something to be concerned about so I'm glad to hear that it's relatively normal(ish).
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Old August 19, 2012, 02:17 PM   #6
Brian Pfleuger
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coyote WT
Jim,

Yeah, I had the same problem when I first started. That round didn't go fully into battery so the pin hit the primer off center. I posted a quality control question earlier about measuring rounds. Clearly I'm not 100% reliable on my technique yet so I'll make sure to measure each round instead of spot checks.
Wait... Explain this a little more...

If the round wasn't "fully into battery", the firing pin shouldn't have done anything at all, as in the trigger shouldn't work. If it DID and the slide wasn't in battery, you should be REALLY glad the round didn't ignite. Firing a cartridge that's not in battery can be a really bad thing.
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Old August 19, 2012, 02:36 PM   #7
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Brian, maybe battery is the wrong term. I'm speaking from input I got from one of my first posts on this site (http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=491198) where half of my first run had soft and off center strikes.

Using the feedback from that post and beginning to use the plunk test, I was able to dial in my gear. Clearly have a little bit more work to do to tighten up my quality control because this particular round shouldn't have passed the plunk test.
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Old August 19, 2012, 02:43 PM   #8
Brian Pfleuger
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Was the round fully chambered, the slide closed?
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Old August 19, 2012, 04:05 PM   #9
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You were looking for the term high primers, not out of battery. If your gun was out of battery the firing pin wouldn't be allowed to fire(unless a rare mechanical failure).I have 2 XDms and they are kind of fussy with the rounds fed them.They have tighter chambers and if reloads are slightly off it can cause issues. You just have to get into a habit of checking your primers for seating debth and learn "the feel" of a fully seated primer.
When you do the plunk test look at the primer to make sure it is a few thou below the base of the case.
You'll get there.
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Old August 21, 2012, 10:55 AM   #10
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dunejeff, yes! That's exactly the term I was looking for. I began to notice a few of the rounds wobble when I put them primer down on the table and have begun to pay closer attention to primer seating. Thank you.
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