From: forda@gtephx.UUCP (Andrew Ford @ AGCS, Phoenix, Arizona)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: Occasional Dud in Glock 20 - responses
Date: 12 Aug 92 13:34:23 GMT
Organization: gte

In article <9208061646.aa01001@sco1.qdeck.com>, burge@qdeck.com (Bill Burge) writes:
# #    Thanks for this and all the well-considered replies to the posting.  Good
# #possible reasons given for the "bang failure" were:
# #    -  "Hard" CCI primers
# #    -  Dirty/damaged striker
# #    -  Gummed up firing mechanism
# #    -  Too short case length
# #    -  Dirty primer pockets/poor seating
# #    -  Oiling of primers
# #
# #    It seems that in my case, it is probably poor seating of the primers due
# #dirty primer pockets.  Yup, I've been lazy, nary a one ever cleaned.  I will
# #be acquiring a tumbler very soon, but am a bit perplexed about the situation
# #when I do.
# 
# #dirty primer pocket problem, I would have to eject the fired primers by
# #putting the fired cases through the first stage on the 550B, negating a main
# #purpose of cleaning them(not to mention a tedious extra process).  Should I
# #buy another, hand held depriming tool?  What does the rest of the world do?
[...]> 
# I use a 550B and have brass that have been fired (9mm, 38spl, 45acp) more
# than 10 times without ever cleaning the primer pockets.  They don't mis-
# fire or have "build-up".  I shoot them, tumble them (with primer) load them
# and sohht 'em again.  Dump the CCI primers and use Federal.  If I have a
# misfire in my Glock it is because I "float" my sizing die and it sometimes
# backs out a little and the last bit of 9mm case is still unsized.  THis
# causes the action not close all the way.  I don't use a lock ring on the 
# sizer to allow it to center on the case should the case not start true.
# This sometimes helps the 550 feed at a somewhat more tolerant pace.
# 
# Bill	burge@qdeck.com
# 
# [MODERATOR: As aside, I have a batch of mixed .45 cases that I've loaded
# and shot more than a dozen times.  Never cleaned the pockets, never had a 
# problem.  (In fact, a few times I never cleaned the case at all, being in
# a hurry to reload for a second day's outing ... gosh, you think I should
# invest in another couple thousand cases finally?)  Actually, I should take
# that back, in part ... the last two batches have finally started to give me
# a little problem.   Starting to find a higher occurance of splits.  But I
# attribute this to operator insanity (okay, so I LIKE shooting my Glock 21
# with warm loads ... >5.2gr bullseye behind a 230gr FMJ....) ]

I, like Bill, use Federal primers in my .357 mag and my wife's .380 auto.
I've reloaded at least five times and have never cleaned the cases or the
primer pockets (I also use a 550 - not mine unfortunately 8( ).  

In my .357 (S&W model 66), I've yet to have a misfire 8).  I've had one
or two cases of misfires in the .380 -- the primers were probably not
seated properly (this was during my first two sets of reloads so it was
probably pilot error at the bench).

'Course, I shoot for fun, not competitively AND even with somewhat sloppy
loads the gun stills shoots better than I aim (but I'm working on that).

I second the motion to try Federal primers (from the sounds of it, the
serious competitive shooters clean the primer pockets, so that may affect
your decision, too).


-- 
"25 States allow anyone to buy a gun, strap it on, and walk down the street with
no permit of any kind: some say it's crazy.  However, 4 out of 5 US murders are 
committed in the other half of the country: so who is crazy?"   -  Andrew Ford
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