Besides Hornady any ammo to avoid for feeding an HK45?
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Some people have reported issues with 230 gr Gold Dots in addition to the Hornady 230gr TAP. Recommend you take your barrel, and chamber check different kinds of ammo before making a big purchase if possible. Generally speaking, it is primarily 230 gr ammo that is having a problem. Winchester Ranger and Federal HST 230 gr usually both fit and function well in 45 caliber HK pistol barrels. . . they also seem to have pretty damn good terminal ballistics as well (for a handgun).
If you can, take out your barrel and drop a 230 gr Federal HST or Winchester Ranger round into your chamber. Press it in towards the muzzle and try to turn (spin) it with your finger tips on the case rim as you press it in toward the muzzle. If your chamber is clean, it should be finger-tip-turnable with only the case mouth resting against the chamber step. In other words, it should feel the same as if you do it with an empty fired cartridge case with no bullet in it. If the cartridge is too long, then the bullet ogive will be engaging the rifled bore, making the cartridge very difficult or impossible to spin with your fingers while pressing the cartridge in towards the muzzle. If you have really strong fingers, and you do manage to spin an overlong cartridge by easing off a little on how hard you press it towards the muzzle, the rfling of the bore will leave a telltale scratch-ring around the ogive of the bullet when you remove the cartridge and examine it.
If you can, take out your barrel and drop a 230 gr Federal HST or Winchester Ranger round into your chamber. Press it in towards the muzzle and try to turn (spin) it with your finger tips on the case rim as you press it in toward the muzzle. If your chamber is clean, it should be finger-tip-turnable with only the case mouth resting against the chamber step. In other words, it should feel the same as if you do it with an empty fired cartridge case with no bullet in it. If the cartridge is too long, then the bullet ogive will be engaging the rifled bore, making the cartridge very difficult or impossible to spin with your fingers while pressing the cartridge in towards the muzzle. If you have really strong fingers, and you do manage to spin an overlong cartridge by easing off a little on how hard you press it towards the muzzle, the rfling of the bore will leave a telltale scratch-ring around the ogive of the bullet when you remove the cartridge and examine it.
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My handguns feed most all factory ammo.. they are not HK, tho
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45 caliber HK pistols have a shorter "leade" (the portion of the barrel directly in front of the chamber where the rifling has been
conically removed to allow room for the seated bullet) than some/many other pistol barrels.
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Their Hornady TAP 230 gr cartridges are seated too long for 45 caliber HK pistol barrels. The bullets touch or jam into the rifling upon chambering of the round. The lesser bullet weight Hornady cartridges don't seem to have this issue, but it is wise to chamber-check all ammo in whatever barrel it is intended to be fired from.
I use HST in my 45c and have not had any issues. I haven't tried the Gold Dot 230's but I did have some problems with gold dot 124grain JHP's through my P2000sk. Exactly the same issue as the OP had in his 45 with Hornady. I'll be sticking with the HST's for the time being but appreciate the barrel test info provided by orfeo and will definitely use it in the future. Thanks!
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Marked ... great info!
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Pretty much have fed just about any type of ammo through my 45c and never had an issue.
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I've used a large volume of Hornady 45+P TAP 230 grn TAP, 185 grn. TAP, Hornady Critical Defense 45+P 230 grn and 185 grn. Critical Defense thru my
HK45
HK45CT
USP(45) Tactical
USP Elite(45)...
with no problems with feeding, extraction or ejection. All are equally accurate.
Sometimes anecdotal incidents will go viral and become the gospel when repeated often enough.
HK45
HK45CT
USP(45) Tactical
USP Elite(45)...
with no problems with feeding, extraction or ejection. All are equally accurate.
Sometimes anecdotal incidents will go viral and become the gospel when repeated often enough.
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The point is that you should always chamber-check your ammo in whatever gun you plan to shoot it out of. Every barrel maker makes their leade a little different. 45 caliber Hornady 230 gr TAP has been an issue in HK pistols. Their other ammo, and everyone's ammo should always be chamber-checked in whatever gun you plan to use it. I would not buy a large amount of any ammo until I first chamber-checked a sample of it in the particular gun it is going to be shot out of.
Often a guy will say that he'd used the same 230 gr Hornady TAP before in his HK but never noticed a problem. . . until one day he happened to try to extract a chambered round. . . and found that it was stuck in the barrel. Just because it seems to function, does not mean it is right. You have to physically check it.
That goes for all calibers. . . as a basic rule of thumb
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My point was I will not own a self defense weapon that is ammunition picky. I am having a time making an Autauga .32 fire reliably all the time and if I can't fix it then it's going to get shelved
correct.... hornady tap 230gr produced a nasty jam in my HK45. now i know better and make a quick drop-in-barrel test when i buy a new brand of ammo....
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Hornady Custom 230g .45 Auto +P: jammed my HK45c badly.
Speer Gold Dots 230g .45 Auto: no issues, but wasn't impressed with ballistic data.
Winchester Ranger-T 230g .45 Auto +P: no issues, amazing ballistics. My new carry round.
Speer Gold Dots 230g .45 Auto: no issues, but wasn't impressed with ballistic data.
Winchester Ranger-T 230g .45 Auto +P: no issues, amazing ballistics. My new carry round.
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