Besides Hornady any ammo to avoid for feeding an HK45?

14313 Views 27 Replies 19 Participants Last post by orfeo, Mar 25, 2012

tnraines

Discussion Starter · Mar 22, 2012

I am looking to buy a case of .45 ammo and was wondering if there are any manufactures I should avoid besides Hornady? for feeding my 45?

1 - 20 of 28 Posts

orfeo

· #2 · Mar 22, 2012

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.

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Blitzkrieg

· #3 · Mar 22, 2012

My handguns feed most all factory ammo.. they are not HK, tho

orfeo

· #4 · Mar 22, 2012

Blitzkrieg said:
My handguns feed most all factory ammo.. they are not HK, tho

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.

skullbox

· #5 · Mar 22, 2012

A little off topic, but I did have a problem feeding Remington Golden Sabers in my Mark 23.

Kobra45

· #6 · Mar 22, 2012

I've never had any issues with Hornady ammo through my HKs or my other .45s. What issues does Hornady ammo have?

orfeo

· #7 · Mar 22, 2012

Kobra45 said:
. . . What issues does Hornady ammo have?

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.

SoSleepy

· #8 · Mar 22, 2012

Some people have reported issues with 230 gr Gold Dots in addition to the Hornady 230gr TAP. Winchester Ranger and Federal HST 230 gr usually both fit and function well in 45 caliber HK pistol barrels. . .

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!

Kobra45

· #9 · Mar 22, 2012

Preciate the info orfeo! I'll have to keep that in mind in case i have trouble.

g8gt

· #10 · Mar 22, 2012

orfeo said:
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.

Marked ... great info!

Apollo11

· #11 · Mar 22, 2012

Just to be clear, there is nothing wrong with Hornady reloading components for Hk use when the operator does their part.

anjunaxbeats

· #12 · Mar 22, 2012

Pretty much have fed just about any type of ammo through my 45c and never had an issue.

Echo2

· #13 · Mar 22, 2012

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.

orfeo

· #14 · Mar 23, 2012

It's not an anecdotal incident. Get a new Hornady 230 gr TAP cartridge and chamber-check it the way I described above in your USP Tactical 45, USP Elite 45, HK45, and HK45 Compact. This is a well-known issue which Hornady has been made aware of.

Jsib84

· #15 · Mar 23, 2012

Is it only the 45 models that have issues with Hornady? I have several boxes (22 boxes) of Hornady ammo in .40 S&W and plan on getting a USP 40 Tactical soon, should I start gathering other types of ammunition?

orfeo

· #16 · Mar 23, 2012

Jsib84 said:
Is it only the 45 models that have issues with Hornady? I have several boxes (22 boxes) of Hornady ammo in .40 S&W and plan on getting a USP 40 Tactical soon, should I start gathering other types of ammunition?

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

Blitzkrieg

· #17 · Mar 23, 2012

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

texasgun

· #18 · Mar 23, 2012

orfeo said:
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.

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....

Xurceht

· #19 · Mar 23, 2012

I had a problem with Winchester Target (WWB) 185gr. It could have been a bad box but all the rounds seem underpowered. The brass was ejected weakly and a few times it didn't seem to have the power to lock the slide to the rear with the last shot.

TheDreamingTree

· #20 · Mar 23, 2012

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.

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