mont1120

Picking up bolt today, buying a box of factory rounds, then headed for the range. Never heard anything bad about DPMS. I suppose I just opened a door for those who dont like them. Have there been problems I am unaware of with the platform.

It does happen with ammo. I too thought I might have issues with it, but I shot mine in another gun, and it was fine. I have checked the bolt, the face, barrel lugs, looked high and wide for junk, and find nothing wrong. Off to the range I go, completely mystified by this one.

I am not a Limited shooter, I'm in Limited 10, and started with a Beretta, then XDM, and on to a Kimber. The 1911 behaved the worst by far with failures, but there was no real advantage score wise between guns. I finally decided to make a move to a used STI 2011 in .45 so I could stay in Limited 10 but move to Limited if I choose to. The difference in shooting platforms is unreal. My scores have improved dramatically, and the accuracy is far better. I'd say without reservation buy a 2011, used or not, and you will never regret it. Certainly I am not a world class shooter, but the gain I got going to the 2011 platform helped my confidence and ability, in contrast there are a whole bunch of Glock shooters that leave me in the dust, and I ponder how much better they would seem to be using the 2011?

Thanks Kurt, this is a good place to start looking for the solution.

At the local 3 Gun match yesterday, my DPMS M4 went south on me. It would fire about 15 rounds just fine, (30 round mags) then the next round would not feed, it just got jammed up on the lugs in the upper. I could clear the round, and not of the subsequent rounds would go into battery. I could smack the assist, and still no way it would lock up. I went to the safe area, but could not find anything in the barrel, I did try scraping off what looked like some small brass shavings, but nothing was visible. Went to the next stage, first 10 rounds went fine, locked up again. I tried it on one more stage after checking it again, and after about ten rounds, it was done. I tired my ammo in another M4, and they worked fine. I inspected the bolt head, the barrel itself, and just can't see the issue. Any ideas what I am looking for? There have been well over 10K rounds down the tube, but I do not think that is excessive.

It was plain old range brass, could have been shot with a Glock, but the rounds fed fine, so no bulge could have been there. Again, in my case it was a medium charge of Unique, and only with lead. Plated bullets from Berrys caused zero issues. As is the case from all range brass, how many times was it fired? I have no idea. I really doubt it was more than once since it came from target shooters, not competition people. I would bet the farm I could load the same round up and blow my XDM. I agree with all here, using lead should lower pressures, all I can figure is PMC brass is slightly thicker then others, although I do not know that for fact.

I prefer the dreaded L10 dinosaur division. SS would be real fun, but a shoulder injury prevents me from reaching to the small of my back where the position of the mags must be set behind the hip. I like the challenge of reloading and moving but prefer the major factor of my .45 whereas in Production all is scored minor. But,,,,,,,like several here have said, it looks like CO or Open is next, my eyes are starting to get real blurry at times. I have tried Limited and Production, but its time to pay the piper and get a 2011 blaster to stay competitive. I will start with an XDM CO gun first to see how it goes. It would seem revolver would be fun, but literally no one shoots it around here.

Here is a picture of mine, and I guarantee it was not fired out of battery. No other brand of case blew like this with exactly the same load, and the powder was not exceeding max levels. I have never gotten an answer from PMC, Alliant, or Springfield on why this is happening. I just ended up pulling about 400 rounds and will never use the Unique and lead 180 combo in .40 again.

I have had the same problem with PMC brass blowing up in my XDM, and cracking the frame. Took the third failure to figure it out. It always happened to me with a 180 grain lead bullet, and Unique powder. I will bet the farm your velocities were matching mine. Did not happen with plated or any other powder. My solution was to not use Unique or lead loads in .40. I never did figure out why the PMC was separating, but I have never had the problem since. I still remember the stinging smack to my hand when it happened.

I have made the move to coated bullets and use them for both practice and all my competition use. The gain in FPS alone has made a big difference in meeting major power factor in .40 and .45, I like Blue Bullets the best, followed by Leatherheads, which do seem to be a bit more accurate in the 147 in my XDM for 3 gun.

You may have not been paying attention. the rules are clear. the gun must be either cleared or in an appropriate ready condition. An unsafe gun like a glock can just be layed down. A real gun like a 1911 must be on safe or cleared. A DA/SA gun like a cz must either be on safe, or have the hammer lowered manually or be cleared. Yes, I missed it and stand corrected.

At my recent RO class, it was relayed a shooter can lay a gun down and safely retrieve it provided there is no 180 broken or finger in the trigger guard. There was no mention of clearing the firearm or putting it on safe. This was in reference to myself having bad knees and finding it safer to lay the gun down, then stand back up and retrieve the pistol after being placed in a shooting position on my back or stomach. Perhaps someone can clarify this?

Certainly start going to major matches. I got into this sport very late in years, but enjoy it more then any other sport I have been in. Going to a major event gives you two valuable experiences, one is to watch the superb shooters and how they navigate and run stages, and the other is learning to adjust to nervous stress. I had been fortunate enough to win a slot to the Nationals a few years back in L10, and decided to go. I learned to deal with the stress of getting ready to run a stage, with the next group, (comprised of all GM's none the less) watching me while I ran the stage. It gets a bit overwhelming, but you get used to it, which is critical in our game. I learned so many lessons in that single match, that it still serves me well to this day. Things like my first gun went down, absolutely tanking a stage due to the sights coming off, finding out my back up gun almost ran me minor (major PF exactly on the dot), and adjusting to laying chest down in cold rainwater while trying to see a target to shot at with fogged glasses. It was a fantastic time, and you realize how great the sport is when the best shooters in the world give you tip after tip and never did I hear harsh word directed at the lessor shooters, and in sports, that is rare.

Well, I must rescind my original reply on not noticing much difference between LP and SP primer velocities. I went to the range yesterday to test some 230 BB and Clays. Well, the FPS were coming out well, between 740 and 775, when all of a sudden, 715 pops up. Minor for sure. To my dismay I'm fearing a powder drop issue, but with one round, maybe it's not so bad. Having remembered this discussion, I looked in the box, and sure enough I had some SP rounds in the mix. Well, let's load those up Frodo, and lo and behold, every single one went minor, from 715 down to 699. That would have placed me at minor in L10 with .45, and I sure need all the points I can get. Lessons learned big time, never ever assume anything. So much for felt recoil. So, time to root through 750 rounds for SP primer rounds and into the practice bin they go. A big thanks to the Forum and bigdawgbeav, saved my bacon for this match.

I bought a .45 STI Eagle this winter and love it. The feeding is not an issue for me, and I added a pair of MBX 140MM mags which hold 18 rounds for 3 Gun. I would not hesitate to use it for L10, limited, or the 3 gun matches. Even if you are limited to 10 rounds, the extra space you get on a 2011 really helps moving reloads.

Had the same kind of issue on my XDM, and got some great advice here to correct the issue. Turns out that after I replaced the recoil spring, I needed to keep my hammer spring at the factory weight instead of using the spring that came with the reduced recoil spring. Needed to increase the weight of the hammer spring to overcome the reduction in forces. Another issue I have found is my primers were sitting a tad too high and were not firing on the first strike, but would go off if I tried firing them a second time. I have never had issues with primers since we have been forced to use whatever we could come up with here in the frozen NW, we are just now seeing pistols powders with regularity. Of course, when Billary wins her crown, you won't be able to find blackpower even. My thinking now is stock up while I can, I have a real bad feeling....................

I have used mine in 3 Gun, Steel, and on a rare occasion in USPSA for Limited 10 and Limited. It is a fantastic pistol to start the sport with, it is very reliable and accurate. For a used one I would not go much higher then $575. Have fun with it, I still do and will shoot it until it wears out, which should be quite awhile. I picked it over a Glock because of the grip angle which made the Glock sit oddly in my hand.

I bought two of the .45 140 MM tubes and have not has a single feeding issue. I am really surprised at your issues. I have had issues with the 10 round STI's, but I cannot think of a reason why you are having these troubles. The folks at MBX have been super with me.

Just took the beginners RO class from Mr. Kevin Imel last month, and I wish to say this class is one all members should take if for nothing else, to learn how truly difficult the RO job is. Instructors are not paid to do these classes, give up time to instruct and grade tests, (and correct answers with written notes). In addition they get to answer the most ridiculous questions from students I believe I have ever heard. If you get a chance, take the course to learn the rules and nuances of the USPSA. You will be surprised on how well thought out the rulebook is set up, and how it attempts to cover 99% of issues that crop up. This is a way shooters can begin to give back to the sport, and volunteer their time to build the membership for the next generation. (BTW, Mr. Imel was a superb instructor, kudos to the Rules division of the USPSA.)

I normally shoot a 2011 now, but use an XDM for 3 gun, get the trigger done for sure. You can now order the trigger kits and put it in your self. It was a very easy install and worth the money. By doing it yourself you can afford a magwell, but you will need some new basepads. For IDPA I'm not so sure it would help you that much.

Just to be clear, this stovepipe happens when the loaded round is going into battery, does the extractor still cause this type of problem?

Well I am truly baffled now. Last Sunday my Eagle .45 started stovepiping the first round of the mag jamming it nose up between the barrel hood and the mag. I figured it was a dirty mag and no big deal. Cleaned the mags, went to the range today, and no matter what mag, MBX, STI, 10 or 15 rounder, the first round got jammed. This happened with MG RN, Blue Bullets 230 gr, and Xtreme RN, with varying lenghts, nothing mattered. 1.24, 1.22, and 1.2. Got home, checked my measurements, and for the life of me nothing jams now. What on this earth can cause this condition.

Walked into a LGS and nearly pasted out, found two pounds of N320 on the shelf. Must have fallen off the truck on its way to the big city. Anyway, bought em both, one is for the .40 to try out for 3 gun loads, but what I am looking for is good .45 loads. I am using 230 gr Blue or MG, and wanted to get some data in minor levels and what will get me close to 170 PF for matches. I really like Clays and WST, but just had to try this out and see what all the hoopla was about. We'll see if the difference in recoil is really noticeable compared to the other two.

In the .45 I find of the three WST is the best powder. The recoil is softer, meters well, and is pretty clean. Having said that, WST is temp sensitive, the hotter it gets, the slower the bullet goes, so at chrono'd stages in high heat, adjust the load accordingly.

What I meant by present day hearing devices are the one most shooters are using. There are certainly hearing protection out there that will handle incredible levels of sound, but I will bet foam plugs and average hearing muffs are not among them. Also, very, very few shooters other then RO's wear double hearing unless they are shooting the comped guns.