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I’m running new MBX mags on my CK Arms Thunder 40 Limited gun. This is a brand new gun and brand new mags. They all seem to be running great, but I have one mag that seems to let the 4th or 5th “last” round in the mag do a nose dive straight into the feed ramp. A quick sling shot of the slide and it feeds it right in and I can finish the rest of the mag as normal. Happened a couple times during a match. The Rest of the mags run fine and even that mag runs fine but occasionally that fifth round from the end causes an issue. im running 180gr Berry’s target hollow point loaded to 1.180 at the suggestion of CK. Not that it may be related to this issue, but I have Montana gold JHP’s on order And plan on running those moving forward. The Berry’s s were just a fill-in. I checked to make sure the follower isn’t getting hung up on anything, nothing that I could see. Any thoughts?

I am currently using Berry's 180 gr Target HP. I have some Montana Gold 180 JHP on the way. I am using a Hornady LNL progressive with the Hornady Nitride dies.

Thanks for the replies. Yes I am shooting major. The round is not touching the rifling at 1.180. I used that length at the suggestion of Bobby and Matt from CK, in fact Matt loads his closer to 1.20. To be clear, some of the short rounds were test chambered many times, a dozen or more. If I chamber a round and the extract it and check the OAL it is changing by 1 hundredths or a few thousandth. Like, starts at 1.180, drops to 1.175. i will thoroughly check my sizing die and of course the short rounds will be pulled and not shot.

What I meant by that was, I don't normally load rounds and hand cycle them a couple times as testing dummies before firing. Normally they are loaded and then just shot. They reduced by a hundredth or two. So started at 1.180 and dropped to 1.170 A couple of the rounds I ran through the mag a couple time to test the feeding of the mag and they would up down near 1.115, but they were run through the gun a few times before I noticed they were getting shorter. I plan on pulling the real short ones because of possible spikes. I am just curious if it is normal for a round to seat deeper from feeding or am I not crimping enough.

I am new to 40 cal reloads and 2011 (been reloading 45 and 9 for years for my 1911's). I found that my CK Arms Thunder likes them loaded to 1.180 OAL. My question is crimp. I was crimping them between .421 and .4205. They ran fine in my gun like that and chamber checked just fine. Tonight I was fine tuning some mages and was hand cycling some rounds through the mags to check feeding. I noticed as I ran them through the mags and into the chamber by hand cycling the slide, it reduced the OAL. I am assuming this is from when it hits the feed ramp during feeding. Now I know this will not normally be the case, the rounds will just be loaded and then shot. But it begs me to ask the question, is it normal for the bullet to seat a little deeper during the feeding process? Is my crimp not tight enough? I am using Berrys 180 gr THP.

I am looking at buying a CK for USPSA Limited major. I do not know of anyone near me that has some to shoot, so I have to go off of what I have shot. I have narrowed my search to a Hardcore or Thunder. So basically do I want the lightened slide? I currently shoot a lot of IDPA using an Ed Brown full size in both 45 CDP and 9mm ESP. I am thinking the hardcore might be a similar balance to my full size 1911's? Any thoughts or suggestions? I am definitely going with their metal grip option, other than that its either the Hardcore with full length dust cover or the Thunder or the 5.5" Thunder.

Duplicate, sorry! Connection froze.

I know this topic has been beat to death. I started shooting IDPA about a year and a half ago. I got addicted right away. I was shooting 45 CDP. Then I got a 9mm 1911 Ed Brown and have been shooting ESP. I worked up a load I like of 124 gr RN Bayou on 4.2 gr of Bullseye, avg fps of 1096 which power factors at about 135,900.I run a 10# recoil spring. It groups very nice for me and I won my first Tier 3 sanctioned match in my division in June.I love to play and experiment, so I tried 147gr flat point Bayou's. I worked up a load of 3.2 gr of Bullseye, avg 911 fps, which PF's at 133,900 and I run a 9# spring. This load feels great. It groups real nice and I shot it in a local club match and it did really well. I have read a lot of post and some people complain about the 147's being slow. Maybe I am not experienced enough in competition to feel that, but to me the 124 is snappier. Don't get me wrong, the 124 is nice and hey its a 9mm, its doesn't have a lot of snap like the 45. But the 147's with that 9# spring, the muzzle hardly moves. I tried recording my splits on a timer and I can't see a huge difference between the 124's and 147's. I got a smile pack of the Bayou 135's and worked up a load of 3.5 gr of Bullseye, but I can't say it was as big of difference from the 124's as the 147's were. I am thinking or ordering a bundle of 147's. Before I do, am I missing something? Is there a downside to the 147's? My logic says, less powered, lighter spring is easier on the gun and shooter?? What is the popular weight amongst the big national shooters? Thanks!!

I have been shooting 124gr Bayou and started testing 147gr Bayou's for IDPA. I use Bullseye and have plenty on hand, so I was looking for a load and couldn't find any in any of my manuals or on Reliants site. I load the 124's to 4.2gr and the 147's to 3.2 gr, so I could guess somewhere in between, but would love to hear some loads that people may have used. Testing these 135's for IDPA. I love the 124's, fast and very accurate in my 1911 with a 10# recoil spring, minimal muzzle flip. The 147's are awesome too, with a slower push and a little less flip and I run a 9# recoil spring. The 147's are, I feel a little slow sometimes, so I was hoping maybe the 135's would strike a balance between the 124's and 147's. Thanks

Yes, I put a loaded 9mm round in and shook it, it did not fall out or really move around. Thanks!

Thanks. I did the test to see if it can hold a loaded round and does hold it tightly against the breech face. Are you thinking the tension may be too loose or too tight?

I am running an Ed Brown 5" 9mm 1911 that I have specifically set up for IDPA. I had it fine tuned and running awesome with a 124 gr Bayou bullet and 4.3gr Bullseye load that PF'd at about 134,000 and ran a Wolff #10 variable power spring. I shot it well and won my division in a sanctioned match recently. Apparently, that was not good enough as I like to tweak and always fine tune. So I tested some loads with less powered putting me closer to the 131 power factor with a #9 pound spring. They ran nice and noticed a slight bit less muzzle travel. Again, slight. However, I tested it in some local Tier 1 matches and I got a double feed in one match and and another double feed in another match. Never happened before. I know what normally causes double feeds, but I also read that some times too light a recoil spring can cause inertia slap of the slide hitting harder causing the round to pop out. Maybe I have found what runs best in my gun and for me with the 124's and 10# spring and need to leave it alone? But is that a possibility of what caused those 2 double feeds as I never had them before? I am running Chip McCormick XP9 10 rd mags, they have been great. I had problems with both Wilson and Tripp in the 10rd 9mm mags. On a side note: I started experimenting with 147gr Bayou's and 3.2 gr of Bullseye and the 9# recoil spring. So far they have been flawless and shoot really nice. But if my logic from above is correct, the 147's have less powder causing less slide slap with the 9# spring, so maybe the inertia double feed is not an issue here? No? Thanks

I have a 5"1911 in 9mm that I shoot for IDPA. I know 9's in 1911's can be a little finicky, so I have stuck to 124 gr for now. I shoot a 124 gr RN Bayou Hi-Tec over 4.3 gr Bullseye for IDPA and they group very nice in my gun. I was at Cabelas the other day and they had some 147 gr Fed American Eagle, so I picked up a box. Wow...does it shoot nice in my gun. Muzzle flip was even a little softer than my 124gr loads, and that was 147 gr factory ammo. I did not have my chrono with me so I save 20 rounds so I can test what the factory loads are. So I want to play a little. So my questions are: For the 1911, being a little more sensitive to the bullets in 9, the Federal Am Eagle looked more like a flat point type of bullet profile. I have always used Bayou Hi-Tek stuff in 45 and 9 in the their RN. I looked at Bayou and their 147 looks to be a different profile. What 147 bullet do you all like? Also, powder? I run Bullseye for my 45 230gr RN and 9mm 124 gr RN loads. I have a lot of Bullseye, but it seems like a lot of people use Titegroup on the 147's?? Thanks

I have an Ed Brown 9mm 1911 5" that I am setting up for IDPA. It runs near 100% and is a tack driver and fun to shoot. Aside from my 45 1911 Kobra that I also use in IDPA, I plan on using the 9mm for the majority of IDPA matches. I get an occasional stove pipe ejection (maybe 1 in 75 to 100 rounds) and an occasional mangled brass. The mangles brass does eject, but soft and falls at my feet. This happens again, maybe 1 out of 75 to 100 rounds with both my hand loads and 124 gr factory Federal American Eagle. Now I know some of it could be me. I had been riding the slide with my weak hand thumb, but have now corrected that. I understand any little drag on the 9mm slide can cause issues. I reload and have been using a load of 4.3 gr of Bullseye powder on 124 gr Bayou Hi-Tek coated RN. It chrono's over min PF. I am expecting 100% reliability, maybe that is too much to ask for the 9mm in 1911?? So I started playing with springs. Browns come with a 10# recoil and 19# mainspring. I tried a 9# Wolff. The brass ejected pretty much straight out to 3 O'clock and landed about 5 to 6 feet away. However, the spring seems slow and odd to me. I tried a Wolff 10# Variable power recoil spring. The rounds land in a 3 to 6 foot circle that would be about at my 4:30 position. I shot the 10# variable on Sunday in a match and did the best I have ever, won my division. But yesterday when doing some testing at the home range, I got one stove pipe out of 50?? Maybe its just me, my grip? Maybe I loosen up a bit at the home range. I have not had any stove pipes or mangles brass with the 9#, yet? Maybe 50 to 75 rounds tested. With the 10# variable power spring I only had 1 FTE in 150 rounds. Is my thinking correct? I want to lean on the 10# variable power and thing the odd FTE is either me or a soft round? Thanks for listening to me ramble.

I bought the gun brand new in September. It has maybe 1200 or so rounds through it since then. Thanks for your input.

OK, I have the luxury of having a shooting pit on my land, so I went out and played around. I loaded some test rounds. 1) 5.8 gr HS6 with 124 gr Bayou LRN. 10 rounds cycled fine with the 10# spring and Chrono at 1120 avg. 2) 4.5 gr of Bullseye with 124 gr Bayou LRN. 10 rounds cycled fine with the 10# spring and Chrono at 1160 avg. Even though the Bullseye chrono'd faster, the HS6 felt snappier on muzzle flip. On both of these I did a couple pieces of brass fall at my feet or hit my arm, but most landed 3 to 5 feet away. Then I loaded some 124 gr Fed. American Eagle factory. 2 round fired cycled fine and ejected, but I got the mangled brass again. Loaded 20 more rounds and it was fine. Ejecting 3 to 5 feet, with the occasional soft ejection at my feet, only about 2 rounds though. Then I loaded my IDPA round that I had been using 4.3 gr Bullseye 124 gr LRN Bayou. Shot 10 rounds with the 10# spring. All cycled fine 3 to 5 feet with one or 2 rounds landing in front or at my feet. This load does meet minor and then some, somewhere around 130 PF. Then I switched to a new Wolff 9# recoil spring and lubed the rails with 0-W20 synthetic oil. Ran 40 rounds this way. All ran perfect ejecting on a nice pile 5 to 6 feet away and none landing at my feet. I could feel a difference in the muzzle flip too. Seemed like I could back on target faster too. So it sounds like staying with my standard Bullseye load and the 9# spring is the ticket. Also I had been using FP10 shooters choice oil. It seems like the gun runs better with the 0W20 synthetic oil that folks suggested. I know Brown has to be careful of making recommendations outside of the norm, but advised me not to try the 9#. They thought it would be OK with my loads but were concerned if I would have shot factory ammo with it. What is the concern there? Thanks!

Thanks Mic. Sounds about right. So what do you suggest I try? A lighter recoil spring?

What pound spring are you running? So now I am confused. It sounds like HS6 is not the answer. So is it the gun? The spring? or do I need to increase my Bullseye load slightly? Maybe drop down to the 9#? I think I may pick up a box or two of factory ammo to see if that cycles fine. I also noticed that the gun runs fine for about the first 30 rounds, then it starts to happen. Maybe I need different lube? I am using FP10 shooters choice. When it happens, I get out my small bottle of 0W20 synthetic motor oil and put a coulee drops on the rail and it seems to be fine after that.

Thanks. I bought one, but the folks at Ed Brown advised me against using it. They said the gun was designed to run on a 10#. Maybe I need to try it and run the Bullseye like I have been and see what the 9# does.

I have been reloading for about 6 months, so I am still new. I load 45 and 9mm and use Bullseye for both. I compete in IDPA so I am loading for the IDPA power factor. My 45 load is perfect, shoots great and never an issue in my 1911. I just bought a 9mm Ed Brown 5" for IDPA in September and starting reloading 9 at that time as well. I had a couple of ejection issues and sent the gun back to Brown and they made an adjustment to the extractor and ejector. Its been shooting great since it came back, except for a very rare (maybe 1 in 150 rounds) stove pipe ejection. Could be the extractor yet, but I am assuming that Browns gave it a good work over. I am using a 10# recoil spring in my Brown and the brass is ejecting 3 to 5 feet. I am also getting an occasional mangled brass. When that happens, the brass ejects at my feet, but its mangled. The slide does cycle the next round, but the brass that ejected is mangled. See photo. But It makes me ask, do I need to experiment with different powders for 9. Right now I am using 4.3 gr of Bullseye on 124 gr RN from Bayou Hi-Tek coated. It chrono's at 1120 ish. The Bullseye groups very tight in my gun. Some folks at the local store suggested a slower burning powder, suggesting it will give a higher charge and maybe cycle the slide better. so I tried HS6 today and loaded some test. 6.0 gr HS6 124 gr LRN coated Bayou Hi-Tek. Grouped very nice, brass ejected 4 to 8 feet. Chrono 1128 to 1150 avg of 1138 6.3 gr HS6 124 gr LRN coated Bayou Hi-Tek. Grouped very nice, brass ejected 4 to 8 feet Chrono 1171 to 1202 avg of 1185 It was only 10 rounds of each. It ejected fine. I could tell it was snappier and the ejection was faster. However, I noticed some unburnt powder in the inside of the gun on the slide and ejector after shooting the 20 rounds of HS6. So now I am wondering if HS6 is the powder I should be using? Bullseye is great for getting me a softer 45 IDPA load, but maybe its too soft for the 9mm 1911's? I know 9mm in 1911's can be finicky with springs and lighter loads. If HS6 is where I need to be, what do I need to know? What is the deal with the unburnt powder? Thanks for your input.

So I had the day off and had to play. I searched a little more and tried a couple loads. These were all with Bullseye and Berrys 124 gr Plated RN. I did 4.0, 4.2 and 4.4gr. The 4.0 averaged 1040f fps The 4.2 averaged 1071 fps The 4.4 averaged 1091 fps All of those would make power factor and cycled fine through my gun. The 4.0 does not give me much room for error on PF, so I might load a handful of the 4.2 and do more testing.

I have been searching, checked Alliant's site and my Lyman manual, but there does not seem to be much data for 124 gr plated. I have a box of Berry's 124 gr plated RN and using Bullseye. This will be for a 9mm 1911 for IDPA, so I need to make the 125 PF. Looks like the average seems to be 4.0-4.3. I want to do some testing, can you folks give me suggestions? Thanks

I just started reloading 45 for IDPA matches, both for cost and softer shooting. I bought some 200gr RN and SWC and worked up some loads with Bullseye. After much experimenting and testing, I have settled on 230gr RN. You mentioned cost being cheaper for 200gr bullets, however 200 will use more powder. I think the 230 has a softer recoil and they are as accurate for IDPA as the 200's

Did some more testing today, my Chrono results were a little different than last time, a little lower. Temps were the same, but humid and rain is on its way, so I don't know how much that plays into things. 4.2 gr Bullseye 230gr RN Hi 723 Lo 690 Avg 715 does not put me in PF 4.4 gr Bullseye 230gr RN Hi 763 Lo 740 Avg 745 gives me a PF of 171 I used a 14# recoil spring in my gun and I really liked the softer feel of the 230's. Both rounds grouped real nice, the 230's grouping a little tighter. The 200's felt a little snappier and a little more muzzle flip. With the 230's and the 14# spring I felt I could get back on target much quicker. I think I am going to load a bunch of the 230gr with 4.4 of BE for the local match this weekend. It seems like my IDPA load is going to be either 4.3 or 4.4gr of BE on 230gr RN Hi-tek.

OK, so I did some reloading last night and went and tested them this morning: 5.0 gr Bullseye 200gr RN Hi 848 Lo 827 Avg 841 gives a PF that passes, but not by much (168) 5.2 gr Bullseye 200gr RN Hi 897 Lo 851 Avg 872 gives a PF of 174 Then I did some 230gr RN Hi-Tek coated from Bayou 4.2 gr Bullseye 230gr RN Hi 723 Lo 690 Avg 715 does not put me in PF 4.4 gr Bullseye 230gr RN Hi 763 Lo 740 Avg 745 gives me a PF of 171 I used a 14# recoil spring in my gun and I really liked the softer feel of the 230's. Both rounds grouped real nice, the 230's grouping a little tighter. The 200's felt a little snappier and a little more muzzle flip. With the 230's and the 14# spring I felt I could get back on target much quicker. I think I am going to load a bunch of the 230gr with 4.4 of BE for the local match this weekend.