Federal primers damaged my striker

[JOHNNYGLOCK]

I bought my first 5k federal 100 primers and shot about 300 in my G35 which is stock except for a KKM barrel. the load was a 180 P.Delta at 1.135" power pistol at 6.3gr mixed brass that has about .418"-.420" crimp and the 100 primers. after shooting about 100 in practice and 200 at a match I took the gun home and noticed that the trigger pull felt gritty, so I opened it up and saw way more carbon build up than normal. I than took the slide apart and had trouble getting the extractor out, after I did get it out I looked at the striker and noticed it was way to black. The hole front of the striker channel was very dirty also much more than normal after just 300 rounds. while cleaning the striker I noticed the front melted some what in that it doesn't come to much of a point any more and has 2 dents on the tip that look like it was caused buy the anvil of the primer. So I looked at the striker on my G22 and the G35 is definitely damaged.

After I load my ammo I turn them upside down and mark them so I know what is mine and to check primer position, than they go to the case gage. I have shot many thausands of rounds with CCI, WSP, and wolf primers but this is the first with Federal, and I know that federal are the softest and this is why I bout them. I was thinking that they would be best for a striker gun and if I ever played with the trigger pull that feds would be the best to use.

Has anyone ever had this problem? It seems to me that the striker was puncturing most of the primers and because it was a major match didn't collect any of my brass.

My next question is if I buy a light steel striker can I still use the factory spring? Any insight to this would be helpful. THANKS, JOHN

[Caspian_45]

What's your velocity as loaded with Fed Primers? Have you looked at the brass for pressure signs? Are primers pierced? Does this problem occur in other guns?

Usually pierced primers is a HUGE sign you have pressure problems.

Sorry not more help.

[LeoHallak]

What's your velocity as loaded with Fed Primers? Have you looked at the brass for pressure signs? Are primers pierced? Does this problem occur in other guns?

Usually pierced primers is a HUGE sign you have pressure problems.

Sorry not more help.

Only time I have had punctured primers were when they were just a little too hot. Sounds load related. I use federals in all my pistols, production glock, open glock and never had a problem.

Leo

[Duane Thomas]

In the past several years I've put a bit more than 60k through my Glock 9mms, which run at pressures comparable to a decent .40 load, the vast majority of those loaded with Federal primers (the only exception being during those dark months during the recent unpleasantness when I couldn't get the primers I wanted) without a single problem. I'd look at your load as the problem before I looked at the primers.

[JimmyZip]

I'm not doubting your obsevations, just that I didn't notice in your original post what the brass looked like. Were the primers peirced? Your load is really on the low side from what I could glean off Alliant website. Is this a powder that gets erratic at low charge weights? Usually when I get alot of soot, my powder is just not burning well if my charge is too low. That, or the powder is just dirty. Is this a .40 minor load? Just wondering how your getting peirced primers with such a moderate charge.

Sorry, re-read your post. Your gonna need to shoot some more of them to see if that is what it is I guess. Or find a revo shooter to trade with.

Good luck,

JZ

Edited September 9, 2010 by JimmyZip

[BayouSlide]

Over 56K thousand rounds through my G34. The first 15K or so were factory...all the rest Federals...no appreciable wear on the striker here either.

Curtis

Edited: 'cause I hate tipos typos!

Edited September 9, 2010 by BayouSlide

[Shooter32]

I will not shoot anything but Federal primers and have never had a problem that is primer related ... I would look at something else and not blame the primers ..

[Bill Nesbitt]

I've decided that Glock strikers need replaced during routine maintenance like the recoil spring but not as often. I've lost count how many I've replaced because the tip was eroded. This is with minor 9mm loads and several brands of primers.

[glockwerkes]

#1 Just like everyone else has said, what does the fired brass and primer look like?

#2 At the major match, what was your velocity and resulting PF? Was it consistent with what you measured at home?

#3 Pull a few of the loaded rounds and double check the charge weight. Perhaps your powder measure got out of kilter.....

[Braxton1]

I have seen a good number of pierced primers on brass that I've found on our police range. All this stuff is 180 gr. 40 S&W from a well-known ammunition remanufacturer. I sent several of them to the loader and admitted that he'd changed primer brands during the "unpleasantness" last year.

So, this isn't the first time that I've heard of this issue.

[GrumpyOne]

There is nothing wrong with your load. I have loaded Power Pistol up to 7.6 grains in a 40 S&W, using Win SPP, they flatten, and you get a bit of cratering, but no pierced primers (shot in an XDM). Personally (I know I'm gonna get lambasted for this!), I won't use anything that says Federal on it. Brass, primer, bullet, etc. I've had too many bad experiences with Federal. That being said, I still don't think it was the primers that gave your G35 the issue. Not with that load....

[JOHNNYGLOCK]

Thanks for all the feedback! This load is not to hot, and not minor either. I get about 975-1000 f.p.s. out of it, at the match I was a 175PF. This has been consistent for the last two years with whatever primer i have used. I guess its just time for a new one but I only have about 3500 rounds threw the gun, its still a baby. like I said before I think I only have five pieces of brass from the match and in that five one does look like it has a pierced primer. One of my buddys was an RO for the match and got a lot of brass so I asked him if he could find any of mine to compare as mine are marked. I still have a few hundred .40 loaded and tonight I will load some 9's for my G17 and try them this weekend at a steel match.

If I buy a lwt striker can I still use the Glock striker spring. I have played with some trigger bar's and I can get the pull down to 2-21/2lbs but when I add a lwt striker spring it goes down to 11/2lbs and that is to light for me. so should I just get a factory striker and save the money or is the lwt striker worth the extra few bucks?

Also who has the cheapest OEM stikers Brownells has them for around $40, any one have them cheaper than that?

[WildWest N AZ]

Thanks for all the feedback! This load is not to hot, and not minor either. I get about 975-1000 f.p.s. out of it, at the match I was a 175PF. This has been consistent for the last two years with whatever primer i have used. I guess its just time for a new one but I only have about 3500 rounds threw the gun, its still a baby. like I said before I think I only have five pieces of brass from the match and in that five one does look like it has a pierced primer. One of my buddys was an RO for the match and got a lot of brass so I asked him if he could find any of mine to compare as mine are marked. I still have a few hundred .40 loaded and tonight I will load some 9's for my G17 and try them this weekend at a steel match.

If I buy a lwt striker can I still use the Glock striker spring. I have played with some trigger bar's and I can get the pull down to 2-21/2lbs but when I add a lwt striker spring it goes down to 11/2lbs and that is to light for me. so should I just get a factory striker and save the money or is the lwt striker worth the extra few bucks?

Also who has the cheapest OEM stikers Brownells has them for around $40, any one have them cheaper than that?

Ive been told fed primers are fine with minor loads but to stay far away from them in major PF? Also if the primer was piecrced the damage has been done to stricker and it will only get worse ect, good idea to replace the stricker forsure. Ive done a great deal of research on this here lately due to possiably same issue my way?

Edited September 12, 2010 by WildWest N AZ

[JOHNNYGLOCK]

Thanks for all the feedback! This load is not to hot, and not minor either. I get about 975-1000 f.p.s. out of it, at the match I was a 175PF. This has been consistent for the last two years with whatever primer i have used. I guess its just time for a new one but I only have about 3500 rounds threw the gun, its still a baby. like I said before I think I only have five pieces of brass from the match and in that five one does look like it has a pierced primer. One of my buddys was an RO for the match and got a lot of brass so I asked him if he could find any of mine to compare as mine are marked. I still have a few hundred .40 loaded and tonight I will load some 9's for my G17 and try them this weekend at a steel match.

If I buy a lwt striker can I still use the Glock striker spring. I have played with some trigger bar's and I can get the pull down to 2-21/2lbs but when I add a lwt striker spring it goes down to 11/2lbs and that is to light for me. so should I just get a factory striker and save the money or is the lwt striker worth the extra few bucks?

Also who has the cheapest OEM stikers Brownells has them for around $40, any one have them cheaper than that?

Ive been told fed primers are fine with minor loads but to stay far away from them in major PF? Also if the primer was piecrced the damage has been done to stricker and it will only get worse ect, good idea to replace the stricker forsure. Ive done a great deal of research on this here lately due to possiably same issue my way?

This happend in your pistola to? I wonder why you don't hear about it in fed factory loads. I also notice that while the feds seat fine in most brass they are hard getting into winchester brass, I have a freind who is not as meticulous as I but has popped a few on his 650 with win brass. I hear that 9mm strikers are a lil shorter than the ones that are in the .40's so maybe switching them would help, just a thought.

[WildWest N AZ]

I cant say it happened with my reloads, and not even sure it happened with the factory 9 that I was using while waiting on an order of bullets to show up? LoL Only because I was unable to see any of the signs that would show that it happened on my striker???? The research I did do on subject seemed to show that a piecred primer most commonly happens while loading for major or running an over pressure load. Fed primers are fine for light stuff and Ive used them before only when I could not find the win primers and prefer win stuff. Ive never had an issue with them period. The one sure way to tell is take your striker out and look at the tip very close it should have discoloration on it and tip will feel rough if you rub your nail on it? Id replace it to be on safe side because I was told the wear gets worse as you go and will cause it to pierce more down the reload.

[JOHNNYGLOCK]

I have a new striker on order and for now I will only use the fed's with the 9 about 130PF. I to prefer the win caps will have to find more of them only have about 1500 left.

[rr4406pak]

After reading your post I took my striker out of my G35 an saw mine is rounded too!

I use Federal primers as well but my loads are down at only 140pf.

This is the original striker that came with the Glock and I have about 5000 rounds down the barrel.

It is still reliable and no failures.

I'm debating changing it but the gun is running fine...

Edited September 13, 2010 by rr4406pak

[shooterready]

After reading your post I took my striker out of my G35 an saw mine is rounded too!

I use Federal primers as well but my loads are down at only 140pf.

This is the original striker that came with the Glock and I have about 5000 rounds down the barrel.

It is still reliable and no failures.

I'm debating changing it but the gun is running fine...

rr4406pak,

Time for a new striker. I've replaced several due to erosion. It will fail soon enough. Better to get after it now than let you down in a match.

[WildWest N AZ]

It is fine to see alittle wear on the sides of sriker, its the tip not the sides that would feel rough if your run nail over it that would show time to order another. Ive got G23 bought new 01 that has more rounds than I could guess through it and the OEM striker is still in great shape. But with it being a cheaper part couldnt hurt to a spare around thats for sure.

[JOHNNYGLOCK]

yes it is always a good idea to keep spare parts around especially at a match, but with that being said their is not much that will stop a Glock altogether. I wonder how long mine will last? I think my striker may find its way back in my gun when I head to the range for some practice!

[JOHNNYGLOCK]

I finally had a chance to shoot some Fed 100 out of my G17 and this is what I found. The load was a 115grFMJ, 5.9-6.0 power pistol (max in my manual is 6.7 for 31,000psi) mixed brass, the fed 100's and some wolf SP.

First a started with a 4lb wolff striker spring (reduced) and a stock striker shot about 50rds and all went good at first glance of the brass, back to that in a min.

Next i tryed the wolf SP with same spring and shot till I had a FTF, that only took about 25rds.

Than I put the OEM spring back in and shot 30rds of the fed's again, and then looked at all the brass and had 4 primers that pierced and 2 were very evident with a big hole, you could see the side of the anvil.

So i stoped and put the 4lb spring back in and shot another 100rds with the fed SP and they all went BANG. I picked up all that brass and went home, later that night I looked at all of this brass closer (I kept it all separate) and out of 150 I found about 8 or 10 that had pierced with the light spring and stock striker. the head stamp of those were marked FEDERAL +p+/ SD 9x19/ a couple of R.P./ and 1 SPEER. the hole was not as big as those with the OEM spring but were blackened and did have a small needle size hole. The striker looks fine and is not damaged.

So in conclusion I think the FED's do pierce in a Glock, I'm not saying don't use them but if you do you will be better served with a reduced striker spring (got my pull to 3lbs with a (-) connector) and plan on changing your striker sooner with this set up. next I will try my .40 major loads as stated above trying different springs but I expect the same results, let me know if any one would like me to post my results.

[sqeeler]

i wish i would of found this sooner , i just burnt the tip off 2 of my glock 9mm strikers running fed 100 primers with a mid range load. Talked to a friend of mine about it and he said he had the exact same thing happen in his glock 19 with a totally different load. IM DONE with federal primers in glock 9mm

[Duane Thomas]

Meanwhile I have circa 42k through my Glock 34, and 23k through my Glock 17, the vast majority of that handloads with Federal primers, without a single problem.

[JOHNNYGLOCK]

i wish i would of found this sooner , i just burnt the tip off 2 of my glock 9mm strikers running fed 100 primers with a mid range load. Talked to a friend of mine about it and he said he had the exact same thing happen in his glock 19 with a totally different load. IM DONE with federal primers in glock 9mm

I have a couple of glock 9mm's and bought them as LE trade in's and after looking them over I noticed that they have 40 length strikers in them, which my cause the problem with the 9m's. What I have done since the last time I posted on the subject, I took the melted striker (wich is now 9mm length) and stoned all the sharp edges away that were cased buy the anvil and also made the point or tip of the striker flat and kept it and the LW 4lb striker spring in the G17 and have shot about 3500 rounds through it with the fed 100 caps and is still going strong. Every once and a while I still see a pimer with a pin size hole in it but this is one out of a few houndred so I dont worry about it, its not like the big holes I was getting before. With the G35 I put a lightened steel striker in it with a 4lb spring and run WSP in the 40 and that also runs great. Also in doing some research on Federal ammo I found out that they use Fed 200 (small Pistol Magnum) primers in almost all there 9mm and 40 loads and can only assume that it is because of this problem that they do so. I hope this helps and don't throw away those old strikers they may still have some life left in them.

[pigfish73]

I have run thousands of rounds through my 34 and 35. All of them with Federal primers and no problems.I run titanium strikers with light springs and KKM barrels.