Strange occurence at the range

[shaughn leayme]

I was at the range shooting and a couple of friends were there and a friendly competition started.

They were shooting softball loads and I was using full power practice ammo (+P).

These guys can be jokers and they thought it would be funny to load some light loads in the bottom of a magazine (600 - 650 fps or so, this is not something they will do again) and they figured that I would get to those rounds and have a stove pipe or some sort of stoppage.

Well, to both thier amazement and my own, every single one of those rounds functioned the slide and ejected clear of the pistol (each casing hit my shooting hand) the last 4 rounds even made a nice group.

Note: After the first round that was fired I cleared the pistol to make sure no bullet was lodged in the bore and fired the next 3 to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

Now my pistol has both a shockbuff (.200) and a 20 pound recoil spring. This pistol was set up from the outset to shoot +P ammunition, so it would be reasonable to expect a stoppage, with this low powered ammunition.

What was really weird was the almost springy or double bounce effect that I felt at each shot almost like the slide was going into battery and then bouncing out of battery and then returning to full lock up. (sorry, can't think of how else to describe it)

Has anyone else encountered this before?

Thanks.

[Intel6]

I had one of my 1911's set up to shoot 200+ power factor loads. I think I had a 24 lb. spring.  One day I was shooting some extremely light .45 ACP loads I had worked up for my 625's and thought it would be funny to shoot them in the auto.  I expected them to not even push the slide back much at all and I would have a fired case in the chamber.  Imagine my surprise when they cycled int he gun!  The cases just barely made it out of the gun but they did.

I will agree, very strange recoil feel when shooting them.

[BSeevers]

You must have a firm grip and stable stance. Try shooting those light loads weak handed. You can but there is more disaster factor:)

The feeling you had with the cycle was just normal. No recoil and boom to mask it.

[Loves2Shoot]

I was reading that somewhere recently, BE said this I think, that the main spring has more to do with the slide resistance by a lot than does the recoil spring, because it is cocking the hammer. Thus you would be better served by putting a heavy main spring in to save on frame wear than a heavy recoil spring.