380 XTP Ammo Problems

[Christopher L.]

I know HPR XTPs show great penetration and expansion for the BG 380....BUT...I'm experiencing cycling problems???? Anyone else?

I want it to go bang every time. Seen FTL, Seen XTP load....but gun not cocked???? Jams' etc.

Same day Herter's 95 gr. Ball ....NO problems. I think these are actually loaded by Fiocchi in Missouri?

 

[Wishoot]

I have issues with the XTP load in my LCP. Stovepipes are common. I don't have these problems with FMJ however.

 

[Christopher L.]

Maybe I'll leave the one in the chamber as an XTP & the 6 in the magazine as FMJ.

 

[Christopher L.]

I know tests have shown the XTPs have just about the best gel tests with 2.75 inch barrels.....but if I have to really use the BG ....I want to pull it out of my front pocket and have it go BANG 7 times without any glitches. Maybe it's the shape that's causing problems or the light load?

Is there anyone out there that has put hundreds of XTPs thru the BG380 without ANY problems?

 

[Nevada Ed]

Some bullet shapes just don't work in some auto's.

You can try a different bullet like the Rem GS or a box of
Winchester or Speer ammo to see if they will feed properly.

Some weapons might even need to be polished a little in some ramp areas
to fix the problems.... but this is the last resort.

I never remove metal in a weapon unless it is the last resort.

PS;
You might also check the magazine for proper bullet angle.
Some clips have the top bent corners too bent..........
which will angle the bullet downward.........
which will cause feeding problems.

Opening up the bend on each side of the magazine just a very slight bit..........
will let the case raise up a little and improve the bullet angle to the ramp........
that can let it feed up and into the chamber.

Take your time if doing this... and try not to mar the metal surfaces.

Good ammo hunting.

 

[max]

I have some Herter's .32 and it loaded by S&B in the Czech Republic.

 

[deadin]

BG 380?? Seen XTP load....but gun not cocked????

Don't know about your BG 380, but mine is DAO and never stays "cocked" after cycling.

 

[alwslate]

Sounds like you're just not getting enough back thrust from the XTPs
to reliably cycle the action of your gun compared to the 95 gr FMJs.
The lighter bullet weight or light load or combination of the two is
probably the culprit. An article in handloader magazine on reloading
the .380 featured loads much hotter than factory ammo but were all
pressure tested to be within industry standards. The .380 is an old
round and like several others is loaded pretty lightly in factory ammo.

 

[Christopher L.]

Thanks to everyone for your replies!! I checked the Herter's box....does say Czech..... I've put probably 6-700 rounds through the BG of various brands in the year I've had it. I was really hopped up about the XTPs after viewing the AmmoQuest video. Even mail ordered a box of PrecisionOnes from the company. They worked fine. At Cabellas the HPRs can be had much cheaper when on sale.....but I'm gonna stay away from them now.

Problem was not "Limp Wristing". I've put hundreds of rounds through it before using only one hand with no problem & on the day in question I was using 2 hands. If you want to see LW ....stand behind my wife when she shoots it!!!!!

About the gun "not being cocked" once...??? Must be a point where the trigger is...limp... if a round doesn't cycle completely.

I'm just gonna try to see if a couple of hundred of Herter's FMJs cycle flawlessly....if so I'll just stick with them.

Lost the hex wrench to adjust the laser....SW told me 0.035. Found some in a hardware store labeled 0.05 that seem to fit....maybe they aren't labeled correctly.

 

[Christopher L.]

At Cabellas yesterday I played with both a Sig P238 & a Glock 42. Both feel great....but based on size, weight, etc. ...I'll stick with the the BG if I can find any round that goes bang 100% of the time. You would laugh if you could see my BG. I have put tennis grip wrap on the grip....small pieces glued to sides of the slide. & even tiny piece on the safety. This makes it much softer to shoot, rack, and release the safety. I feel very confident putting my hand in my pocket & releasing the safety. Just that tiny little bit of extra thickness & surface texture really makes a difference.

 

[Florida J Frame]

I haven't tried them yet but Freedom Munitions has 90 gr XTP .380 ammo (new) in stock @ $16/box of 50. Might be another one to try.

 

[Christopher L.]

Sorry to get off topic but...I started this thread...so I can't hijack it. So here I can ramble.
In Kansas we have Constitutional Carry now (no CC permit required).
I've had my wife sew a simple line in my summer cargo shorts right front upper pockets. The barrel fits down into the pocket so that the gun is always positioned correctly.

Anyone ever heard of men's pants/shorts specifically designed for CC?

I've tried a pocket holster......no thanks.

 

[Christopher L.]

Wow, that is cheap. I'm under the impression that if you loaded the XTP hotter (faster) that it might open up sooner(too soon) & not penetrate as far. But that would probably solve the cycling problem. I do recall on the HPR website them saying something about theirs being a softer load & on the AmmoQuest results site ....seems like they clocked the HPR XTP as being only about 789 FPS from a 2.75 inch barrel. Whereas some of the Hornady's own XTPs were clocked at 851 FPS. Hornady's "Customs" might be the solution for me...in the tests they didn't penetrate as far...but still met the FBI STANDARDS. THE greater speed causing them to open up sooner?

 

[Nevada Ed]

+1;
on looking at Ammo Quest !!

Lots of good stuff on 380 ammo and how it works plus you get to see the fps and how the bullet reacts in gel and 4G.

After watching the 9mm section I chose my ammo.

Good luck finding a load...........
FMJ feed great but are not the best SD design...... but if that is all that works in your pistol, go for it.

7-8 that work are better than just one and a fail to feed.

 

[Christopher L.]

You want to hear some real cylcing horror stories....look up glock 42 cycling problems....

 

[meistermash]

You want to hear some real cylcing horror stories....look up glock 42 cycling problems....

Really? Because my 42 has never missed a beat. Hand loaded xtps. Rem hps. Plated reloads. The first magazine when it was bran new had two failures to feed that's it. While I have hardly tried every ammo combo it has been great so far. I am not impressed with Glock using valuable magazine area for their useless plastic coating however. The magazine should hold atleast 1 moar round and that useless coating could be done away with and metal sides expanded for atleast that 1 more shot.

 

[Christopher L.]

I've never fired a g42, just saying if you dig on the internet it appears the roll out of the 42 was just as big a disaster as the early roll out of the BG. Many were replaced free of charge.

Just went to Cabelas & by applying for their CC got $ 25 off 2 boxes of the hotter Hornady Custom XTPs. Hopefully 851 feet / second solves the problem with the 789 feet/ second HPR XTPs.

Will report back when complete.

My problem with the G42 is no safety & a lighter trigger pull. I want to keep 7 in my gun...& my mods with the safety on the BG combined with the harder DAO trigger make it seem more unlikely to get an accidental discharge. Plus, laugh at the BG's laser if you want....but at 25 yards (75 feet) I scored 29 out of 30 first time I fired a gun in 30+ years.

 

[Christopher L.]

So AmmoQuest clocked the Customs at 851 FPS & the HPRs at 789 FPS.
An online muzzle energy calculator has that at 145 ft lbs vs 124 ft lbs.(for a 90 grain bullet).

Hopefully this 17% increase will be enough to eliminate my cycle problems.

On the Custom box it says 1000 fps ....this would equal 200 ft lbs....Hornady must test with a longer barrel 380 ....longer than the 2.75 inch of the BG.

 

[Christopher L.]

Wishoot says the XTPs that he had problems with in his LCP were Fiocchi Extremas...Ammo quest clocked them at only 2 fps faster than the HPRs....so maybe his problems are same as what I think mine are.....not enough kick to cycle the gun consistently.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Hornady 380 data comes from a long 4" barrel.

So you may have to adjust your energy and fps with shorter barrels.
One reason it is nice to see figures that come out of shorter 3" barrels, that a lot of us use.
That extra inch can mean an extra 30 to 80 fps with different powders. 1,000 fps can drop to just 920 on a bad set up.

One reason I really love my chrony, when testing out ammo.

 

[Christopher L.]

When Ammo quest tested the various XTPs....they used a gun with a 2.75 inch barrel....either an LCP or BG380. So the average for the Hornady Customs was 851 = 145 foot pounds energy. Vs. The HPRs at 789 = 124 foot lbs. That 17% more kick....

 

[Christopher L.]

Will probably go to the range today......may just be conical bullets won't reliably feed up the BG RAMP. Would be nice if I get no failures...if some more of you guys that are interested in the XTPs would put some of the CUSTOMS thru also so we could get a bigger sample size.

 

[deadin]

Normally one looks for ammo that will function correctly in their gun.
This thread seems to be about finding a gun that will function correctly with their ammo......

(This could get expensive..).

 

[Christopher L.]

OK...today I put 50 HPR XTPs thru the BG.....4 cycling failures.
I also put 43 of the Hornady Customs XTPs thru ...ZERO failures.

Appears the extra 17% more foot lbs of kick solves the problem.

Perfect bullet for the perfect pocket gun??????????

I kept 7 of the Customs to keep in the gun.

Would sure be nice if more BG owners that are interested in the XTP bullet would try the Customs & report back.

 

[Christopher L.]

Again, my thread....can't hijack. Read story on other forum.....officer shot bad guy 5 times with a 357.....almost 2500 foot lbs total force. Bad guy hit officer only once (side of vest).....with. 22lr. Bad guy lived....officer died on scene. Shot placement / penetration.

 

[Christopher L.]

Newsflash

Since I think we've found "THE" bullet for the BG....it's good to discover that Hornady's "new" American Gunner 380 XTP bullet is apparently the exact same as the stuff in the box called Custom. Their website lists both of them at 1000 feet per second from a 4 inch barrel. What's good about this is right now anyway you can find the American Gunner box (same number of rounds) cheaper.

 

[alwslate]

Again, my thread....can't hijack. Read story on other forum.....officer shot bad guy 5 times with a 357.....almost 2500 foot lbs total force. Bad guy hit officer only once (side of vest).....with. 22lr. Bad guy lived....officer died on scene. Shot placement / penetration.

Then why not just stick with FMJ? I recently bought a Taurus
TCP 738 .380 auto. 175 rds of various brands of FMJ so far
has produced 1 FTFeed and 3 FTExtract with a brand of ammo
that has a very thin case rim. I have full confidence that it
will work with good FMJ ammo if needed.

 

[Christopher L.]

I'm no expert, but I'm guessing every type of semi automatic based on design/spring tension, etc. has some minimum # of ft pounds of force required to ensure 100% confidence in cycling properly. 4 failures in 175 attempts .....I don't want to bet my life on a 2.3% chance it won't go boom when I need it to.

I'm trying to find a bullet that In my gun both meets the FBI standard of 12 to 18 inches of penetration & expansion (bare gel & denim covered). Plus, will cycle flawlessly 100% of the time.

On the Midwayusa ammo site found 20 reviews by people with BGs, LCPs, etc. That said the Customs worked flawlessly in their guns. Zero reviews noting any failures to cycle.

The American Gunner stuff is newer.....zero failures on the few reviews noted.

 

[alwslate]

I've had zero failures with ammo that has a good well defined case
rim with a good flat surface on the front face of the rim. But I'm going
to stick to that type of ammo and keep shooting it for a while and see
how long it takes to get the first malfunction.

 

[lanceman193]

I have fired 150 rounds of Freedom Munitions 90gr XTP, mostly from my Glock 42 but a few in my Beretta, and 0 malfunctions from the ammo, but I think the Freedom Munitions 100gr flat point .380 will be my carry ammo. So far 0 malfunctions in either 380 or in 3 different 9mm handguns. I like FM 124gr XTP at 1100FPS as my carry ammo. I have about 1000 rounds of it thru Kahr, Glock, and CZ with no problems at about 36 cents a round. Usually around holidays they do free shipping.