Unburnt powder

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Purple2

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I took my SAM 1911 commander stainless to the range for the first time today. After 20 rounds there was what I assume were flakes of unburnt powder all over my arms. Towards the end of the second mag I felt it blow back into my face a couple times. So I shot 9mm for the rest of the day.

I was shooting Blazer Brass 230Gr. The cases looked fine when I examined them. The gun might have been a little dry. What would cause this?

Edit: I should add that I field stripped the gun when I got back and there is nothing obviously wrong with it.
 
You don't really think all the powder in a cartridge burns in that short barrel do you? .45 is bad for carbon fouling and unburnt powder with its low operating pressure.
 
I have put 400+ rounds through my friends Glock 41 without my arms being covered in unburnt powder or having #### blow back at me. We were shooting American Eagle, but you can hardly say that this always happens with .45

Are you saying that a 1" barrel length difference is the reason?
 
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i think the shorter guns unlock earlier, which compunds the .45 unburnt powder problem. I could be wrong though lol.
 
Maybe. I was also seeing a flash out of the ejection port, which I do not remember seeing the only other time I have fired a 1911 (government model). I am going to try American Eagle ammo next time and see if there is a difference.
 
Oh, I just remembered (age is catching up to me). My titan did this with the stock spring. I put a kimber recoil assembly in there (it's bushingless and has a captive spring). The kimber spring is heavier and the titan works better now. No flash, and it also solved the fail to feed issues.
 
The 45 ACP round was literally designed for a 5 inch barrel, in a Commander length gun the powder doesn't burn as well. Heavier springs will help by keeping the gun locked up, increasing the burn time, it also helps to somewhat increase the crimp strength for the same reason.
 
The only thing a heavier spring does is reduce slide velocity. All the action is over with by the time the recoil spring comes into play. There are ultra slow motion videos on YouTube that show show the bullet exiting long (relatively speaking) before the slide moves rearward. I have heard and read anecdotal evidence of heavier springs helping in Glock pistols but my own experience says it makes no noticeable difference. Plus, physics and stuff.
 
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Well... It helped me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I think my stock spring was way under weight. Like a lot. There was often a disturbing flash from the ejection port. There was even a flash a few times from the slide release port (which was scary). I had unburnt powder on my hands/arms as well. All of that is gone now. Maybe these two guns had/have defective springs?
 
To clarify, my spring was so weak, I'd get rounds jamming on the feed ramp with every mag, including wilson combat. Also sometimes the slide would not make it into battery. I picked up my new springs in Buffalo.
 
Don't worry too much about it. When I swept up at CRPC especially after an evening with a lot of 9mm being fired, I would have anything up to half a pound of powder and carbon on the floor in front of the firing line. I figure that some brands put at least half their powder on the floor.

dr jim
 
T&G said:
Don't worry too much about it. When I swept up at CRPC especially after an evening with a lot of 9mm being fired, I would have anything up to half a pound of powder and carbon on the floor in front of the firing line. I figure that some brands put at least half their powder on the floor.

dr jim
Click to expand...

I wouldn't care as much if the flakes of unburnt powder were in front of the firing line and not all over me. The occasional flash from the ejection port is a little concerning, but I guess it is not a safety problem.
 
My former G41 would leave black flakes all up my arm. Probably a mix of soot and grease in my case.

Never an issue with a 1911, though with any pistol or revolver I get the odd sting of a bit of powder to the cheek now and then.

Can't believe that as a kid I used to shoot with no glasses and with kleenix stuffed in my ears...
 
I cleaned the gun today for the first time since shooting it. Does this wear look normal? I can feel it if I run my finger down the rail. It was not there before I took the gun to the range.

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B said:
There are ultra slow motion videos on YouTube that show show the bullet exiting long (relatively speaking) before the slide moves rearward.
Click to expand...
The bullet exits when the slide has moved maybe 1/4" rearward.
Go to 4:05 to see 1911 ejection port flash:
 
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I don't worry much about wear. I grease the heck out of mine, so I know they are lubed. The finish will come off pretty quick where it rubs, then it pretty much settles down and you don't see more. That's break-in for you.
 
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