Chambered round fired with reduced recoil.

M

MacGyver

Inactive
Okay, so I took my Ruger LCP out to the range yesterday. I use it as one of my concealed carry pistols and as such have it loaded with Hornady's Critical Defense ammo. I've had the pistol loaded with a full magazine plus one in the chamber for probably 2-3 months straight, aside from a handful of unloading and clearings. When reloading the pistol the round from the chamber went back in the chamber.

Here's the issue I encountered. Firing the first round I noticed a substantial reduction in recoil and report. The round fired and ejected just fine, and upon firing the second round I experienced the fuller, snappier recoil and report that I associate with the little auto. I fired off the rest of the box of 25 rounds and didn't experience the "off" result of that first round again.

So has anyone else experienced or had this issue in any of their guns? Anyone know any likely causes? It seems the only variable between that first round and the rest were that it had been chambered a few times before firing, so I'm curious if there is something I should do to prevent this from happening again. While the round fired fine, I'm sure the velocity was not up to snuff compared to the rest of them, which could be a concern in any kind of situation where I need that first shot to be as effective as possible.
 
Sounds to me like the first round didn't have as much powder in it as the rest of them. This would be a QC issue as chambering and rechambering the same round would cause, if anything, bullet setback. Bullet setback reduces the internal case capacity which in turn increases pressure. Increased pressure should, if anything, produce more recoil and report rather than less.

I suppose that a bullet which has "jumped crimp" and is coming out of the case might cause reduced recoil and report as it increases case capacity and thus reduces pressure. "Jumping crimp," however, is a phenomenon almost entirely endemic to revolvers and I've never seen, or even heard, of it happening with a semi-auto.
 
I'll see if I can find where I heard this because I don't want to just give you a second hand account off the internet, but I read a post about a year ago (don't remember the forum) where someone had this problem with Hornady's Critical Defense rounds being "squibs" but exited the barrel.

It makes me wonder if Hornady's powder might be sensitive to humidity or temp more then others? I don't know. I will dig and see if I can't at least post where I read that story.
 
Thanks for the help. Those issues sound really similar to what I experienced. Thought it was strange that it was the first round and none of the others, but I guess the odds in picking that round for the first one was only 1 in 25. Better than playing the lottery by far. I'll give Hornady a call and ask them about it, I did buy that box when they first starting coming out, so maybe it had that original problem issue. Makes me a little leery now of all the other CD I bought for my other calibers. Test with caution seems in order now. Thanks again.
 
Something which probably bears mention is that anytime you have a round with abnormal recoil or report, you should unload the weapon and ensure that the bore is clear before firing any more cartridges. Firing a full-power cartridge in a barrel that is obstructed by a squib is a recipe for a bulged barrel at best and a blown-up gun at worst.
 
I second what Webleymkv said. My first inkling would have been to check that bore. That's why I always carry a bore light and separate flashlight for every range trip.
 
Webleymkv and Shaunpain: I did give the barrel a cursory check after that off round, though I didn't think it entirely necessary as it was the first round on the target and I saw the impact on the target and the case ejected just fine. Probably still a good idea though, thanks.

Sport45: I suppose it is a possibility that some oil may have found its way into there.
 
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