My son has a H&K Compac .45 that I am trying to load ammo for. My other son has a High Point .45 that he is testing the ammo in. His gun never has a problem but the HK would not cycle with the first load I tried and so I went up on the charge and cured that but he did have a stove pipe jam with one round out of 20 tested. He has had some of the same jam with some federal ammo but none with the Rem and Win he has tried. As I said the High Point digests it all.

Well that was a long way to get to my question. What is the cause of the "stove pipe jam" in a .45 ACP or other auto pistol? Answers should be basic. Ammo, firearm, mag---- and then the particular cure. Thanks guys.

Let me ask - is the HK new? If it's jamming on factory rounds, it may need a little break in.

Also, the lightweight guns are more prone to jam if not held firmly. Try locking the elbow and wrist and squeezing the grip hard to see if that makes a difference. I'd guess that the Rem and Win ammo is loaded a little faster, or has heavier bullets ... again, just a guess from your description.

The HK is new but has a lot of rounds thru it already. I know that the factory stuff has all been 230 gr and my handloads are 180 gr. I thought the lighter loading may be a factor. I will mention to him to try that locked down hold with those lighter bullets. I had not thought of the hold actually being important to the cycling of a round but I see now that it is an intergral part of the process. This may have been a factor in the earlier going with the Federal ammo that gave him a problem.

Thanks Mike.

Chief RID
If you can move up to a 200gr bullet-it sounds like that HK just don't like 180gr! Some 45's don't like light bullet wt's . If you have no chioce try a lighter spring (recoil)!

Grip is critical when shooting autos. Especially with the lighter loads. If too much of the energy generated by the slide moving rearward is absorbed by the shooters wrist moving, it can mess the timing up and not allow the slide to reach its full cycle time. This is what causes stovepipes. Heavier loads force the slide back harder and require less from the shooter. HK pistols should eat just about everything. That is what they are designed to do. Try extending you shooting arm until the elbow locks out. Take your non-firing hand and cup it across the front of your firing pulling back against your locked out elbow. This should help eliminate any limp wristing.

The most obvious thing that comes to mind is C.O.L. You said you are reloading... Some guns aren't, some guns are extra sensitive to C.O.L. Too long can cause more pressure than you expected, but to short can cause Feeding problems. If you are flirting with the short side of life, the HK could be a little sensitive.

Chief,
It may be what the Glock site chatters sneer at people and say they are "limp wristing".

The lighter loads may need the shooter to either lock the elbows or use a bit more muscle on the push/pull grip. Either way means reteaching yourself with the added shooting technique for the lighter bullet/load.