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December 3, 2021
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I have a DW Heritage that I bought used 7 years ago. I'm going to shoot it in a USPSA match in 10 days. My ammo is some 45 ACP I hand loaded when I was new to reloading. About 1 in 10 isn't going bang with Winchester LPPs. Some have high primers. But high primers doesn't seem to be correlated with failure to fire. If I can't get it any better than this, I'll still shoot the match. I normally shoot my CZ Shadow in Carry Optics. But we are all going to shoot Single Stack this month. Is there a part I can, probably, buy locally, that would get me more reliable ignition? I would be happy to go get a new hammer spring or a different firing pin. But I don't know what to buy.
February 16, 2016
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smitty79 said
My ammo is some 45 ACP I hand loaded when I was new to reloading. About 1 in 10 isn't going bang with Winchester LPPs. Some have high primers.
What happens with factory ammunition ?
March 19, 2016
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I wouldn’t say that high primers are not the issue. Depending on the powder and quantity and high primers I have seen it. Do you remember if you cleaned your brass in a tumbler before reloading. I have seen primer holes in brass completely plugged if the primers were knocked out before polishing.
DWF Supporters
July 12, 2020
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Other than the possibility of the high primers the main spring/hammer spring, depending on what nomenclature you use, could be a culprit. If you bought it new, seven years of use would dictate a spring change, if you bought it used and have no idea of how old it is then this is even more of a possibility. The firing pin hole may be gunked up also impeding it's movement. Just a couple of mechanical things you can check.
December 3, 2021
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I'm going to do a tear down and deep clean today. That should help with firing pin issues. I don't want to take the time for mail order. If I can find a main/hammer spring available locally, what weight should I get?
I don't have any factory 45. I have lots of hand loaded stuff. I'd rather make the gun able to handle the ammo. One of the reasons I'm shooting this gun is because I'm getting low on 9mm and small pistol primers and I'm hoping for prices to go down before I run out of loaded ammo and primers.
DWF Supporters
July 12, 2020
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18.5lb is the factory spring for a government.
23lb is the factory for a bobtail.
December 3, 2021
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Thanks for input folks. Usually I run brake cleaner down the firing pin channel of my Shadows every few months. I didn't think I had enough rounds through this gun to need it. But I did it and it ran 60 rounds perfectly yesterday.
DWF Supporters
July 12, 2020
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Hope that was the problem and it is solved. Just a word of caution, brake cleaner (chlorinated as well as non chlorinated) is not good for any of the nitrided finishes. Many, many threads on this over at 1911forum and 1911addicts. The stainless on your Heritage is fine with it but the CZ's are a nitrided finish (at last all the Shadows I have seen).
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