Weird case shape

[Bedlam]

I have had these federal Hydra-Shock for a while I was just downloading my magazines because I am shooting a pistol match tomorrow and will be shooting cheap reloads rather then good defensive ammo. I noticed a few bullets that had deformation as seen in the picture I was wondering if any of you have seen this before and your thoughts on it and if you would still fire them

[buffybuster]

It's a type of crimp to preclude bullet setback.

[Bedlam]

there are only 4-5 out of say 40 bullets that are like this so I am pretty sure this wasnt done by the factory.

[Cokebottle]

Measure the OAL.

One thing to keep in mind is that when the round is slammed into the chamber during loading, it is subjected to some force. This can push the bullet back.

It's not normally an issue for a HD gun that isn't used often, but if a magazine or magazines are repeatedly loaded, chambered, then unloaded and the round reinserted into the top of the mag, it can become a problem over repeated reloads. This is a major concern for cops who are regularly unloading their service weapon.

Any time I unload my HD ammo for a trip to the range, I completely dump the mag and cycle the un-chambered round to the bottom of the mag, so on each of 10 cycles, I'm loading a fresh round into the chamber.

If the OAL on those rounds is quite a bit shorter than those that are not distorted (or preferably compared to a factory round that has never been chambered), then you could have a situation where you have an overpressure situation on firing.

[J-cat]

there are only 4-5 out of say 40 bullets that are like this so I am pretty sure this wasnt done by the factory.

I'm pretty sure it was. Just because only some of these exhibit this feature does not mean it was home made.

I have pulled factory ammo apart to see only some of the rounds having sealant in the neck. Some rounds had noticeably less powder than others. I once pulled apart some Federal Gold Medal 230gr 45 ACP to find some had just 2.5 grains of powder while most had five.

Factory ammo isn't the perfection everyone thinks it is.

[FieldsofFire]

If I'm seeing the picture right, some of my HST's looked the same way after sitting in the mags for a while and being chambered/cleared a handful of times. They certainly didn't look that way from the factory where the crimp line was so visible. I haven't measured the OAL's yet but I plan on firing them soon to cycle them out. Probably doesn't help much but that's what I observed on some of my rounds too.

[J-cat]

So what do you think is causing the line? Because you are insinuating that the gun is causing it. How?

[CSACANNONEER]

there are only 4-5 out of say 40 bullets that are like this so I am pretty sure this wasnt done by the factory.

It was done at the factory.

[Cokebottle]

So what do you think is causing the line? Because you are insinuating that the gun is causing it. How?

Field strip your upper and try to manually insert a round into the chamber.

It (probably) won't just slide in like a revolver.
The bolt is slamming it in... and it's impacting the feed ramp. There's nothing wrong with the gun, it's doing what it was designed to do.
It's the ammo that wasn't designed to be chambered and unloaded repeatedly.

[ojisan]

The crimp or cannelure you are seeing is just below the base of the bullet.
It was put in there by the factory to help prevent bullet set-back from chambering or repeated chambering.
Usually, this is only seen in LE or premium self defense loads.
Adding this cannelure adds another manufacturing step to what is other wise a complete and ready to sell round of ammunition.
It is a good thing.

I remember that back in the day a tool was sold so you could do this at home to your reloads.

[Black_Talon]

I remember that back in the day a tool was sold so you could do this at home to your reloads.

Still is:

http://www.corbins.com/power.htm#pcm

[FieldsofFire]

I didn't know some manufacturers did that to LE-grade/premium personal protection ammo. I just don't remember seeing them at all when the rounds were new. And even now when I look at them, about half of them don't seem to have it that prominently (I'm talking the really noticeable look like in the OP's picture). But as with any manufacturing process, that can happen. I guess I stand corrected on my previous post. I have some new HST's that I'll take a look at but they're not around me right now, I'll take a peek later to compare them with the ones that were sitting in my guns for a while.

[J-cat]

Field strip your upper and try to manually insert a round into the chamber.

It (probably) won't just slide in like a revolver.
The bolt is slamming it in... and it's impacting the feed ramp. There's nothing wrong with the gun, it's doing what it was designed to do.
It's the ammo that wasn't designed to be chambered and unloaded repeatedly.

That impact mark usually appears as a semi circle smiley shape. Maybe we need a better macro shot.

[Cokebottle]

That impact mark usually appears as a semi circle smiley shape. Maybe we need a better macro shot.

That's why I recommended measuring the OAL and comparing it to a virgin round.

Proper OAL = Factory feature.
Short OAL, possible issue (whether the groove is factory or not)

[diginit]

Looks like #3 is a little shorter and does look like it has been cycled a few times. If this a 45acp, it is a low pressure round. Unless they are +P loads, Or really short, Don't worry about it. Just use them for target loads.