Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

I have a Sig Sauer 1911 that jams if I use Bitterroot Valley Ammunition (BVA) in it. It jams so badly that I have to use my body weight to eject the misfed round. This is a failure to feed, not a stovepipe. This gun has had over 250 rounds through it.

The Bitterroot Valley is supposed to be a subcontractor to Winchester that uses all Winchester components. My Sig eats "real Winchester ammo along with any other .45 ACP that I feed it. My Kimber 1911 eats this BVA like candy. My FNP-45 eats it as well. No Failure to Feed in either sidearm. The range that sold it to me claims that no other customer has a complaint with BVA.

I decided to measure the stuff and compare it to Federal .45 ACP. The following is actual measurements. Note that the deference in length between the Federal Round and the BVA is -0.013 BVA is short!

Federal .45
No. Length Shell dia Round dia
1 1.267 0.471 0.447
2 1.266 0.471 0.448
3 1.266 0.471 0.448
4 1.265 0.471 0.449
5 1.266 0.471 0.448
Average 1.266 0.471 0.448

Bitterroot Valley .45
No. Length Shell dia Round dia
1 1.251 0.470 0.451
2 1.252 0.470 0.451
3 1.256 0.470 0.451
4 1.255 0.470 0.451
5 1.253 0.471 0.451
Average 1.253 0.470 0.451
Delta 0.013 0.001 -0.003

With that being said, should I send the Sig back to Exiter, NH or am I Crazy???

Where / how far in does it get stuck?

My Kimber did the same thing with bad reloads. It eats everything else though.

I'd say just stay away from the bitterroot stuff and feed it what it likes.

I think you need to sell your Sig 1911 to me, cause it's obviously faulty.



j/k

If the BVA ammo doesnt work in your Sig, then you know what what ammo to not feed it. Some firearms just dont work well with some ammo. You might field strip both your Sig and Kimber, take a BVA round, and see how it chambers in the Kimber barrel, and how it chambers in the Sig barrel. You might also try calling Sig or sending them a note.

From what you describe, the biggest issue might be the diameter of the round. Even though it is within specs, the Sig chamber might be too tight. Again, a call to Sig might help in finding out what is going on. IF the BVA round is short, this might affect accuracy and possibly FTF issues, but doubtful cause what you describe.

I'm no expert, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn once.

Below are the 45ACP specs, per Wikipedia:

Specifications
Case type Rimless, straight
Bullet diameter .452 in (11.5 mm)
Neck diameter .473 in (12.0 mm)
Base diameter .476 in (12.1 mm)
Rim diameter .480 in (12.2 mm)
Case length .898 in (22.8 mm)
Overall length 1.260 in (32.0 mm)
Case capacity 25 gr H2O (1.625 cm³)
Rifling twist 1 in 16 in (406 mm)
Primer type Large pistol
Maximum pressure 21,000 psi (140 MPa)

I have a couple SIgs and they don't like bad ammo , I think the differerence in lengths is from mwhen they resize the brass? Stick with the better know manafacturers( Remington, Blazer, PMC, etc: and you will probably not have anymore issues. Some of their stuff(Bitterroot) is reload. Looking around they get reveiws in both the good and bad opinions,. Poor feeding seems to be a favorite in some guns and calibers