I got my hands on a compact P320 Carry .45 and soon converted the grip module to a small. Yes, I've got little hands. I paced myself through a few difficulties, but eventually performed a successful function test. Yesterday I made it to the farm for a live test. Happily it worked perfectly. In the pasture grass I was only able to find one spent case. It was heavily black sooted half way back. Is this normal? Do you suspect the gun or the Winchester White box ammo?

That is a sign that the round was under-loaded. It didn't generate enough pressure to expand the case to the shape of the chamber, hence the soot on the exterior. WWB tends to be marginally loaded anyway.

Have you shot that stuff in a different gun? If so what did the brass look like?

I haven't shot WWB in years, but I know it at least used to have a tendency to be dirty and under-powered. Sooty brass can be a symptom of an under-powered load. When the powder charge isn't generating enough pressure to seal the case mouth in the chamber, and gas and soot can leak past and foul the brass.

ETA: egregore beat me to it!

quote:

Originally posted by Udo:
It was heavily black sooted half way back.

That can be an indication that the case isn’t expanding fully soon enough to prevent gas from flowing back around the cartridge case in the chamber. That’s usually due to unusually low chamber pressure, but, I suppose, could be due to a thicker or harder than normal case that doesn’t expand as readily. On the other hand, low pressure ammunition would also be more likely to cause cycling malfunctions, so ….

I wouldn’t worry about its being a problem with the gun unless it continues to happen with other ammunition.

Thanks guys! I'll get to the range and try some other rounds and do a control with my tried and true P220.
With several new guns in the stable I've gotten behind in testing and break in.

Definitely an ammo issue, not a gun issue. I love my P320/.45…and yes, I too have small hands.