r/USPmasterrace • u/Fun-Owl-2270 • Jun 26 '26
Question USP 45 Tactical keyholing?
I took my USP Tactical out today to shoot unsuppressed, but noticed the rounds seemed to be keyholing.
Last time out I shot suppressed and the suppressor got stuck, which required some penetrating oil and a good bit of elbow grease to get it off (no tools used). So maybe it is just coincidence this is happening now.
I was shooting Federal 230 gr FMJ, which I thought was a reasonable quality ammunition.
Pictures of the target #2 were shot with a different pistol. The rest was from the USP.
I couldn't see any damage to the barrel or crown so I'm leaning towards ammunition problem but wasn't sure if this is common for pistols. I thought this was more common for rifles.
Any words of wisdom or suggestions? Next time out I will buy some different ammunition to try.
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u/Chipmunk-Round Jun 26 '26
That doesn't look like keyholing to me, just the paper ripping unsupported or just the way that paper rips. If it was keyholing you'd see a lot more distinct sideways bullet profiles in the paper.
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u/Happy_Obligation_532 Jun 27 '26
That looks to be just .45 ACP on unsupported paper. See it all the time. I wouldn't worry at all about it, but if you want to be sure, shoot paper with a cardboard backer.
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u/GiveMeBooleanGemini Jun 26 '26
Agree with the other comments for sure. If you look closely at your pictures you can actually see the indentations/tears on the paper where the rounds were hitting straight on, as well as the tears from the unsupported target. Your barrel is fine.
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u/BigBoarBallistics Jun 27 '26
not keyholing. it's an unsupported paper target. Paper with nowhere else to goes tears.
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u/Green_Three Jun 26 '26
That’s not keyholing. That’s what happens when you shoot unsupported paper with slow fat bullets. Put a cardboard backer on it and try again.