Effect on Ammo of Frequently Reloading HD Weapon?

[Llando88]

Is there any long-term negative effect on HD ammo if it is frequently loaded / unloaded into a firearm?

I use my one and only pistol (M&P 9mm full size) for home defense and target shooting.

I alternate my HD ammo (say Speer GD 124+P) with my target ammo (Freedom Munition 124 FMJ). I load with the HD ammo, chamber a round, and my pistol is my bedside gun.

When I go to the range, I unload the HD, go shoot, and then chamber a HD round back in afterwards.

Would that be ok long term for the HD ammo to frequently extract and rechamber rounds like that?

[Rick_A]

The bullet can set back after a few times. I try to only re - chamber once, especially in 40 cal, as that caliber seems to be the most prone to such problems in my gun.

[Smoke]

Set back can be an issue with some calibers but I'm not sure that 9mm is prone to it.

Simple solution when you unload the SD ammunition rotate your rounds. the round in the chamber goes to the bottom of the magazine and each round moves up (mark the rounds for ease of identification) 1.

When you've cycled each round through a given number of times (say two) shoot them and buy new.

[Llando88]

Originally Posted by Smoke

Set back can be an issue with some calibers but I'm not sure that 9mm is prone to it.

Simple solution when you unload the SD ammunition rotate your rounds. the round in the chamber goes to the bottom of the magazine and each round moves up (mark the rounds for ease of identification) 1.

When you've cycled each round through a given number of times (say two) shoot them and buy new.

That makes sense.

[ironhead7544]

Yes, it can be a problem. The cartridge is made for one trip up the feed ramp. The bullet can come loose after just a few times. I heard there is one gun maker that will void your warranty if you fire a round that has been chambered twice.

[Jiman]

+1^^^

To prevent set back, don't load the same round over and over, and fire them off once every 6 months as a precaution.

The frequency/risk of set back depends on a few things from bullet manufacture (I.e. Crimp pressure, 'glue' used as sealant, bullet shape, etc..). I don't know if all manufacturers have to meet some minimum requirement or not.

I do know our agency, in our recent ammo procurement stated specifically, "set back" pressure in our statement of work. I just don't know what the standard is, as comparison.

Frankly in most cases, setback is a non-issue if you rotate through your ammo. It does however potentially become an issue if you're downloading/loading your gun often and rotating between the first two rounds in your mag (i.e. Eject mag, eject round from chamber to download then / Reload procedure: insert mag, chamber a round, and top off with the loose round from when you downloaded). You can see if you do it that way you're only cycling between your first two rounds of your mag. Lots of LEOs who download everyday when they come home have a bad habit of doing this.

Setback is when the bullet gets pushed back further into the casing caused from the slide pressure of feeding into the ramp/chamber repeatedly. After so many chamberings the crimp and/or seal is gonna give allowing the bullet to move back. The bullet being pushed in more means less space (air/void space and powder). Less space means greater pressure when it all ignites. The result could vary from a flyer on your target, blown out primer, to destroying your gun and possibly hurting you. Same concept as the fire cracker in your hand, open vs. closed.

Obviously the greater nominal chamber pressures you start with, the greater potential pressure from setback.

I have a 5gal bucket of loose rounds from over the years (actually I have abt 2 now). If I "think" a round has been chambered one to many times or it doesn't look right in some other way, it goes in the bucket and I'll pull a fresh one from the box.

At some point I'll shoot off all those rounds (through an issued gun, why break my own) but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Sorry that went so long. Hope it helps

[Llando88]

^^^ yes very much so. Thanks.

[eveled]

When I bring my 1911 to the range, I drop the mag of defense ammo, leave the round that is in the chamber. Insert a mag of ball ammo and start shooting. That way the round is only chambered once.

Then when I leave the range, I reinsert the defense mag, chamber a round, then top the mag with defense ammo.

[Llando88]

Originally Posted by eveled

When I bring my 1911 to the range, I drop the mag of defense ammo, leave the round that is in the chamber. Insert a mag of ball ammo and start shooting. That way the round is only chambered once.

Then when I leave the range, I reinsert the defense mag, chamber a round, then top the mag with defense ammo.

Dang that is a awesome idea. Thanks!

[Waywatcher]

Another thing you can do is test it; you will need a calipers. On my reloads I chambered a round over and over again and measured after each loading. By 40 loadings it looked something awful, but had only set back about 0.007" or so. I'm going by memory, but I do specifically recall that setback was inconsequential with that ammo.

All that said, I only chamber a defense round one time--if it comes out of the chamber it becomes practice ammo. Having two identical carry guns; one always loaded and the other for dryfire, practice, range time, etc. really solves lots of these little issues.