How big a problem could this have been?

Irn-Bru

Member
Joined
May 25, 2013
Messages
1,086
Reaction score
1,752
Was just heading out to the range and for some reason decided to empty the boxes in to a plastic Plano tub. Never done this before so may have been a stroke of luck.

Anyway this catches my eye straight away, and looks way to deep seated. I don't reload, these were bought a couple of years ago.

image_zpsgiescgsr.jpeg
 
Register to hide this ad
Factory defect. Could be a problem, might not be. Can you put a caliper on it? How much deeper is it seated? Most factory target ammo is loaded far enough below max that it may still not exceed pressure specs. Or it may. I wouldn't knowingly shoot it, but if you did without knowing, there's a pretty high probability it would be fine. But I wouldn't take the risk.
 
This was bought online from Freedom Munitions about two years ago. It was 115 grain new ammo. I don't have a set of calipers so unable to get an accurate reading. Definitely not going to fire this round, or possibly any of the rest of this stuff.
 
Do any of you know how big an operation Freedom Munitions is or anything about how they assemble cartridges?
 
Another possibility is a 90 gr. 380 bullet accidentally seated instead of a 124 gr. In that case the internal area would not be compromised, but how would you determine if it is a smaller bullet. I'm guessing that bullet is seated at least .0600 to .0700 deeper, and if the same bullet as the rest, would increase the pressure beyond proof load.
 
Do any of you know how big an operation Freedom Munitions is or anything about how they assemble cartridges?

What I know about them is that they are based in Lewiston ID and I believe they may have a second factory in Reno NV.

They are a sister company to Xtreme Bullets.

They reload using the exact same process and machines that a lot of manufacturers use - they just use once-fired brass and their own bullets and primers.

IIRC there was another thread on here a few months back about someone finding a round seated too short in a box of their reloaded ammo.

They are pretty decent about making stuff like this right - though I don't know how responsive they will be if the ammo was bought "a couple of years ago"

And I like reloading with their copper plated bullets :D

That's what I know about them.
 
Freedom Munitions is known to make quality ammo, glad you happened to catch this screw up.
 
I personally check every round of centerfire ammunition that I buy. I look at the primers, the bullets, and visually look to see if anything looks wrong for overall length. If a casing is significantly dented or if a bullet is tilted, I put the round aside. The good news is that the overwhelmingly vast majority of rounds pass inspection. The bad news is that I have caught a few that I am glad I did not shoot.

I check .22LR as I load them.
 
I have a Remington .45 ACP 230 grain FMJ cartridge that was assembled using a case with no extractor groove. The case's sides are straight for their whole length. It was in a 50 round box that I bought at Wal-Mart. I could fire it in a revolver but it's interesting for show-and-tell.
 
Never had a problem with Freedom Munitions in firing both New and Reman. Seem's odd that it would get pass their Q C.
 
Not worth the risk. Set it aside. If you have a bullet puller, pull this one apart.
 
Hard to tell from the picture, but it could be a 9x18 Mak as others have suggested.
 
Nice catch.. I once bought a box of Remington 240 gr. JHP .44 Magnum ammo, opened the box and noticed right away that one cartridge was shorter than the other 49. Pulled it out of the box and the bullet was loaded in backwards, it looked like a full copper wadcutter. Didn't shoot it, still have it.
 
Most of you people are really something! Incapable of looking at the OPs photo and seeing that the center cartridge is, a with a near 100% certainty, a 9mm Makarov, not a 9mm Parabellum with a deep seated bullet! Look at the ogive, completely different that the others. Bullet is full diameter at the case mouth instead of showing a gap as it would be if it were the same bullet seated this deep. Case is shorter, hard to tell just how much but it sure isn't a 9x19. If OP had done two things, aligned the cartridges so they were all the same distance from the camera instead of angled away to the right side so there is some perspective acting on the image, and taken the shot level instead of looking down at an angle which distorts the case lengths and reduces the length difference! Deliberate? I don't know, but it could very well be, just to see what sort of silly responses the distorted photo would engender! Sure worked if that is what happened. Question for OP, did you happen to look at the headstamp on the odd cartridge? What does it say?

What would have happened if he had tried to fire it in his 9mm? Absolutely nothing! The larger bullet would have increased pressure over what would be expected from a 9x19, but nowhere to standard pressure of 9x19. Case mouth is nominally .004" larger than 9x19, but not enough to wedge the case in a normal 9x19 chamber. Most likely thing that would happen is an under-recoil and no ejection. In other words, a simple stoppage. Hardly the disaster that at least one poster flat stated would result in a blown-up gun! Give me a break.
 
Last edited:
Interesting thread, and responses.

Since I first came to this forum, It was quickly evident this was a place to learn. From pretty basic questions about my 686, to beginning reloading. (In my case, pecking away at the kitchen table with a Lee loader.) I've been reloading for several years now. This forum makes me truly grateful for members such as venomballistics with his concise advice and know-how. He, and others, have helped me.

Now I seem to know a little more about the 9x18 Makarov.

But maybe it's just me, or maybe it's just too close to Christmas, to endure a lecture, as the one just above.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Back
Top