Strange Range Pick-Ups

[Speedo2]

I was at my gun range scrounging brass after one of the local police agencies had finished practicing; found this and thought it would be of interest:

Apparently it's what happens when you mistakenly load a 9mm cartridge into a 40 magazine. The loaded rounds were also from the same practice field.

ETA: NOT the bagged ones; they're mine!

 

[colt_saa]

Far more common than you think

We transitioned form the Beretta 92 to the Beretta 96. Many of the boys bought their old service pistols and we had wrong loaded magazines or wrong firearms come to the firing line all the time when we did qualifications

 

[diyj98]

I wouldn't have thought it would have fired. you'd think the 9mm would just slide forward in the 40S&W barrel.

 

[colt_saa]

I wouldn't have thought it would have fired. you'd think the 9mm would just slide forward in the 40S&W barrel.

In most firearms the extractor spring is strong enough to hold the cartridge against the firing pin strike

So the cartridge head spaces on the extractor and not the case mouth

 

[Old_Cop]

Burning up extra rounds after qualification with my Glock 23 and started to fire a loaded magazine. The round didn't fire so I racked the slide thinking that it didn't feed. The gun fired and the slide locked open with a bulged barrel. Examination of the rounds in the magazine showed 9mm mixed in with the.40. 9mm and .40 do not belong on the range together.

 

[mtgianni]

I bought a box of 40 that was returned when a customer brought in the gun he had bought yesterday saying things didn't look right. He fired two rounds out of the box in his new 45. It appeared that one person sold him the gun and the other the ammo but same shop same receipt.

 

[bigggbbruce]

9mm and .40 do not belong on the range together.

Neither does 40 S&W and 45 ACP..

Bought a P220 from an older guy, he told me that during a training drill ( others involved ) While reloading his P220 mag he picked up someone else's 40 S&W chambered and fired it..oops..

Gun was fine..

 

[S&WIowegan]

I managed to inadvertently fire a very hot 38 Super round in a 1911 45 ACP pistol. The brass expanded to 45 ACP dimensions but the round went down range. The worst practice mishap is firing 38 Super under a roof after forgetting to put muffs on!!

 

[Injunbro]

I'm always amazed @ how many people who know nothing about calibers try to buy ammo. Conversation @ gun shop:
"I need some Smith & Wesson ammo".
"What caliber?
"S&W"
"That's the gun maker, what caliber?"
"S&W! Colt make .45, S&W makes the other one!"
"Bring the gun in & we'll match it up."
Often followed by "Can you show me how to put it in the gun?" (a revolver)

 

[Green Frog]

I’m embarrassed to mention that when I got my Hungarian Femaru I assumed it was a 32 (Wartime) Auto, so of course it was the 380 version. Surprisingly, that combination worked OK, but the brass was ruined of course. Fortunately I had already planned to quit after just one mag full, and I’ll shoot the rest in an actual 32!

Froggie

 

[Pondoro]

He was fire forming for the wildcat 40/9 cartridge. Hits like a 40, recoils like a 9. Saves powder.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Why did only the front half of the case expand out & not the whole case?

.

 

[xfarfuldog]

I have seen this happen at private security classes and requals. I was an instructor at a school where many different calibers were used. The school provided all ammo which was laid out side by side. Some students did not pay attention to what they were loading. Other times a second student would help loading another students magazines.

Once a student loaded a 40 caliber backwards. Unfortunately the round chambered in the barrel. He attempted to use a cleaning rod to force the round out. We had to explain that you don’t try to strike the rear of a cartridge. Yikes!!

 

[mikld]

I'd be more concerned with the ignorance of a man, "trained" in the use of firearms out in the public protecting citizens. Just because they are LEOs does not mean they are firearms experts...

 

[Buford57]

I took a young hunter out for deer many years ago. He was carrying his father's rifle, a 7.5mm Swiss. I forget why I checked the magazine, but the ammo included not only 7.5mm but also .303 British and .284 Winchester. I'm not sure who loaded the magazine, the 12 year old kid or his college president father.

 

[Papa32129]

I once fired 223 through my 300blk out barrel upper.

Glad I didn’t do a 300blk through my 223.

Papa

 

[Collo Rosso]

Why did only the front half of the case expand out & not the whole case?

.

The case is weakest (thin) at the mouth half and strongest at the base (thickest). It kind of "unzips".

 

[Collo Rosso]

Glad I didn’t do a 300blk through my 223.

Papa

I unfortunately got to see the aftermath of that. They were putting the guy in a car for the hospital. I'm sure his face required many stitches. It blew the bolt out of a AR upper... or what was left of it.

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

I didn't pick this up at the range, I removed it from a K frame, probably can't reload that one again.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

 

[Speedo2]

One might postulate that the hoop stress done went and exceeded the yield strength. I'll bet that one had been reloaded several times prior to the occurrence. -S2

 

[federali]

Guns work better with correct Ammo!

Years ago I did witness two of my friends sharing a point at a municipal range and getting their ammo mixed up with the result that a .41 Magnum was accidentally fired in a .44 Magnum. Everything sounded normal but no bullet hole in the target.

 

[jcelect]

OOPS!

At the range watching two guys pondering over a 300 Win Mag? About 10 rds down range with a good pattern(not a good group)! The owner claimed the gun could shoot one hole at 100 yds! I checked the spent rds! Short necked 7MM Mag! Ain't gonna reload them!
jcelect

 

[jjfitch]

Overworked nickel plated brass!

I didn't pick this up at the range, I removed it from a K frame, probably can't reload that one again.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

38 spl can and often be reloaded 10 plus times. Unfortunately nickel plating somehow creates brittle cases and results in what you are seeing here. Sometime the case looks just fine after reloading and splits while just sitting in a box over time.

After shooting 38 Spl if you hold several cases in your hand and shake the cases split cases make a distinct dull ping rather than a higher pitched ping (normal)!

Smiles,

 

[Racer X]

I didn't pick this up at the range, I removed it from a K frame, probably can't reload that one again.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

you can glue that right up so the powder won't leak.

 

[colt_saa]

you can glue that right up so the powder won't leak.

Another use for Flex Seal

 

[colt_saa]

I didn't pick this up at the range, I removed it from a K frame, probably can't reload that one again.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

If you reload a casing enough, this will happen no matter what cartridge we are talking about

 

[Krogen]

He was fire forming for the wildcat 40/9 cartridge. Hits like a 40, recoils like a 9. Saves powder.

Ahhh yes. The old 9mm necked up to 40 cal. Requires a clamshell chamber to load the round.

 

[DWalt]

I took a young hunter out for deer many years ago. He was carrying his father's rifle, a 7.5mm Swiss. I forget why I checked the magazine, but the ammo included not only 7.5mm but also .303 British and .284 Winchester. I'm not sure who loaded the magazine, the 12 year old kid or his college president father.

Actually, the .284 Win and the 7.5 Swiss are pretty much the same cartridge except for the bullet diameter. I make 7.5 Swiss cases from .284 brass.

I have seen numerous blown-out cases at ranges, mainly .40 S&W cartridges which were obviously fired in .45 ACP pistols. I once mistakenly (due to a mixup in guns and inattention) fired a cylinder full of .32-20s in a .38 Special revolver. I didn't notice anything suspicious until I ejected all those expanded and split .32-20 cases.

 

[gwpercle]

I didn't pick this up at the range, I removed it from a K frame, probably can't reload that one again.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

This is what a 38 special case look like after many reloadings ...just plumb wore out !
It's not an overload simply reloaded until the brass fails .
Gary

 

[kraynky]

I didn't pick this up at the range, I removed it from a K frame, probably can't reload that one again.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

Nothing a little JB Weld won't fix! LOL!

I actually had some nickle .357 brass (reloaded once too many times) produce the exact same results, when fired from my model 66. The old nickle case was brittle from too many resizings, and being that it was probably 25 years ago, I may have used an ammonia based polish in the tumbler. (before I knew better)

Something like Brasso in a tumbler will make those nickle cases brittle.