un-pleasant bullet swap

Cpo1944

Cpo1944

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So for the New Year I swapped out my two year old carry ammo for some factory fresh. The ammo in question is :

Winchester PDX1 defender .357 mag 125gr bonded jacketed HP

I decided to shoot the old ammo , because I have never done so before - I didn`t want to waste that expensive hot stuff plinking.

Well let me tell you Gents , that stuff in a 17 oz. Ruger LCR is MOST UN-Pleasant to shoot. the recoil and blast are BAD!
The first round was strong hand, the second was weak hand & I had no intentions of shooting a third round , but I couldn`t even if I had wanted to . The next bullet had crept out of the case far enough to jam the cylinder.

I believe I will discontinue this ammo and go to either standard .357 or .38 +P.
I suspect the light wt. gun recoiled so much that it dislodged the bullet from the case, and maybe the said ammo is ok in a heavier gun, but I am not going to risk it. Besides I`m not convinced that kind of excess power is needed.

Lesson learned.
Practice with your carry ammo as well as your regular range stuff and don't save the costly bullets for a troublesome day, because you may just get an un-happy surprise.
The next time I shoot that HOT stuff will be in a full size revolver and I`ll let you all know how it does.
 
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I kinda have to fight off a giggle fit reading this ...
The 38 special variant is a bit lighter than the 357 and nothing fun about it with S&B's 158 grain interpretation of the FBI load.

The LCR was astonishingly popular, but it seems to be falling out of favor in a big fat hurry.
A few months ago I found a Walther P38 in a pawn shop.
It was really easy to spot in the case as it really stood out in the sea of LCR's
I'll give it credit where due.
It's a solid CCW. Light, comfortable, easy to carry and not ridiculously expensive.
As a supplement to other guns, its brilliant.
As a stand alone solution ..... not so much
 
I think it's a good idea....

I think it's a good idea to change ammo. A shock like that may prevent you from getting off a follow up shot quickly.

I got a Kel Tec 9mm that weighs like 12-13 oz. It is definitely NOT a 'fun gun'. In fact, practicing with realistically hot ammo is really rough. I haven't been able to practice much and haven't yet found an ammo combination that has adequate power yet doesn't break my hand bones.:eek:

Full .357 loads in my 686 beats my hands up pretty bad. I don't want to feel the same in a small revolver. I expect that somebody will come out with a 10mm in a compact plastic pistol and say it's the ultimate stopping power in a small, concealable package.
 
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Generally you want to shoot some of your carry ammo to make sure it functions and shoots good. Since every gun is different you don't want to have the one odd combination of gun and ammo where the ammo you're carrying is not accurate in that specific gun.....or worse it doesn't work for whatever reason.
 
Been there, done that with a Federal "reduced recoil" self defence load. In a model 65 I couldn't tell the difference between it and the old "Highway Patrol" load that runs 125gr@1500fps.
 
Even non-magnum revolvers like the M42 and a M49 can teach one a lot about recoil with different loads.

Those light frame 38/357 revolvers are fun with 38 ammo but when loaded with the "Long case", things can go down hill for the shooter in a hurry.

Some can stand pain better than others but I have yet to see anyone at my range go through more than five rounds of Full SD .357 ammo in that light weight revolver.

Having a factory load have the bullet dislodge from the crimp is telling me something !! Glad you caught that.
 
Always test ammo before carrying.

First reason is to experience the recoil. You don't want surprises if you ever have to use the gun for self defense.

Second is for functioning. The bullet dislodging is a well-known phenomenon called "bullet jump" or "creep." Light guns and heavy loads cause this sometimes. You have to check each new type of ammo in a particular gun to determine if the bullets are staying put, or not.

Third, accuracy. Is a given round accurate in that gun? Have you been practicing to improve it? Don't want surprises here either. Don't want to find out in a self defense situation that the rounds in your gun shot 6" off your point of aim.

Happy you didn't have to learn these lessons the hard way at some point during the past two years.
 
I never carry ammo that I have not tested a few from that box or lot. I chronograph them also just to make sure they do what they say they are doing (velocity wise). I go with what I personally witnessed to work reliably and accurately. It is important to retest even the same ammo brand and model number when buying new stock - some ammo does vary from lot to lot or year to year. I have found the most variations in Remington ammo (specifically their FBI load).

ALWAYS shoot ammo (box/lot) you intend to use as SD HD loads before just loading them into your gun. ALWAYS KNOW what to expect.
 
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