Chambering the same round twice???
- Thread starter epic4444
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Christian 812
New member
This sounds funny 
Repeatedly chambering the same round in an autopistol can drive the bullet back into the case (called setback). That will increase the discharge pressure of the round. Some cartridges (notably the 180gr .40 S&W) are very sensitive to setback which means that even a relatively small amount of setback can increase discharge pressures to dangerous levels.
In addition, the chambering & ejection process is hard on the cartridge. They get chewed up after a few cycles.
Unless you're using something like Blazer Aluminum (which I never chamber more than once), I think that you could safely chamber a few times. What you want to avoid is rechambering a single round over, over, over and over.
In addition, the chambering & ejection process is hard on the cartridge. They get chewed up after a few cycles.
Unless you're using something like Blazer Aluminum (which I never chamber more than once), I think that you could safely chamber a few times. What you want to avoid is rechambering a single round over, over, over and over.
Christian 812
New member
The question was ... "what about chambering a bullet twice" > just no problem.
Chambering the same bullet 365 times a year is definitaly a joke for any gun owner with a brain.
Chambering the same bullet 365 times a year is definitaly a joke for any gun owner with a brain.
Paranoia....
Setback is real, and can happen, but if you actually look at your ammo once in a while, you should spot it. Don't know about he .40 S&W, don't have, nor want one.
Someone telling you to never chamber the same round twice, I wonder where his head is at. Probably not a good idea to carry ammo that shows wear marks from being chambered and ejected, for Self Defense, on the other hand, you know it will fit in the chamber!
I saved the last magazine of the two boxes of Fed 185gr JHP that I got with my Browning BDA .45, back in 1980. These seven rounds had been loaded in and out of the chamber and different magazines for over 20 years, to the point where the nickel was rubbed off much of the cases.
When I did fire them up a couple of years ago, the all fed and functioned perfectly. I really wouldn't worry about it, unless your gun chews up the ammo during the feed/extract cycle. If it does, I would suggest a little work to the piece, as it should not damage cases.
Never chambering the same round more than once seems kind of paranoid to me. Not to mention expensive.
Setback is real, and can happen, but if you actually look at your ammo once in a while, you should spot it. Don't know about he .40 S&W, don't have, nor want one.
Someone telling you to never chamber the same round twice, I wonder where his head is at. Probably not a good idea to carry ammo that shows wear marks from being chambered and ejected, for Self Defense, on the other hand, you know it will fit in the chamber!
I saved the last magazine of the two boxes of Fed 185gr JHP that I got with my Browning BDA .45, back in 1980. These seven rounds had been loaded in and out of the chamber and different magazines for over 20 years, to the point where the nickel was rubbed off much of the cases.
When I did fire them up a couple of years ago, the all fed and functioned perfectly. I really wouldn't worry about it, unless your gun chews up the ammo during the feed/extract cycle. If it does, I would suggest a little work to the piece, as it should not damage cases.
Never chambering the same round more than once seems kind of paranoid to me. Not to mention expensive.
Christian 812
New member
Kozak,
You're right ... my Browning HP "kiss" the primer when the slide is slam forwards.
That being said, it doesn't happen with my P226 and P2000 !?
You're right ... my Browning HP "kiss" the primer when the slide is slam forwards.
That being said, it doesn't happen with my P226 and P2000 !?
parrothead2581
New member
Grab a caliper and measure the round before you chamber it and then again after you unload it. Make note of any setback.
Not chambering rounds more than once would get might expensive, especially with ammo prices these days. I don't mind doing it up to about 3 times.
Not chambering rounds more than once would get might expensive, especially with ammo prices these days. I don't mind doing it up to about 3 times.
Dfariswheel
New member
Besides setback causing higher pressures, the real danger is stoppages caused by the shorter cartridge.
Shortly after the police started moving to the auto pistol they had a serious rash of "second round failure to feed stoppages".
The cop would fire his first shot, the gun would fail to feed the second round, and the gun would jam.
This was caused by bullet setback pushing the bullet into the case until the overall length was so short the cartridge would fail to feed properly.
THAT was caused by the police inspection procedure.
A cop would remove the magazine, and eject the round in the chamber.
After formal inspection, or the cop's own personal inspection, he'd insert the mag and chamber the top round, then replace the first round back in the magazine.
This meant that alternating every other day the same two cartridges were slamming into the feed ramp and pushing the bullet back in the case.
When the cause was discovered, the cops were trained to not chamber the same round more than a few times, before shooting it in practice.
I read somewhere that police cartridge makers rate their cartridges for 4 to 5 chambering cycles before it should be shot up or discarded.
Shortly after the police started moving to the auto pistol they had a serious rash of "second round failure to feed stoppages".
The cop would fire his first shot, the gun would fail to feed the second round, and the gun would jam.
This was caused by bullet setback pushing the bullet into the case until the overall length was so short the cartridge would fail to feed properly.
THAT was caused by the police inspection procedure.
A cop would remove the magazine, and eject the round in the chamber.
After formal inspection, or the cop's own personal inspection, he'd insert the mag and chamber the top round, then replace the first round back in the magazine.
This meant that alternating every other day the same two cartridges were slamming into the feed ramp and pushing the bullet back in the case.
When the cause was discovered, the cops were trained to not chamber the same round more than a few times, before shooting it in practice.
I read somewhere that police cartridge makers rate their cartridges for 4 to 5 chambering cycles before it should be shot up or discarded.