Just a reminder to watch your ammo.....

[hoytinak]

Took the Glock 19 to the range today for the first time since I got it back from the grip reduction. On the first mag about halfwalf through I had a malfunction where the slide caught the brass backwards as it was ejecting. Well I just racked the slide to clear it and chamber a new round not thinking anything of it. Then went on to firing several mags without any problems, till I was loading a mag and noticed a .380 round in my hand that I was about to load in the mag. Well, that got me thinking and I started looking at the brass (I was picking it up as I shot) and noticed that the malfunctioned round was infact a .380 that I had fired. It was a box of about 400 reloaded 9mm that I had somehow gonna about 6 .380s in it. Guess I should have known something was up from the moment my G19 malfunctioned though.

 

[redlevel42]

Sounds like the problem stemmed from operator headspacing.

 

[hoytinak]

Sounds like the problem stemmed from operator headspacing.

Yep, sure did.

 

[nate45]

Then went on to firing several mags without any problems, till I was loading a mag and noticed a .380 round in my hand that I was about to load in the mag.

Thats is good advice hoytinak, sometimes its easy to get similar rounds mixed up.

Just last year I loaded up about 500 rounds of .223 in a mixed assortment of brass I had scrounged from a local range. Several of the cases were .222 Magnums and I loaded them right along with the .223. I never noticed this error until I fired one of them in my AR. No damage was done and the only resulting problem was that extractor would not grasp the rim. Still it was a lesson in that we should all be extra vigilant that such mix ups do not occur.

 

[BigV]

Here’s a pic of a .40 that my son inadvertently loaded up in one of my .45, 1911 mags.
Shot it through my Kimber CDP and the .40 casing did not eject.

 

[B.N.Real]

Anyone as lucky as we are to have multiple calibers of handguns can make this mistake.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[45_Shooter]

Good reminder; at least the majority of the cartridges that usually can get mis-loaded into a pistol are lower in power than the correct cartridge and generally don't blow the pistol up.

I think the most dangerous error is accidentally loading a 20 Ga in a 12 ga, which falls down in the chamber, but not out the barrel. A 12 ga shell can be loaded behind it with catastropic results. I had to stop an inexperienced shooter a couple years back who almost did this.

 

[Sgt127]

Seen it done or done it myself:
.380 in a 9mm
.40 in a .45
.357 SIG in .40.

Theres always so much space for gas to go around the bullet, the chance of a major problem is pretty small....Still feel stupid anytime I've done it.

Now, the shotgun guys tell me mixing a 20 GA in a box of 12 GA can get really exciting...

 

[clayking]

That is one of the reasons that I put my loads into boxes designed for that cartridge, then look at it themfrom a top level view, and then run my finger along each row looking for primers not set correctly or rounds too long or too short.......................ck

 

[nutty ned]

Fortunately, the only time I tried to do something like that was to try and shoot a .45acp in a .40. The .45 went in the mag just fine and of course not in the chamber. I was so sure I knew what I was doing that I tried to chamber it 3 or 4 times. It was a rat shot rnd and they, because of their peculiar shape, are nor obvious as to caliber difference.

 

[oneounceload]

I shoot .22, 32 SWL, 9mm, 38spl, and 45 - one of the reasons is to avoid that exact peoblem....380 and 9mm are WAY too close to not inspect carefully