Valuable Lesson Learned

[precision_shooter]

While this is embarrassing to admit, I figure it may help someone or at least bring some awareness.

I went to the range today with my Dad to enjoy some shooting, sight in a couple of optics, and get some trigger time with some new/as yet to be fired guns. Now, I am not a novice and have been shooting guns for over 20 years now.

I brought 3 guns chambered in 9mm and 1 chambered in 10mm.

9mm:
Glock 45 (Model 45, not 45 caliber)
Sig P320 X5
Not a pistol but a CZ Scorpion (Sighting in the Vortex Spitfire optic)

10mm:
Glock 40 MOS (Signing in the Vortex Venom red dot pistol sight)

I put all my weapons and magazines on the table as well as several boxes of 9mm (Speer blue box) and 10mm (Magtech blue box) and commenced to loading magazines.

I got all mags loaded and decided to only put 2 rounds in each of the glock 40 mags so I could shoot 2, then adjust sight on empty chamber. sighted in the CZ. I decided to put 3 more rounds in each of the glock mags, giving me 5 in each, as I am confident in my ability to keep my finger off the trigger while adjusting the sight. Now came time to sight in the Glock 40. Move closer to the target, charge the weapon, take aim, Bang. Round hits the target but it feels and sounds really week and does not cycle the slide. I cycle by hand, bang round hits target but again feels week and doesn't cycle. The last 2 rounds felt a lot stronger and had more recoil, louder, and cycled the slide.

At first, I thought, ok I got a bad batch of ammo. Then realized after 3 mags, there was a pattern and the last 2 rounds in each mag had considerably more power and cycled the slide and locked open on empty. Went to check the box of 10mm ammo to try a different box and realized only 6 rounds are missing from the magtech box.
Yep, I loaded 3 rounds of 9mm into the 10mm mags and the glock fed and fired them, all hitting the target but just not cycling the slide.

So, always keep your ammo and magazines separated on the table and double check when loading that you have the correct ammo for that magazine.
There was no harm to the glock or the shooter, but there could have been if a case gave way...

I had a good time shooting the rest of the couple hours and kept the ammo and mags separated the rest of the time.

I am embarrassed to post this, but hope it helps remind others to always stay vigilant and pay extra attention when dealing with firearms.

Now time to go do some cleaning...

 

[mehavey]

This is precisely why we have a One-Gun-On-The-Table-at-a-Time Rule at our range.
While not impossible to play the 40-in-45 and/or the 9-in-10 game (I have see it),
it make it far "less" likely

 

[precision_shooter]

One gun on the table doesn’t really work at my normal range where you have to take your bag to the table. Take the gun out of the bag, then take the bag back to the back of the range out of the way, then go back to the table. Every time you want to shoot something else you’d have to repeat this as there isn’t enough room in the aisle/bay for your range bag and you...

 

[4V50 Gary]

Oppski. Someone loaded my magazine one for the now disabled Sig (45 ACP). It fired and didn't cycle. Wrong bullet.

 

[Lexspeed]

OP, thanks for sharing your story and providing all of us a dear reminder regarding what can happen at the range.

 

[GunsNLoaded]

Thank you for sharing your story and reminding us to stay on point.

 

[9x19]

Anyone in the market for some oops-fired brass?

 

[USNRet93]

Did the same thing when shooting my Glock 42 and Ruger LC9s..yup, loaded a Ruger mag(9mm) with .380...it shoots, once, then it doesn't.

 

[precision_shooter]

Haha, 9x19 is May Dad and I knew he’d be along to post pics of the brass. Thanks Dad!

 

[JDBerg]

The most effective gun safety is always the one between your ears. When dealing with firearms there is no substitute for good judgement & common sense.

 

[FLJim]

I did that, once. I'd been shooting my G22. My buddy let me try something he had in 9mm. I don't recall what. I was shooting WWB in both. When I switched back to my G22 I neglected to swap boxes of ammo, too. Went *bang*. Felt a bit weird, but I could see I hit the target. Went to pull the trigger, again. Nothing. Looked. Slide wasn't completely in battery. And that was because, while it more-or-less cycled, it hadn't ejected the 9mm brass.

Now it's "one caliber on the bench at a time." I won't even have a closed box of the wrong caliber on the bench, any more.

 

[TailGator]

I took a friend to the range, thought he knew what he was doing, but he loaded .380 in a 9 mm. Fired OK, didn't cycle the slide. He fired a few rounds before asking me about it. My ammo was labeled properly, but he didn't read it.

Good reminder, though, thanks for the post.

 

[Bimus]

When out walking in the hills my wife carry's Beretta 45 colt and I do the same then I bought a Ruger 44 mag and loose rounds would end up in our pockets and in backpack pockets the 44 mag round where always jacketed and the 45 where cast .
I even used a sharpie to color the primer end of the case on the 44's .but a accident could still happen.
I sold the Ruger 44 mag

 

[9x19]

Funny, it was, after the fact.

The brass tells an interesting tale. The primer has the firing pin mark to the left of center, which aligns with the bulged side of the case.

Clearly the extractor was holding the 9mm case against the right side of the 10mm chamber with enough grip to allow a solid striker hit on the primer and then the case bulged on the un-supported left side.

It was a bit embarrassing, since I'm the one who suggested it might just be a bad box of ammo, due to poor QC. Since he was making holes in the target, I didn't even think to check the hand-ejected brass until we realized he'd topped up the mags with 9mm.

The positive item: In a world-gone-mad, we know his Glock 40 can use 9mm ammo, just as a single shot.

 

[SIGSHR]

I bought a used barrel for my Browning High Power, first range session, horrible accuracy....
yes, my brass came out looking like the ones in 9x19's post.

 

[Brit]

Shooting in an indoor range, just outside of Toronto, one Saturday morning.
An impromptu IDPA Match. I used this range for my official training (Pro. Instructor)

So I had 9mm factory, and .38 Special reloads. Lived in my steel cabinet. One of the Club members arrived, with 100 rounds of ammo, for his 9mm Browning Hi-Power, we took turns in being RO for this little quick and dirty match.

Now, this young Guy blew his own horn a lot, Body Guard, and stuff he knew all about guns and ammo! After the command load and make ready, he starting the match, straight away, problems. He was racking slide/changing magazines, etc!
I called a cease-fire, took over the pistol, normal procedures, and found he had bought .380, 9mm short. I had the assistant RO take over, and went into the clubroom. He was embarrassed to death! I said no big deal, he had just put the two boxes of ammo, into a bag, off to the range.

You will miss the match if you go to exchange them now, I said and gave him two boxes of factory ammo from my company stash. Enough to reshoot the match, he did OK, as well.

Off to Tim Hortons after the match, all of us, this young chap tried to pay me for the Ammo. I said buy my coffee, that will be fine. And guess what, I had a new friend.

 

[BigMikey76]

I managed to fill a 9mm mag with .380 once. The results were not stellar. My solution now is to only have obviously different calibers out at the same time. A 9mm, a .22 and a .38 special, for example. If I want to shoot a .380, I put away all of the 9mm guns first.

 

[ROCK6]

This happened to me and a brother-like friend of mine, must have been the mid-90's. We went to the range and ironically, without knowing had both purchased Sig's; I had the new P228 in 9mm, and he had the P229 in .40S&W. We both had several magazines and I just happened to grab one of mine when I shot his pistol...a very distinct pop and not like a .40. Both of us were pretty embarrassed, but it was a valuable lesson that sticks with me well over twenty years later...

Range organization is pretty important. Now that we have some 300 Blackout in the mix, we really need to keep alert and organized.

Thanks for sharing and giving us all a reminder...

ROCK6

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Years ago, I went shooting with a buddy, we both had 9mm pistols, he was supplying the ammo as he worked at a gun store at the time.

I had a Ruger P89 and he had a US Army marked Beretta 92. His pistol was stove-piping about every other round, mine ate the ammo just fine.

We looked at it, it was 9mm Corto (.380ACP). I wouldn't make that mistake today.

 

[HisSoldier]

Thing is the pressure has to be far below normal proper bullet loads when done this way, now an oversized bullet, maybe .008" larger, that will increase pressures.
I once bought an aftermarket barrel for a Savage 32 ACP, it looked like it was made from a .30 rifle barrel, OK, but when I fired it it really barked! The next shot was into fiber wadding, the otherwise perfect FMJ bullet had gushed lead from the back, the bore had to be several thousandths undersized.