Wrong Ammo!
- Thread starter Viking357
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Carl N. Brown
Member
I have seen that before.
On the bright side. It is proof that your .45 has a robust extractor.
On the bright side. It is proof that your .45 has a robust extractor.
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This is true, this is great example of not paying attention.!
DukeConnor
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I did this with 9mm in a 40. I was so ashamed
I was embarressed big time.
JeffG
Member
Looks like you got away cheap...
fastbolt
Member
I can think of 2 plastic .45 pistols where the shooters had loaded some .40's into the magazines. In each case there came a moment when a .40 cartridge ended up slipping forward of the extractor hook and not being hit by the striker firing pin. A simple 'tap/rack' eventually fed and chambered a proper .45 cartridge ... and the fired .45 bullet encountered a .40 cartridge obstructing the bore. In one of the cases examination of the barrel revealed more than one .40 cartridge had been sitting in the bore before a .45 round was fed/chambered and fired. Use the right caliber ammunition. Caliber markings stamped into case heads aren't just a hint. 
I wish I could say that I've only seen one shooter on our range load .380 into their 9 ... but it wouldn't be correct. Sometimes even showing a shooter the blown empty case marked .380 didn't register with them. Ditto the occasional 9 case that fed/fired in a .40 pistol.
Sadly, not everyone seems willing to take a moment to read the ammo cases, individual ammo boxes or even the numbers written in big sharpie markings on large plastic bins of loose ammunition.
One time I remember a guy came to a qual session, and it turned out that his .45 duty weapon - and all his spare mags - were loaded with .40 S&W.
Yep, he'd been working and carrying the wrong caliber ammunition all the time since his previous range qual.
This is one of the reasons that going to just a single duty caliber can be a good thing. My former agency has eliminated .40/.45 and only kept 9mm. That limits the potential mistakes to how people load and carry off-duty or secondary weapons chambered in different calibers.
I wish I could say that I've only seen one shooter on our range load .380 into their 9 ... but it wouldn't be correct. Sometimes even showing a shooter the blown empty case marked .380 didn't register with them. Ditto the occasional 9 case that fed/fired in a .40 pistol.
Sadly, not everyone seems willing to take a moment to read the ammo cases, individual ammo boxes or even the numbers written in big sharpie markings on large plastic bins of loose ammunition.
One time I remember a guy came to a qual session, and it turned out that his .45 duty weapon - and all his spare mags - were loaded with .40 S&W.
Yep, he'd been working and carrying the wrong caliber ammunition all the time since his previous range qual.
This is one of the reasons that going to just a single duty caliber can be a good thing.
My former agency has eliminated .40/.45 and only kept 9mm. That limits the potential mistakes to how people load and carry off-duty or secondary weapons chambered in different calibers.
sparkyv
Member
Stuff happens! Fortunately for me I don't have firearms chambered in close calibers, but if I did I'm the sort that checks and rechecks. I check each round anyway for possible defects before it goes in the magazine or the cylinders of my wheel guns. I'd like to think I would not make a mistake like this, but I'm only human too. We learn through mistakes among other ways we learn. Don't be too hard on yourself!
tark
Member
Someone on this forum posted the results from firing a few 9X19 rounds through a .30 Mauser C-96. Yes, they will chamber and fire. Notice I said "a few rounds." The guy didn't catch his mistake until he had fired four or five rounds. He stopped shooting because the gun seemed to be kicking harder than usual.
The gun was undamaged.
He found a couple of the bullets and they had been squeezed down to .30 cal. They were about an inch long because of this. Anybody here still think a C-96 Broomie isn't a strong design?
The gun was undamaged.
He found a couple of the bullets and they had been squeezed down to .30 cal. They were about an inch long because of this. Anybody here still think a C-96 Broomie isn't a strong design?
Coyote3855
Member
Had a friend experiencing malfunctions in his Glock 19. He had disassembled the 19 and a 23 at the same time. I think he was lucky he discovered his mistake with the 19.
Heir Kommt Die Sonne
Member
Maybe I should pick one up.
I was at a range, preparing for an upcoming match. I had .40 S&W and .45 ACP rounds in 2 open boxes. I wasn't paying close enough attention and loaded a .40 as the top round into the mag of a Springfield 1911 ,45 of mine. I fired the .40 and I noticed a little blue flame come out of the barrel and the slide locked back. I knew immediately what happened and looked to see if anything was wrong with the Springfield. There was no damage and I went on to shoot that gun in matches for years afterwards. We DO learn through mistakes- you're right- and what I learned was to never have two different calibers out at the same time, especially two that feel and feed as similarly as .40 and .45. Don't be too hard on yourself is right. . Just see to it that you don't make the same mistake again, which I'm sure you'll do.
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Heir Kommt Die Sonne
Member
For one, I don't see how someone could be so non-observant that they'd accidently load the wrong ammo. I load my mags before the range session and keep the rounds in a plainly marked box. On the other hand, we can't assume silly mistakes won't ever happen to us either.
fastbolt
Member
It wasn't just some of the guys and gals from my agency who mistakenly loaded the incorrect ammunition now and again ...
I remember one night when I was teaching a CCW class, and I saw one of the shooters on the line manipulating his weapon (1911) as if it hadn't fired when he'd expected it fire. At one point, before I could approach to see what was happening, I saw him tip his weapon so the muzzle angled downward ... and a whole cartridge fell out of the barrel muzzle. Turned out he'd loaded a .40 round into his magazine with the rest of the .45's, and hadn't noticed it. Fortunately in his case, tipping the muzzle downward allowed the smaller caliber, loose round in the bore to fall free.
I remember thinking the situation reminded me of an old Elmer Fudd cartoon.
I helped a new shooter at the range with his compact 191 in 9mm It was a good brand, like Springfield Armory or Kimber. He could not get the gun to function. I brought over the oil can, because I have seen a lot of dry semi auto pistols malfunction. I looked at the fired cases and found out, he was using 380 ammunition!.. The claw will hold the case against the breech face, the cases still swell, but luckily for the shooter, did not rupture.
Mr Potter loves the M70 Winchester rifle, particularly pre 64’s, and he has a number of them. He was at the range, shooting a 270 Win, and once he was finished with that, he picked up a M70 in 300 Win Magnum. There were loose 270 Win rounds on the bench. And guess what, he picked a 270 Win round and inserted it into the 300 Win Mag . The claw extractor on a M70 held the 270 Win round in place, enough so, that when the firing pin hit the primer, the cartridge ignited.
Kaboom!
Case head ruptured on the 270 Win cartridge. Entire left side of his face was bloody from brass and gunpowder particles, his left eyelid was closed so he did not lose sight in that eye. Mr Potter was very lucky that he did not lose his right eye, he was not wearing shooting glasses, but the scope bell deflected debris and he did not have eye damage. However, scope was bent/deformed. Strangely the floor plate was not blown open.
His Mc Millian fiberglas stock came out of it without splitting.
The action was headspaced and found to be OK. The rifle is back in use with a new scope.
You shoot enough, you will see or experience a lot of firearm malfunctions due to wrong ammunition, or defective ammunition. Always wear your shooting glasses!
Mr Potter loves the M70 Winchester rifle, particularly pre 64’s, and he has a number of them. He was at the range, shooting a 270 Win, and once he was finished with that, he picked up a M70 in 300 Win Magnum. There were loose 270 Win rounds on the bench. And guess what, he picked a 270 Win round and inserted it into the 300 Win Mag . The claw extractor on a M70 held the 270 Win round in place, enough so, that when the firing pin hit the primer, the cartridge ignited.
Kaboom!
Case head ruptured on the 270 Win cartridge. Entire left side of his face was bloody from brass and gunpowder particles, his left eyelid was closed so he did not lose sight in that eye. Mr Potter was very lucky that he did not lose his right eye, he was not wearing shooting glasses, but the scope bell deflected debris and he did not have eye damage. However, scope was bent/deformed. Strangely the floor plate was not blown open.
His Mc Millian fiberglas stock came out of it without splitting.
The action was headspaced and found to be OK. The rifle is back in use with a new scope.
You shoot enough, you will see or experience a lot of firearm malfunctions due to wrong ammunition, or defective ammunition. Always wear your shooting glasses!
.38 Special
Member
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- Sep 15, 2006
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- 7,368
I've seen any number of 9 mm cases which had been fired in a .40 chamber - enough that I'd be willing to bet there are some on the ground of just about every busy range in America.
epags
Member
I can vouch for the fact that 45 Long Colt will NOT fit in a 45ACP magazine. I was the range officer at a public range and saw a shooter having a good deal of trouble loading a magazine. Walked over, asked if I could help. He explained he had bought a 1911 (in 45ACP) and had just bought 500 rounds of 45s and they would not fit the magazine. A very quick inspection found they were 500 45 Long Colts. Now he had to go buy a 45 long colt revolver since there was no return policy on ammunition.
.455_Hunter
Member
I can attest that .38 WCF will chamber and fire just fine in a .44 WCF, just with lousy accuracy and tumbling bullets at 15 yards.
Heir Kommt Die Sonne
Member
How can this really be that common? Whats wrong with people
it seems most people aren't as observant as I'd like to hope.
sparkyv
Member
It happens to the best of us. Saturday, shooting 9mm and 10mm, I loaded up three rounds of 9mm in the 10mm mag before I realized they were a bit loosey-goosey. I was in no hurry, and all my ammo is well labelled. The mag wouldn't have fit in the 9mm, but these mistakes can happen.
Tallball
Member
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- Oct 2, 2014
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- 7,813
I tried to load a 45acp into a 40 caliber magazine once. They don't fit.
One of my shooting buddies accidentally shot a 380 through his 9mm while I was watching. He had to field strip it to get the case out. (I don't know why and he wasn't feeling conversational.)
One of my shooting buddies accidentally shot a 380 through his 9mm while I was watching. He had to field strip it to get the case out. (I don't know why and he wasn't feeling conversational.)
Coyote3855
Member
.44 Magnum will fire in a rifle chambered for .45 Colt. Don't ask me how I know. Not the stupidest mistake I've ever made, but close.
