Bullet setback

[kd5zex]

Most real pistols have a spring loaded extractor, which has no problem jumping over the rim.

Careful chief...

[cbjetboy]

Now as a practice I lock the slide back and manually insert the first round of carry ammo, release the slide and then put the full clip in the gun. That eliminates the result you show here.

I thought that this was a bad idea?

me too...I believe only a small handful of pistols can handle this without jacking up the extractor

Didn't know that...I will investigate if my Kimbers will be damaged doing that. Thanks for the heads-up!

Here is Kimber's reply on my inquiry:
Bullet setback happens every time you chamber a round and that is normal. Please refrain from re-chambering the same round repeatedly because it may cause excessive pressure once the round is actually fired. You can put aside the once fired rounds for range use at another time. Better yet, fire that loaded defense round at the range and then switch to your practice rounds.
It is an unsafe practice to load a round through the ejection port. This is something that we would never-ever recommend doing. Not only will that practice damage the extractor, it may possibly cause an accidental discharge when the slide is closed.

[03Lightningrocks]

Now as a practice I lock the slide back and manually insert the first round of carry ammo, release the slide and then put the full clip in the gun. That eliminates the result you show here.

I thought that this was a bad idea?

me too...I believe only a small handful of pistols can handle this without jacking up the extractor

Didn't know that...I will investigate if my Kimbers will be damaged doing that. Thanks for the heads-up!

Here is Kimber's reply on my inquiry:
Bullet setback happens every time you chamber a round and that is normal. Please refrain from re-chambering the same round repeatedly because it may cause excessive pressure once the round is actually fired. You can put aside the once fired rounds for range use at another time. Better yet, fire that loaded defense round at the range and then switch to your practice rounds.
It is an unsafe practice to load a round through the ejection port. This is something that we would never-ever recommend doing. Not only will that practice damage the extractor, it may possibly cause an accidental discharge when the slide is closed.

They are consistent. As I posted above, that is what they told me.

[longtooth]

2 simple rules.

1. Not good on a spring loaded External extractor.
2. Bad hard on an internal extractor.

[Liberty]

2 simple rules.

1. Not good on a spring loaded External extractor.
2. Bad hard on an internal extractor.

True on some guns, probably every 1911, but the manufactures suggest loading this way and give instructions in their manuals on how to do it. Beretta 92FS claims their open slide design is better because it allows easy loading directly into the chamber. Ruger gives instructions on how to load directly into the chamber, and they have a lifetime warranty on the P95 I doubt they would suggest a technique that would put undo where on their guns when they would have to repair it for free.

To tell the truth I have never found a reason to load a gun this way and it is a bad idea unless one knows the manufacturer actually recommends it. Not all guns are created equal.

[CDH]

I replaced 2 extractors in my Glock 22 until I learned this piece of wisdom...it breaks a chip off the tip of the extractor eventually. That lead to the only malfunctions I have ever had with my Glocks...failures to extract because 1/4 of the business part of the extractor was gone, and it was totally my fault.

My Kahr manual also specifically recommends AGAINST dropping the slide on a round in the chamber.

[JackRR]

This is one of the issues I knew very little about until reading it about it online. I have searched the forum and read some other threads. Still not totally sure I understand it, so posting this photo and some questions regarding bullet setback.

These (photo below) are .40 S&W Federal HydraShocks from one of my Glock 23 mags. I have three mags full of these, but some are older than others. I'm honestly not sure how old this batch of ammo is, (yeah, yeah, I know - need to replace once a year). I bought a new box within the last year, but think these may be some holdovers I've had for a few years. The round on the left in photo caused me concern. The cartridge on the right appears to be from the same "batch" of ammo and is closer to what these rounds should look like.

Anyway, this seems to obviously be an example of setback. So my question is .... what do I do with this round? If I shoot it am I guaranteed a catastrophe? If I don't shoot it how/where do I properly/legally dispose of it?

There is some tolerance between the minimum OAL and max OAL. If you have a micrometer you can measure. One source from a reloading forum said:

"The SAAMI minimum/maximum cartridge OAL for 40 S&W is 1.085"/1.135". Thus if you start too close to the min OAL, you can seat below min during firing/feed and have a potential overpressure problem. Factory rds measured are generally in the area of 1.125" OAL "

Dont shoot it, if you dont know the OAL. Most ranges should take it off your hands.
I agree with the others about NOT manually chambering the round.

[Liberty]

Since this is a .40S&W round, I would not recommend firing it. They are already fairly close to their max pressure and the additional setback could increase pressure to the point that a catastrophic failure could occur.

So what do I do with it? Is there a proper legal way to dispose of it?

The proper way to dispose of bad ammo is to take the bullet in one pair of pliers and the brass casing in another pair. Twist and pull, dispose of the powder in the lawn or in toilet. Do whatever you like with the brass and bullet. At least it is proper enough for me. I don't believe their is much for legal considerations, you could probably just dump it in trash legally but that just seems a little irresponsible to me.

[mr surveyor]

if it's a daily carry gun, why in the world would you ever re-chamber a round enough to cause over 2mm setback?

I would not shoot that round!

In my neighborhood the way to "dispose" of that round would be to toss it into the next gathering of rednecks around a brushpile fire to hear it go "pop". Or, toss it in the 5 quarts of used motor oil from last week's oil change before the oil is used to fertilize the dead grass near the back fence. The oil will penetrate the primer seat and "sterilize" the round... then throw it into the brush pile fire

Way too much PC being considered.

Just my rural small town opinion.

surv

[ghostrider]

The proper way to dispose of ammo like that is to donate it to a reloader who can pull the bullet and possibly reload both the bullet and the case. Or you can pull the bullet, dump the powder and kill the primer with a shot of motor oil.

Bullet pullers:

http://www.quineticscorp.com/index.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/6823/Bullet-Pullers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.cabelas.com/link-12/product/ ... 979a.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[CDH]

Motor oil is not 100% reliable in killing primers, especially if only left in for a short time. Extended immersion will eventually get it, but the best way is to chamber the empty case in your firearm and pop the primer.

Is really isn't necessary, though. A primed case is a good noisemaker, but don't set it off touching your head and you won't get hurt...it is about like a blank round...all noise.

[mr surveyor]

[Greybeard]

That overseated .40 round looks to me like it could contribute to another KABOOM thread ...

[pedalman]

Shhhh!!!!! Not so loud.

We don't want to get Dean Spier all riled up again.