I ALMOST blew it up!

I mistakenly loaded .44 Magnum ammunition into a .44 Special revolver once. While the cylinder would close properly, the cartridges stuck out the back of the cylinder just far enough that, fortunately, they jammed against the recoil shield and prevented the gun from being cycled or fired.
 
My grandfather told me that when he was a kid, him and his friends would scrounge around for live rounds of .45acp amongst the brass at a nearby military pistol range and then shoot them out of a single-shot .410 shotgun.

He still had all his fingers.:)
 
Your Grandfather was lucky!:D

Since the GI .45 is a low pressure pistol load, not all that much off from shotgun pressures apparently the gun he used was able to contain the pressure, even with the .45 slug in a .410 bore. I don't think all .410s would manage that.
 
- 9mm in a .40 S&W
- .40 S&W in a .45 ACP

Here's what can happen when the smaller round ends up in the magazine. The slide goes forward, putting the smaller round into the chamber and probably pushing it in just far enough that it doesn't go off and isn't seen. If the gun is pointed downward, the round just slides out the barrel. BUT, we are all well trained in safety, so when the gun goes click, we keep it pointed down range, and figure that the round didn't load. So, still keeping the gun horizontal, we jack another round, of the right caliber, into the chamber and fire.

The bullet speeding down the barrel encounters the live round. Shortly thereafter, another ka-boom is charged off to a defective pistol!

Jim
 
I was firing my TZ-75. Swapped out the barrel and recoil spring from the 9mm version to the .41 Action Express version. Then, instead of using the .41 magazine and .41 rounds, inserted the 9mm magazine with 9mm rounds. First round stovepiped, and accuracy went all to hell. Same thing with the second round, after I had cleared it. Checked it then and discovered the problem.

They fired just fine, but with the smaller bullet and shell case, enough gas escaped around the bullet that it lost accuracy and range, and couldn't cycle properly.
 
I don't believe that a 40 cal. ever fired in a 45 chamber or a 9mm fired in a 40 chamber. You might have done something to make one blow up in one but other than that the round will just slide right through with no obstruction.
 
I saw a guy fire a 45 ACp in a 40 at a match on the Usrey Range north of Mesa AZ. The action blew back and the bullet stuck in the barrell. He beat the slug out and continued the match.

Two bonehead moves.
 
I was shooting at the range last year with a couple of my friends - a couple who lives down the street. She was shooting her .380 Sig and he was shooting his 9mm Springfield. They switched off and then back again - he screwed up and accidently loaded about three of the .380s he had laying in front of him in to his 9mm. Surprisingly, the .380s worked - probably because the ejector was holding the rim groove when they discharged.

Just another reason to be "awake" when you're shooting. I'm pretty safe as I either have the 9mm and a 22 or a 38 spl and a 22 when I go to the range to shoot. I just like to switch off. If I ever mix up the 9mms or the 38spls with the 22s . . . well, let's just say that it would be time to take my guns away from me and tie me in my chair each morning. :D
 
Out of curiosity, supposing the 9mm did load into the .357 cylinder, would anything bad have happened if it fired? If the gun is chambered for a more powerful round, what is a weaker round going to do to the gun?
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:confused:

The bullet head may not fit in the chamber and = KABOOM. :mad:
 
Been there, they don't fit.

I could be wrong, but I think the .38s that were reemed out to fit 9mm (.355) still have the .357 cal barrel. I think.
 
I saw a guy fire a 45 ACp in a 40 at a match on the Usrey Range north of Mesa AZ. The action blew back and the bullet stuck in the barrell. He beat the slug out and continued the match.

Two bonehead moves.
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Are you sure this is accurate?

How on earth would you ever get a .45 Auto to chamber in any .40 cal pistol?

Unless you've left something out of the story... this is not possible and you couldn't discharge the round.
 
shotshell in a rifle

My dad told me they shot 410 shells in a trapdoor Springfield. He couldn't recall actually hitting anything. He seemed to remember that the empties came out deformed.
 
I accidentally put .380 into a Beretta 92 mag. When I tried to put the mag into the firearm, the mag simply wouldn't go in all the way. I checked it out and found the mistake. Smart of Beretta to intentionally design their mags that way ;-).
 
There was a guy at the range who loaded his .45ACP 1911 mag with .40S&W. His 1911 was in need of several new parts.
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I find this a little hard to believe. I did the same thing once, loaded some 40 hydrashoks into my 45 mag and let one loose. The case bulged and split, gas went up and out the sides. The smaller 40 bullet and casing allowed the gas to vent safely without rising pressures and breaking things.
 
You would have been fine.


Loaded .40 and fired out of my .45 1911 not too long ago.



NO IT DOESNT FALL RIGHT OUT. IT CHAMBERS AND FIRES.


Theres a thread here on it.

Case bulges and splits, gun is fine.
 
My brother in law accidentally mixed a 38Spl into a bunch of 44Mags and fired on out of a Ruger Deerhunter. The case split but nothing was damaged.

Except his pride.
 
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