Handguns, Handloads, and Gun Shows

[JGalt]

With the ammo shortage, you might be tempted to buy some other guy's handloads at a gun show. Unless the seller has a professional ammunition-manufacturing setup, it's probably a good thing not to. I'll show you why:

I worked up a load that would function in two pistols: A Glock 19 with a 4" barrel, and a Taurus G2C with a 3" barrel...

The 9mm 124 grain JHP load was worked up to produce between 1020-1050 fps in the 4" barreled Glock, which is about the maximum velocity for that size bullet, that primer, and that powder.

Now what happens when I fire those through the shorter barreled Taurus? I get a drop in velocity of a little over 43 fps. So what happens if I had worked up the load to produce 1020-1050 fps velocity in the shorter barrel, and fired it in the longer barrel? The pressure is going to be higher in the chamber, as well as an increase in the velocity. While that might not be enough to turn the G19 into a hand grenade, there could be signs of excess pressure: Punctured or flattened primers, cracked or ruptured cases, etc.

This is why you never ever use use other people's handloads. While commercial ammunition is designed to safely work in the widest range of models, most handloads are tailored for specifically one firearm. I've seen more than several guns which have blown up because of this, or other things. The last one I saw was a friend of mine who had a S&W Model 36 in .38 Special, with a 2" barrel. Someone had given him some of their handloads and it seriously kaboomed. The cylinder cracked in two pieces and the top strap was blown off. Luckily, he didn't get a single scratch on him.

 

[fncceo]

With the ammo shortage, you might be tempted to buy some other guy's handloads at a gun show. Unless the seller has a professional ammunition-manufacturing setup, it's probably a good thing not to. I'll show you why:

I worked up a load that would function in two pistols: A Glock 19 with a 4" barrel, and a Taurus G2C with a 3" barrel...

View attachment 463762

The 9mm 124 grain JHP load was worked up to produce between 1020-1050 fps in the 4" barreled Glock, which is about the maximum velocity for that size bullet, that primer, and that powder.

Now what happens when I fire those through the shorter barreled Taurus? I get a drop in velocity of a little over 43 fps. So what happens if I had worked up the load to produce 1020-1050 fps velocity in the shorter barrel, and fired it in the longer barrel? The pressure is going to be higher in the chamber, as well as an increase in the velocity. While that might not be enough to turn the G19 into a hand grenade, there could be signs of excess pressure: Punctured or flattened primers, cracked cases, etc.

View attachment 463764

This is why you never ever use use other people's handloads. While commercial ammunition is designed to safely work in the widest range of models, most handloads are tailored for specifically one firearm. I've seen more than several guns which have blown up because of this, or other things. The last one I saw was a friend of mine who had a S&W Model 36 in .38 Special, with a 2" barrel. Someone had given him some of their handloads and it seriously kaboomed. The cylinder cracked in two pieces and the top strap was blown off. Luckily, he didn't get a single scratch on him.

I find most handloads to be barely able to make enough blowback for a reload.

They're so weak you can beat the bullet to the target by walking.

 

[JGalt]

With the ammo shortage, you might be tempted to buy some other guy's handloads at a gun show. Unless the seller has a professional ammunition-manufacturing setup, it's probably a good thing not to. I'll show you why:

I worked up a load that would function in two pistols: A Glock 19 with a 4" barrel, and a Taurus G2C with a 3" barrel...

View attachment 463762

The 9mm 124 grain JHP load was worked up to produce between 1020-1050 fps in the 4" barreled Glock, which is about the maximum velocity for that size bullet, that primer, and that powder.

Now what happens when I fire those through the shorter barreled Taurus? I get a drop in velocity of a little over 43 fps. So what happens if I had worked up the load to produce 1020-1050 fps velocity in the shorter barrel, and fired it in the longer barrel? The pressure is going to be higher in the chamber, as well as an increase in the velocity. While that might not be enough to turn the G19 into a hand grenade, there could be signs of excess pressure: Punctured or flattened primers, cracked cases, etc.

View attachment 463764

This is why you never ever use use other people's handloads. While commercial ammunition is designed to safely work in the widest range of models, most handloads are tailored for specifically one firearm. I've seen more than several guns which have blown up because of this, or other things. The last one I saw was a friend of mine who had a S&W Model 36 in .38 Special, with a 2" barrel. Someone had given him some of their handloads and it seriously kaboomed. The cylinder cracked in two pieces and the top strap was blown off. Luckily, he didn't get a single scratch on him.

I find most handloads to be barely able to make enough blowback for a reload.

They're so weak you can beat the bullet to the target by walking.

Won't cycle the action? They must have really loaded that down to a mild load. Or you have a strong slide spring.

 

[White 6]

With the ammo shortage, you might be tempted to buy some other guy's handloads at a gun show. Unless the seller has a professional ammunition-manufacturing setup, it's probably a good thing not to. I'll show you why:

I worked up a load that would function in two pistols: A Glock 19 with a 4" barrel, and a Taurus G2C with a 3" barrel...

View attachment 463762

The 9mm 124 grain JHP load was worked up to produce between 1020-1050 fps in the 4" barreled Glock, which is about the maximum velocity for that size bullet, that primer, and that powder.

Now what happens when I fire those through the shorter barreled Taurus? I get a drop in velocity of a little over 43 fps. So what happens if I had worked up the load to produce 1020-1050 fps velocity in the shorter barrel, and fired it in the longer barrel? The pressure is going to be higher in the chamber, as well as an increase in the velocity. While that might not be enough to turn the G19 into a hand grenade, there could be signs of excess pressure: Punctured or flattened primers, cracked or ruptured cases, etc.

View attachment 463764

This is why you never ever use use other people's handloads. While commercial ammunition is designed to safely work in the widest range of models, most handloads are tailored for specifically one firearm. I've seen more than several guns which have blown up because of this, or other things. The last one I saw was a friend of mine who had a S&W Model 36 in .38 Special, with a 2" barrel. Someone had given him some of their handloads and it seriously kaboomed. The cylinder cracked in two pieces and the top strap was blown off. Luckily, he didn't get a single scratch on him.

Interesting and informative. Have not tried non-commercial handloads yet, but will soon, as my son has bought a reloader and is buying the trays and dies to do 9mm and 5.56. What problem do you see reloading for a full size Walther PPQ if any?

 

[Ringel05]

With the ammo shortage, you might be tempted to buy some other guy's handloads at a gun show. Unless the seller has a professional ammunition-manufacturing setup, it's probably a good thing not to. I'll show you why:

I worked up a load that would function in two pistols: A Glock 19 with a 4" barrel, and a Taurus G2C with a 3" barrel...

View attachment 463762

The 9mm 124 grain JHP load was worked up to produce between 1020-1050 fps in the 4" barreled Glock, which is about the maximum velocity for that size bullet, that primer, and that powder.

Now what happens when I fire those through the shorter barreled Taurus? I get a drop in velocity of a little over 43 fps. So what happens if I had worked up the load to produce 1020-1050 fps velocity in the shorter barrel, and fired it in the longer barrel? The pressure is going to be higher in the chamber, as well as an increase in the velocity. While that might not be enough to turn the G19 into a hand grenade, there could be signs of excess pressure: Punctured or flattened primers, cracked or ruptured cases, etc.

View attachment 463764

This is why you never ever use use other people's handloads. While commercial ammunition is designed to safely work in the widest range of models, most handloads are tailored for specifically one firearm. I've seen more than several guns which have blown up because of this, or other things. The last one I saw was a friend of mine who had a S&W Model 36 in .38 Special, with a 2" barrel. Someone had given him some of their handloads and it seriously kaboomed. The cylinder cracked in two pieces and the top strap was blown off. Luckily, he didn't get a single scratch on him.

Interesting and informative. Have not tried non-commercial handloads yet, but will soon, as my son has bought a reloader and is buying the trays and dies to do 9mm and 5.56. What problem do you see reloading for a full size Walther PPQ if any?

Tell him good luck finding primers..........

 

[JGalt]

With the ammo shortage, you might be tempted to buy some other guy's handloads at a gun show. Unless the seller has a professional ammunition-manufacturing setup, it's probably a good thing not to. I'll show you why:

I worked up a load that would function in two pistols: A Glock 19 with a 4" barrel, and a Taurus G2C with a 3" barrel...

View attachment 463762

The 9mm 124 grain JHP load was worked up to produce between 1020-1050 fps in the 4" barreled Glock, which is about the maximum velocity for that size bullet, that primer, and that powder.

Now what happens when I fire those through the shorter barreled Taurus? I get a drop in velocity of a little over 43 fps. So what happens if I had worked up the load to produce 1020-1050 fps velocity in the shorter barrel, and fired it in the longer barrel? The pressure is going to be higher in the chamber, as well as an increase in the velocity. While that might not be enough to turn the G19 into a hand grenade, there could be signs of excess pressure: Punctured or flattened primers, cracked or ruptured cases, etc.

View attachment 463764

This is why you never ever use use other people's handloads. While commercial ammunition is designed to safely work in the widest range of models, most handloads are tailored for specifically one firearm. I've seen more than several guns which have blown up because of this, or other things. The last one I saw was a friend of mine who had a S&W Model 36 in .38 Special, with a 2" barrel. Someone had given him some of their handloads and it seriously kaboomed. The cylinder cracked in two pieces and the top strap was blown off. Luckily, he didn't get a single scratch on him.

Interesting and informative. Have not tried non-commercial handloads yet, but will soon, as my son has bought a reloader and is buying the trays and dies to do 9mm and 5.56. What problem do you see reloading for a full size Walther PPQ if any?

In 9mm? Pretty easy: Follow the recommend starting loads from a current book or the powder manufacturer's website. Pick a good powder for the weight bullet: Lighter bullets like faster-burning powders, heavier bullets like slow powders. A powder burn rate chart is in most reloading manuals, or you can find one online.

A lot of people are using Hodgdon Titegroup powder for 115 grain and 124 grain 9mm. It's a fast-burning powder that goes a long way, because it uses smaller charges. But it's also prone to developing exceedingly-high pressure with one-tenth of a grain of an increase, so you have to watch it.

Bullet-seating depth is another thing you have to watch: SAAMI has set standards for ammunition overall bullet length, but in order to feed properly, it's best to set the bullet-seating depth to that particular gun. You want the ogive of the bullet about .1" back from where the rifling starts in the barrel. Otherwise if the bullet is touching the rifling, the chamber builds up more pressure.

I usually disassemble a pistol, seat a bullet in an empty unprimed cartridge case, give it a very very slight crimp to elimininate the belled case mouth, then try it in the chamber. 9mm headspaces on the mouth of the cartridge case, so there should be no resistance when you drop the bullet in the chamber. It should plop into the chamber and turn freely. If it doesn't, seat the bullet a couple thousandths of an inch, then try it again. Once you get where you can plop the unprimed uncharged bullet in the chamber and easily rotate it with your finger, seat the bullet just a little deeper. That way there's no bullet jump before it touches the rifling.

 

[cnm]

I've only reloaded for rifle and shotgun, but if one full length resizes brass and sticks to loading manual recommended safe powder weights and bullets and standard overall lengths there shouldn't be a problem.

Using a load worked up for one specific weapon in another, even of the same model, is just asking for it.

 

[JGalt]

With the ammo shortage, you might be tempted to buy some other guy's handloads at a gun show. Unless the seller has a professional ammunition-manufacturing setup, it's probably a good thing not to. I'll show you why:

I worked up a load that would function in two pistols: A Glock 19 with a 4" barrel, and a Taurus G2C with a 3" barrel...

View attachment 463762

The 9mm 124 grain JHP load was worked up to produce between 1020-1050 fps in the 4" barreled Glock, which is about the maximum velocity for that size bullet, that primer, and that powder.

Now what happens when I fire those through the shorter barreled Taurus? I get a drop in velocity of a little over 43 fps. So what happens if I had worked up the load to produce 1020-1050 fps velocity in the shorter barrel, and fired it in the longer barrel? The pressure is going to be higher in the chamber, as well as an increase in the velocity. While that might not be enough to turn the G19 into a hand grenade, there could be signs of excess pressure: Punctured or flattened primers, cracked or ruptured cases, etc.

View attachment 463764

This is why you never ever use use other people's handloads. While commercial ammunition is designed to safely work in the widest range of models, most handloads are tailored for specifically one firearm. I've seen more than several guns which have blown up because of this, or other things. The last one I saw was a friend of mine who had a S&W Model 36 in .38 Special, with a 2" barrel. Someone had given him some of their handloads and it seriously kaboomed. The cylinder cracked in two pieces and the top strap was blown off. Luckily, he didn't get a single scratch on him.

Interesting and informative. Have not tried non-commercial handloads yet, but will soon, as my son has bought a reloader and is buying the trays and dies to do 9mm and 5.56. What problem do you see reloading for a full size Walther PPQ if any?

Tell him good luck finding primers..........

I found a source for primers: Local MeWe reloading groups. Some decent deals lately.

 

[JGalt]

I've only reloaded for rifle and shotgun, but if one full length resizes brass and sticks to loading manual recommended safe powder weights and bullets and standard overall lengths there shouldn't be a problem.

Using a load worked up for one specific weapon in another, even of the same model, is just asking for it.

I started out full-length resizing rifle cases but went to neck-sizing only. Once that case has been fired in one particular chamber, you can either use your FL die or buy a neck-sizing die. It keeps the brass from wearing out and the head from separating. Otherwise, you have to anneal the neck and mouth of the brass, and that's a bitch.

 

[Sunni Man]

I learned my lesson many years ago about shooting someone else's reloads.
Went duck hunting with a friend of mine who was really into reloading.
He said, "Try this, it will really reach out", and handed me one of his hand loaded 12 gauge shotgun shells.
So I put it into the third position of my shotgun.
Usually when I fired at some ducks, I could knock down the 1st and sometimes a 2nd one, but the store bought shells didn't have the reach to hit a 3rd duck. So I had quit wasting my ammo taking a third shot when duck hunting..
Well the ducks flew by kinda high and I fired twice. Then a drew a bead on a third duck that was really high and almost overhead when I fired my friends reload to see what it would do. My shotgun unexpectedly kicked back so hard that it smacked me in the face and bloodied my nose.
Amazingly, at least to me, the duck fell from the sky as i grimaced in pain.
My friend just laughed and said, "You wanna try another one? ....

 

[White 6]

With the ammo shortage, you might be tempted to buy some other guy's handloads at a gun show. Unless the seller has a professional ammunition-manufacturing setup, it's probably a good thing not to. I'll show you why:

I worked up a load that would function in two pistols: A Glock 19 with a 4" barrel, and a Taurus G2C with a 3" barrel...

View attachment 463762

The 9mm 124 grain JHP load was worked up to produce between 1020-1050 fps in the 4" barreled Glock, which is about the maximum velocity for that size bullet, that primer, and that powder.

Now what happens when I fire those through the shorter barreled Taurus? I get a drop in velocity of a little over 43 fps. So what happens if I had worked up the load to produce 1020-1050 fps velocity in the shorter barrel, and fired it in the longer barrel? The pressure is going to be higher in the chamber, as well as an increase in the velocity. While that might not be enough to turn the G19 into a hand grenade, there could be signs of excess pressure: Punctured or flattened primers, cracked or ruptured cases, etc.

View attachment 463764

This is why you never ever use use other people's handloads. While commercial ammunition is designed to safely work in the widest range of models, most handloads are tailored for specifically one firearm. I've seen more than several guns which have blown up because of this, or other things. The last one I saw was a friend of mine who had a S&W Model 36 in .38 Special, with a 2" barrel. Someone had given him some of their handloads and it seriously kaboomed. The cylinder cracked in two pieces and the top strap was blown off. Luckily, he didn't get a single scratch on him.

Interesting and informative. Have not tried non-commercial handloads yet, but will soon, as my son has bought a reloader and is buying the trays and dies to do 9mm and 5.56. What problem do you see reloading for a full size Walther PPQ if any?

Tell him good luck finding primers..........

Excellent point. Do you see it changing in near future?

 

[cnm]

I started out full-length resizing rifle cases but went to neck-sizing only.

I only neck sized from new factory rounds and trimmed to overall case length but I wouldn't put that neck sized round in another weapon and expect it to be safe.

 

[Ringel05]

With the ammo shortage, you might be tempted to buy some other guy's handloads at a gun show. Unless the seller has a professional ammunition-manufacturing setup, it's probably a good thing not to. I'll show you why:

I worked up a load that would function in two pistols: A Glock 19 with a 4" barrel, and a Taurus G2C with a 3" barrel...

View attachment 463762

The 9mm 124 grain JHP load was worked up to produce between 1020-1050 fps in the 4" barreled Glock, which is about the maximum velocity for that size bullet, that primer, and that powder.

Now what happens when I fire those through the shorter barreled Taurus? I get a drop in velocity of a little over 43 fps. So what happens if I had worked up the load to produce 1020-1050 fps velocity in the shorter barrel, and fired it in the longer barrel? The pressure is going to be higher in the chamber, as well as an increase in the velocity. While that might not be enough to turn the G19 into a hand grenade, there could be signs of excess pressure: Punctured or flattened primers, cracked or ruptured cases, etc.

View attachment 463764

This is why you never ever use use other people's handloads. While commercial ammunition is designed to safely work in the widest range of models, most handloads are tailored for specifically one firearm. I've seen more than several guns which have blown up because of this, or other things. The last one I saw was a friend of mine who had a S&W Model 36 in .38 Special, with a 2" barrel. Someone had given him some of their handloads and it seriously kaboomed. The cylinder cracked in two pieces and the top strap was blown off. Luckily, he didn't get a single scratch on him.

Interesting and informative. Have not tried non-commercial handloads yet, but will soon, as my son has bought a reloader and is buying the trays and dies to do 9mm and 5.56. What problem do you see reloading for a full size Walther PPQ if any?

Tell him good luck finding primers..........

Excellent point. Do you see it changing in near future?

Not until all the lockdowns are finally over, manufacturing has resumed normal production and has caught up with demand. It's not only in the modern weapons area, even black powder firearms and supplies are having difficulty keeping up. A guy just reported an Uburti 1858 copy (normally $325) went for $685 on Gun Broker, no one has them in stock. Real black powder is selling even before vendors have it in stock (backorder) and good luck finding percussion caps for less than 3 times the actual price. I'm even waiting on a front sight for a flintlock kit I'm building. The shutdowns have affected almost every aspect of the firearms business.
I semi jokingly said I'll sell ten of my guns and pay off my mortgage............

 

[JGalt]

I started out full-length resizing rifle cases but went to neck-sizing only.

I only neck sized from new factory rounds and trimmed to overall case length but I wouldn't put that neck sized round in another weapon and expect it to be safe.

I wouldn't either. At one time, I was loading for three different British .303 Enfields and two Jap Type 38 6.5mm Arisakas. I used different cases for different rifles. The only rifle I'm reloading for right now is a sporterized Enfield P-17 30-06 that I bought at a garage sale a few years ago. Probably won't last much longer, those 180 grain bullets are starting to erode the chamber.

Everything else I'm doing is handgun, lately: 9mm, .38 Sp. and 44 magnum. Time for some new guns I guess.

 

[Ringel05]

I started out full-length resizing rifle cases but went to neck-sizing only.

I only neck sized from new factory rounds and trimmed to overall case length but I wouldn't put that neck sized round in another weapon and expect it to be safe.

I wouldn't either. At one time, I was loading for three different British .303 Enfields and two Jap Type 38 6.5mm Arisakas. I used different cases for different rifles. The only rifle I'm reloading for right now is a sporterized Enfield P-17 30-06 that I bought at a garage sale a few years ago. Probably won't last much longer, those 180 grain bullets are starting to erode the chamber.

Everything else I'm doing is handgun, lately: 9mm, .38 Sp. and 44 magnum. Time for some new guns I guess.

Wait on the new guns. When the "panic" is finally over I'm sure the market will be flooded with "used" firearms. The shock the sellers will get is when they can't get anywhere near what they paid for theirs during the "panic".

 

[JGalt]

I started out full-length resizing rifle cases but went to neck-sizing only.

I only neck sized from new factory rounds and trimmed to overall case length but I wouldn't put that neck sized round in another weapon and expect it to be safe.

I wouldn't either. At one time, I was loading for three different British .303 Enfields and two Jap Type 38 6.5mm Arisakas. I used different cases for different rifles. The only rifle I'm reloading for right now is a sporterized Enfield P-17 30-06 that I bought at a garage sale a few years ago. Probably won't last much longer, those 180 grain bullets are starting to erode the chamber.

Everything else I'm doing is handgun, lately: 9mm, .38 Sp. and 44 magnum. Time for some new guns I guess.

Wait on the new guns. When the "panic" is finally I'm sure the market will be flooded with "used" firearms. The shock the sellers will get is when they can't get anywhere near what they paid for theirs during the "panic".

Well by "new", I meant garage sale new. I go to hundreds of garages sales, estates, sales, and flea markets over the Summer. I ask every ones of the sales if they have any guns, gun parts, broken guns, ammo. You'd be surprised what people will drag out of the closet or attic. But if the gun is on the table at the sale, I don't touch it. They usually want too much.

Bought 14 of them one summer, a couple years back. Cheap too. Most people don't know or don't care what they are, they just want them out of the house.

 

[jackflash]

With the ammo shortage, you might be tempted to buy some other guy's handloads at a gun show. Unless the seller has a professional ammunition-manufacturing setup, it's probably a good thing not to. I'll show you why:

I worked up a load that would function in two pistols: A Glock 19 with a 4" barrel, and a Taurus G2C with a 3" barrel...

View attachment 463762

The 9mm 124 grain JHP load was worked up to produce between 1020-1050 fps in the 4" barreled Glock, which is about the maximum velocity for that size bullet, that primer, and that powder.

Now what happens when I fire those through the shorter barreled Taurus? I get a drop in velocity of a little over 43 fps. So what happens if I had worked up the load to produce 1020-1050 fps velocity in the shorter barrel, and fired it in the longer barrel? The pressure is going to be higher in the chamber, as well as an increase in the velocity. While that might not be enough to turn the G19 into a hand grenade, there could be signs of excess pressure: Punctured or flattened primers, cracked or ruptured cases, etc.

View attachment 463764

This is why you never ever use use other people's handloads. While commercial ammunition is designed to safely work in the widest range of models, most handloads are tailored for specifically one firearm. I've seen more than several guns which have blown up because of this, or other things. The last one I saw was a friend of mine who had a S&W Model 36 in .38 Special, with a 2" barrel. Someone had given him some of their handloads and it seriously kaboomed. The cylinder cracked in two pieces and the top strap was blown off. Luckily, he didn't get a single scratch on him.

I loaded up some max loads(Speer manual #8/page 377) for my S&W model 57(4" tube). I used the Speer 220 grain jacketed soft point rounds(.410/41 cal.) with 19 grains of 2400 powder in new Remington cases with a heavy crimp(brutal recoil), The primers were CCI brand # 350. I had the cases trimmed to length, like did everything by the book! I put all six rounds down range & was able to stay in the black. When I opened the cylinder & pushed the ejector rod there was some resistance. When the cases ejected out of their bores they were a LOT shorter!!! All six cases had split exactly where the base of the 220 grain round rested in the cases. I would have thought that the part of the case that surrounds the round would have traveled with the round & got jammed into the opening of the forcing cone but they obviously did not. It's not just purchasing reloads that is dangerous to do. When the reload manuals instruct one to approach maximum load capacity with CAUTION there is a reason for the caution!

 

[9thIDdoc]

There are many factors to consider when handloading for auto pistols and especially small auto pistols. Many things have to be correct for an auto pistol to function reliably. Some have already been mentioned. Some haven't. Most auto pistols are recoil operated and headspace on the mouth of the case. Cases tend to stretch every time they are fired and may well quickly become too long if not trimmed and too thin with high pressure loads if they are trimmed. Bullet design can be critical because of the bullet/ feed ramp interface and was a prime reason it was considered foolish to attempt to use anything other FMJ ammo in auto pistols back in the day. Revolvers usually headspace on the cartridge's rim which makes overall length and chamber pressures much less critical. Reliability was why most all police departments issued revolvers rather than autos until fairly recently.

 

[JGalt]

With the ammo shortage, you might be tempted to buy some other guy's handloads at a gun show. Unless the seller has a professional ammunition-manufacturing setup, it's probably a good thing not to. I'll show you why:

I worked up a load that would function in two pistols: A Glock 19 with a 4" barrel, and a Taurus G2C with a 3" barrel...

View attachment 463762

The 9mm 124 grain JHP load was worked up to produce between 1020-1050 fps in the 4" barreled Glock, which is about the maximum velocity for that size bullet, that primer, and that powder.

Now what happens when I fire those through the shorter barreled Taurus? I get a drop in velocity of a little over 43 fps. So what happens if I had worked up the load to produce 1020-1050 fps velocity in the shorter barrel, and fired it in the longer barrel? The pressure is going to be higher in the chamber, as well as an increase in the velocity. While that might not be enough to turn the G19 into a hand grenade, there could be signs of excess pressure: Punctured or flattened primers, cracked or ruptured cases, etc.

View attachment 463764

This is why you never ever use use other people's handloads. While commercial ammunition is designed to safely work in the widest range of models, most handloads are tailored for specifically one firearm. I've seen more than several guns which have blown up because of this, or other things. The last one I saw was a friend of mine who had a S&W Model 36 in .38 Special, with a 2" barrel. Someone had given him some of their handloads and it seriously kaboomed. The cylinder cracked in two pieces and the top strap was blown off. Luckily, he didn't get a single scratch on him.

I loaded up some max loads(Speer manual #8/page 377) for my S&W model 57(4" tube). I used the Speer 220 grain jacketed soft point rounds(.410/41 cal.) with 19 grains of 2400 powder in new Remington cases with a heavy crimp(brutal recoil), The primers were CCI brand # 350. I had the cases trimmed to length, like did everything by the book! I put all six rounds down range & was able to stay in the black. When I opened the cylinder & pushed the ejector rod there was some resistance. When the cases ejected out of their bores they were a LOT shorter!!! All six cases had split exactly where the base of the 220 grain round rested in the cases. I would have thought that the part of the case that surrounds the round would have traveled with the round & got jammed into the opening of the forcing cone but they obviously did not. It's not just purchasing reloads that is dangerous to do. When the reload manuals instruct one to approach maximum load capacity with CAUTION there is a reason for the caution!

Yowch! I've has pierced primers at a starting load and unusually high velocity at a starting load, nothing like that though.

Did shoot some WW2 era 6.5 Carcano through a 6.5 Japanese Arisaka, though. It was a beater gun so I bungee-corded it down to a bench, put a long string on the trigger, and pulled it. 5 rounds in a row and it didn't kaboom but the cases bulged out somewhat near the head.

 

[deannalw]

With the ammo shortage, you might be tempted to buy some other guy's handloads at a gun show. Unless the seller has a professional ammunition-manufacturing setup, it's probably a good thing not to. I'll show you why:

I worked up a load that would function in two pistols: A Glock 19 with a 4" barrel, and a Taurus G2C with a 3" barrel...

View attachment 463762

The 9mm 124 grain JHP load was worked up to produce between 1020-1050 fps in the 4" barreled Glock, which is about the maximum velocity for that size bullet, that primer, and that powder.

Now what happens when I fire those through the shorter barreled Taurus? I get a drop in velocity of a little over 43 fps. So what happens if I had worked up the load to produce 1020-1050 fps velocity in the shorter barrel, and fired it in the longer barrel? The pressure is going to be higher in the chamber, as well as an increase in the velocity. While that might not be enough to turn the G19 into a hand grenade, there could be signs of excess pressure: Punctured or flattened primers, cracked or ruptured cases, etc.

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This is why you never ever use use other people's handloads. While commercial ammunition is designed to safely work in the widest range of models, most handloads are tailored for specifically one firearm. I've seen more than several guns which have blown up because of this, or other things. The last one I saw was a friend of mine who had a S&W Model 36 in .38 Special, with a 2" barrel. Someone had given him some of their handloads and it seriously kaboomed. The cylinder cracked in two pieces and the top strap was blown off. Luckily, he didn't get a single scratch on him.

Interesting and informative. Have not tried non-commercial handloads yet, but will soon, as my son has bought a reloader and is buying the trays and dies to do 9mm and 5.56. What problem do you see reloading for a full size Walther PPQ if any?

Tell him good luck finding primers..........

I found a source for primers: Local MeWe reloading groups. Some decent deals lately.

James asked how much they're going for? We've been seeing some at auction here and there but they are about eleventy billion bucks a box.