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...

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.

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.

I've seen SP and SR primers going for as little as $5/hundred here, but they seem to get bought up. A lot of them being offered for trade for other stuff. Your state should have more than several gun sites on MeWe.

 

[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.

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.

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.

I've seen SP and SR primers going for as little as $5/hundred here, but they seem to get bought up. A lot of them being offered for trade for other stuff. Your state should have more than several gun sites on MeWe.

Thanks very much! I mentioned this to James and he got a tingle down his leg.

I bet I get a bracelet outta this!

 

[Batcat]

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.

Perhaps the reloader uses loads in a reloading manual rather than tailoring the loads for his weapon. These loads should be safe and not stressful. In some cases the loads may specify they are to be used in one firearm such as a Ruger but not in another such as a S&W.

I didn’t reload for other people and the target loads I made were not maxed out. Some people do push the limits when they reload. For example I sold a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum to my boss who reloaded his own ammo. He told me the load he was using in this weapon and it was WAY above book limits. I am not saying it would have destroyed my S&W .44 magnum but it would have reduced its lifetime.

 

[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.

Perhaps the reloader uses loads in a reloading manual rather than tailoring the loads for his weapon. These loads should be safe and not stressful. In some cases the loads may specify they are to be used in one firearm such as a Ruger but not in another such as a S&W.

I didn’t reload for other people and the target loads I made were not maxed out. Some people do push the limits when they reload. For example I sold a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum to my boss who reloaded his own ammo. He told me the load he was using in this weapon and it was WAY above book limits. I am not saying it would have destroyed my S&W .44 magnum but it would have reduced its lifetime.

I shoot a lot of Hy-Tec coated 44 mag in the 240 and 180 grain. I usually keep those down around 800-900 fps just to plink with. The 240 gr. jacketed 44 mag I like to bump up to around 1350 fps chronographed through the 7" barrel on the Uberti New Cattleman Magnum.. It's got a pretty good wallop but I have to tighten the screws after 50 rounds or so.

 

[Batcat]

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.

Perhaps the reloader uses loads in a reloading manual rather than tailoring the loads for his weapon. These loads should be safe and not stressful. In some cases the loads may specify they are to be used in one firearm such as a Ruger but not in another such as a S&W.

I didn’t reload for other people and the target loads I made were not maxed out. Some people do push the limits when they reload. For example I sold a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum to my boss who reloaded his own ammo. He told me the load he was using in this weapon and it was WAY above book limits. I am not saying it would have destroyed my S&W .44 magnum but it would have reduced its lifetime.

I shoot a lot of Hy-Tec coated 44 mag in the 240 and 180 grain. I usually keep those down around 800-900 fps just to plink with. The 240 gr. jacketed 44 mag I like to bump up to around 1350 fps chronographed through the 7" barrel on the Uberti New Cattleman Magnum.. It's got a pretty good wallop but I have to tighten the screws after 50 rounds or so.

I haven’t reloaded ammo in a number of years but recently I considered starting again as it is hard to find ammo. I understand it is hard to get primers. That makes reloading difficult to say the least.

 

[Rambunctious]

Build yourself a reloading bench...

 

[Rambunctious]

 

[Shawnee_b]

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.

Good point. Load your own, think. So many variables. I try to use handloading data 99% of the time but sometimes work a load up just a bit for a certain firearm.

 

[badbob85037]

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.

Don't ya love building up a load that is better than factory? I have seen more weapons blow up with light loads than ones with to big a powder charge. I don't think I reload to save money any more. Hell 100 primers cost $7. and a pound of Varget is $38

 

[JGalt]

Don't ya love building up a load that is better than factory? I have seen more weapons blow up with light loads than ones with to big a powder charge. I don't think I reload to save money any more. Hell 100 primers cost $7. and a pound of Varget is $38

badbob85037:

That I do. Everything I load is tailored for the gun or in the case of 9mm, something that feeds in all my pistols. I went to the range today to work up a load for a .54 caliber Traditions "Fox River Fifty" muzzle loader I picked up at a garage sale last week for $40. The old man that sold it to me said that last time he hunted with it, it misfired. The rifle was still loaded when I bought it, but I used a worm to remove the bullet and powder.

I cast up a bunch of pure lead .54 caliber R.E.A.L. 400 grain bullets earlier this week and lubed them with a beeswax/coconut oil/olive oil mixture I use. It was in the upper 80's today and humid as hell, but I found the best load for that rifle. She seems to like 90 grains of Pyrodex for the best accuracy at 50 yards, chronographed at ~1320 fps and 1754 ft/lb. Next time I'll try 100 yards.