Re-Chambering A Round

[FLA2760]

Hi


I usually break down and lube my carry pistols once a week. The conditions here in Florida make this once a week lube necessary. My question is how often can I re-chamber a round before I need to replace it? I have heard that repeated chambering of a round can result in some irregularities. Thank you for your replies.;)

[Bill DeShivs]

If you notice bullet setback, discard the round.
Setback is when the bullet is pushed into the case-creating a shorter overall cartridge length. Setback causes extremely high chamber pressures.
Also, inspect the entire round for dings, scrapes, and rim damage.

[Chesster]

+1. good advice.

[jhenry]

Bullet setback can be a real safety issue and is something lots of folks are unaware of. I also chamber and unchamber fairly often with my Glock 23. What I suggest is to lock the slide back, insert the magazine, and then ease the slide forward and into battery instead of hitting the release and letting it slam forward. I have measured the overall length of a .40 S+W cartridge so chambered 100 times and found no setback at all.

[chris in va]

Mix your rounds up in the mag, that way you won't be rechambering the same one over again.

Had that issue with some CorBon in my P11. There was a very noticeable bulge at the base of the bullet in the casing, so it went downrange last visit.

[velocette]

A properly functioning auto pistol should NOT drive a bullet back into it's case. If this is happening to your pistol, either you are doing something wrong in the loading sequence, (slow slide release, partial slide release, etc) or there is a problem with your magazine / pistol that needs to be addressed.
A pistol that is driving the bullet back into its case is a jam waiting to happen and it will happen just when you don't want it to.

Roger

[orionengnr]

Just for your own peace of mind, a digital caliper costs about $20 and will probably last forever.

A low-pressure round like a .45 is nowhere near as sensitive to the pressure increases caused by bullet setback as is a high-pressure round such as a 9mm (esp +p) or a .40.

Also, a good CLP will protect the "inner parts", necessitating only an external wipe-down, so no (or less frequent) unloading/reloading is required.

I like Eezox, although there are others that work well in humid, salty climates as well. I just bought a can of Gibbs--the guy who sells it at the gun show keeps a j-frame immersed in a fishbowl (with a live goldfish swimming around) as a display. I think it should work pretty well.

[HammerBite]

Each time you lube your pistol toss the ejected cartridge into some kind of container and replace it with a fresh one. When you go for a range session take the previously chambered cartridges with you and shoot them.

[Bill DeShivs]

I'll bet those goldfish don't live very long!:)

[Dfariswheel]

Supposedly makers of police ammo state that the round can be chambered no more than 3 times before it may too short.

This little devil first appeared in the early days after the police started going to the auto pistol.
They had a sudden spate of "Second round failures to feed".
The cop would fire one shot, and the second round would fail to feed, causing a stoppage.

The problem was traced to the daily inspection procedure they were trained to do.
They'd remove the magazine, eject the chambered round and inspect.
They'd then insert the magazine and chamber the top round, remove the mag and insert the first round back into the mag.

The result was, every other day, the same rounds were being chambered over and over, and each time the impact with the feed ramp pushed the bullet back a little more.
To prevent this, training was changed, and standards were set for defensive ammo to limit bullet set back.

MOST pistols will cause bullet set back, no matter the brand. This is not a function of a bad gun, bad magazine, bad ammo, or bad technique.
It's a function of the bullet nose striking the feed ramp.
Some bullet designs are worse then others.

[JohnKSa]

A properly functioning auto pistol should NOT drive a bullet back into it's case. If this is happening to your pistol, either you are doing something wrong in the loading sequence, (slow slide release, partial slide release, etc) or there is a problem with your magazine / pistol that needs to be addressed.
A pistol that is driving the bullet back into its case is a jam waiting to happen and it will happen just when you don't want it to.Any autopistol can cause bullet setback.

I suppose it's a matter of degree--if you notice significant visible shortening of the round from a single chambering then there's a problem with the ammunition or the gun, but all semi-autos bang the bullet nose against the feedback with enough oomph to cause the potential for setback if the round is chambered multiple times.What I suggest is to lock the slide back, insert the magazine, and then ease the slide forward and into battery instead of hitting the release and letting it slam forward.Easing the slide forward when chambering a round can result in the slide not going fully into battery and is not generally recommended. If this is done, one needs to take special care to insure that the slide closes FULLY.

[DBotkin]

I suppose one could always drop a round into the chamber, release the slide, then insert the magazine. Avoids the problem of the bullet nose hitting the feed ramp.

[18DAI]

IIRC setback is a larger issue with 40 S&W than other calibers. I usually chamber my 9mm rounds 2x then throw them in my range ammo.

I've not noticed any setback in quality factory ammo. Ranger 9mm is what my carry rounds are. Regards 18DAI.

[jlficken]

I reload and carry a G23 w/ Hornady 155gr TAP FPD rounds. I simply measure the round and if/when it gets set back .005" I shoot it next time I go to the range. They seem to tolerate alot of chamberings though for some reason. Normally >10 for my gun before they are 1.120". I have heard 180gr bullets are worse for setback in the .40 S&W but don't know how true that is.

[1SOW]

I've read the .357 Sig round is especially susceptible to setback by repetitive rechambering.
Just rechambering a few times shouldn't damage any good round.
Like JohnKSasaid easing the slide forward should prevent impact damage, but right or wrong that makes me nervous..

[JohnKSa]

I suppose one could always drop a round into the chamber, release the slide, then insert the magazine.Some guns are designed to allow this, in most guns direct-chamber loading will cause damage to the extractor.