Loading "dud" rounds for practice?

[gatorgrizz27]

I just purchased reloading equipment as ammo is now $$$ as we all know. I have also realized many other benefits to loading your own, being able to load different bullet types and even lighter power loads for my .40 that smaller people/women can handle easily for the range.

Does anyone reload using an empty casing and not repriming to practice in case of a bad round? It seems it might come in handy, it wouldn't be a true surprise unless you had a friend loading mags for you and never knew when it was coming, but it seems it could be good practice for clearing malfunctions. Since the primer would already be fired, I can't think of any safety issues such as a bullet lodging in the barrel or mixing it up with a good round. What do you think?

[Stevie-Ray]

I did that for a while back in the early 90s for flinch control. I had 2 rounds with spent primers. I would toss 1 in with 6 others that I was loading in my Colt Mark IV's magazines; I just wasn't watching the primers. There was one for each of my pet handloads. At first I had a pronounced flinch. After a while there was none.

It worked so well that I did the same with my Delta Elite. Should work the same for failure drills.

[Superhouse 15]

Fill the case with silicone rubber goo. If you just have an empty case the bullet will eventually get pushed in and it will be unusable. A case full of silicone will last much longer.

[cz223]

I do that to simulate stoppages/clearing drills. I also use two dudds back to backto simulate a gun failure which means switching over to the backup gun.

[Keltyke]

It's a great idea. Use a snap cap with the tip painted copper.

[eric75]

Just load up three magazines at a time with a few snap caps mixed in at random. Try not to pay attention to the pattern. Then shuffle them in your hands while you practice being situationally aware... of something else.

If you can't prevent yourself from cheating, then you may have to find a more sophisticated way to fool yourself.

Just don't make retrieving your ejected snap caps into a safety violation.

[The Great Mahoo]

I think its a great idea. I loaded up some dummy rounds for ammo loading drills to help work on reloading quickly, especially for my revolvers. With the weight of the bullet, the cartridges (empty) fall into the chambers from speedloaders much more realistically than snap-caps. They've really helped me out with speedloading.

Just don't make retrieving your ejected snap caps into a safety violation. An excellent point. It may be difficult to practice such drills on a crowded range safely if you want your ammo back. I would talk to the range-master and see if theres a way to get your ammo back ahead of time. That is, if you don't have a standard cease-fire time for target changing and the like.

[grey sky]

Made some one time .357 a friend loaded the bulet into a case that we predriled with holes just like the dummy .50 rounds you see at gun shows used a piece of rubber in the primer hole. That woked out well no mistaking live rounds for dummies. A good teaching tool as long as one stresses all guns are always loaded even with dummies treat them the same.

[Tim R]

Mixing in dummies with live ammo is a great way to train to see you if your flinching.

[NYPD13]

I use random dummy rounds / snap caps in my mags to practice malfunction drills. Great training tool, try not to look when loading your mags though. You'll ruin the surprise factor. Then whats the point.

[The Great Mahoo]

I use random dummy rounds / snap caps in my mags to practice malfunction drills. Great training tool, try not to look when loading your mags though. You'll ruin the surprise factor. Then whats the point. I'd suggest randomly loading several mags, then randomizing what mag you are using. Even without looking you can usually tell a dummy from a live round because of the weight. Somehow, that powder weighs enough you can tell the dummy is a bit too light, when you've just handled some live rounds anyway. I don't think I could do it without a very recent reference in my mind.

[Ricklin]

In my pile of reloading gear I bought 2nd hand there was a Pream jar (remember that stuff?) filled with primers, several thousand primers.

Given the cost and poor availability of primers I've been using them! I am pretty sure they are rifle primers as I occasionally have a round that takes two strikes to fire. I only use these for blasting ammo, I carry with commercial self defense rounds.

I stay away from max loads and have had no issues with my "free" primers. I like them a lot because the FTF is about one in fifty or so. Perfect medicine for a flinch or to work on your trigger control.

I'm sure someone will flame me for using the "wrong" components in my handloads, I keep a close eye on my brass, and load at least a half grain below published max. If I'm violating some reloading rule so be it. It works for me.

My "free primers" have improved my skills, and lowered my cost per round.