Open Bolt

[Mike Irwin]

"but both the Glisentis and Bodeo revolvers were also issued until 1945."

But not to front line troops.

[44 AMP]

I don't believe that any army deliberately issued ammunition that would blow up its issue guns and (if the stories are true) kill their own soldiers.

I agree fully, and I am also skeptical about "blow up" stories. But what I am talking about is ammo that is too hot for certain handguns, but far short of the blow up point.

Also, while no military will deliberately issue the wrong ammo, mistakes sometimes happen, and troops will use what ever they can get their hands on.

The wide variety of 9mm guns and ammo is what complicates, if not creates the issue. Shoot ammo too hot (but not blow up levels) and you batter the pistol. The High Power I saw with peened locking lugs was attributed to "hot European surplus 9mm". I didn't see it happen, only the results, after "3-4boxes" had been shot. Its hearsay, to me, but I believe it, knowing the guy (no possibility of handloads).

I think a military would be ok with hot ammo for subguns, knowing that if it got used in a pistol (against the rules) it wouldn't cause immediate failure. I also think that if there was any "proof" of ammo causing blowups in pistols that either the ammo, or the pistols would be replaced in short order.
Or at the least the most "idiot proof" controls devisable would be put in place.

Now, when the stuff gets on the surplus market, possibly repackaged, those controls slip away. Rounds built to run the heavy slam bang bolt of a SMG, might easily put a more than acceptable strain on the mechanism of some pistols, but shouldn't cause any "blow up" situation immediately. Now a pistol battered from continued use of such ammo, could at some point fail catastrophically, (which might be the source of blow up stories) but I doubt it would "blow up" on the first or second magazine of shots.

Like an engine, its unlikely to turn into a grenade if you go over the red line, briefly. But if you run it up there, enough, it will fail, and fairly soon.