Fire setback bullets. Yay or nay?

[Willie Lowman]

When I was younger and inexperienced, I had a gun that would sometimes fail to feed, a 6 o'clock jam. the bullet would be pushed into the case at the base of the feed ramp. These set back rounds I would drop into the chamber and close the slide on. They all fired. My gun never kaboomed. I didn't know that what I was doing was dangerous.

Now many years later (and after learning to reload and with that learning about compressed powders and the importance of correct cartridge overall length) I would not repeat what I did when I was young.

But that said, I have fired several set back bullets and still have both my eyes and all ten fingers. And with my improved knowledge I am not going to fire anymore set back bullets.

[Average Joe]

No, why take the chance ?

[Geezerbiker]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

I would discontinue carry of that ammo if that happened to me. And, I don't mean that box, I mean that brand...

Bullet setback in .45acp does not have to happen. If it does, to me, its a sign that the ammo was not made to the highest possible standard.

Actually I traced the problem to the 8 round Shooting Star mags that came with my Springfield Armory M1911. I found with those mags the top round would tip down and hit the frame on the way up the feed ramp. Anything but round nose bullet loads would set back a tiny amount on the first round out of the mag or set back a lot if loaded and unloaded a few times.

Those MagSafe rounds that set back were loaded and unloaded several times before I could see a problem. The rounds that took the worse beating was my 185g jacketed hollow point hand loads and got me to working on finding the problem. I ended up cycling loaded rounds with an empty slide (no firing pin or barrel) so I could see what the rounds were doing on the way out of the mag...

Tony

[TRX]

My rule is that any round ejected without firing goes into the range bag, then into a coffee can on my bench. Every now and then I use the calipers as a length gauge and measure setback. Generally I'll accept .015", which is a number I pulled out of thin air, but which works for me.

If setback is less than that, the round goes into the "plinker" box. If more, it goes into the "break down for components" can. I have, in thrifty moments, gently used the inertial bullet puller and the seating die to correct the length of the cartridges.

[HiBC]

These set back rounds I would drop into the chamber and close the slide on.

Important note!: With a 1911 and other guns with similar extractor designd for controlled round feed;

Don't drop the round in the chamber and close the slide on it. Thats a bad thing to do to your extractor. Its not designed to flex and snap over rims. Its designed to have rounds feed up from the magazine and slip under the extractor hook.

[GJeffB]

TRX

My rule is that any round ejected without firing goes into

I'm close. The last unfired round is the first up in the magazine at next range session. I've found setback in the magazine minimal, but the last unfired round has bumped during chambering. I don't want it bumped back much more, so it's the first out the tube next firing. I don't have empirical data [shrug] but I consider 2 chamberings fine to launch, not more than that.

-jb, just mho

[JohnKSa]

Don't drop the round in the chamber and close the slide on it. Thats a bad thing to do to your extractor. Its not designed to flex and snap over rims. Its designed to have rounds feed up from the magazine and slip under the extractor hook.

Correct. Unless the manufacturer states that their design is suitable for direct chamber loading, rounds should only be loaded from the magazine.

It's actuallly pretty rare for a manufacturer to approve a design for direct chamber loading. I can only think of a couple off the top of my head. Beretta said their 92/96/M9 pistols were set up to tolerate it. The old Ruger P-Series pistols (don't know about the P345) would handle it.

Even the designs that look like they should flex enough to snap over the rims may not be designed to have the extractor face slam into the rim of the cartridge with the full force of the slide driving it forward. Chipped and broken extractors can result.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

Get yourself a kinetic bullet puller. Give her a whack, measure, whack, measure repeat. If you overshoot put it in a seater die and press to length.

[44 AMP]

I have one pistol that the owner's manual tells me never, ever, EVER drop a round in the chamber and let the bolt slam forward on it. And, in that gun it has nothing to do with the extractor. In that gun, it has to do with the firing pin and the risk of accidental discharge.

Even if your gun is one of the ones that he maker says can "take it", its never a good idea to make it a practice, and in some guns, its never a good idea, at all.

The only time I would ever single chamber load a semi auto would be if I only had one magazine, and it was lost, or broken.

[Shadow9mm]

never had bullet get set back. If I did i would stop using the brand. to answer the original question. I would never shoot a set back bullet.

[gwpercle]

Originally Posted by Super Sneaky Steve

Get yourself a kinetic bullet puller. Give her a whack, measure, whack, measure repeat. If you overshoot put it in a seater die and press to length.

My thoughts exactly and ... I've done it before .
When developing loads for 3 different 45 acp's , experimenting with bullet seating depths and taper crimps I would get a setback here or there ... saved them , used the kinetic puller to "move the bullet forward" with a couple gentle taps , then ran it throgh bullet seating die and crimping die ( I do it in two seperate steps) ...rounds were now like new and fired at the range with no problem .
Gary

[Lavan]

Bless the rimfires.

[JohnKSa]

Any cartridge with heeled bullets, actually. There are some centerfires like that, but not many, and nothing modern.