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Old August 11, 2018, 09:37 AM   #1
cnemeth
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Car gun reliability

Would the normal stop and go movements and vibrations of a car/truck affect the ammo in a pistol magazine? Specifically could the ammo shift position in a magazine enough to case feeding issues?
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Old August 11, 2018, 10:05 AM   #2
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Unless you're going off-roading and even then, your mags are going to be fine. I've had loaded mags in my trunk for years and they always shot fine when I rotated out the ammo.
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Old August 11, 2018, 10:09 AM   #3
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I don’t have a car gun so to speak but I seriously doubt it. I would imagine the ammo in a mag gets more jostled in day to day carry and administrative handling then in driving, unless you are desert running.

What I would worry about with a polymer frame Gun would be the constant heat and cooling cycles on the ammo and polymer if a polymer framed Gun although I suspect both would be fine for a good long time.
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Old August 11, 2018, 10:25 AM   #4
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I have a revolver as my "car gun" but no real reason for it. They would not be subjected to the issues you speak of though.

I just keep my .357 in my vehicle because I go shooting after work at a local range fairly often.

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Old August 11, 2018, 10:45 AM   #5
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I remember on the guns and ammo show the 2 guys who did the gun torture tests taking a polymer gun and putting it on a BBQ grill and cooking it. IIRC it was a XD and all that happened was a slight mark in the grip from the grates. Gun shot just fine
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Old August 11, 2018, 01:05 PM   #6
JC57
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If I am not mistaken, most police officers carry firearms and magazines on their belts while driving or riding in cars (or motorcyles) most days, so they are subjected to the jostling around of the car as well as all of the movements of a person getting in and out of the car.

I think you are worried about a non-issue.
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Old August 11, 2018, 06:02 PM   #7
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Eh, go with a short barreled revolver in .38. My choice SW M10 with 6 rounds tactical .38. No feeding issues.

.02. David.
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Old August 12, 2018, 07:39 AM   #8
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Would the normal stop and go movements and vibrations of a car/truck affect the ammo in a pistol magazine?
I doubt if the military would use magazines if that was a probability.
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Old August 12, 2018, 07:50 AM   #9
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Can't imagine any scenario where the gun or ammo would be negatively affected.

Drive with confidence.
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Old August 12, 2018, 07:54 AM   #10
Bartholomew Roberts
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Vibration from riding around in a vehicle can loosen screws that are not loctited. I’ve seen everything from sight mounts to pistol grips and AR buffer tubes back out as a result. I don’t think most pistols have much that could work loose aside from a grip panel; but with the increased use of red dots, sight mounts might still be an issue.
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Old August 12, 2018, 09:48 AM   #11
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I can't imagine it would be an issue with normal attentiveness. Any defensive weapon needs to be shot and maintained on a regular basis, especially one that is carried in my opinion. That includes revolvers. Yes, I know there are some who've been carrying the same ammo since the seventies, but whether it is on my belt or in my truck, I shoot it and replace it every couple of months at least. That and a regular wipe down and inspection are my minimum standards.
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Old August 12, 2018, 01:51 PM   #12
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As part of a test on ammo, I left some loaded magazines in my car 24/7/365 for at least two years. The ammo was premium self-defense ammunition and although I didn't chronograph it, it seemed to be unaffected and all of it fired with no detectable issues. The magazines worked just fine.

I didn't just throw the mags into the trunk at let them rattle around. They were in a typical zip-up soft gun case and placed in the car so that the case was not moving around or having things bump into it.

That was with one type of ammunition and one type of magazine, so I can't say that any ammunition or magazines would be unaffected, but I think that any high-quality ammunition and decent quality magazines are likely to do just fine in the kind of conditions I describe above.
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Old August 12, 2018, 04:43 PM   #13
luger fan
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My car gun is a beater wheel gun. Always ready and 6 for sure.
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Old August 12, 2018, 07:21 PM   #14
Drm50
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I logged a lot of bone jarring miles in tracks and never had any problem with
GI 1911 pistols or magazines. It might help them from taking a set from non
use. Unlike truck guns we did have to clean 1911s daily because of the humidity
and dust.
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Old August 12, 2018, 07:39 PM   #15
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I logged a lot of bone jarring miles in tracks and never had any problem with GI 1911 pistols or magazines. It might help them from taking a set from non-use. Unlike truck guns we did have to clean 1911s daily because of the humidity and dust.
1911s need a lot of attention to keep them running.

For a 'banged-around' car gun, a Glock or revolver is the better choice.
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Old August 12, 2018, 09:07 PM   #16
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Good grief...
Quote:
1911s need a lot of attention to keep them running
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Old August 13, 2018, 09:55 AM   #17
Drm50
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There is always one in the crowd. A Glock won't rust, I give you that. Which is only benifit.
1911s take a licking and keep on ticking. 107 years and still going strong.
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Old August 13, 2018, 04:29 PM   #18
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A Glock won't rust, I give you that. Which is only benefit.
1911s take a licking and keep on ticking. 107 years and still going strong.
Maybe WW1 & WW2 1911s.

Modern ones, with tight tolerances, seem to be incredibly reliable only if kept in the back of the safe.

Get a Glock for a car gun. If you ever need it, you can thank me later.
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Old August 13, 2018, 07:53 PM   #19
Don P
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My car gun is a beater wheel gun
Blasphemy, a beater wheel gun
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Old August 13, 2018, 08:46 PM   #20
cnemeth
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Thanks for the info everyone
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Old August 13, 2018, 09:53 PM   #21
JERRYS.
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for a handgun I've never subscribed to a car gun on account of I always carry a handgun on me.
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Old August 14, 2018, 07:28 AM   #22
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Nah, don't worry about it. I'd be more worried about theft, lubrication, and corrosion resistance.

Some handloaders like to tumble their finished rounds for 20 or 30 minutes (but not usually in a magazine).

There just isn't a lot of room for rounds to wiggle around inside of a well designed magazine. If you had a semi/rimmed chambering and a defective magazine, perhaps. But then you'd probably have problems with it regardless.
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Old August 14, 2018, 06:00 PM   #23
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No.

As an extreme example of vehicle movement, I'll mention a mode of transportation I once had. I was a TC on an M48A3 tank in Vietnam. The crew and I all had issued M1911A1 pistols and ball ammo. Travel over severe terrain, firing the main gun, vibration, etc. had no effect whatsoever on ammunition, magazines, or reliability of our pistols. In civilian life, I spent some decades as a police officer. Again, vehicle movement had no effect whatsoever on ammunition in magazines or pistol reliability....ymmv
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Old August 14, 2018, 06:57 PM   #24
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Never had such an issue with a "car gun."

However, if I was worried about it, I'd have to say that the Glock 19 mags (not familiar with other Glock mags) are, in my opinion, the most reliable stock, out-of-the-box mags I've ever used in more than 30 years of using semi-automatic handguns. Like I said, just my opinion, but there it is.
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Old August 16, 2018, 12:33 AM   #25
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The other question is whether this gun is going to live in secure storage within the vehicle or if you'll be taking it in at night. I think radical temperature changes or humidity in some climates might be more of a concern. Given that "on our person" can be warm, wet, and salty in some of those climates; I've adopted the policy of shooting up my carry ammo every so often and giving the gun a good clean and lube. Any of the concerns here are more likely to be caused in the long term. General care and maintenance is a good hedge.
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