Check your ammo! Lesson learned, no harm, this time.

[DarkRose]

Went out shooting Thursday at our property with a friend of mine. Shot my 10/22 build to check some scope issues. Shot my new Enfield to see how it did (brass buttplates suck). Shot my AR SBR. Moved on to handguns and shot my Witness. Uneventful day so far...

Friend went to shoot her LC9, magazine one, no problem.
Magazine two, failure to extract. Look at the case and minor bulge, some marks around it, think maybe some grit got on it, toss the case, move on.
Magzine three, failure to extract. Pop the case out with a cleaning rod. Bulged more. Hang on to this one. I decide to shoot the pistol to see whats up.
Magazine four, failure to extract last round. Pop case out with rod again, bulged. Really look at the case and chamber this time. Come back and look at the case again... Go back to last problem case and examine it closely...

Ding!

Out of a brand new unopened box of 50 Federal 115gr. FMJ, 2 confirmed (maybe a third, but I tossed the first one) Federal .380 Auto rounds.

Told her don't shoot any more of that box, saved it, took photo of box with Lot Number, told her I'd email Federal for her and see what they said. I didn't load the magazines (probably should have at least loaded the one I shot myself), but still not sure I'd have caught it as they're so close on length.

Had one more box of a different lot number and it was definitely checked before any were loaded!

Check your ammo! Even factory!

TBH, I tend to not check factory ammo as close as I do reloads... That'll change.

Anyone else ever had this happen?

 

[Broom_jm]

All those reloading haters that claim factory ammo is safer can go suck it?

 

[pudly]

Question: Does she have a .380 pistol, any .380 ammo? Wondering if they got mixed in somehow.

 

[MDave]

I have seen enough quality issues with Federal white box I stopped buying it. Ishoot 9mm mostly. I haven't noticed any issues with the 50 count boxes.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I have seen enough quality issues with Federal white box I stopped buying it. Ishoot 9mm mostly. I haven't noticed any issues with the 50 count boxes.

Federal white box? You mean Winchester?

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Question: Does she have a .380 pistol, any .380 ammo? Wondering if they got mixed in somehow.

Yeah, you'd think these guys would have their processes error-proofed enough to keep this sort of thing from happening.

 

[Water63]

I have had 2 boxes of federal 9mm that have had 1 round with a missing primer.

 

[OutdoorDad]

I have had this happen.
But the cause was different.

My new to shooting friend was being helpful and reloaded several .380 rounds into 9mm mags while I was setting up a second friend.

Totally 100% my fault. I saw him loading the mags and let him continue without checking.

Could something like that have happened? I'm pretty sure I would notice the difference in height between a 380 and 9mm in a 50 round configuration.

 

[Goodcat]

I have had this happen.
But the cause was different.

My new to shooting friend was being helpful and reloaded several .380 rounds into 9mm mags while I was setting up a second friend.

Totally 100% my fault. I saw him loading the mags and let him continue without checking.

Could something like that have happened? I'm pretty sure I would notice the difference in height between a 380 and 9mm in a 50 round configuration.

You'd think you would. I notice most .380 cases in my brass cleaning process. Those I don't occasionally I notice before I put them in my press. Once in a blue moon, a .380 case goes up on the first loading stage before I notice. Reloading is different of course than accidentally loading a .380 round into a 9mm pistol because it was in the 9mm factory box. Regardless of how the .380 ended up in that box, When you open up a box of any ammo, do a quick visual inspection the make sure they are all uniform. Good thing to teach new shooters too.

 

[DarkRose]

Question: Does she have a .380 pistol, any .380 ammo? Wondering if they got mixed in somehow.

She has some .380 ammo because she took some to a shoot a while back to try other's guns, but these were boxes she hadn't even opened, still in the Wal-Mart bag from when she bought them. And she said the .380 ammo she had wasn't Federal. The brass was Federal headstamped and appeared new.

Lot G24T36, she had two boxes same lot, not sure if both of them came from the same box or not because she shot some through my Witness. Inspected all the rounds in her third box, different lot, no issues.

 

[DarkRose]

I have had this happen.
But the cause was different.

My new to shooting friend was being helpful and reloaded several .380 rounds into 9mm mags while I was setting up a second friend.

Totally 100% my fault. I saw him loading the mags and let him continue without checking.

Could something like that have happened? I'm pretty sure I would notice the difference in height between a 380 and 9mm in a 50 round configuration.

Yes, she loaded all the mags, but there were no boxes of .380 ammo present whatsoever, I don't own a .380 or any .380 ammo.

 

[ckcollins2003]

All those reloading haters that claim factory ammo is safer can go suck it?

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Broom_jm again.

 

[bocefus78]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Broom_jm again.

Got him for you

 

[Broom_jm]

Thanks guys.

I have noticed that the increased demand for factory ammo over the last 7 years or so has resulted in a not unexpected increase in quality control problems. During that same time, the quality of ammo I turn out on my reloading presses is still very high, and if there is ever a problem, I'll know exactly who to blame.