Checking Ammo?

[George Oakes]

I am getting ready for a 6 stage classifier match so I can shoot in the open in feb. I am a realativly new shooter, and have been doing very well.

recently I have been having trouble with some of the reloaded ammo I am buying and want to know how you go about checking the ammo so you know it is good to go?

Do I need fancy tools? or can I do this at home?

thanks in advance

[davidball]

I am getting ready for a 6 stage classifier match so I can shoot in the open in feb. I am a realativly new shooter, and have been doing very well.

recently I have been having trouble with some of the reloaded ammo I am buying and want to know how you go about checking the ammo so you know it is good to go?

Do I need fancy tools? or can I do this at home?

thanks in advance

What kind of trouble? What's it doing? Not feeding? Not ejecting? Not going "boom"?

[George Oakes]

So far the problem has been with Not feeding, and creating death jams.

The slide goes back, begins to feed the next round, but the round gets stuck and wont feed up the ramp, and then the bullet and the mag are stuck in the gun. I cant drop the mag, and cant feed the round.

the RO who eventually got the round loose said to check my ammo, and probably not use the mag anymore. I moved the magazine to my practice mags, and bought a new one, but I want to know how to check ammo.

Thanks

I am getting ready for a 6 stage classifier match so I can shoot in the open in feb. I am a realativly new shooter, and have been doing very well.

recently I have been having trouble with some of the reloaded ammo I am buying and want to know how you go about checking the ammo so you know it is good to go?

Do I need fancy tools? or can I do this at home?

thanks in advance

What kind of trouble? What's it doing? Not feeding? Not ejecting? Not going "boom"?

[johnhurd]

Take the barrel out of the gun and drop each round into the chamber. Check each primer closely while doing that.

[R/T Performance]

Or buy a chamber gauge they are about 20 bucks does the same job without takeing you gun apart

[Lee Bell]

I am getting ready for a 6 stage classifier match so I can shoot in the open in feb. I am a realativly new shooter, and have been doing very well.

recently I have been having trouble with some of the reloaded ammo I am buying and want to know how you go about checking the ammo so you know it is good to go?

Do I need fancy tools? or can I do this at home?

thanks in advance

Use of the word "recently" suggests that you've successfully used ammunition from the same reloader in the past. There isn't a lot you can do to check your ammo, but there are a few things. There are also some gun related things you should consider. Your first step is probably to hang on to any bullets that don't feed properly. If the problem is with the bullets, they should give you the best indication of what the problem is. Tell your reloader about it and get his help in identifying the problem. Otherwise, here's some ideas.

1. If you don't have a case gauge, something you're less likely to have if you're not a reloader yourself, take the barrel out of your gun. Drop a factory round into the barrel and note how far into the barrel the back of the case is. Drop each of your shells into the barrel, one at a time, to be sure that they all seat the same. This will ensure that the case length and sizing are OK. Autoloading bullets are supposed to headspace on the case lip. They should all be the same. If you encounter rounds that don't seat to the same level, set them aside and get your reloader to help you figure out why they don't seat properly.

2. Inspect where the case meets the bullet to ensure that the bullets have been crimped at least enough to cause the case to be in contact with the bullet all the way around the bullet. If you encounter any where that is not the case, set them aside and get our reloader to explain why they are not crimped properly.

3. If you have any of the old bullets, ones that worked fine, compare their bullet head design and overall length to the ones that are giving you problems. If they're not the same, you've probably identified part of your problem. Talk to your reloader about this too.

4. You should know whether or not the bullets you are buying now are the same head design, brand and weight and whether the they use the same powder and charge. If you don't know, ask your reloader. If he doesn't know, find a new source for your reloads.

There are a few things, other than the bullets themselves, that may be part of the problem. The magazines are one. The magazine springs may have weakened, there may be some dirt or other problem affecting the movement of the follower, or the lips or other parts may have gotten bent or damaged somewhere along the line. After all, you have been dropping them on the ground pretty regularly. Hopefully, you're using quality magazines. If you've identified a magazine that has problems often, that may be the whole problem.

Magazines seem to be cleaned less often than other gun parts despite the fact that they are as vulnerable to fouling as anything else on a gun. Take a paper towel and wife the top of the follower and just under the feed lips. If it comes up black, clean the magazines thoroughly.

Obviously, the feed ramp and throat need to be clean. While you're at it, inspect them for damage. It's unlikely, but you never know.

Another thing to check is your recoil spring. Recoil springs need to match the load you're shooting. If you've changed the load, either the weight of the bullet or the charge or type of powder, you may no longer have the right spring for the job. Also, springs get weak after a while, particularly on guns that are shot a lot. They should be replaced periodically. If you haven't replaced the recoil spring in your gun recently, that may be the source of the problem. On 1911 guns, what I shoot most often, a new recoil spring comes with a new firing pin spring. Change it too. It's not likely to be related to your problem, but a weak firing pin spring with a strong recoil spring can cause slam fires.

Lee

[Flatland Shooter]

In my case:

Step 1 - Check each round with "chamber gage". The round must freely fall into the gage and back out by gravity to pass.

Step 2 - Place "checked and passed" round into a plastic box that holds 50 rounds primer side up.

Step 3 - Inspect the full 50 round box for high or upside down primers (or anything else that looks different.)

Step 4 - Mark the base of the "finished" rounds with a magic marker to indicate these are "match ready" rounds. To ease magazine loading at a match, these rounds are dumped into a larger plastic box. (Usually 200 rds per box.)

Every 250 rounds or so I also measure the overall length of the finished cartridge. If out of spec, I will kick out or check the prior rounds for length.

Rounds that stick slightly into the chamber gage or the primer doesn't look just right go into the "practice ammo" box.

Rejects are set aside for the bullet puller (for those days my wife forces me out of the house and into the garage).

Bill

Edited January 10, 2007 by Flatland Shooter

[Shawn Knight]

Just don't check your ammo at the match. If you bring untested ammo to the match you have already messed up.

[itchy]

I am getting ready for a 6 stage classifier match so I can shoot in the open in feb. I am a realativly new shooter, and have been doing very well.

recently I have been having trouble with some of the reloaded ammo I am buying and want to know how you go about checking the ammo so you know it is good to go?

Do I need fancy tools? or can I do this at home?

thanks in advance

I do pretty much what has been listed already. Case gauge each round. (Barrel is the ultimate test). I have rounds that fit in the case gauge, but will not fit in my Bar-Sto barrel.

After that I check the edge of the case for cracks, defects. Then I check the rim, for anything funky. I only do this for the rounds I shoot at Steel Challenge. For my USPSA club matches, I just case gauge. Am I paranoid?

Itchy

[void]

I just case gauge. Am I paranoid?

Itchy

better safe than sorry...