Picking Up Live Ammo (dont)

[David Sinko]

The other day I pick up a loaded .40 S&W at an IPSC match. I'm not stupid enough to shoot other shooters' ammo in my guns, so last night I pulled it to try to see what's inside. There was 4.1 grs. of something that looked exactly like Clays behind a 180 gr. jacketed bullet. Why in the world anybody would want to shoot that load is beyond me.

Dave Sinko

[Punkin Chunker]

The other day I pick up a loaded .40 S&W at an IPSC match. I'm not stupid enough to shoot other shooters' ammo in my guns, so last night I pulled it to try to see what's inside. There was 4.1 grs. of something that looked exactly like Clays behind a 180 gr. jacketed bullet. Why in the world anybody would want to shoot that load is beyond me.

Dave Sinko

Which is precisely why I don't shoot what other people have loaded. Unless I was hands-on in the loop during the loading set-up and calibration, and in the room when it was loaded.

And I don't share loads, either. Not that I'm selfish (hey, if I've got a box of factory loads, I'll share 'em if you want 'em). I trust my loading. I trust you. But if the absolute total, calamitous, devastatingest thing happens, even if it's not any way shape or form my fault, I DON'T trust the smarmy lawyer who'll come to your family if you are in any way unable to influence the decisions.

[abs]

There was 4.1 grs. of something that looked exactly like Clays behind a 180 gr. jacketed bullet. Why in the world anybody would want to shoot that load is beyond me.

I know a local GM (Henning) that shoots 4.7 Clays under a 180 grn jacketed bullet, I also shoot that load, but I am a lowley A class and the load is very soft shooting!

abs

[David Sinko]

The round I pulled was loaded very long and there was no way it could possibly fit into the chamber of my Glock 35, so I presume it was loaded for some kind of 1911. But why such a heavy powder charge? I never attempted to load .40 Major in my 35 using Clays, but I believe 3.5 grs. would put me close with the shorter OAL. Or maybe it was Universal Clays? I've never seen that stuff and I don't know what it looks like.

Dave Sinko

[Singlestack]

I took a friend to his first match and loaned him my G35 and provided him with ammo. About halfway through the match he walks up to me and tells me that he has a round stuck in his mag. I took the base pad off and removed the round that was lodged in the mag and it was a long .40. I asked him "where did you get this?". He points to the ground and said "over there".

I freaked and he got "the lecture".