.40 ammo dented - factory-new

[CapnCurry]

Hi, all! I've got a handful of .40 caliber bullets that have a weird dent in the side. These are all individual rounds that have been sitting in a magazine for a while (month or two), and have probably been cycled in and out of the magazine a couple times. None of the ammo that's been sitting in the factory box has this problem.




I can't tell if it's something I've done during loading, or if loading the same bullet two or three times into a mag is a dumb move, or if I've got cheap bullets or what - anything anybody could tell me about how or why this might have happened would be most welcome.

The second question is - are these things safe to shoot? Or should I pitch 'em? And if I should pitch 'em, how exactly does one go about discarding a live round?

Thanks, all.

[rayikeo2]

The dents most likely happen from being ejected a few times. Those loaded into the chamber and later being hand ejected from the chamber. The good news is, they are safe to shoot for target practice. Small dents do not make them unshootable.

[malveaux]

do you by chance use a mag loader? If so, it's probably from the loader... still good to shoot though

[CapnCurry]

Awesome! Glad I don't have to pitch these. Malveaux, I don't use a mag loader - I just press everything in by hand (though a mag loader is probably gonna be on my x-mas list, those springs are *tough*.)

It's probably just that I've cycled these in and out of their mags a few times. The range I go to requires you to shoot ammo purchased in-house, so I cycle these bullets out of their mags, put in the house rounds for target practice, then cycle these back in for readiness after I clean the gun. I'll probably find a range where I can shoot these off, then just start carrying the house rounds from my regular haunt.

Thanks again, all!

[Mad Pick]

I get the same thing on my 9mm carry ammo; I think it's from loading it into the mag. Don't worry about it, it's fine to shoot as long as they're small like that.

And yes . . . find a new range, unless your range sells ammo very cheaply. Don't pay higher prices for the "privilege" of shooting their ammo!

[Mr Evilwrench]

If you fire them, it should knock the dent out, if you're into reloading or plan to be.