Would you shoot these?

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  • Alan3413

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 4, 2013
    16,929
    Found some shorties in a 500 rd box of .38spc sjhp I bought from Academy. The rightmost is normal, left to right bullets seem to have abnormal setback.

    Would you shoot these in a rifle chambered for .357 mag?
     

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    Alan3413

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 4, 2013
    16,929
    I always eyeball new ammo before I pack them away. I run my finger down each row and if I feel a bump or dip, I take a closer look. I also eyeball each column and expect to see the rim at a uniform height. those that pass inspection get put away.

    Academy seems to have quality control issues with this batch. There's about 8 like them in the box of 500 I got
     

    mopar92

    Official MDS Court Jester
    May 5, 2011
    9,513
    Taneytown
    Found some shorties in a 500 rd box of .38spc sjhp I bought from Academy. The rightmost is normal, left to right bullets seem to have abnormal setback.

    Would you shoot these in a rifle chambered for .357 mag?

    Would I shoot them? You couldn't pay me enough to.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,884
    The default answer is NO .

    But not out of concern for a squib , but out of concern for excess pressure .
     

    Swaim13

    Active Member
    Jun 11, 2017
    328
    As these are factory loads, I would contact Academy and complain. Those are low enough that they are likely dangerous.

    If you want to shoot them, I would weigh them to make sure that they have powder in them and the correct amount. If they did and you want to try using them, I would use a bullet puller (the hammer style) and pull the bullets slightly so that they are at the correct OAL or just totally pull the bullets and reload the casings.

    If you can't do that, or are still nervous, definitely trash them. I would not use them as-is. It's a lot better to lose a little money than to risk blowing your face or hand off.
     

    tallen702

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 3, 2012
    5,102
    In the boonies of MoCo
    I got some 7.62 tok with bad setback like that from Red Army Standard last year. They got pulled and disposed of. No way would I shoot those. The potential for overpressure is pretty severe with that much setback.
     

    MG in MD

    Active Member
    Feb 11, 2016
    359
    Linthicum
    I’m curious though. Even though they may be over pressured, since they are 38 spcl being fired in a 357 mag, would the over pressure be enough to be a problem? I honestly don’t know, and wouldn’t take the chance, but am wondering...
     

    JohnnyE

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 18, 2013
    9,466
    MoCo
    No shoot! Over-pressure potential would scare me off.

    As an aside OP, you say you shoot a .357 rifle, which I am presuming is a tube magazine. I'd watch for setback associated with recoil-induced tapping of the bullet deeper into the case. I'd watch it for any ammo load, not just this box if you decide to chance it and shoot it. The other tube magazine issue is the potential for a spire pointed bullet to set off the primer of the round ahead of it in the tube mag.
     

    Uncle Duke

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2013
    11,667
    Not Far Enough from the City
    I’m curious though. Even though they may be over pressured, since they are 38 spcl being fired in a 357 mag, would the over pressure be enough to be a problem? I honestly don’t know, and wouldn’t take the chance, but am wondering...

    You sir have actually answered your own question. The Correct answer here is indeed "you honestly don't know". AND, I'll add to that, neither does anybody else!

    Now SAAMI has a maximum pressure spec of 17,000 CUP on standard 38 Special. And they have a maximum spec of 35,000 CUP on .357 Magnum.

    So you know you have a firearm rated to handle twice the amount of pressure of standard 38 Special. But what would firing those setback bullet cartridges actually yield pressure wise?

    The correct answer....short of having a lab's pressure testing equipment? The correct answer is, you don't honestly know.

    Just for purposes of general awareness, it has been documented that bullet setback as seemingly "inconsequential" as 30 thousandth of an inch in one extremely popular cartridge I'm aware of can more than DOUBLE chamber pressure. What does setback do here in this instance? I don't know.

    Be content to know and act upon 2 very real truths here. One is that this ammo should never have left the factory. Two is that neither you nor I nor anyone else here can tell you with any degree of certainty what pressure those cartridges would produce.
     
    Last edited:

    MG in MD

    Active Member
    Feb 11, 2016
    359
    Linthicum
    You sir have actually answered your own question. The Correct answer here is indeed "you honestly don't know". AND, I'll add to that, neither does anybody else!

    Now SAAMI has a maximum pressure spec of 17,000 CUP on standard 38 Special. And they have a maximum spec of 35,000 CUP on .357 Magnum.

    So you know you have a firearm rated to handle twice the amount of pressure of standard 38 Special. But what would firing those setback bullet cartridges actually yield pressure wise?

    The correct answer....short of having a lab's pressure testing equipment? The correct answer is, you don't honestly know.

    Just for purposes of general awareness, it has been documented that bullet setback as seemingly "inconsequential" as 10 thousandth of an inch in one extremely popular cartridge I'm aware of can more than DOUBLE chamber pressure. What does setback do here in this instance? I don't know.

    Be content to know and act upon 2 very real truths here. One is that this ammo should never have left the factory. Two is that neither you nor I nor anyone else here can tell you with any degree of certainty what pressure those cartridges would produce.

    Thanks! Yes, clear thinking and detailed knowledge always win the day!!

    What is the round where 10 thousandths make so much difference? I’m thinking I need to be more careful...
     

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