Overpressurized rounds safer in a revolver?

[TheWhiteBuffalo]

I have zero background in reloading, so forgive me for a dumb question.

A couple years ago, I bought a few cases of 9mm ammo (3,000 rounds). Shortly after the purchase, I started to see videos about semi-auto pistols exploding in people's hands and many damaged weapons. The company took quite the beating on social media and the Better Business Bureau. They ended up skipping town and disappearing.

My question is, would these rounds be safer to shoot in a revolver because of the reduced pressure? I can't sell or trade the ammo because I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. I'm just trying to figure out what I can do with it.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[dannyp]

probably need to pull them apart and sell components or reload with fresh powder , no way i would shoot them knowing they are overcharged .

 

[6-Pack]

I wouldn’t touch it. Honestly, life’s too short to FAFO like this.

If you are dedicated, pull the bullets, dump the powder, and start up some new loads.

 

[DutchV]

They're over-pressure, and you don't know anything beyond that. Best to pull them and use the powder to fertilize the lawn.

 

[6-Pack]

I just had a thought (maybe not a good one, but still a thought): we’d all dump the powder because we have no idea what it is (and that’s rule #1).

However, couldn’t he just find an average among 100 cartridges, then use that to charge the cases?

When powder was $12/pound this wouldn’t even be a thing, but at $50+/pound….

 

[Coehorn]

The pressure put out by the amount of powder doesn't reduce just because the ammo is put into a revolver. What does happen is that the revolver, depending on type, is MUCH stronger than a semi-auto. But a double charge is a double charge any way you slice it. And very dangerous.

Guns blowing up in people's hands sounds like double charging. Going over by 10 or 20 percent won't make a handgun explode.

Pull the bullets and save the powder. Save the cases too because they have good primers.

Or sell the entire lot at a loss. Be very upfront that you're selling the ammo as defective.

 

[Coehorn]

I just had a thought (maybe not a good one, but still a thought): we’d all dump the powder because we have no idea what it is (and that’s rule #1).

However, couldn’t he just find an average among 100 cartridges, then use that to charge the cases?

When powder was $12/pound this wouldn’t even be a thing, but at $50+/pound….

I'd keep the powder and find some middle of the road load data. Then go down 20% in powder charge. Then work up until reliable function occurs. Or take what's in the case and cut the amount in half. Then work up from there.

I would not trust any of the powder amounts in any of those rounds. They are all suspect in my book.

 

[DutchV]

I just had a thought (maybe not a good one, but still a thought): we’d all dump the powder because we have no idea what it is (and that’s rule #1).

However, couldn’t he just find an average among 100 cartridges, then use that to charge the cases?

When powder was $12/pound this wouldn’t even be a thing, but at $50+/pound….

What if they're all over charged? Pressure will still be too high. Unless you know for sure what sort of powder it is, it's a risk. I don't have that kind of luck.

 

[Sundazes]

Who made the ammo?
I would not trust it.
Pull them. I would not reuse the powder as you dont know what it is. Spread the powder on the lawn. It's good fertilizer. Or put the powder in a pot and light it.

 

[E.Shell]

probably need to pull them apart and sell components or reload with fresh powder , no way i would shoot them knowing they are overcharged .

THIS is the answer.

 

[BFMIN]

NO!
The revolver is also good to the same pressures & velocities as a self-loader, no more & no less.
If a round "isn't safe" it isn't safe no mater what its fired in assuming the same caliber.

 

[TheWhiteBuffalo]

Who made the ammo?

Zinc Point Manufacturing out of Texas. Plenty of YouTube videos on them.

I'm not equipped to do all of the pulling and disassembly. Maybe the next ammo crisis will allow me to be up front and honest. Someone may want it down the road?

I learned a lesson about buying ammo from a new startup company with no track record.

 

[E.Shell]

Didn't we just have a thread about disposing of old live ammo?

 

[TheWhiteBuffalo]

Didn't we just have a thread about disposing of old live ammo?

I don't want to dispose....lol. I'm going to try and recoup what I can down the road, even if it's just for reloading parts.

Maybe I can buy the wife Red Lobster before they go under.

 

[E.Shell]

Not sure what I'm missing here.

You certainly shouldn't shoot them.
You (rightly) don't want to pass them along.
You're not equipped to salvage components and/or reload with safe charges.
You don't want to dispose of them.

What then?

Put them in a box in the corner of the basement marked with a "DANGER!" sticker?

 

[TheWhiteBuffalo]

Not sure what I'm missing here.

You certainly shouldn't shoot them.
You (rightly) don't want to pass them along.
You're not equipped to salvage components and/or reload with safe charges.
You don't want to dispose of them.

What then?

Put them in a box in the corner of the basement marked with a "DANGER!" sticker?

It might be four cases, so I'm sure I'm a grand into it (at least).

Tossing them would be a hard pill to swallow, but one that might have to happen.

I was so hoping that someone would suggest something easy like weighing each round

 

[6-Pack]

You could offer them up here as “assembled components” to reloaders as long as that doesn’t break any rules (I have no idea)?

I’d be pretty hard pressed to manually pull 3,000 assembled components apart and reload them. Maybe someone else is more dedicated?

 

[E.Shell]

I understand.

There is often more variation in the weight of the brass than the amount of powder in a double charge, so that notion is off the table.

With an investment like that, IMO your best bet would be to invest in bullet puller to break them down. I'd use the powder for fertilizer and either sell the cases and bullets or reload them yourself.

 

[TheWhiteBuffalo]

I understand.

There is often more variation in the weight of the brass than the amount of powder in a double charge, so that notion is off the table.

With an investment like that, IMO your best bet would be to invest in bullet puller to break them down. I'd use the powder for fertilizer and either sell the cases and bullets or reload them yourself.

Thank you for taking the time to help.

And thanks to everyone who replied to this thread and offered all of the great advice.

I will heed the warnings and not try to shoot them out of my trusty Charter Arms Pit Bull.

I will sell them by the box, down the road, as a rare opportunity to own a box from the defunct Zinc Point. A collectors dream!

 

[Sundazes]

Zinc Point Manufacturing out of Texas. Plenty of YouTube videos on them.

I'm not equipped to do all of the pulling and disassembly. Maybe the next ammo crisis will allow me to be up front and honest. Someone may want it down the road?

I learned a lesson about buying ammo from a new startup company with no track record.

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