Clearing drills: Making FTE/E/DF Drill loads

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Just curious if anyone else loads rounds to fail on fire/extract/eject on purpose to mix in with known-good loads for drill purposes. I make drill loads a variety of ways: fill a setup round's primer pocket with gel to cause a FTF; or, leave just a slight bell on the case mouth of pistol ammo to cause a FTE/E (extract-eject). When I go to the range I mix drill and good ammo and load magazines blind or have my wife load them for me at home before I leave. I know I'm going to have failures so it's not a surprise but I don't know when or how many. Anybody else do this or do y'all buy certified drill rounds?

 

[Demi-human]

Anybody else do this or do y'all buy certified drill rounds?

Pay money for certified bad ammunition?
Nope.

I have made a dummy round once. But I use it for setting dies. I used it to try to see if I flinch, but I am too conscious of it when I try and don’t flinch.(Maybe it worked?)

I just read of a tip to put a BB in the case before seating a bullet, to help identify the cartridge that is inert. That’s good idea I think. To keep it from being mixed up in good rounds. I think the wear and lack of gloriously bright luster of a fresh case would identify it as well.

A fun and different drill to do. I’ll make some more and am going to give it another go. Maybe I can have Little Bear load them, or maybe I can under a towel.

 

[Akula69]

I would load the magazine for the officer who was qualifying out of his sight with a mix of good rounds, some dummy snap rounds (purchased - not reloads) and once fired cases which had been made just out-of-round so they wouldn't chamber. Then when they were on the line I would insert the magazine into the well while the pistol was holstered.

Good tap-rack-bang drills and clearing/reload drills while maintaining accuracy. Best score in the least amount of time won a Saltgrass Steak house gift card.

I still do it for my son and his friends...sans the gift card. That boy can eat...

 

[Hartkopf]

Yep. I make dummy rounds with just the case and bullet. I load all my magazines the night before, mixing the dummies in just a few magazines so I won’t remember which ones have the duds.


On a separate note, I’ll be starting a thread one of the days about a particular type of gun that doesn’t like dummy rounds. Not sure why so I’ll ask the brain trust in another thread.