Gun store ammo guy saved my rear today!

[GigaBuist]

OK, I'm still a little shaken up about just how close to making what could have very well been a serious error.

I purchased a K31 Swiss yesterday as I posted about. I got a box of ammo for it too from the Dunham's store so I'd be able to try it out this weekend.

Typically I shoot rifles over at the outdoor range but today I decided to hit Silver Bullet Firearms in Grand Rapids -- it's so much closer. I figured I'd buy a little bit of ammo if they had any 7.5Swiss on hand and see if whatever they had shot better than the stuff Dunham's was carrying.

Well, they don't seem to have any -- and I'm talking to the ammo encyclopedia of the shop it seems. He asks who loaded the stuff I already had with me and I said, "Dunno for sure -- it's made in Portugal."

Well, this tipped off a red flag in his head. He asked if he could see it and checks out the stamping.

7.5x54mm

Big red flag goes up. He's pretty sure THAT is 7.5 French and NOT 7.5 Swiss.

He tells me I'd better look into it further and ask a gunsmith about the issue. It seems he's had $20,000 in eye surgey and that's why he's paranoid. I do a bit of digging around at home and sure enough -- I have got the WRONG ammo from the clerk. 7.5 Swiss is 7.5x55mm.

Upon discovery of the problem I immediately called Dunham's and reported the problem. I explained I'm not mad, not complaining, and understand entirely if they don't want to take the ammo back -- I just wanted them to be aware of the problem. The manager immediately understood that it's a problem and said I should definately bring the incorrect ammo back in and they'll fix me up.

I'm a little ashamed that I made such a mistake and I'm insanely greatful to the counter guy for pointing out the error of my ways. He didn't say if he was right or wrong -- just said he wasn't SURE and I should look into it better. I'm extremely glad he did!

Ack -- I feel sick to my stomach. I'm never taking anybody's word ever again when it comes to ammo.

Ugh -- even worse. I should have noticed this last night even without knowing the ammo dimensions by heart. The K31 holds 6 rounds of ammo. When you jam 7.5x54 into the magazine it'll hold 7.

Man, I'm an idiot.

 

[BluesBear]

Man, I'm an idiot.

No you're not.

A real idiot would have tried to shoot it anyway.

Glad it all worked out OK. (as it was meant to)
Just condiser this a learning experience.
It's a mistake you will never make again.

 

[Jason Demond]

I am glad everything turned out ok!

How is the Silver Bullet, I haven't had a chance to stop in there yet.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Man, I'm an idiot.

Wrong! The idiot is the one who never listens to good advice.

 

[Amish_Bill]

An Idiot would be the one who insisted on shooting .45 GAP in his 1911, or .45 super in his cheap off-shore clone 1911.

You were given what looked to be the right ammo by a person who you expected to know the difference.

It's not that you are an idiot. It's that you encountered a combination of unlucky events that were mitigated by a lucky event.

Set back, be happy that Lady Luck cast a smile your way and the cost of this leson was low. Just make sure to share this with others when appropriate. This is the kind of good luck that you want to pass around.

 

[WhoKnowsWho]

You went back and thanked the guy for questioning the ammo right?

Good luck, with the right ammo, have fun!

 

[GigaBuist]

You went back and thanked the guy for questioning the ammo right?

Heh, thanked him profusely before I even left! As I finished my post I got called into work and the shop was closed when I got done with that -- else I certainly would have. I'll be sure to the next time I'm in there and see him.

I suppose I feel even stupider because the last time I saw him in there was also the 1st time I brought a rifle into the range (this is the 2nd time) -- couldn't shoot that day either because he and the store manager didn't like my ammo: Wolf. Wasn't explicitly posted, so I guess it's not my fault -- but it sure makes me look like a doof to be batting 0/2 on rifles there

To the others, thanks for the up-beat comments. It was an easy mistake but one that I certainly won't make again! While digging up 7.5x54 vs 7.5x55 data I noticed that there's x38, x39, x39.5, etc, etc lurking around. No wonder the guy questioned the ammo. I'm sure I didn't seem uber-confident in what 7.5Swiss was.

To Jason Dermond, regarding the quality of Silver Bullet: I couldn't be happier. The "gun shop commando" stories you hear coming out of clerk's mouths aren't happening there for sure. When I bought my KelTec P-3AT from them the sales man urged me to let them know how it worked out as their last customer sent his back to the factory 3 times for FTF problems. That's hontesty!

In fact the very reason I was dealing with the ammo encylopedia guy instead of a regular clerk is the 1st guy didn't know for sure what 7.5Swiss was. He deferred to somebody that WOULD know -- and this guy actually asked me what rifle it was for to make sure I wasn't asking for the wrong stuff.

The markup on their guns is pretty low. They say it's 5% above their cost and I believe them. Ammo isn't priced great but it's really convinient. The staff is very friendly and pro-2A pro-CCW all the way.

The indoor range has never been too smokey for me except once -- somebody forgot to turn on the air system for a few minutes. Even then it wasn't bad as it was me and a few older fellows plinking away with .22's.

Range time isn't terribly cheap but I have no other indoor range to compare it to. With the $200 annual membership you get half off though and Tues and Wed are free. Given the location (just 3-5 miles from home) it's certainly worth it though.

The few times I've been with somebody that rented a firearm they functioned flawlessly so I presume they keep them fairly well maintained.

I could go on more I'm sure but I might be boring others in the thread now. If there's anything specific you're wondering just PM me.

 

[Jim March]

Justin, don't feel bad.

That was a GOOD clerk at Silver Bullet. Send a letter to his manager explaining what happened and how cool that was, and include the link to this thread so the manager knows this was a seriously good PR thing. That will REALLY thank the guy.

What else...I think everybody that shoots an "unusual caliber" should be hip to these issues and learn everything about said caliber. It can happen with a number of types...and not just foreign. The existence of very strong 45LC guns by Ruger, Contenders and the Anaconda has produced specialty high-powered (44Mag level or stronger) stuff that should NOT be shot in lesser 45LC guns.

Anyways. That, to me, is the real lesson...look up info on your oddball caliber, know it like the back of your hand.

 

[BluesBear]

Load up a dummy cartridge and carry it with you to compare. I have seen some surplus ammo that wasn't marked too clearly.

 

[joe sixpack]

Thanks for posting this Justin, I've learned from your experience.

cheers, ab

 

[The_Antibubba]

Not a REAL gunny, are you?

You know, a real gun-nut would have just bought a rifle that used that ammo.

 

[GigaBuist]

Antibubba, well, I thought about it. I did some research today on the 7.5x54 chambered rifles but didn't see anything that tripped my trigger. The MAS 49/56 looked like it might be interesting to own but they run about $450 it seems.

I brought the box back to Dunham's today with no receipt but the manager said this wouldn't be a problem. They'd exchange it for something I could use. Ok, no problem. Unfortunately they don't have anything in 7.5 Swiss nor do they have any rifles in 7.5 French. I think somebody REALLY horked up when they ordered their ammo. The person in the hunting department that I spoke too seemed to think I wanted to return it because I needed a slightly different brand or something. Not sure they realized that there's more than one 7.5 caliber round and that they're not interchangable.

Just hope they haven't done this to anybody else and hope they never mix it up in the future. Probably will though. :banghead:

 

[Jason Demond]

Thanks for the report. I am going to have to make the trip up there, one of these days.

 

[michiganfan]

Did you get to fire the rifle. How did you like it? Where did you get it ? I am thinking about getting one.

 

[GigaBuist]

I didn't fire it as Dunham's didn't carry the proper ammo. I figure I'll just order a case from AIM surplus pretty soon here. I'll check the local Gander Mountain to see if they have any 7.5x55mm next week perhaps.

 

[JohnKSa]

CDNN in Abilene sells 7.5 Swiss via mail order.

 

[greg531mi]

Giga, did you try that Dumhams on Plainfield? Seems like they have more selection there....Dumhams hires kids, for just above minium wage, their managers seem to know a little more....
Been in the Silver Bullet, and looked around, nice new place, but high prices and range time($12 a 1/2 hour!!!), they don't like Wolf, reloads, or aluminum cased ammo, seems to me they resell their brass...glad I have a great club I can shoot for $35/year, look into those clubs, there is a lot of them around Grand Rapids.
My favorite gun store in Grand Rapids is Ryles on Michigan, and in West Michigan, Kalmazoo has On Target on M-43 off 131, right next to Menards...
If you want to get together and shoot, we can try to get a meet going from this forum, I can reserve my club property for this if we can get some interest

 

[Stand_Watie]

Ok, I'm curious now. Obviously the wrong ammo is bad, but theoretically what would have been the most likely result in firing 7.5x54 rather than x55? Is the 54 cartridge a lot hotter?

 

[JohnKSa]

Lots of not easily predictable results from firing the wrong ammo in a gun.

Even if it's weaker, it might still cause serious problems. Also, it's important to remember that caliber designations are not necessarily the actual diameter of the projectile.

7.5 French actually uses 7.62 bullets, for example...

 

[GigaBuist]

The previous question got me thinking so I did a bit of research today. I was about to let the thread just drop, but oh well

First, I'm no expert here. I'm in fact a pure idiot when it comes to how guns work compared the vast majority of this board.

One, I've found that 7.5 Swiss and 7.5 French both fire .308 projectiles. Good -- that means I wouldn't lodge a round halfway down my friggen barrel if I shot the wrong stuff.

Two, 7.5 Swiss is rated for 45,000 PSI. 7.5 French is rated for 40,000 PSI. Good, no kaBOOM based solely off pressures. I guess. Correct me if I'm wrong PLEASE!

Three, the K31 was apparently made to fire not just 7.5 Swiss but a couple of other cartridges of slightly different shape. Uhm, G90 I think was the Swiss designation for them. Apparently a buttload of 7.5 cartridges have been or are currently out there. Some, assuming from the same country, are "kinda sorta" interchangable. Anything that fits this bill though is going to be crap from 1920 or so it seems.

Given the construction of the rifle and what I know now I figure nothing horribly bad would have happened. I will absolutely NOT try and fire 7.5 French out of this rifle though. Well, I might, if I could lock it down in a rest and do it protected 30 feet away with a string. Purely for research. I'd never ever attempt doing that with my body near the weapon. I'd resolve myself to the idea that I'd probably destroy the weapon in the process and most certainly require a gunsmith to check it out after doing such horrid things to it.

All in all, been a great experience. Like others said, I wasn't stupid enought to walk out and head to another range and try the suspect ammo out myself. I did get my money back on the ammo purchase and am much wiser and more cautious now because of it.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Kudos to that gun store guy. It reminds me of the time my brother went to a store to buy 12 ga and was sold 16 ga by a careless clerk. This was over 20 years ago and the store is now a chic coffee shop.

 

[Jim March]

If the shell splits and sprays hot gasses in your face, you won't be happy. That can happen even where "lower power wrongness" is going on.