Rotate your carry ammo

[Vonderek]

I just learned a lesson (that I already knew but didn't always practice) to start rotating my carry ammo much more frequently. I have been carrying 9BPLE in a Glock 19 for about 10 years that has been 100% reliable. After initially firing a few hundred rounds I got lazy (and cheap). As the years passed I began to fire the carry ammo less frequently, eventually only practicing with cheap FMJ range ammo. Today at the range I decided to start off by function firing the carry ammo in the mag in the gun. I pulled the trigger and only got a "click". I couldn't believe I was carrying my gun with an empty chamber and racked the slide and an unfired round ejected. Upon inspection, there was a primer strike but no ignition. The rest of the mag with the 9BPLE fired fine and numerous other mags loaded with Blazer fired without another dud.

The only thing I can think of is that since the dud round has been the same round at the top of the carry mag the primer must have gotten fouled with some errant oil. Fortunately this happened at the range and not during a life threatening incident. From now on I am going to fire a mag-full of the carry stuff every couple of range sessions and I'm going to keep the Glock as dry as possible, making sure to only use a little grease on the slide rails and keep oil away from the slide, especially the breechface.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

Yup, good practice.

I shoot my carry ammo once every two months. My reason for that is I'm hitting the range once a week and my gun holds eight rounds. I don't like the idea of carrying re-chambered rounds.

 

[jeepnik]

I also try to shoot weekly. I start with the ammo in my current carry gun. Because I'm very fickle I rotate through a number of carry guns. Keeps the ammo moving.

 

[herrwalther]

Granted I don't go to the range as often as I would like. But the first two magazines I put through my firearm are what it has been carrying and the spare carry magazine. Then I shoot some FMJ rounds. If I am changing carry ammo, I will fire some of the new stuff. If it is the same ammo as the first two magazines, I will just load them and walk out.

 

[buck460XVR]

.

The only thing I can think of is that since the dud round has been the same round at the top of the carry mag the primer must have gotten fouled with some errant oil. Fortunately this happened at the range and not during a life threatening incident. From now on I am going to fire a mag-full of the carry stuff every couple of range sessions and I'm going to keep the Glock as dry as possible, making sure to only use a little grease on the slide rails and keep oil away from the slide, especially the breechface.

IMHO, I doubt oil was the culprit unless you oil your gun excessively with the mag in. Primer fit in a pocket is just too tight. If gas under pressure does not leak out when fired, how does oil not under pressure seep in? Probably just the odds of a dud from factory fodder. Odds are just as high that the excessive oil attracted dirt/dust to the striker channel or there was oil itself in the striker channel. Glock advises to always keep the striker channel bone dry.

 

[GRIZ22]

When I was on the job we rotated our carry ammo every 3 months when we qualified. You shot up your old ammo and reloaded with fresh ammo when you were done.

That really only costs you 2 or 3 dollars a week in factory ammo if you follow that regimen. I rotate the ammo in my carry guns every time I shoot them. At least 6 times a year.

 

[Plan2Live]

At the risk of thread drift, although I find the two concepts intertwined, after mulling over Vonderek's original post the next question that popped into my mind is how many people carrying defensive firearms have become lazy or overconfident or both and no longer practice clearance drills? During my 2.5 year stint as a volunteer range officer at a public shooting range (only open Saturday & Sunday) I can count on one hand the number of people I saw practicing clearance drills at that range.

So Ill throw it to the OP, Vonderek, how did you respond to the CLICK? Did you immediately conduct a clearance drill or did you pause, come of the target, look at the gun, wonder what was happening then finally rack the slide? I'm not trying to out you, I'm just curious. And while I've only experienced two fail to fires I've reacted both ways and I'm curious how you reacted.

 

[Vonderek]

Hello Plan2Live. There was a moment's hesitation and then I racked the slide, noticed the round eject and fired. Gun did not come off target. Not an optimal response because of the hesitation but not one of total befuddlement either. My immediate reaction when I heard the "click" wasn't that I had a misfire but that I had a gun in Condition 3 which made me angry at myself to be walking around with an unloaded gun. After firing the gun, I then examined the ejected cartridge and pondered if it was a life or death situation, would I have reacted in time or would I be dead? It was an eye-opening experience that made me realize I have become complacent which can get you killed.

 

[usp9]

One more reason why dry lube is a good idea in a carry gun. Allows an absolute minimum use of anything wet, if any at all.

 

[bersaguy]

I've started using RIG grease in my carry gun. I noticed I use much less product overall than when using oil, and I no longer have surface rust on the slide every few days. The very small amount I put on the rails and wear points stays put and it seems to attract much less lint.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Good reminder

 

[Shaq]

You may have had lube in the chamber or on the breech face or in the firing pin channel. When the gun is in the holster, any lube in the firing pin channel will flow down onto the primer from gravity & deactivate it. After cleaning an auto that will be kept loaded, I'll use several patches in the chamber & barrel until it's practically dry. If I want to lube the firing pin mechanism, I'll disassemble it & wipe the parts (not drop oil on them) with a patch & a bit of Break Free. Glock slides are especially easy to strip. Same with magazines; disassembly & wipe springs, followers, inside of magazine body with Break Free, then wipe almost dry with paper towel or rag. You only want a trace of lube on areas where the ammo will be. If you're firing the gun at the range & your glasses get lube on them, you're using too much.
I have fired ammo that was in a chamber for 25 years without a problem.

 

[mljdeckard]

(What''s 9BPLE?)

Yes, I lecture new guys about rotating carry ammo. I understand the aversion, it isn't cheap. But it'seems worth it to buy two new boxes every tax return, to have throughout the year. Bullet setback is also real, if you frequently load and unload.

Fortunately, my climate is dry enough, I use a bare minimum of lubrication, I have never had a misfire that I believe could have been caused by oil penetration.

 

[gulogulo1970]

(What''s 9BPLE?)

It is an "old school" Federal 9mm +P+ 115gr JHP law enforcement round. It's an older HP design but it still works really, really well.

It is my 9mm ammo of choice because it works and it is cheap enough to practice with, $17.50-$20.00/Box of 50. Federal HST are probably "better" but what I use now ain't broke.

 

[bassjam]

I just realized I've had the same rounds in my LCP for over 2 years now. Since I only pocket carry that gun those rounds have probably seen their fair share of sweat. Guess I need to pick up another box of .380 SD rounds and get some fresh ones on there!

 

[Confederate]

Probably just the odds of a dud from factory fodder.

I agree. There's an excellent chance the round was a dud from day one. At most ranges they have boxes where you can throw your duds. Most are 22s, then 38s, then 9mm. It happens. The OP didn't say whether he gave the primer another shot, but about half of them do fire on the second try. Still, it's a good idea to take your carry gun to the range every now and then "as is" and fire your carry ammo. For carry ammo, I like specialty ammo that come in packages of 20 or less. I'm not a big Glaser fan, as good ammo should be good at penetration and expanding.

 

[Alec]

IMHO, I doubt oil was the culprit unless you oil your gun excessively with the mag in. Primer fit in a pocket is just too tight. If gas under pressure does not leak out when fired, how does oil not under pressure seep in? Probably just the odds of a dud from factory fodder. Odds are just as high that the excessive oil attracted dirt/dust to the striker channel or there was oil itself in the striker channel. Glock advises to always keep the striker channel bone dry.

Gas shouldn't be leaking through a primer, no. And even if it did, it would be negligible because of the short duration of the powder burn (consider how much gas is lost to the cylinder gap of a revolver in comparison). Cleaning oils and solvents, on the other hand, are often designed to penetrate and could have plenty of contact time with the primer pocket. If they can make it through a seized screw thread, I'd say they can make it into a primer pocket.

I don't make a habit of dripping CLP on my primers to test whether they still go bang, however, so I have no idea if a tiny amount of oil intrusion is enough to prevent it from firing. All we can do is gun-board-postulate.

In any case, I still see Vonderek's advice sound.

 

[icanthitabarn]

Happened to me a couple weeks ago, in LR. I blamed the ammo but must have been oil. Gonna watch it now.

 

[Hokkmike]

Hello Plan2Live. There was a moment's hesitation and then I racked the slide, noticed the round eject and fired. Gun did not come off target. Not an optimal response because of the hesitation but not one of total befuddlement either. My immediate reaction when I heard the "click" wasn't that I had a misfire but that I had a gun in Condition 3 which made me angry at myself to be walking around with an unloaded gun. After firing the gun, I then examined the ejected cartridge and pondered if it was a life or death situation, would I have reacted in time or would I be dead? It was an eye-opening experience that made me realize I have become complacent which can get you killed.

Any gun with a cartridge in the magazine or cylinder is considered to be "loaded"... But, the point of your post is well taken.

 

[phil dirt]

I just learned a lesson (that I already knew but didn't always practice) to start rotating my carry ammo much more frequently. I have been carrying 9BPLE in a Glock 19 for about 10 years that has been 100% reliable. After initially firing a few hundred rounds I got lazy (and cheap). As the years passed I began to fire the carry ammo less frequently, eventually only practicing with cheap FMJ range ammo. Today at the range I decided to start off by function firing the carry ammo in the mag in the gun. I pulled the trigger and only got a "click". I couldn't believe I was carrying my gun with an empty chamber and racked the slide and an unfired round ejected. Upon inspection, there was a primer strike but no ignition. The rest of the mag with the 9BPLE fired fine and numerous other mags loaded with Blazer fired without another dud.

The only thing I can think of is that since the dud round has been the same round at the top of the carry mag the primer must have gotten fouled with some errant oil. Fortunately this happened at the range and not during a life threatening incident. From now on I am going to fire a mag-full of the carry stuff every couple of range sessions and I'm going to keep the Glock as dry as possible, making sure to only use a little grease on the slide rails and keep oil away from the slide, especially the breechface.

I just learned a lesson (that I already knew but didn't always practice) to start rotating my carry ammo much more frequently. I have been carrying 9BPLE in a Glock 19 for about 10 years that has been 100% reliable. After initially firing a few hundred rounds I got lazy (and cheap). As the years passed I began to fire the carry ammo less frequently, eventually only practicing with cheap FMJ range ammo. Today at the range I decided to start off by function firing the carry ammo in the mag in the gun. I pulled the trigger and only got a "click". I couldn't believe I was carrying my gun with an empty chamber and racked the slide and an unfired round ejected. Upon inspection, there was a primer strike but no ignition. The rest of the mag with the 9BPLE fired fine and numerous other mags loaded with Blazer fired without another dud.

The only thing I can think of is that since the dud round has been the same round at the top of the carry mag the primer must have gotten fouled with some errant oil. Fortunately this happened at the range and not during a life threatening incident. From now on I am going to fire a mag-full of the carry stuff every couple of range sessions and I'm going to keep the Glock as dry as possible, making sure to only use a little grease on the slide rails and keep oil away from the slide, especially the breechface.

I think you've probably correctly diagnosed your problem. I always try to keep lubricants away from the breech face of any pistol I carry.

 

[buck460XVR]

All we can do is gun-board-postulate.

In any case, I still see Vonderek's advice sound.

I agree, one should rotate their carry ammo(I do by shooting it as my EDC is never unloaded) and that all anyone here can do without being there ourselves is postulate. But here's a good article on primers and gun oil with the test using primers even more saturated with different oils than what the OPs obviously were. Thus I stand by my postulation, that the round was either a factory dud or that the excessive oil in the striker channel contributed, especially since it was the first round fired.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/the-box-o-truth-39-oil-vs-primers/