Will accidentally firing a .380 ACP round through 9x19 Mm damage the gun?

[Texas10mm]

A friend of mine dropped a 20 ga shell shell in a 12 ga when we were kids (maybe the other way around,not sure)Anyways his family held a HUGE skeet/trap shoot every new year's day at their home range .My friend grabbed a pocket full of 20 ga shells by accident and he was using a 12ga O/U. (Or visa versa).Never got to see what happened though. Don't remember if it failed to fire or it did something else ( I was 12-13 so this was 15 years ago). But i do remember him having an issue with it and his dad coming over looking at the gun and cuffing him good in the back of the head . Than saying something about not paying attention and you know better than that,or something along those lines

Let me know when you're able to chamber a 12 ga shell in a 20 gauge gun.

 

[Catpop]

Here's how:

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In words: The 30 cal projectile is not going into the throat, or at least not as far as its full diameter. Instead, the ogive of the .30 cal bullet lands on the shoulder of the chamber - right where a .223 shoulder would land for proper headspacing. Because the brass is shorter, the bolt can still close, and the firing pin can still pop the primer.

Thanks for explanation, I always thought the 300 blackout was the same length as the 5.56! Now I understand. Thanks for enlightening this old frog!

 

[Riomouse911]

20 in a 12 leads to the shell getting stuck in the bore, then the next shot is the kaboom!

My buddy dropped a .44 Mag into a .45 Colt... luckily it was an old model Vaquero. The case split lengthwise and powder / smoke went everywhere when it fired but the gun held up to the Magnum pressure just fine.

I would find fat .40 and fat 9mm every once in a while on the range where I used to work from careless people dropping them into .45 and .40 guns while practicing.

Always look at your ammo while picking it up for loading and keep similars away from each other on the range bench and you’ll be fine.

Stay safe!

 

[Deus Machina]

Everything I'd say has already been said, but

And then the swaging begins!

is very funny to me.

 

[jonb32248]

Since we're on running the wrong cal. ammo in a gun, I saw the other day where guy shot .40 cal. in a 10 mm. Is this fake news or possible or not a good idea.

 

[entropy]

I once put a .38 into a 1911 magazine... No it didnt chamber but boy did I feel stupid.

Dreaming about that S&W 52 you always wanted?

 

[entropy]

I once swaged a .22LR all the way down and out a .17 Mach2 barrel-twice! before I noticed. Both exited the barrel- I cleaned it to make sure any lead was removed, then test fired it with .17 Mach2. (which is what I was supposed to be doing; I'd just repaired the gun.)

 

[thomas15]

One of the reasons why I'm not a huge fan of resizing .223 brass to 300 AAC The headstamp still reads .223

 

[edwardware]

. . . where (a) guy shot .40 cal. in a 10 mm.

If the cartridge headspaces on the extractor, it'll go bang. I would expect the front edge of the chamber to shave jacket material off the bullet.

 

[ATLDave]

Since we're on running the wrong cal. ammo in a gun, I saw the other day where guy shot .40 cal. in a 10 mm. Is this fake news or possible or not a good idea.

Many people have done that. The projectiles are exactly the same. The case dimensions are the same, except that the .40 is shorter (and uses a SPP instead of a LPP). You're headspacing on the extractor, not the case mouth. Now, many people argue that most of the time, pistol cartridges are actually doing that in most guns. But there's no doubt about it in the case of the .40 in a 10mm chamber.

This does increase the chances that, in the event of a particularly large or non-concentric chamber, the bullet might start significantly off-axis with the bore. Unlike the throats of a revolver cylinder the end of the chamber and start of the barrel in a semi-auto pistol is not gradual... it is the sharp lip that is supposed to function as the headspacing interface between the gun and the cartridge. If the bullet gets off to a wonky start, it's not hard to imagine significant pieces of it getting shaved off as it passes that lip on one side or the other. Not only would that not be good for accuracy of that particular round, it could also impede chambering the next 10mm round (it would headspace on the built-up bullet shavings, and might be too long for the action to fully close).

But in terms of a catastrophic kaboom or permanent damage to the gun? Again, nobody is going to tell you something like this is safe, but the risks seem very low.

If someone wanted to, the could load .40 to 10mm lengths (and could even

 

[Shimitup]

I did it a couple weeks ago in my P85, some where about midway through the mag it failed to cycle. I felt the recoil and saw the hole in the target so I racked the slide and ejected the swollen .380 and kept on going. Apparently one habit I've got to watch is arriving at the range with mags loaded with defensive ammo which I dump in range bag side pockets in order to load my range fodder. Probably the result of a previous outing after which I had reloaded the mags from the side pockets and there was an errant .380 in the bottom of one of them.

 

[warnerwh]

I was acting as a RO at my club when we allowed the public to come sight in before deer season. This guy fired a 7mm in a 280 or vice versa, I don't know which is the larger cartridge. The guy that fired the gun was bleeding quite a bit around the eye. He was stunned and wasn't really sure what just happened and we told him he needs to go to the hospital right now. So in some cases you may get away with putting the wrong cartridge in but in some cases it could cost a lot. I don't know if his eye was going to be ok or not. Simply only having ammo for the gun you are shooting on the bench would have saved this guy.

 

[Janos Dracwlya]

One of the more dangerous scenarios involves shotguns and that is putting a 20 bore shell in a 12 bore gun. It will slip down just enough so a 12 ga shell will chamber and if you pull the trigger, the pressures are stratospheric and inherently very bad. One of the reasons you see 20 is yellow, 16 is typically purple (but not always!).

I know it's not reality, but there is an episode of the British TV show "Midsomer Murders" where the murderer, knowing that the intended victim shoots a 12 bore, slips a 20 bore into their shooting jacket's pocket. Sure enough, eventually "boom".

 

[Jim Watson]

Parker demonstrated the strength of their barrels by blowing a 20 ga shell through a 12 ga gun without damage. Don't try it at home.

 

[Slamfire]

Shooting buddy of mine fired a 270 Winchester round in a 300 Win Mag M70 claw extractor rifle.He had been firing 270 Win before going to the 300 Win Mag. There was a 270 Win rolling on the table, he did not examine the round before chambering it in the rifle.

Case head ruptured on the 270 Win cartridge. Entire left side of his face was bloody from brass and gunpowder particles, his left eyelid was closed so he did not loose sight in that eye. He was very lucky that he did not lose his right eye, his right eye was protected from debris by the scope bell.

Scope was bent/deformed.

The Mc Millian fiberglass stock was not split. Floorplate was not blown open.

The action was headspaced and found to be OK. The rifle is back in use.

Always wear your shooting glasses!

 

[bc38]

I've fired 41 mag in a 44 mag. accuracy went to hell and cases VARY hard to extract, but fired all six. also 44-40 WILL fit into a CA-44 HKS speed loader, they will not however fit into the cylinder of a Charter Arms 44spl. from said speed loader. 7.62x25 will stay in a 1911 45acp mag right up until you sneeze then they all fly out like a bunch of Jack-in-the boxes. I'm much older now and hopefully a little wiser and more careful.

 

[Speedo66]

Since we're talking mismatches, how bad are .22LR in .22 magnum chambers?

 

[LiveLife]

Will ... firing a .380 ACP round through 9x19 mm damage the gun?

Nope. 380 ACP is essentially "short" 9mm.

Neither will shooting 40S&W through 10mm as 40S&W is essentially "short" 10mm.

I also shoot 22LR RN/HP (copper plated only) in my .223/5.56 ARs using CMMG conversion bolt.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I'm not sure why some posts are showing blown up guns, that really wouldn't happen in this case.

In Europe the 380 ACP is called the 9mm Kurtz (short). The bullet is the same diameter so no damage to the barrel and the case is 2mm shorter. In reality while it's never good to fire the wrong cartridge in your gun this is problem the least problematic.

Lessen learned, don't worry about damage IMO.

 

[Hasaf]

The new information I got out of this thread is the issue with 300BO vs 5.56. Frankly, all it tells me is that I need to stay away from 300BO. I know myself too well and that is why I have some very strict regimes in many of the things I do. I can just see something going very wrong.

People who think they are immune to making stupid mistakes are the ones on a fast train to disaster. . . Of course, if that person happens to be my friend, I will still visit them in the hospital and I won't laugh behind their back. I will wait until they are out and laugh with them (Yes, thinking of a particular friend. He never does anything wrong. . . but, when he does, my God! it is Epic!).

 

[Random 8]

Made for an interesting read on a slow morning. The OP has been thoroughly answered, but I'll give an interesting one from my experience. Yes, it's an oddball, but there are some on here who are into milsurps, so worth sharing IMHO. 9x19 in a 7.62 Tokarev. Specifically a P38 mag inserted into a CZ 52. The mags look rather similar, and the P38 mag will fit into and latch on the CZ52. It will strip and attempt to chamber a round. A fellow shooter wanted to try out the CZ 52, and picked up a loaded mag from the table. Inserted a loaded P38 mag. Thank God, the round did not fully chamber, but it was close. I suspect with a worn chamber or a different bullet profile, or some generous forward assist driving the bullet into the case, a 9mm round could be successfully chambered in the CZ 52 resulting in a serious Kaboom. I am quite sure a .380 or 9mm Mak could be chambered. I no longer shoot these 2 firearms in the same session for this reason. As there are numerous 9mm conversions out there for the CZ 52 and Tokarev handguns, this is one worth remembering.

 

[mcb]

If the cartridge headspaces on the extractor, it'll go bang. I would expect the front edge of the chamber to shave jacket material off the bullet.

I have shot close to 20k rounds of 40S&W in a 10mm Auto chamber with no issue. It was a S&W 610 revolver but the chamber is the same as your auto loader minus the rifling not staring tiill you get to the barrel.

 

[BSA1]

Since we're talking mismatches, how bad are .22LR in .22 magnum chambers?

The size of the chambers of the 22 L.R. and 22 Magnum are different. The 22 L.R. cartridge is undersize for the Magnum. It will have a loose fit and the case will split open lengthwise. With the shorter case accuracy will probably be poor.

The new information I got out of this thread is the issue with 300BO vs 5.56. Frankly, all it tells me is that I need to stay away from 300BO. I know myself too well and that is why I have some very strict regimes in many of the things I do. I can just see something going very wrong.

Ditto. Only with me it is more of a matter of when rather than if.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

.380 ACP (9x17mm, 9mm Kurz) is not a short version of the 9mm Luger (9x19mm, 9mm Parabellum).
.380 ACP is a short version of the Browning .38 Auto (9x23mm) for the Colt M1900.
9x19mm Parabellum case is tapered:
Neck diameter: 9.65 mm (0.380 in)
Base diameter: 9.93 mm (0.391 in)
.380 ACP case is straight:
Neck diameter: 9.5 mm (0.373 in)
Base diameter: 9.5 mm (0.374 in)


other mismatch mentions

"My buddy dropped a .44 Mag into a .45 Colt... luckily it was an old model Vaquero. The case split lengthwise and powder / smoke went everywhere when it fired but the gun held up to the Magnum pressure just fine."
I found two split .44 Mag empties scrounging brass at the firing range. The swelling ahead of the cartridge web was severe. Obviously fired in a too-big chamber, .45 or so. I would hope that there would be enough gas blow-by around the bullet to keep the pressure from reaching full .44 Magnum levels but I would not chance it myself unless the alternative would be being eaten alive by a rabid grizzly on a blood moon night.

"Since we're talking mismatches, how bad are .22LR in .22 magnum chambers?"
Most .22 LR and .22 Magnum bullets are .223" - .224". The outside diameter of .22 Mag case is .242". The .22 Mag bullet fits inside the case. The outside diameter of .22 LR case is .226". A reduced heel of the .22 LR bullet fits inside the case.
The bullet of a .22 Mag cartridge will enter a .22 LR chamber but the case won't. A .22 LR cartridge will enter a .22 Mag chamber and since .22 LR and .22 Mag are rimfire, a .22 LR will (usually) fire in a .22 Mag. The .22 LR will balloon from .226" diameter to .242" diameter usually lopsided. The soft lead .22 LR bullet will skid on one side of the oversize .22 Mag chamber for about .44" and hit the chamber mouth and start into the rifled part of the barrel. .22 LR will lead the front of the .22 Mag chamber and give really bad accuracy and the empties will be swollen. It can be done; I have done it; I do not recommend it to sane people. (The .22 LR sample I tried did not split the case, but I lost my nerve to try other brands or styles.)

 

[Hokkmike]

Long story short a friend and I were shooting a LCP and Glock 19 over the weekend and I made a very stupid mistake and accidentally put a single round of .380 FMJ through my Glock 19. It fired but failed to eject and I didn't see any(noticeable) damage. I definitely learned a lesson and will no.longer have similar caliber guns and ammo out at the same time when shooting. Is my G19 safe to shoot again or would this need to be inspected further?

Don't ask me how I know but I think you will be fine. Just take the gun apart and inspect it carefully. (you are not alone - and your new policy is a good one)