A bullet shouldn't just fall out, right?

[Ryououki]

Last night I had a unusual experience. After a day of carrying my Ruger SR9c as I do most days, I go to drop the magazine and notice the cartridge at the top is missing the bullet.

I had a WTF?! moment and set the mag down and rattled the gun and sure enough, the bullet and a few grains of powder drop down the center of the grip. I shake it a little more to see if more grains of powder fall out, but none do. I lightly lock the slide back and inspect to see if there is anything else in the chamber and internals and see nothing.

I put down the gun and grab the mag and see that the mass majority of the powder is still in the casing. So it looks like when the mag was dropped, the bullet was jarred out at that time.

This isn't normal right? I pushed the bullet back in to the casing and was able to do it by hand, but it was still a snug fitting.

For background, I normally keep 2 magazines fully loaded at all times. Every time I go out and can carry, I load a magazine, but I don't chamber a round. So the cartridge at the top of the magazine is always the same one. It's been that way for about 2 months since I haven't really gone shooting lately.

Is there something wrong? Bad load? Have gun checked? I have tore it down last night after it all happened, and everything looks fine. Not worry unless it happens again? Do I need to rotate the rounds in the magazine every so often?

Thank you!

[MaHoTex]

Throw the bullet away... That is not normal. Sounds like bad ammo to me. Maybe it was not pressed/crimped in, or the bullet was slightly undersized.

That is just strange to say the least. Factory ammo or reloads?

[Chief-7700]

Reloads?

[Ryououki]

I forgot to check last night, but I emptied the mags just now and found another cartridge with a loose bullet. So I guess it could just be these cartridges. Most of the ammo has gotten mixed, so I'm not even sure what manufacturer these are from.

I am going to load up fresh cartridges from a new box and keep an eye on it.

Is this something I should be concerned about? Is it because of the motion of carrying that could be loosening the bullets from the casing? Or is it just most likely bad crimping from the factory?

[SilverTauron]

Sounds like another victim of bullet setback.

If the same round is repetitively cycled into and out of the chamber,the round can be loosened in the case to the point where the projectile just pops out,dumping powder everywhere in the process.

Since the round is first "pushed" into the chamber when loading and then "pulled" out of it during ejection, too many cycles will ruin the cartridge.When clearing a gun for cleaning or dry fire practice,never load the same round back into the chamber.Empty the mag and stick it in the bottom,so that every time the guns loaded its with "virgin" ammo.If a bullet feels loose in the case,drop it in the range ammo pile on the spot.

I've got a few CorBon 9mm rounds which have reached this point.The stuff is high quality,but there's only so many times you can chamber and eject the same round before it needs to be taken out of rotation.

[Ryououki]

I have a feeling these cartridges are reloads as the head stamps on a few are different than the others. But it's hard to say because I buy lots of different brands and like to remove them from the manufacturer boxes and put them into large capacity holders.

I am loading up some fresh out of the manufacturer's box Remington JHPs right now, so hopefully it doesn't happen again.

Thank you!

[Fishslayer]

I have a feeling these cartridges are reloads as the head stamps on a few are different than the others. But it's hard to say because I buy lots of different brands and like to remove them from the manufacturer boxes and put them into large capacity holders.

I am loading up some fresh out of the manufacturer's box Remington JHPs right now, so hopefully it doesn't happen again.

Thank you!

I can almost (but not quite) understand emptying range fodder out of the factory packaging into an ammo can or whatnot.

But dumping/mixing up your "good stuff?" At least dump 'em in a ziplock and stick the end flap off the box in for identification. That would avoid many of the "kinda sorta" serious questions you have right now.

FWIW my money is on reloads. See if you can see more than one extractor/ejector mark on the case heads.

[TheExiled]

Check the rest of them and be weary of that brand in the future. Bullet setback is no joke

[Yemff]

Last night I had a unusual experience. After a day of carrying my Ruger SR9c as I do most days, I go to drop the magazine and notice the cartridge at the top is missing the bullet.

I had a WTF?! moment and set the mag down and rattled the gun and sure enough, the bullet and a few grains of powder drop down the center of the grip. I shake it a little more to see if more grains of powder fall out, but none do. I lightly lock the slide back and inspect to see if there is anything else in the chamber and internals and see nothing.

I put down the gun and grab the mag and see that the mass majority of the powder is still in the casing. So it looks like when the mag was dropped, the bullet was jarred out at that time.

This isn't normal right? I pushed the bullet back in to the casing and was able to do it by hand, but it was still a snug fitting.

For background, I normally keep 2 magazines fully loaded at all times. Every time I go out and can carry, I load a magazine, but I don't chamber a round. So the cartridge at the top of the magazine is always the same one. It's been that way for about 2 months since I haven't really gone shooting lately.

Is there something wrong? Bad load? Have gun checked? I have tore it down last night after it all happened, and everything looks fine. Not worry unless it happens again? Do I need to rotate the rounds in the magazine every so often?

Thank you!

Sounds like another victim of bullet setback.

If the same round is repetitively cycled into and out of the chamber,the round can be loosened in the case to the point where the projectile just pops out,dumping powder everywhere in the process.

Since the round is first "pushed" into the chamber when loading and then "pulled" out of it during ejection, too many cycles will ruin the cartridge.When clearing a gun for cleaning or dry fire practice,never load the same round back into the chamber.Empty the mag and stick it in the bottom,so that every time the guns loaded its with "virgin" ammo.If a bullet feels loose in the case,drop it in the range ammo pile on the spot.

I've got a few CorBon 9mm rounds which have reached this point.The stuff is high quality,but there's only so many times you can chamber and eject the same round before it needs to be taken out of rotation.

sounds like bad ammo to me

[Ryououki]

Thanks everyone for all the good info. I looked at the 2 casings that had the loose bullets, and they do indeed appear to be reloads. Sadly, I have no idea where I bought them from as I've bought reloads from several LGSs, gun shows, and Freedommunition.

While I've never had an issue with any reloads, I now have another thing to be on the lookout for.

I will also stop putting all the ammo together in bunches. I'll just leave them in the factory packages to help rule out confusion in the future.

Thank you everyone for the great information as always!!! I truly appreciate it.

[Tri750]

I have my range ammo, consisting of factory reloads, WWW, odds and ends mix of new scraps, leftovers from shooting with LE friends, etc. (no ammo from ever from "my buddy down the street reloads") and I have my HD/CCW ammo. And never the two shall meet. Same with my mags.
That's just me.

[Whatisthis?]

You should know what kind of ammo is in your carry gun. No excuses. You should also have a relative idea of how many times some of those rounds have been cycled.

At the least, know what kind of Winchester, Remington, etc. hollow point ammo you have and check the head stamps. That way, if you see a Remington and a Winchester in a mag, there isn't confusion about what is what. You would know the Remington is say 124gr Golden Sabre +P and the Winchester is a 147gr Ranger-T. Or something along those lines.

You are depending on this ammo with your life. Treat it well and don't skimp on it.

Having said all that, be very careful about bullet setback with the other rounds.

[MaHoTex]

Sounds like another victim of bullet setback.

Ah... I think you nailed it right here.

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

OP, reading your post points out a number of things you may want to take a close look at. Good decision to keep ammo in its original container and separate, but please consider these also:

If you're carrying a firearm, why aren't you chambering a round? Carrying in "Condition Three" is only slightly more effective than not carrying at all... "Hey Mr. Badguy, hang on just a moment while I chamber a round to engage you with!". I doubt that he'll indulge your request, never mind failures to chamber and such other fun as only seems to happen when you're under stress.

Second, as has already been pointed out, it would be a very good idea for you to be certain of what ammunition you have loaded in a carry pistol. I'll go so far as to say that it might be wise for you to consider only carrying quality factory loaded ammunition unless/until you know a lot more about reloaded ammunition and ammunition issues in general. Range ammo is another story, but if you're carrying a firearm to protect your life or someone else's, you want ammunition that you can depend on.

As for your original ammo issue, I agree with others here that it's setback, probably helped along by weak crimping. It happens to factory ammo also; when I had young children at home, I loaded and unloaded my carry Glock 27 every day. I kept a close eye on the ammo and replaced it regularly as just a couple of cycles would, on occasion, be enough to set a bullet back in the case.

[SilverTauron]

I will also stop putting all the ammo together in bunches. I'll just leave them in the factory packages to help rule out confusion in the future.

Thank you everyone for the great information as always!!! I truly appreciate it.

A wise decision.

Whenever a person carries a firearm for self defense, that individual must be prepared to explain to a court of law precisely what gun they used, the ammo employed in it, and WHY that combination was used for self defense.

If you're unable to identify the source of your carry ammunition to the authorities, the prosecution may decide you murdered Joe Scumbag because the powder burn test on your reloaded ammo indicated a longer shot then what your statement claims. Even if you win against them in court, it'll cost you $50K plus in fees to prevail, and probably more then that.