Amazing things you find at a shooting area! WOW!

[Dthunter]

Last summer I was out at a local area in the bush south of town, where people often go to do some informal shooting. When I arrived, I did my part as a totally obsessed reloader, and collected all the reloadable brass others have so graciously left behind.


After I collected what was there, I had planned on doing my own shooting. While I was picking up some brass, I noticed 9-10 very unusual looking cartridges, all clumped together on the ground. Short necks and an uneven/ oblong circumference. 4 or 5 of the cases had a split along the neck down to about half way to the case head!


When I looked closely, the cases were head stamped 300 savage. The body shape and shoulder location was reminiscent of a 308 Winchester! It always amazes me how people can get their ammo so mixed up! Not too mention that they are certainly not observant in the least! To do this once is dangerous and careless, but 10 times is plain idiotic!!!!! WOW!


Then this last week, I go out to the same area again, and found some MORE of these mutilated gems! This shooting area is fairly large, therefore, for the person who shot these new Cartridge gems in "EXACTLY" the same spot, HAD to be the same person as before! This time they decided to shoot 300 winchester magnum cartridges in a 300 Weatherby chambered rifle! This left 8 or 9 big super short necked, double radius shouldered empties lying around! LMAO!


Fellow shooters, lets be sure to help newer and/or inexperienced shooters to learn the importance of cartridge nomenclature, and the significance of how their safety (and everyone around them) is at stake! I hope this/these fellows didn't damage their firearms or themselves in the process!


I have kept these case as a reminder and a learning tool for my boys and new shooters.


Take care fellow shooters, and be safe!

[OS OK]

That's a good idea about informing new shooters but...You just can't fix 'stupid'!

I suppose 'stupid' eventually fixes itself...you know...'The Darwin Awards!'

[Dthunter]

True enough "OS OK".

[CastingFool]

Got to talking to a guy at work. told me his dad had brought a german 8mm rifle home from the war. had some ammo, too, but he couldn't figure out what the big deal was. The rifle wasn't accurate at all. I asked him to show me what they had been shooting. Next day he brought a couple of rounds with military headstamp. They had been shooting 30-06 ammo. When I explained the difference in bullet diameter, you could see the lightbulb turning on.

[ravelode]

:rolleyes::dung_hits_fan::dung_hits_fan:Was at the local gun club one day found a whole bunch of .41mag .44 mag and .45LC one of the. 44 mag was half blown including the rim best I could tell the dufus had touched off a .44 mag in a .45 LC. Oops:groner:

[Fernando]

I saw an 06' case that had a primer pocket big enough to seat a 209 once.
Impressive to say the least.

[Sasquatch-1]

About a year and a half ago a group of us were at the range and found some odd looking pistol cases on the ground (observe I said CASES). These cases were 9mm luger and the mouth was belled out. Found an old 40 S&W laying on the range and compared the mouth of the cases. They were identical. Someone had been shooting 9mm in a pistol chambered for 40 S&W.

Then just a few days ago I was watching a video on Demolition Ranch on YouTube, and Matt was trying the same thing. Of course he had the gun tied down and pulled the trigger from a safe distance. The cases were identical to the ones we had found on the range.

I guess there is absolutely no accounting for stupid in the world.

[petroid]

I have found 9mm fired in a 40, 40 fired in a 45, and 300 win mag fired in a 300 wby mag. I hope nobody was injured, but natural selection has a way of sorting things out.

[sharps4590]

Several years ago I was in a local gun shop where we lived at the time. The owner handed me 3-4 270 WCF cases and asked, "What do you think of these, Vic"? When I looked the primer pockets were entirely black and a large rifle primer literally fell into the cavity. One still had the primer, how I don't know, but you could barely tell where the primer ended and the case began and flattened is not descriptive enough.

One of the few cryptic remarks of my own authorship took about two years to develop. I do like it....and it is, "Ignorance can be educated. Ignorance is nothing more than the absence of knowledge. On the other hand stupidity is permanent, often voluntary and sometimes fatal".

[Teddy (punchie)]

WOW !!!:groner:,,Maybe too much :drinks::drinks:[smilie=w:[smilie=w::veryconfu:veryconfu Dam that was fun :holysheep:holysheep:holysheep...

I talked to a few guys that are that slow.

Some times I can see maybe someone new or maybe in war and its shoot or be killed but man-o-man.

[RustyReel]

About a year ago I purchased a Vanguard in 300 Weatherby from a guy locally. He said he also said he had a partial box of ammo, 17 rounds if I remember correctly, to go with the rifle. He had only fired it those few times. Bought the rifle. Remembered the ammo as I was about to leave. The guy goes back in and comes out with a partial box of 300 Win Mag. I asked if he had fired the Win Mag ammo in the rifle and he told me that's what the guy at the gun store sold him!! I did a net search and he is not the first guy to do this. I'm not gonna....

[tdoor4570]

Got to talking to a guy at work. told me his dad had brought a german 8mm rifle home from the war. had some ammo, too, but he couldn't figure out what the big deal was. The rifle wasn't accurate at all. I asked him to show me what they had been shooting. Next day he brought a couple of rounds with military headstamp. They had been shooting 30-06 ammo. When I explained the difference in bullet diameter, you could see the lightbulb turning on.

Question how did they get the bolt to close there is a lot of difference between 30-06 and 8x57 mauser like 6mm difference

[gnoahhh]

I had a pre-war Oberndorf German Mauser sporter once- bore dimensions + chamber and throat/leade dimensions were pure 8x57. The weird thing was the chamber neck which was 9mm. I was told that sometimes they would apply large necks to chambers for guns headed to the tropics, in an effort to keep chamber pressures down. The funny thing was it was a tack driver. I didn't load 8mm's back then and routinely left my fired brass in the trash cans, and I often wondered if it caused brass scroungers to scratch their heads.

I ran into a dufus at a range once who was shooting a greasy old rattle trap SMLE. He was complaining about its total lack of accuracy. Being a helpful soul when I'm in the mood, I asked to peek down his bore. Sure enough my suspicions were confirmed- he had a .410 shotshell No.1 MkIII Indian Army altered rifle (issued to guards and such who they didn't trust with .303's). (Not a true .410- the shot cartridges were made from straight .303 brass, and issued with round lead ball projectiles.) His .303 empties were blown out straight. When I explained all this to the guy, he couldn't believe that the gun shop clerk would sell him a rifle along with the blatantly wrong ammo and asked how to make it shoot ok to kill a deer at a hundred yards. He couldn't get it through his head that a smooth .41 bore would in no way ever stabilize a .303 bullet. Then he asked if he could buy .410 shotshells and at least hunt small game with it. I then told him that generally speaking those particular .410 Enfields won't chamber regular .410 ammo because of rim differences and slight chamber differences, and to prove the point I dug out a 2½" .410 shell from my skeet shooting kit- it almost but not quite fit in his chamber. The poor guy was so dejected- all his hunting dreams were right down the drain. I had him meet me at the range a few more times for some basic instructions and rifle practice and ended up selling him my beater M94 loaner gun and a sack full of cartridges which he actually got pretty handy with and darned if he didn't get a deer his first time out.

Most of my stories about ignoramuses and guns center around Lee Enfields for some reason.

[Harter66]

I picked up a steel cased 223 that was fired in a 6.8 chamber .
Half a box of 7mm Remington Magnum with suspiciously round shoulders , Weatherby like .

A number of years ago I read about a writer that had gone to a company show and shoot with his boss . They had shot up several hundred rounds of pistol ammo through the new factory demo guns . The writer is spotting for his boss who has shot pretty well for the last hour or so and he's tossing them all over the 24" 25 yd backer when he hits it . After the 2nd cylinder they swap places and the writer looks at the brass he's ejected from the 44 mag with big splits and a mouth almost as big as the rim ......... That'll happen when you shoot 41s in a 44 .

At one point in time I made 20 rounds of 7.62-39 out of 6.8 but that was on purpose . I once made a few 9x57 by running 06' in an 8-57 die and fire forming with corn meal the neck and all for correct neck length it would have been worth it to have left 1 of those out with rifling on that very long neck .

[country gent]

Its not always from ingnorence. I was finding 308s with no neck for awhile at our club. A member had bought one of the chamber insert to convert his garand to 308 that the navy used for awhile. He lock tited it in place and cjhecked headspace. and at some point it pulled out with the extracted case. I finally caught up with him and showed him his brass and got the story. He didn't reload and was shooting berdan primed mill surpluss. so brass wasn't an issue to him.

[brstevns]

Well at least the 300 win mag would headspace on its belt like the 300 Weatherby it was being shot in. STILL !!!!!!!

[Gtek]

A fellow comes in and sits to my left on line, he is setting up and I not paying much attention to the little stuff. Going cold we march down and on way back he tells me he has a Steyr M95, I told him I had on of those cheek slapping things. Go hot and I am leaned over what ever it was and then boom, a three foot fire cone off to my left. What the ----, I stand up and he pops her open and I pick it up and look at it. He informs me that it did not kick but sure made a fireball and he couldn't tell if it hit anything. I ask him where he acquired rifle and had it been inspected, he said at the gun store and the "guy" also had cheap ammo to go with it. I ask him nicely to please clear weapon, then he was a little shocked when I stuck one in muzzle and rattled it. It appears that 7.62x54R is a wee bit smaller than 8x56R. I have come to the point to try and sit as far left as possible if not last left bench keeping scan 90 right, do it long enough and you will probably have a story also.

[Norske]

An RV dealer I know did something really dangerous. His father owned two Savage 99's, one a 250-3000, the other a 243. As a teenager, the eldest son fired a 250 in the 243. The deer died, the rifle's receiver was sprung, but it held. I think of this every time someone tells me they have different calibers based on the same case.

[rmark]

I have a piece of pistol brass I picked off the ground at our range - flattened pierced primer and torn where the extractor was. Somebody accidentally double charged it I suspect. Been going to mount it on a small display board above my press as a reminder of what not to do.

[Chill Wills]

Yes. And we drive on the roads with this level of dough brain every day. Explains a lot.

Remember. Fully half the people you encounter every day are below average IQ.

:p

[Wayne Smith]

Yes. And we drive on the roads with this level of dough brain every day. Explains a lot.

Remember. Fully half the people you encounter every day are below average IQ.

:p

Not quite, Chill. Lot of them don't have licenses! Or enough money for a car. SSDI is not a good living, especially if you never worked.

[NoAngel]

Last trip out I found some badly bulged 223's. Got home and put a mic to them, it appears to have been fired in a 7,62x39 judging by the fireformed portion. Good grief.

[Soundguy]

Last summer I was out at a local area in the bush south of town, where people often go to do some informal shooting. When I arrived, I did my part as a totally obsessed reloader, and collected all the reloadable brass others have so graciously left behind.


After I collected what was there, I had planned on doing my own shooting. While I was picking up some brass, I noticed 9-10 very unusual looking cartridges, all clumped together on the ground. Short necks and an uneven/ oblong circumference. 4 or 5 of the cases had a split along the neck down to about half way to the case head!


When I looked closely, the cases were head stamped 300 savage. The body shape and shoulder location was reminiscent of a 308 Winchester! It always amazes me how people can get their ammo so mixed up! Not too mention that they are certainly not observant in the least! To do this once is dangerous and careless, but 10 times is plain idiotic!!!!! WOW!


Then this last week, I go out to the same area again, and found some MORE of these mutilated gems! This shooting area is fairly large, therefore, for the person who shot these new Cartridge gems in "EXACTLY" the same spot, HAD to be the same person as before! This time they decided to shoot 300 winchester magnum cartridges in a 300 Weatherby chambered rifle! This left 8 or 9 big super short necked, double radius shouldered empties lying around! LMAO!


Fellow shooters, lets be sure to help newer and/or inexperienced shooters to learn the importance of cartridge nomenclature, and the significance of how their safety (and everyone around them) is at stake! I hope this/these fellows didn't damage their firearms or themselves in the process!


I have kept these case as a reminder and a learning tool for my boys and new shooters.


Take care fellow shooters, and be safe!


I blame half of it on the person holding the gun for not knowing what their gun is chambered for, and not knowing what they are buying, and I blame the clerks that sold them the ammo for the other half.

I have heard some outright BS doozies from gun stores when selling people ammo.

Some stories:

Buddy of mine that has just started shooting. He has a 357 mag revolver and a 35 remington levergun.

He went to a very large local pawn shop ( really a gun store that also pawns.. been there decades.. sells tons of guns ).. he asked for ammo for his 357 revolver... they sold him 357SIG and told him it would work fine. ( no returns.. so he sold it at a loss to another shooter in our loose group that actually has a 357 sig.

Next.. same guy goes to gander mountain to get some 35 remington, they try to , or rather, did sell him 35whelen, but he called me before leaving the store and I told him to turn around and return it before he left. Dumb MF'ers at the gun counter.....

A while back I was looking for some 45 auto rim, I needed some more brass to load up and was willing to pay more and drive locally, vs ordering online and waiting a few days, since I had some bench time lined up. Called every gun store in town, found one that said they had it. i get there... and it's 45acp. I even explained on the phone that it was a RIMMED cartridge. " Oh yeah sure, we have alot of it "

[trapper9260]

I was down at my gunsmith one time and he show me a 22lr case that some one shot in a 22mag rifle.He said that the person went to a gun show and the one that sold him the gun told him it was a 22lr. That is what he wanted and then he got some 22lr and went to shoot them and the case got stuck in the gun and could not get it out .So he brought to the gun smith to get it fix and found out it was a 22mag rifle. that the the guy bought.So even the one that sell guns dose not always know what they are selling.

[rondog]

I've often wondered what kind of moronic things various thugs and gangbangers have done with guns and ammo. Most of 'em don't have the sense to pour p!ss out of a boot, to them they're just guns and bullets - put the bullets in the gun and go be a man.....

[broomhandle]

Hi Guys,

I shoot at a local indoor range. They were doing a nightly cleanup about a month ago. They swept up a full box of 50 rounds of 40 cal that were fired in a 45 ACP! Thank the gun gods that the pistol did not blow up! They made a little warning sign up on the cash register with three cases taped to it!

Be safe,
broom

[RGrosz]

I once heard a story of one dumb moroon who had a 44 Mag and tried to rob a store with it. He made it about 2 blocks, and was arrested. When they searched him they found the gun and when they check it out each chamber in the revolver had 2 .22lr. in them. When the arresting officer asked ha was told the gun store clerk told hiom it would be OK 'cause 22 + 22 equals 44 and the gun is a 44. Guess some people will believe anything.

Rob

[Sur-shot]

Oh, you need to spend 25 plus years as a range master at a military base rod and gun club range, as a civilian. If a GI can stick a "found" anything, in a chamber, they will shoot it or try to. You ever see what a 353 Freedom Arms will do to an overloaded 357 mag? I had a full Bull Colonel walk up to me on the firing line with a hand full of brass and ask "what is wrong with my brass" he had a hand full of shredded brass, every piece was torn, no, actually ripped in half. If had been anything but that 353, he would have been wearing it. I told Dick he was way over pressure and to get the gun off the line.

Then there was the young, little, skinny, 2nd Lt that the LGS has sold an Encore handgun to, in 30-06 with two boxes of 180gr Remington Corelocks. I saw him and slid right up behind him very quietly. First time he pulled the trigger, he just sat there in stunned shock, then slowly looked left and right, never saw me. Started shaking his right hand and rubbing it. Then he reloaded that monster and did er again. He dropped the gun on the bench and started cussing and rubbing his hand again, I started laughing out loud, he spun around and realized I had been standing there the entire time. Went by the LGS two days later, there it was in the gun case with a box of bullets, two empty rounds in it.

Just one story after another, one repair after another. Amazing.
Ed

[Sasquatch-1]

An old co-worker is lucky to still be on this earth. He was chasing a drug thug, in N. W. Washington D. C. When he followed the thug around a van the thug was standing there with a .32 cal revolver and pulled the trigger. What saved this co-worker was the fact the thug had .32 acp in the cylinders and the had traveled to the barrel end of the cylinder.





I've often wondered what kind of moronic things various thugs and gangbangers have done with guns and ammo. Most of 'em don't have the sense to pour p!ss out of a boot, to them they're just guns and bullets - put the bullets in the gun and go be a man.....

[TexasGrunt]

Not quite, Chill. Lot of them don't have licenses! Or enough money for a car. SSDI is not a good living, especially if you never worked.

If you've never worked you can't collect SSDI. Maybe SSI but not with the D in it.


Hi Guys,

I shoot at a local indoor range. They were doing a nightly cleanup about a month ago. They swept up a full box of 50 rounds of 40 cal that were fired in a 45 ACP! Thank the gun gods that the pistol did not blow up! They made a little warning sign up on the cash register with three cases taped to it!

Be safe,
broom

No way for the gun to blow up. You can shoot a .223 in a .300 BLK but not the other way. A .300 BLK will chamber in a .223/5.56 firearm. However it will do terrible things to it when fired.

[Texas by God]

It amazes me that people never read anything stamped on the firearm. Such as caliber.

[DonMountain]

And I suppose none of you have ever made one of these mistakes yourselves? A friend of mine and I went to the shooting range to fire a couple of antique military rifles and guess what happened? I didn't know a 30-40 Krag round from his rifle would fit right in my 303 British rifle if you happened to pick it up out of the wrong box.

[Kraschenbirn]

It amazes me that people never read anything stamped on the firearm. Such as caliber.

Definitely agree, however, many new gun owners may not understand what they're reading and can be easily misinformed by incompetent salespersons. Just last week, a shooting buddy asked for .38 Supers at a big box store that was having a sale on ammunition (he probably wouldn't darkened their doorway except for the "10% Off"). Weenie behind the counter handed him a box of .380s. Doug pushed back the .380s and explained again that he was looking for .38 Supers. Salesguy went to his computer terminal, punched in a search, then turned to Doug, sliding the .380s back across the counter, and says: "We don't list them as '.38 Super' but these are the same thing." Needless to say, Doug just turned around and walked away.

But, let's say that the customer was a first-time handgun owner who'd gotten lucky and picked up a nice Series 70 Colt for a couple hundred bucks from a neighbor's elderly widow who just "wanted it out of the house." What then? (Could happen; a couple years ago, a widowed friend of my wife's asked me to take a near-mint, 60's-vintage Browning A5 to a 'gun buy-back' and was somewhat overwhelmed when, a week later, I handed her the $800 I got after showing it around at a trap/skeet club meeting...the 'buy-back' would've given her $50)

Another example might be the middle-age lady who showed up a one of our 'new shooter orientations' with a very nice Walther PPK marked "9mm Kurz" and a box of 9x19s some WalMart nitwit had sold her. Yeah, she may have asked for the wrong item but, somehow, I seriously doubt it.

Bill

[TexasGrunt]

And I suppose none of you have ever made one of these mistakes yourselves? A friend of mine and I went to the shooting range to fire a couple of antique military rifles and guess what happened? I didn't know a 30-40 Krag round from his rifle would fit right in my 303 British rifle if you happened to pick it up out of the wrong box.

I've never done it.

I'm always careful to not have similar ammo out at the same time.

[brstevns]

Believe the 30-40 would just firer form to 303 british .

[Harter66]

The 303 in the 30-40 is about .1 short the 30-40 might be ok in the 303 but that other 1/10 would sure fill up the throat .

[Hardcast416taylor]

Several years back I was in a `Big Box` store with a sporting goods dept. I styruck a conversation with a young man that had 2 boxes of 7 MM Mauser ammo on the counter. I asked what model of surplus Mauser he would be shooting them in? He replied that the `clerk` advised him on this ammo for antelope hunting. Again I asked about the Mauser and getting a bit nervous about his answers. He said he had just got his 700 Remington 2 weeks before and would be heading to Wyoming `goat` hunting with it. Turns out he had a 7 Rem. Mag. and the `clerk` had told him the Mauser ammo was just what he wanted. I convinced the young man to not buy the Mauser ammo and to go to a reputable gun shop where he wouldn`t be steered into the wrong ammo.Robert

[acoop101]

When I was working at a rifle range every once and a while I would find a 223 casing fireformed to a 7.62*39 chamber. It always gave me the chills.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

[220]

And I suppose none of you have ever made one of these mistakes yourselves?

It happens and can happen very easily, my son has managed it twice with my 22mag. Probably easier to do with sako quad than most as it has interchangeable 17HM2, 17HMR, 22lr and 22WMR barrels. Often we will shoot more than one barrel the same day.
1st time somehow a 17HMR V-max round had been placed into a open box of V-max 22 mag ammo. Head stamp is identical when you look at them in the box and he tipped 5 into his hand and loaded the magazine without even looking. 3 shot went pop and he knew something wasn't right, problem was pretty obvious when the case was ejected, split and torn neck with the shoulder still visible.
2nd time we had switched from shooting the 22lr to 22mag and a loaded 22lr mag was still sitting out, guess what got inserted and fired?
Once again pretty obvious something wasn't right.

I did hear a story of a new shooter purchasing a 17HMR that displayed woeful accuracy that was returned to the store only to be realised it was in fact a 22mag.

[TexasGrunt]

When I was working at a rifle range every once and a while I would find a 223 casing fireformed to a 7.62*39 chamber. It always gave me the chills.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

Why?

It's a lot safer than a .300 BLK in a .223

[acoop101]

Why?

It's a lot safer than a .300 BLK in a .223
While that is true, it just scared me that people don't pay attention. The biggest thing was that when we found them we usually found five or 10 of them at a time.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

[brstevns]

The 303 in the 30-40 is about .1 short the 30-40 might be ok in the 303 but that other 1/10 would sure fill up the throat . You are right. I just meant to say if the person shooting the 303 British put a 30-40 krag in by mistake I do not think he would be able to tell the difference.

[Harter66]

I knew that but many may not . I wouldn't have known if I hadn't had a couple show up in a bunch of 303 I was making brass 410 from .

[Rich/WIS]

A friend of mine at our club shoots and reloads for his 300 WSSM so if I find any brass I give it to him. He got lucky last year when I gave him a full box of factory ammo. A new shooter had come out that day to try his new 300 Win Mag and that was the ammo the clerk at a well known sporting goods chain had sold him when he bought the rifle. He couldn't return it and gave it to me for my friend. Had a guy last year complaining of misfires in his 38 snubby, then he got a rim under the extractor. When I went to help him discovered he was shooting 38 Super instead of 38 special, a really hot load for a old revolver. Some people's guardian angels are working REALLY hard.

[seaboltm]

Question how did they get the bolt to close there is a lot of difference between 30-06 and 8x57 mauser like 6mm difference

My guess it was converted to 8mm-06 which was popular years ago on surplus mausers. A 30-06 would likely fire in an 8mm-06 but i would guess accuracy would be terrible

[ravelode]

:shock:Friend of mine owns a Rossi. 454 Casull M92 also has an old Colt .45LC revolver guess what the .454 ammo fits in the revolver, luckily he knew what would happen and didn't pull the trigger.

[blikseme300]

Believe it or not the magazine from a Stoeger Cougar 9mmP fits perfectly into a Stoeger Cougar 40S&W. The different sound when the trigger is pulled and the dust puff about 10 yards out makes you wonder what happened.

Made me pay more attention real quick.

[brstevns]

Not found at the range, but as a young man a friend showed me a few 410 3 inch shells that were split down the side to the rim .
He new I was into rifle and shotguns so asked me what might be causing this. When I asked what type of shotgun he was firing these in, you will not believe his answer. He was firing them in a sawed off trap door springfield, that his Uncle had cut down both barrel and stock to make a pistol . I could not convince him to stop with the practice. Said it was the best rabbit gun he ever had.

[TCLouis]

Among other interesting range pickups, I have 20 300 Win Mag cases fireformed in a Weatherby chamber.
Neck is really short on those.

Going through my 44 mag brass one day there was one odd swollen case . . .
Some idiot had shot a 41 mag in a 44 Mag.
Wait that was brass from the ammo I was shooting that afternoon . . .
I had not had a 41 Mag for years, but apparently still had one loaded round.

[rondog]

I pulled into one of the ranges at my club once and found 18 empty M1 Garand enbloc clips that someone had placed on the bench for somebody to glom onto. I was tickled! Thankyouverymuch!

[Elmo]

I used to make the rounds of unused gravel pits and pick up brass. I found a fired 30-30 case that had the front half fire formed in what I believe was a 45-70. Got a bunch of comments when I left it on the sign in table at our IHMSA range.
Elmo

[Good Cheer]

My horror story; finding 8mm brass at the rifle range that had been fired in a 30-06.

I took those empties inside to the ammo counter and explained to them that they really needed to pay attention to what they sold their customers.

[Tackleberry41]

We should probably admit, it can get pretty confusing when it comes to ammo anymore. How many boxes of ammo can you see on a shelf that all start with 300? A dozen easy. And we should probably admit there are alot of people in gun shops who should not be. I know I have seen people ask for something specific to get something else handed to them. My ex sold a 9mm thru a former cop she knew, whoever was buying it wanted to test it. Well 9mm Makarov is technically 9mm, they could not figure out why it didn't work. Sometimes its just having to much ammo on a table. Went skeet shooting with some people, one guy could not get the 16ga I was using to work in his 12ga. He was also the same guy who grabbed some of my neck sized 300win mag and got it jammed in his rifle.

[sniper]

I was at the local range one day, and a nice oung man took the bench next to me. He had an AR-15 that he had gotten for a "real good price" at a gun show. He loaded it up, and started adjusting his scope...by turning it and moving it back and forth in the rings!:shock: I suggested he might want to tighten them up a bit, but no...and on his forst shot, it went full auto for 3 rounds! That got everybody's attention! I suggested he needed to take it to a gunsmith, and have it checked out...but, again, he didn't want to hear it. :mad: I left soon after that!

[Plate plinker]

300 blk in a .223 yep. Friend had one given to him at a training thing he does. He said everything was stretched. After some time he was able to remove the bolt head of the ar and discover this.

[Ben_51004]

Very interesting thread. Back in the '60's as a kid, I watched people shoot .308 Win. in brought home 7.7 Jap rifles... I actually saw it, not at shooting ranges but at clay pits and other informal shooting areas... and I've never forgotten that. Have no idea what the pressure difference between the two rounds is but some of those late-war rifles had to be pretty poorly constructed at best. Never heard of any problems.. but... Ben.

[Harter66]

Very interesting thread. Back in the '60's as a kid, I watched people shoot .308 Win. in brought home 7.7 Jap rifles... I actually saw it, not at shooting ranges but at clay pits and other informal shooting areas... and I've never forgotten that. Have no idea what the pressure difference between the two rounds is but some of those late-war rifles had to be pretty poorly constructed at best. Never heard of any problems.. but... Ben.

I'm going to go with pretty low pressures from a 308 in a 7.7 .
The 7.7 is a 57 sister vs the 308 at 51 mm the bore off set of 312 vs 308 bullet doesn't hurt anything either .

[bdicki]

My horror story; finding 8mm brass at the rifle range that had been fired in a 30-06.

I took those empties inside to the ammo counter and explained to them that they really needed to pay attention to what they sold their customers.
I was at the gunsmiths when a M98 that was chambered in 30-06 came in for a stuck bolt, the dealer sold the guy that bought the gun some 8X57 shells. The first shot and the bolt was stuck closed, he beat it open and fired another round. the bolt stuck so bad that he couldn't beat it open. The gunsmith got it open, the case head was melted and you could see the path that the melted brass took as it left the gun. Right out the slot on the side of the receiver. The gun was destroyed, bottom metal was bent, the stock broken, and a chip off of one locking lugs.

[HABCAN]

Just the other day my buddy brought me some range-pickup (swollen) PPU .44 Mag brass he'd found on the firing line...........that had been fired along with some FC .45 Colt brass........I guess in the same gun. No records of anyone with hand damage being admitted to 'Emergency', so I guess they got away with it.........this time. "Here Bud, try mine!"

[Soundguy]

I've seen some darn scarry things by people that called themselves gunsmiths. I was at a show with a buddy I was looking for some .452 cast lead in a different profile than I mold, you know, grab a small pack, see how they run, etc. I had just gotten so.e .452 when my non reload buddy asked me what a .452 would ' go in'. I pointed to a 45 acp on a table we were passing. The 'hunsmith' running the table had a cow.. " that's .450 ". Thinking he misheard something, I explained I was telling my buddy that you'd use .451 jacketed bullets, or .452 cast for instance. He got more beligerant started beating his chest how long he had been a gunsmith and that it used .450. I loudly informed every one in the isle to avoid the table as the seller had no clue what he was doing. Boy that made him mad ;)

[Texas by God]

I got some .45 LC brass from a CAS shooter and in the hundred I got were 17 44-40s that were fired in a .45 LC. Not dangerous but dumb!
Best, Thomas.

[303Guy]

I know a 308 cartridge will chamber and fire in a 270. Sometimes the 270 will actually survive! My uncle told me of a test rifle (fired remotely) that split its ring and the barrel followed the bullet down range. The barrel apparently was still intact.

[am44mag]

I once asked for a box of 7.62x54R and the clerk tried to hand me a box of 7.62x39mm... I have never trusted any gun shop employee since unless I knew them. This thread tells me that was the right decision.

[Soundguy]

My brother walked into gander and asked for 38spl, the sold him 38 super. :/

[oldblinddog]

The 8x57 in a .30-06 seems to be common. I have seen it done. The shooter assumed that a mauser action with a military stepped barrel meant that it had to be 8x57 and therefore bought dies and bullets and loaded accordingly. The rifle survived, a testament to the strength of the 98 design.

[swheeler]

Last summer I was out at a local area in the bush south of town, where people often go to do some informal shooting. When I arrived, I did my part as a totally obsessed reloader, and collected all the reloadable brass others have so graciously left behind.


After I collected what was there, I had planned on doing my own shooting. While I was picking up some brass, I noticed 9-10 very unusual looking cartridges, all clumped together on the ground. Short necks and an uneven/ oblong circumference. 4 or 5 of the cases had a split along the neck down to about half way to the case head!


When I looked closely, the cases were head stamped 300 savage. The body shape and shoulder location was reminiscent of a 308 Winchester! It always amazes me how people can get their ammo so mixed up! Not too mention that they are certainly not observant in the least! To do this once is dangerous and careless, but 10 times is plain idiotic!!!!! WOW!


Then this last week, I go out to the same area again, and found some MORE of these mutilated gems! This shooting area is fairly large, therefore, for the person who shot these new Cartridge gems in "EXACTLY" the same spot, HAD to be the same person as before! This time they decided to shoot 300 winchester magnum cartridges in a 300 Weatherby chambered rifle! This left 8 or 9 big super short necked, double radius shouldered empties lying around! LMAO!


Fellow shooters, lets be sure to help newer and/or inexperienced shooters to learn the importance of cartridge nomenclature, and the significance of how their safety (and everyone around them) is at stake! I hope this/these fellows didn't damage their firearms or themselves in the process!


I have kept these case as a reminder and a learning tool for my boys and new shooters.


Take care fellow shooters, and be safe!

OMG what next, firing 300 H&h in 300 weatherby chamber? Oops that's how brass was made ;-)

[hornady308]

I've seen many .380 acp cases fired from Makarov pistols. It isn't dangerous, but it isn't very accurate, either. It can be very confusing today with all the different cartridges available. As a kid, I remember being very confused by the stampings on the side of a Remington No. 6 rifle: ".22 short, .22 Long, .22 Long Rifle". I'd be willing to bet that most people on this forum don't know the difference between the last two.

[higgins]

A couple of years ago I watched a man shoot a whole box of 25/06 factory loaded ammo in a 30/06 rifle. His buddy was watching through a spotting scope and neither of them acted like anything appeared unusual about the target. I thought the rifle report sounded odd, but didn't know what had happened until they left and I picked up their brass. This was a few days before deer season; maybe he hunted with 25/06 ammo.

[Uncle Grinch]

I've got a .223 case that was fired in a 7.62x39 AR. Happened at our range by a club member and his new rifle.

[Lance Boyle]

I remember a guy that bought a .17 HMR and a .22LR matching rifles. He says his son went shooting and took the wrong gun and fired a .22lr in the .17 and ruptured the case and stuck the
Bullet in the throat.

[rintinglen]

I was at a public range and watched as a couple of gangsta-looking fellows struggled with a snub-nosed revolver. They shot up a box of ammo and left, leaving their detritus on the bench. After a bit I got curious and walked over. They had been shooting 32 S&W longs in a 38 special by wrapping the cases with scraps of paper towels. The cases looked like a funnel going down to the case head. Curiously, none of them had split, they had merely ballooned out to reach the walls of the 38 cylinder chambers.

[Soundguy]

new fireforming technique. ;)

[flint45]

There is no shortage of stupid people, I meet them all the time at the range they are full of "good" advice if you know what I mean. Its a lot better now that I shoot at a club instead of a public range but they still show up more super experts then idiots know.

[Tom W.]

I took some .270 and .25/06 brass and reformed it to 30/06. People freaked when they saw the headstamp. Worse, later I had the rifle rechambered to 30/06 ai. That really had the people scratching their heads...

[Harter66]

Waitll ya get it reamed to 300 Gibbs .
(308 neck and shoulder on an 06')

[17nut]

Got to talking to a guy at work. told me his dad had brought a german 8mm rifle home from the war. had some ammo, too, but he couldn't figure out what the big deal was. The rifle wasn't accurate at all. I asked him to show me what they had been shooting. Next day he brought a couple of rounds with military headstamp. They had been shooting 30-06 ammo. When I explained the difference in bullet diameter, you could see the lightbulb turning on.

No can do!

It's impossible to chamber a 30-06 in a 8x57

203552

A 308 yes a 30-06 no.

[17nut]

The top is a 32 shell probably fired in a 28 gun.
2 x 44SPL from a 45LC
God only knows what happened to the steel case 9mm and i'm even scared to think og what happened to the 223

203553

[Soundguy]

No can do!

It's impossible to chamber a 30-06 in a 8x57

203552

A 308 yes a 30-06 no.

Remeber.. it just takes a little trimming and forming to turn 30-06 brass into 8x57 brass. Then you have 8x57 cases with 30-06 headstamps to make people scratch their heads.

[Tom W.]

Yup. Sometimes you gotta keep your reformed brass hid, or someone will say " Guess what I saw some idiot at the range do today!"

[TCLouis]

As much effort as I expend making 30, 357 Herrett from 30-30, 6.5X257 from 7X57 and 7.7X58 from 270 and 30-06, I am bound to lose one or two on the range and just think what people say when they find it and try to reload it in the parent configuration.
219 Donaldson Wasp with that 30-30 headstamp ought to really freak them out!

I think most of what I have found is 300 Winchester that had been fired in 300 Weatherby. Sure does make for a short neck!

[gunwonk]

I think most of what I have found is 300 Winchester in 300 Weatherby. Sure makes for a short neck!
I'll take those, if you find enough to be worth shipping. They ought to make perfectly good .350 Remington cases.

Plus, I think they're probably once fired ... ! :)

[merlin101]

A good friend bought a Mosin Nagant and it came with a bag-o-bullets, took it to the range and first round (lucky he only loaded one round) fired but stuck so bad he couldn't work the bolt. I started looking at the ammo and some were steel case and some brass, pulled the brass ones out and they were head stamped 30-30 and the bullets where crooked in the case. The length was wrong and the cannelure was showing and they were crimped so tight that the cases were buckled. He called the previous owner and was told "it's all the same and good ammo I made it myself"! OK, The bolt stuck because the chamber was fouled from I think corrosive ammo.

[woodbutcher]

:) RE:22short long long rifle.The 22 long is nothing more than the 22 short bullet and powder chg in a long rifle case.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[memtb]

While I didn't make the find.....very eerie! Many years ago ( around '84,I think), I was doing some Sunday shooting on a river bank where others did some shooting. As we were leaving I observed a new pick-up truck parked nearby, Louisiana summer day...occupant just sitting with windows down ( hot/humid). Several days later, two decomposing bodies were found just downriver from where I was shooting. Time of death, estimated to be Sunday night! The pick-up I saw belonged to one of the victims. Suspected drug related killing! memtb

[jrmartin1964]

And I suppose none of you have ever made one of these mistakes yourselves?

It might happen to me tomorrow, but not once in the 40+ years I've been shooting anything larger than a BB gun. No. I have not.

[fatelk]

I'm embarrassed to say I once accidentally fired a magazine full of .380 in a 9mm Makarov. I had foolishly brought along two different bags of ammo, one .380 and one 9Mak, with similar cast bullets. No harm done but I sure felt stupid. I'm normally quite careful.

On the subject of mixing cartridges, that's why I hunt with a .458 Win Mag. It's the most versatile gun because you can shoot any belted round in it, from .264 to .458 and everything in between.




(Just kidding of course. I don't own one and don't even hunt.)

[Soundguy]

I have a .458 lott, and shoot .458 winmags in it as 'shorts' :)

[toallmy]

The wife and I were shooting together a while back when she said I think I broke my gun , when she worked the slide a 9mm complete cartridge would fall out the end of the barrel . At first I mind fumbled how did that happen , but realized she had picked up my 45 and put her mag in it , we both have Springfield 1911s but one is 9 and the other a 45 so things can happen . Be safe

[texassako]

I had a new one today scrounging for range brass. Found a few .270 Win cases by a bench, and find the rest in a factory Winchester Super-X box unfired in the trash can. Who shoots 3 rounds and throws the rest of the box away?

[Soundguy]

Did the case mouths look like they were opened up to 30 cal?

[texassako]

Did the case mouths look like they were opened up to 30 cal?

No, still .270 size.

[bruce drake]

older box? might have pressure issues from poor storage.

Or the shooter didn't like the recoil and doesn't reload.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Years ago I was at the local range, guy walks up with a 45-70 lever gun; Hmm interesting I think.

Then he takes his ammo out; I left the area.

The first round of his 45-70 brass was accordioned, case probably an inch short, and I suspect they were full house loads; I decided "Discretion is the better part of valor"... He seemed the "Eh what could go wrong? Here, hold my beer." sort...

[Soundguy]

Might have been compressed black powder loads.

[3006guns]

It was many years ago, up in the mountains surrounding the S.F. Bay Area, where a guy could still shoot once in awhile. I was popping off rounds from an M1 carbine and noticed a younger guy shooting one of those cheap, Thompson sub gun look alikes. You know the type.......die cast receiver looking something like a 1928 Thompson, with a ridiculously long barrel. Anyway, this guy pops off a couple, stops shooting and hoses down the chamber with a handy can of WD40. He then fires again and repeats the performance. In the 30 rounds he fired, he must have used that oil at least five times.

I finally walked over and asked what he was doing. "Oh" he said, "This gun's brand new and has some feeding problems. I'm just oiling it until it breaks in......." I asked to see the weapon and immediately saw a step between the chamber and magazine top, a manufacturing defect. Every round had to jump over that step to chamber. I informed the young nimrod of the real problem and he thanked me for my trouble. Then he proceeded to shoot more WD40 down the bore and shoot a few more rounds.

What really scared me is that he had car keys. People like that shouldn't drive, let alone have a gun.

[yeahbub]

This isn't about mismatched ammo, but scary incompetence all the same. About thirty years ago, an acquaintance showed me a fine new acquisition he had attained, a very nice (long) WW1 Mauser, roller coaster sight and all, almost not a mark on it. I checked it out for him and it was sound and in excellent condition. He said I'd never believe where he got it. Tell me, sez I. From one of the fellows who picked up his trash. It seems an elderly veteran neighbor some miles down the road passed away and the kids came to his house to help his wife sort through his belongings. In the process, they came across all his wartime accoutrement, uniform, medals, photos, etc., including the Mauser. Apparently, the kids and his widow divvied up what he had, but no one wanted or knew anything about guns, and the trash man found it sticking out of the trash can on the curb along with a good bit of WW1 memorabilia in there. The trash guy took it back up to the house to ask them if they knew what they were doing, but they couldn't relate and had no appreciation for what they had and made it plain it wasn't wanted. He didn't shoot, but he took it with him and traded it to the fellow I knew. I think a chapter of history died with that veteran that will now never be known, but at least the rifle remains and is in good hands.

[rancher1913]

went to the local range the other day just to scrounge lead and found the city pd was using one side so being the half way polite fellow that I am asked if I could use the other range, was told in no uncertain terms that they were using both ranges and I needed to move along. this was complete BS as they were not members but rather guests that we allowed to use the range and any member could tell them to take a hike. well long story short I left and returned the next morning because it really did not mater when I got my range scrap and of course I check all the barrels for brass and whatever other good stuff I can find, well in the trash barrel where the PD was shooting I found 4 sets of body armor, 2 had been shot to heck and 2 looked worn but could find no evidence of any damage so those went home with me.

[TXGunNut]

...well in the trash barrel where the PD was shooting I found 4 sets of body armor, 2 had been shot to heck and 2 looked worn but could find no evidence of any damage so those went home with me. -rancher1913

Modern soft body armor has an expiration date, most departments will not use it after that date. After that it's only good for ammo testing or goofing around as far as they're concerned.

[rancher1913]

Yah knew that, I was a LEO for 15 years. Still good for the end of the world shtf and it was free

[Soundguy]

Agreed. If nothing else it should stop some shrapnel.

When I do point blank range ( 4' ) testing of ballistic gelatin blocks, ( from a sitting position at a rest ) ill wear a IIIA vest, and have another IIIA vest laying in my lap to cover the boys, just in case something kicks back ( backstop material, shed jackets, bone - for when I do rib shoot thru testing, etc.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

I once came across a guy trying to beat the bolt of an SKS closed. He was using what looked like 7.62x54r ammo! I tried explaining that his SKS was chambered for the 7.62x39. He just couldn’t understand how a few numbers mattered.


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[2ndAmendmentNut]

I didn’t witness it, but a shooter at a cowboy action match ran 10rds of black powder 44-40s through a borrowed 45colt lever action. Amazingly he still shot the stage clean.


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[woody402]

I know a guy that shot a 308 in a 270 I believe It was. It went off clear the barrel. And no damage to the gun. Scare part is he did it twice!!!

[EMC45]

I have been finding old .45 brass at the range. 41 and 42. Copper primer. I clean them and load them.

[Wayne Smith]

I know a guy that shot a 308 in a 270 I believe It was. It went off clear the barrel. And no damage to the gun. Scare part is he did it twice!!!

I'd like to know what kind of rifle that was!

[swheeler]

I was sitting at the bench next to a guy that fired 8mm military ball in his Interarms MKX 30-06. It took a few good whacks to open the bolt, no harm done that could be found by his/ my gunsmith. This was 1988 and this guy was a well known and respected stock maker in Kalispell, I miss him.

That gunsmith had given Mel 40-50 rounds of 06 ball to shoot up, there were a couple 8mm mixed in, yikes!

[nicholst55]

At a military facility that shall remain nameless, a test was being conducted that involved acoustic recording of various rifles. Among those being fired that day were a Bulgarian PSL in 7.62X54R and a Winchester M70 in .308. Understand that the people involved are supposed to be professionals, job title 'Gunner.'

At some point, a 7.62X54R cartridge was inserted into the Winchester M70's chamber. When the bolt wouldn't close easily, said Gunner tried to force it closed. Repeatedly. When someone realized what had happened, they tried repeatedly to remove the X54R cartridge, which was now firmly wedged into the chamber. Various objects were used to try to tap the cartridge out, to no avail.

When the rifles were returned to me, I also attempted to remove the X54R cartridge but I was smart enough to admit defeat early on. Ultimately, we had to send the rifle to a local gunsmith who pulled the barrel, and was able to remove the offending cartridge. I didn't have the opportunity to ask him how he removed it.

Now I was always taught that when you're shooting multiple guns in different calibers, you only have one gun, and the corresponding ammo, on the bench at any given time. This pretty well eliminates mishaps of this type. But obviously, I'm not a professional Gunner.

[OS OK]

When he started forcing the bolt, that's when things got stupid...can't fix that!

[Reverend Al]

Now I was always taught that when you're shooting multiple guns in different calibers, you only have one gun, and the corresponding ammo, on the bench at any given time. This pretty well eliminates mishaps of this type. But obviously, I'm not a professional Gunner.

Several years ago we had an incident at a local range where a shooter had two identical Remington 700 rifles, one in .308 Winchester and one in 7mm Rem Mag. He was shooting reloads that were stored in two identical MTM style green ammo boxes. (You can see what's coming I'm sure.) He would fire a 5 shot group with one rifle and then switch to the other allowing the first rifle to cool. After firing a shot out of one of the rifles he woke up on the ground behind the shooting bench, his arms riddled with splinters of stock wood and the barreled action behind him on the ground. When he switched to the 7mm Rem Mag he accidentally chambered and fired a round of .308 Winchester by mistake. The extractor must have caught the rim and held it against the bolt face since the firing pin struck the primer and fired the undersized case and sent the much oversized bullet through the 7mm bore. The action held and the bolt remained shut (good for him!), but the hot gas from the ruptured case destroyed the stock and turned it into wooden shrapnel. He needed a trip to hospital to extract all the stock wood fragments, but he survived the experience. He was darn lucky ... if it wasn't such a strong action like the 700 Remington it could have been much, much worse.

[rmark]

Many years ago i sold my 8mm Mauser so that I'd never run one through my 30-06's by accident. Plus the Mauser wasn't nearly as nice as the 1903a3.

[crawfobj]

A guy that used to work for me once fired a .308 round through his .270 at a deer. Deer died and the rifle (Rem 700) somehow held together.

[bruce drake]

I didn’t witness it, but a shooter at a cowboy action match ran 10rds of black powder 44-40s through a borrowed 45colt lever action. Amazingly he still shot the stage clean.


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I've seen some of those "Long-range" stages at some SASS Shoots. Those 44 caliber bullets tumbling end over end would probably still hit at 25 yards.

[Rodfac]

Great stories, guys! And the prime reason I NEVER pick up range brass that is not my own...too many morons out there to risk my eyes and limbs saving a nickle on a piece of brass. Rod

[frkelly74]

I always pick up every piece of brass I see that someone else has left and doesn't want, It has value even if only as scrap brass. The list of interesting finds at the range I used to frequent was long and varied. I found nine 20 round boxes of steel cased 223 ammo all neatly stacked in the trash can once, I found a nice but bent one piece plastic coated cleaning rod which I straightened and use, several good gun cases, a small safe that turned out to be stolen from Western Michigan University, duly turned over to the law after I cut the bottom out and found identifying documents inside, A dueling tree of welded iron plates. I found and picked up several hundred dollars worth of bottles and cans to redeem for the 10 cent Michigan deposit. Some people buy pop just to shoot rather than to drink apparently. If you straighten the cans and feed them into the machines just right they will get the 10 cent credit. The effect of this was to get paid to clean up the range. And of course lead and brass were always available. Lately , in the last 5/10 years many more people are picking up the brass and consequently pickings have become much slimmer.

[Soundguy]

agreed, others bad brass is still good scrap brass to sell.

[largom]

I volunteered at a county shooting range for sometime. A lot of the big city shooters would show up with a half dozen boxes factory ammo. They would then blast these away, dump the empty's into the brass barrel and go home to talk about their great day at the shooting range. I acquired a lifetime supply of once fired brass for each caliber gun I own. I took the "unknown" brass to the scrap yard and sold it for the range.
As I said this was a County owned range, not a gun club, and most of the shooters, which had to pay to use range, were from the city's and doubtful if any ever loaded their own ammo.

[Wagnerwerks]

As a youngster I used to go to a range to shoot fresh off the press 38 wad cutters as fast as my pap would let me. We would do a lead and brass scrounge and I would pick up as many clay birds as I could use for targets. One trip I found a half a stainless 357 mag cylinder laying on the ground. It's my "look at this before reloading" memento. I'll try to remember to take a picture of it in the morning as it currently resides in my toolbox drawer.

[Wagnerwerks]

Here it is...

[camp]

****, i could use some more 300 savage case :(

[bruce drake]

Here it is...

That is a great visual reminder of why reloaders need to pay attention when they are loading.

[OS OK]

That is a great visual reminder of why reloaders need to pay attention when they are loading.

Very true...but, at least he got his 'Man Card' out of it! ;)

[Wagnerwerks]

Unless he got the "stupid card" on the way to the hospital.

[Soundguy]

Mighta got the Darwin award.

[salpal48]

Generally @ the range I mind My self. I also found Stupid people seem To know More than My self. Therefor I try to shoot sort Of Out of Explosion range

[fiberoptik]

In boot camp while firing 1911’s ( from ww1?) the recruit next to me fired first round and the slide flew off the frame behind him!


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