My first WTF moment at the range today.

This is why I spend a lot of time on cartridge names when I teach.

.38 ACP is *NOT* .380 ACP, but 9x19 NATO *IS* 9mm Luger!

and .218 Bee, 220 Swift, .223 Remington, .224 Valkyrie, .222 Remington, and .222 Remington all have .224" diameter bullets!

and 9x23 Largo, 9x23 Winchester, and 9x23 Steyr are all different and non-interchangable!
 
I am also guilty.. go about 6 rounds of 380 through a 9mm 1911 before I figured out what was going on. Doh!
 
Thst happened to me once before by accident.... was shooting a friend's 92fs, he had left a few .380s from his ppk/s on the same paper plate he had sprinkled a bunch of 9mm on that we were using!
 
I have seen the stories here of the crazy stuff everyone sees at the range and just figured I was either lucky to have never seen it, or I don't spend enough time at the range.
Today, as I packing up, a younger "kid" (mid twenties) had a target set up and started shooting. I tend to not watch people while Im there, so I didn't see anything he was doing, I could just hear the shots. Id say 20 or so. When I was ready to get my target, I finally started to approach him to see if he would pause for a moment.
He assumed I had been watching him prior and started to explain why his gun wasn't running properly.
"Yeah, I picked up this new 9MM ammo. Its just weak, wont cycle or eject from my gun".
So I took a round and instantly though, man, you are shooting 380s. These things are definitely short to be 9mm. Then I flipped it around to check headstamp, and I saw 9mm there. Because of the lighting, it took a minute to read the 9x18Mak on there.

I get that its not too crazy of a story, but shooting the wrong ammo for your firearm has got to be up there. it didn't even fully register with him when I told him until I had to flat out say, you are shooting the wrong ammo.


Reminds me a little bit of this gem from the movie Survivors with Robin Williams.
Valid part starts at 40 seconds.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDqx0gfYi-o
 
I have seen the stories here of the crazy stuff everyone sees at the range and just figured I was either lucky to have never seen it, or I don't spend enough time at the range.
Today, as I packing up, a younger "kid" (mid twenties) had a target set up and started shooting. I tend to not watch people while Im there, so I didn't see anything he was doing, I could just hear the shots. Id say 20 or so. When I was ready to get my target, I finally started to approach him to see if he would pause for a moment.
He assumed I had been watching him prior and started to explain why his gun wasn't running properly.
"Yeah, I picked up this new 9MM ammo. Its just weak, wont cycle or eject from my gun".
So I took a round and instantly though, man, you are shooting 380s. These things are definitely short to be 9mm. Then I flipped it around to check headstamp, and I saw 9mm there. Because of the lighting, it took a minute to read the 9x18Mak on there.

I get that its not too crazy of a story, but shooting the wrong ammo for your firearm has got to be up there. it didn't even fully register with him when I told him until I had to flat out say, you are shooting the wrong ammo.
[rolleyes][banghead]
 
Given that we had a thread a while back of a guy who walked up to a Walmart ammo counter and said "give me 38s" and then found out weeks later they gave him 38 super instead of 38spl (since he never bothered to check), and then got all pissed and threatened a boycott when they wouldn't exchange them, I find it totally plausible that this guy said "I need 9s" and an unknowing counter guy grabbed 9 Mak. Not noticing when loading them...that's another story. 9x19 and 9x18 don't look THAT alike, at least to me.
 
quickly overlaid the SAAMI spec for the 9x18 cartridge over the 9x19 chamber. There's about 0.11mm nominal interference all the way around the shoulder of the brass. This amounts to about 22 mm³ of total volumetric interference. Considering the case can be 0.13 mm undersized , and the chamber 0.1mm over and still all be in spec this is actually not that hard to imagine working.
upload_2019-1-18_12-13-50.png
 
This is why I spend a lot of time on cartridge names when I teach.

.38 ACP is *NOT* .380 ACP, but 9x19 NATO *IS* 9mm Luger!

and .218 Bee, 220 Swift, .223 Remington, .224 Valkyrie, .222 Remington, and .222 Remington all have .224" diameter bullets!

and 9x23 Largo, 9x23 Winchester, and 9x23 Steyr are all different and non-interchangable!

To a certain extent:

9mm NATO vs. 9mm Luger – Gun Nuts Media

Based on what I've read, I'd not run it through my Luger or Radom, though my modern S&W, I'd do it.

YMMV
 
The OP's story in this thread would not even make my top ten list of "crazy" moments at the range. The behavior described only posed a modest danger to the person doing it, and no real danger to other people nearby. I do commend the OP though for trying to help out once he understood the issue.

My advice is to always maintain a high level of situational awareness at the range. If you have not seen a lot of crazy stuff at the range, that is probably because you were not looking. Don't make that mistake. Of course, don't stare, and don't appear to be minding other peoples business. But due to carelessness or inexperience, some people are a danger to everyone near them.

I always discreetly keep an eye on who is doing what at the range, and I keep track of who appears competent and who appears to be less so. In the most extreme cases, it is necessary to either correct the issue or leave the area.

One other thought about the OP's story. When people are less experienced with firearms, it is especially important to watch them if they have a malfunction. Some people handle firearms pretty well, but if something funny happens, they lose track of what they are doing and point the firearm everywhere. I have seen people get a click instead of a bang, or have some type of a jam, and then point the firearm at themselves and their friends while keeping a finger on the trigger. When I ask if there is a live round in the chamber, and if they know the definitions for misfire, hangfire, and squib, I get blank stares.
 
Not only is the 9mm Mak. shorter but as Goliathan illustrated, the bullet diameter is greater. Maybe the much lower pressure saved this guy from wearing his gun. I have occasionally loaded a .380 that went unnoticed among the 9mm cases. In every case the .380 fell too far into the chamber for the firing pin to reach.
 
Weird.
9x18 is generally a pita to find and can be non existent a lot of the time. generally very clearly marked.

Has anybody seen makarov ammo at Walmart?
 
Weird.
9x18 is generally a pita to find and can be non existent a lot of the time. generally very clearly marked.

Has anybody seen makarov ammo at Walmart?
I've never seen mak at Walmart. Only at state line in plaistow and at kitttery trading Post.
 
Wait until you see someone shoot 9 out of a .40 or .40 out of a .45.

I made a 9/40 case once. Lol. Didn’t eject. Was surprised the bullets stayed in the mag.

Funniest I saw was a guy with a CETME shooting at 25 yds. He was making about an 8” circle then came over to tell me how great it was shooting. I’m no great shot, but I’ve used my Kel Tec 9mm rifle to hit the gong at 100 regularly.
 
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