Failure to fire

[tsubaki]

My wife was shooting the Alaskan today with I had a few "factory" 45colt I inherited a while back, figured I'd get her to burn up the last of them.
While shooting the last cylinder full I heard the hammer fall but there was no noise. She stopped and said "it's locked up, the hammer or trigger won't move".

I was finally able to open the cylinder after palming the firearm a few times.
The primer had backed out just slightly, just enough not to be able to open the cylinder.

When I got back home I pulled the bullet.
To my surprise there was no powder present in the case, not only that, there was no grease on the bullet either. Talk about a complete assembly failure!

Whoever's cartridge it was they used a 250gr bullet and nickle Starline brass.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

Benny, even though you described the cartridges as "factory," that number of mistakes/anomolies in one cartridge screams "reload" to me, and not one done by a company dedicated to remanufacturing, but perhaps an individual loading for a range or a shop whose QC practices aren't the best.

A friend picked up a box of ammo from her local shop that looked terrible to me: call me what you wish, mismatched headstamps in a box of ammo offered for sale commercially doesn't do anything for my confidence level. That shop had a local guy who'd put together reloads for them to sell. Any chance your ammo might be from a similar arrangement?

Rick C

 

[tsubaki]

I remember years ago my wife's uncle purchasing two boxes of 45colt at a gun show, this was from one of them.
I do remember the box was printed no different than the major ammunition manufacturers would and it did list the velocity from a 5" firearm but I can't definitely remember the name of the company.

 

[Mus408]

Well you never know what you get at a gun show. Easy to slip the reloads in a like new factory box and sell as new.

 

[wizofwas]

Nickel plated Starline brass just screams reload. Starline only makes brass. All of the major manufactures of ammo make their own brass. At a gun show, it's buyer beware.

 

[tsubaki]

I agree with all of y'all, thus the reason for the wording "factory".
During that time period there were many companies using new components and assembling their own. Some were even calling it "new/reloaded".

 

[bayou5252]

Ammo purchased either from a commercial vendor, at a gunshow or otherwise, or from an individual, which is clearly not factory packaged and labeled, is one commodity that I shun and refuse to take a risk on.

Simply put, you can never be sure what's inside that cartridge, or as the case may be, what's not inside the cartridge.....

 

[gwpercle]

Not a great idea to shoot "inherited" reloads, not knowing who loaded them and with what....or more importantly , without ...powder is important.
Buy and shoot only ammo known as from a commercial source untill you can reload your own......Then be extremely careful to make sure each round is properly charged with the correct type and amount of powder.
Things can go to heck in a handbasket real fast if you don't .
Load safe and be careful out there.
Gary