Rechambering shotgun ammo?

[vaspence]

I’m no expert and if these duty rounds are a part of your job please disregard my below observation.

During deer season I load and unload my shotgun daily. Federal buckshot either 00 2 3/4” Federal FC or 3” Premium. This happens daily approximately 20 days of the season. The unloaded shells usually ride in the cup holder until the next morning. During the day the shotgun rides magazine loaded with chamber empty while driving around hunting. The removed shell also rides in the cup holder. (I’m still sporting and only load 3 shells). Depending on the year those 3 shotshells may be loaded and unloaded a few dozen times or more. Once at the place I’m hunting the shotgun is reloaded, this could happen 4 or more times daily depending on how motivated the deer/I are that day. Sometimes I load from the magazine, sometimes I slip the shell back in the chamber. Shotguns are semiauto usually a Benelli SBE or Beretta 1301.

I have not noticed any rim deformation or other issues with the Federal shells. All of my shells would be manufactured prior to March 2020.

[Chuck Whitlock]

Well I found this alternate way to unload my Stoeger M3000 in the manual so that solves that problem. I imagine most other shotguns have a way of doing this too.


Attachment 74426

That's how I unload my Benelli.

[willie]

I avoid some of these issues with handgun ammo by chambering the first round using a mag with that one bullet. I gently operate the slide to go forward and pick up the round from the mag and guide the slide with my hand. There is no slamming forward. If I remove the bullet, I rechamber it the same way. I do this at home. It might not be acceptable for a police officer because some would find the process to be an awkward example of administrative handling.

[OlongJohnson]

This post is NOT about live ammunition.

I have had an issue with Brownell's dummy shells, when I stupidly used them as snap caps. The repeated impacts drove the base of the brass forward, flattening the rim and expanding the OD. Figured out what was happening when one was a little sticky going into the tube and then wouldn't come back out. Had to disassemble the tube and pull them out the front. Looked, saw, learned. ID'ed all the dummy shells I'd f'ed up that way, and threw them in the trash. Stopped using them as snap caps and haven't had any more problems with that.

[Duelist]

I’m no expert and if these duty rounds are a part of your job please disregard my below observation.

During deer season I load and unload my shotgun daily. Federal buckshot either 00 2 3/4” Federal FC or 3” Premium. This happens daily approximately 20 days of the season. The unloaded shells usually ride in the cup holder until the next morning. During the day the shotgun rides magazine loaded with chamber empty while driving around hunting. The removed shell also rides in the cup holder. (I’m still sporting and only load 3 shells). Depending on the year those 3 shotshells may be loaded and unloaded a few dozen times or more. Once at the place I’m hunting the shotgun is reloaded, this could happen 4 or more times daily depending on how motivated the deer/I are that day. Sometimes I load from the magazine, sometimes I slip the shell back in the chamber. Shotguns are semiauto usually a Benelli SBE or Beretta 1301.

I have not noticed any rim deformation or other issues with the Federal shells. All of my shells would be manufactured prior to March 2020.

I do a lot of upland game hunting and do the same with my tube-fed shotguns. Break actions are, of course, a simpler matter. Big game is a rifle thing here.

[Shotgun]

What about rechambering shotshells in pump action or semi-auto shotguns? Obviously there is no bullet set back issues but what about the primer? Is there a limit to how many times I can rechamber these rounds?

No one can give an answer to that question that is reliably repeatable. There isn't going to be a hard and fast rule as to when a shotgun shell primer may go bad. I am aware of no studies of repeatedly rechambering shotgun shells to determine when primers may go bad. Hunters often rechamber shells many times before firing to no ill effect. I suspect the number of how many "rechamberings" it takes to lead to primer failure in a shotgun shell is as elusive as how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop. In most cases this number is very likely way more than 1, but one can never know for sure. Accordingly, the safe play for duty and self defense rounds is to simply not rechamber.

That being said, I do not think you are running the same risk as some AR 15 folks who repeatedly rechamber 5.56 rounds for whatever reason. AR 15s have a free floated firing pin that may tap the primer each time a round is rechambered. This repeated "tapping" of the primer has been observed to lead to primer failure. Pump action and semi-auto shotguns will usually have a firing pin spring which should prevent the "tapping" of the primer by the firing pin upon chambering/rechambering, at least if the shotgun is in good working order. I did not see that you mentioned the make and model of shotgun you have. You should Google "firing pin spring" and the make and model of your shotgun. You are likely to find that your shotgun has a firing pin spring.

Take a sample shell and run it through your action several times. Look at the primer after that and see whether you see any markings or indentations on the primer at all.

I have scattered and dropped W209 primers all over my workshop, swept them up with a broom, and used them in reloading without any misfires. I've had spare, unmatched shotgun shells bounce around in pickup truck glove boxes, cup holders, etc. for months on end and then be able to use them to shoot whatever needs shooting without a problem. At the same time, I have heard the "click" of a misfire more than once using high quality brand new out of the box target shells. So, one never knows. Thus, the conventional wisdom of not rechambering rounds upon which you are relying to defend life and limb just in an effort to reduce the variables that may lead to failure.

[4given]

No one can give an answer to that question that is reliably repeatable. There isn't going to be a hard and fast rule as to when a shotgun shell primer may go bad. I am aware of no studies of repeatedly rechambering shotgun shells to determine when primers may go bad. Hunters often rechamber shells many times before firing to no ill effect. I suspect the number of how many "rechamberings" it takes to lead to primer failure in a shotgun shell is as elusive as how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop. In most cases this number is very likely way more than 1, but one can never know for sure. Accordingly, the safe play for duty and self defense rounds is to simply not rechamber.

That being said, I do not think you are running the same risk as some AR 15 folks who repeatedly rechamber 5.56 rounds for whatever reason. AR 15s have a free floated firing pin that may tap the primer each time a round is rechambered. This repeated "tapping" of the primer has been observed to lead to primer failure. Pump action and semi-auto shotguns will usually have a firing pin spring which should prevent the "tapping" of the primer by the firing pin upon chambering/rechambering, at least if the shotgun is in good working order. I did not see that you mentioned the make and model of shotgun you have. You should Google "firing pin spring" and the make and model of your shotgun. You are likely to find that your shotgun has a firing pin spring.

Take a sample shell and run it through your action several times. Look at the primer after that and see whether you see any markings or indentations on the primer at all.

I have scattered and dropped W209 primers all over my workshop, swept them up with a broom, and used them in reloading without any misfires. I've had spare, unmatched shotgun shells bounce around in pickup truck glove boxes, cup holders, etc. for months on end and then be able to use them to shoot whatever needs shooting without a problem. At the same time, I have heard the "click" of a misfire more than once using high quality brand new out of the box target shells. So, one never knows. Thus, the conventional wisdom of not rechambering rounds upon which you are relying to defend life and limb just in an effort to reduce the variables that may lead to failure.

Thanks for your reply! Mine is a Stoeger M3000. They have a firing pin spring,

[Hambo]

I have scattered and dropped W209 primers all over my workshop, swept them up with a broom, and used them in reloading without any misfires. I've had spare, unmatched shotgun shells bounce around in pickup truck glove boxes, cup holders, etc. for months on end and then be able to use them to shoot whatever needs shooting without a problem. At the same time, I have heard the "click" of a misfire more than once using high quality brand new out of the box target shells. So, one never knows. Thus, the conventional wisdom of not rechambering rounds upon which you are relying to defend life and limb just in an effort to reduce the variables that may lead to failure.

I too, have treated shot shells poorly with no ill effect. I really can't remember a shot shell not going off, whereas I've had legions of handgun rounds that were duds. The ammo in the tube of my HD shotgun never gets cycled.

[RevolverRob]

Shotgun shells I rarely worry about, because you can visually inspect the primer and rim before rechambering.

As an aside: Rifle rounds and pistol rounds I've gotten in the habit of not rechambering them more than 2x times without subsequently checking them for setback using a pair of calipers and referencing the loaded OAL with a reloading manual. It's easy to do and cheap insurance overall.

[That Guy]

That being said, I do not think you are running the same risk as some AR 15 folks who repeatedly rechamber 5.56 rounds for whatever reason. AR 15s have a free floated firing pin that may tap the primer each time a round is rechambered. This repeated "tapping" of the primer has been observed to lead to primer failure. Pump action and semi-auto shotguns will usually have a firing pin spring which should prevent the "tapping" of the primer by the firing pin upon chambering/rechambering, at least if the shotgun is in good working order.

The way I've understood things, it's not just the free floated firing pin in the AR-15 that kills primers, but rather the violent impact the cartridge is subjected to upon chambering?

With shotgun shells, I doubt it'll be the primer that goes first. Rather the rim of the cartridge might get chewed up, or the plastic hull goes out of round.