Pistols in the News
BY Herschel Smith
1 month, 2 weeks ago
First, Tim Sundles explains how to chamber a round. And then next, why chambering the same round over and over again can shorten the cartridge. I found this to be very educational.
Next up, the Sig P320 absolutely, positively, without any shadow of a doubt cannot discharge a round without a complete pull of the trigger. And it certainly can’t do it twice. Understand that, boys and girls? Got it?
On the lighter side, if you want a multifaceted gun that can do other things by itself, keep watching.
Next up, Ben Stoeger has some not so kind things to say about the CZ Shadow 2. For the record, I love the CZ Shadow 2. His preferred gun over the Shadow 2? The Atlas 2011, a $6000+ gun. LOL. I think I’ll stick with the Shadow 2.
Finally, why do pistols keep blowing up?
On August 13, 2025 at 9:07 am, 41mag said:
I’m done with the “trust the experts’ crap. That guy having the P320 go off twice is a tard. So in his mind, only Sig can tell you the truth? WTF? Gun owners are independent of the manufacturing process. Don’t trust my lying eyes huh…
On August 13, 2025 at 9:32 am, george 1 said:
Regards Sigs. No one is saying that all Sig P 320s will go off on their own. However there is enough indisputable evidence that some do. There are more than a few videos out there with them going off while holstered in Safariland duty holsters with no manipulation of the gun taking place, aside from slight twisting in the holster that any pistol should be able to endure.
Regards Glocks blowing up. Any firearm can blow up. Usually the cause is out of spec ammo. Glock warns people not to use reloaded ammo in their pistols. People also like to tinker with Glocks, sometimes changing out the striker springs. When people do that they change the way the gun functions. It is possible to get out of battery discharges which will make for catastrophic malfunctions.
On August 13, 2025 at 10:26 am, Herschel Smith said:
The out-of-battery issue is why Tim Sundles recommends chambering rounds the way he does.
Regarding the Sig P320, I embedded the second video because (a) it fails to prove what he intended, and maybe proves the opposite, (b) he shows himself to be an awful person by charging all of his viewers with being gullible, and (c) he shows himself to be even worse by charging other YTs with being liars, men he doesn’t even know.
The amusing part is that all of this was in service to Sig. I do wonder if he is being paid for it. According the federal regulations, you MUST disclose that up front. Good riddance. I’ll never visit that awful guy again.
On August 13, 2025 at 12:46 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
Re: “And then next, why chambering the same round over and over again can shorten the cartridge. I found this to be very educational.”
The issue of bullet set-back due to the forces of the action is real; it is why when using self-loading firearms, crimped into place bullets are ideal. Granted, there are plenty of cartridges which rely on neck tension alone to keep the slug in place, but reloaders are taught that if a FA is self-loading, then the bullets must be crimped into place to prevent bullet set-back when the recoil spring pushes the fresh cartridge up the feed ramp and into the chamber.
Rifles using tubular magazines, such as lever-actions, recommend crimping for somewhat the same reasons: The cartridges are under spring tension as they sit in the magazine tube, and if neck tension alone is holding the bullets in place, some shifting can occur and a shorter overall length (OAL) can result in some cartridges.
Shorter OAL is potentially hazardous in that it can change a cartridge whose load is in spec and within safe pressure limits to one which is not in spec and which is over-pressure. The degree of hazard is conditional upon how much shortening has occurred. A minimal amount of set-back may not be a problem; other variables come into play – the design of the FA, the thickness of the case, the strength of the primer, etc.
On August 13, 2025 at 9:13 pm, Paul B said:
All guns are dangerous. That is why there are four rules to gun safety. You have to break at least two in any negligent discharge.
What got me about the gun spinner was the slight forward push as he was spinning it. Bet a splinter in that table set it off. The rest is acting.
I know the kick my 320 makes I think if I did that with it the gun would spin like a top. According to him spraying bullets as it spun.
Kind of like the Remington 700 series.
Hard to separate the wheat from the chaff
On August 13, 2025 at 10:07 pm, Latigo Morgan said:
I remember in the late 90’s/early 00’s, the Glock 21 had a reputation for Kabooms due to the unsupported chamber not being able to handle .45 ACP pressures. Then, the problem seems to have gone away, or people just quit talking about it.
On August 15, 2025 at 2:36 am, The Wretched Dog said:
Enjoyed the “Don’t Blow Up Your Gun” video. I had noticed this problem of bullets driven-in from repeatedly chambering a duty cartridge (top of magazine). So I quit doing that.
Prior to that recent decision, I culled those rounds and set them aside. I finally got around to unseating a dozen cartridges that had been driven-in, re-seating them to proper depth, and re-crimping.
After watching this I may just toss them, despite that I think the pressure ought to be fine now that they are at proper depth.
TWD
On August 16, 2025 at 1:03 pm, RHT447 said:
Caveat–not being critical of any product here, just relating my experience and observation.
Specifically, Berry’s copper plated bullets. Per their FAQ, “Berry’s Superior Plated bullets begin as a swaged lead core after which the plating process is applied using electrolysis”. My best analogy is think of a soft lead bullet wrapped in foil. These bullets are also very smooth.
Hand loading in 45 ACP–bullet set back in a 1911 style pistol was a royal pain. When I finally got the taper crimp adjusted tight enough to prevent setback, there was a visible “wasp-waist” in the finished cartridge.
Hand loading in 9mm–same issue as above, however much less pronounced.
Perhaps someone could chime in on polymer coated bullets. I have no experience with them.
On August 18, 2025 at 12:41 pm, Latigo Morgan said:
@RHT447 – I treat the polymer coated bullets same as unjacketed lead bullets. Follow the same loading instructions and don’t crimp too tight. One of the better investments I’ve made is in Lee Factory Crimp dies for my favorite calibers. Yeah, it’s an extra step, but it gives me the crimp I want plus a second resizing. Doesn’t matter with my progressive press – I have the space for it. It also turns my seating/crimp die into just a seating die.
I just shot up a bunch of .45 ACP and 9mm Berry’s plated bullets. No problems with them at all. Again, as it says on the box, use the loading data for unjacketed lead bullets.
On September 13, 2025 at 6:46 pm, Ricky Bobby said:
I understand the issue and pull out of rotation any rounds that are shorter due to repeated cycling. My question is this, I keep my pistols loaded and chambered for long periods of time, weeks. It is my understanding springs allegedly don’t take a “set” when compressed for long periods. Am I correct in this understanding?
On September 19, 2025 at 6:35 am, Latigo Morgan said:
@Ricky Bobby – I’ve pulled mags out that sat loaded for 20 years and had no problems, whatsoever. They included M14 mags, Ruger P89 mags, and 1911 mags.
The short answer: Quality springs don’t know they are compressed. They don’t take a “set”. What causes springs to weaken over time is use.