Using the Wrong Ammunition - Is It a Biggie?

Sent by e-mail from a friend. What do you think?

After telling the gun range officer I needed .40 ammunition, I

proceeded to the gun range and put on my eye and ear protection. I proceeded to put the ammunition the range officer gave me into my firearm and noticed that the rounds were going into the magazines much more easily than before. Shooting my firearm on a more regular basis the springs in the magazines seem to be more broken in.

Inserting the magazine in the firearm and sliding the barrel forward I was ready to fire. After depressing the trigger and getting off one round the gun did not cycle back like it normally does. Being very conscious of keeping my finger out of the trigger area and along the slide, I pulled the slide back and recycled the weapon and ejected a round that seemed to be caught in the chamber.

Gong through the normal firing checklist before firing the weapon, I again pressed the trigger and noticed that the firearm again did not cycle through like it normally does.

Now knowing that something was a miss, I ejected the magazine and chambered out a round that was still in the chamber. After checking the firearm for any foreign objects in the barrel or trigger area, I

then checked the box the ammunition the box came in and did not see anything indicating it was .40 caliber ammunition. Looking more closely on the package, I noticed in fine print 9mm.

The range officer gave me the wrong ammunition.

Evidently you can shoot 9mm ammo in a .40 cal weapon. I guess if I tried to shoot a .40 in a 9mm firearm, the results might have been a little different. Most likely you can't use a larger caliber round in a smaller caliber weapon.

While it was the gun range officer's mistake, as the operator of the gun it was my ultimate responsibility. Luckily nothing happened this time. I learned two valuable lessons today.

1. Always be sure the ammo you are using is the right caliber for the firearm.

2. You can safely fire a smaller caliber round in a larger caliber weapon.