Why You Should Stop Repeatedly Loading and Unloading the Same Round

Repeatedly unloading and reloading your carry gun daily—such as when you get home and before heading out again—can create serious issues. This habit cycles the same rounds through your firearm multiple times, which can lead to dangerous consequences. Here are three critical reasons to avoid this practice:

1. Misfires in Critical Moments
A real-world example highlights the danger: In September, a GCPD officer faced a life-threatening situation requiring deadly force. When he pulled the trigger, the chambered round failed to fire. Fortunately, his training kicked in, and he cleared the malfunction to resolve the encounter. The misfired round, which showed a full firing pin strike, was analyzed by the manufacturer. Their findings? The primer mix had been dislodged due to the round being cycled through the firearm multiple times. The officer, concerned about small children at home, unloaded his duty weapon daily, ejecting the chambered round and reloading it later. This led to as many as 100 chambering cycles for the same rounds, causing an internal primer failure undetectable by visual inspection. Testing of 2,000 other rounds from the same Winchester 9mm duty ammunition batch showed no issues, confirming the failure was due to repeated cycling. Avoid this practice to ensure your rounds remain reliable.

2. Bullet Setback and Dangerous Pressure Spikes
Each time a round is fed from the magazine, it impacts the feed ramp before entering the chamber. Repeated chambering causes cumulative damage to the bullet nose, potentially pushing the bullet deeper into the cartridge case. Pistol cartridges have limited space for powder, and a shortened cartridge can cause extreme pressure spikes when fired, potentially damaging or destroying your firearm. If a round has been chambered more than a couple of times, remove it from your carry magazine and set it aside for range practice to avoid risking catastrophic failure.

3. Increased Risk of Accidental Discharge
Most accidental discharges occur during loading or unloading. Constantly cycling rounds increases the chance of a mistake. Instead of unloading your carry pistol daily, keep it loaded and secure it properly when not in use. Quick-access gun safes, Life Jackets, or other locking containers are excellent options for safely storing a loaded firearm, especially in homes with children or irresponsible adults.

Takeaway: Stop cycling the same rounds repeatedly. To maintain reliability and safety, limit chambering to a minimum, inspect rounds for setback, and use secure storage solutions for your loaded carry gun. Save cycled rounds for practice and keep your duty ammunition fresh and dependable.