reloads??

[berettabattler]

hey chaps..

yesterday i was at an local range and an gentlemen next to me was having problems with his gen 3 glock 34.. it was having cycle issues. so me and my mate went over to take a look.

so we gave him a mag of factory loaded ammo and it didn't have the issues. go back to his reloads and the problem occurred.. we then tried an mag in my mate's and my glock.. my mate's was fine.. but mine was problems.. it won't cycle. the rounds felt under power. it felt weak... and when the gentlemen went to load up another mag.. there was an 380acp in the reloads??

is this an common issues with reloads? cause i was looking into buying reloads but after yesterday.. it made me think twice.. what if someone was reaching into the box of reloads and loading his mag and the 380 slipped into an 9mm handgun.. what would happen?

[himurax13]

First of all who made these reloads?

It takes a decent amount of knowledge to crank out quality loads. People who are starting out tend to have issues.

Do you have pics of the offending ammunition?

[ElDub1950]

I wouldn't say it's common but there are some commercial reloaders who make some weak ammo and weak 115gr ammo is especially notorious for poor cycling .. depends on the gun of course. There are lots of commercial reloaders who make quality ammo.

[Deimos887]

Some factory reloads are loaded really light, lower powder charge = lower cost to remanufacture and more profit for the establishment , others at charges typical with factory new target ammo specs... just depends on the brand, which I'm not familiar with enough to recommend anything; I only shoot factory or my own reloads (always loaded hot). I've witnessed the same thing though with other shooters at the range many times.

As for .380acp in a 9mm, since they're the same caliber (.355) and .380 operates at a much lower pressure, in addition to having a shorter overall length, aside from poor accuracy... in case of super light charged reloads, most likely it just wouldn't generate enough energy for the slide to fully reciprocate and would cause fte/ftf issues, worst case possibly a squib, in addition to the former... probably not much different than you witnessed with the light loaded 9mm, just amplified.

heh I've shot .357SIG from a .40 accidentally, aside from the bullet keyholing (tumbling in flight) my target way off point of aim, the case barely ejecting and my precious .357SIG brass being fireformed to .40cal... nothing dangerous. but in that case it was like throwing a hot dog down a hall way, no possibility of a squib.

[bohoki]

yea if you dont know what you are doing stay away from reloads

[Socalman]

I have never had a single problem with commercial reloads in either 9 or .357. One VERY GOOD source of reloads is Freedom Munitions. In general, I would not be afraid of reloads for range ammo. I WILL NOT USE THEM FOR SD/HD, unless factory ammo is no longer available.

When I start reloading 9, my intent is to reload for specific guns. My Kahr CW9 has a very stiff spring and may a bit higher charge of powder than others.

[Jeep67cj5]

I would never put someone else's reloads in my gun, especially after seeing them have issues.

[Kappy]

I'm not sure I understand. Were these his reloads or factory reloads? Factory reloads shouldn't have problems... but they aren't as good as factory rounds. I've seen them catastrophically explode and damage a good gun. I've seen them squib. I don't trust factory reloads myself.

Factory reloads are typically only problematic on the rare occasion when they almost hurt you or really piss you off.

If they're his loads, of course they can have problems. They're likely too weak to work the action. He'll need more time to develop a load. He'll need to investigate his recipe a little (or a lot) more.

[bohoki]

heck if i was a noob i wouldnt put anything through my gun unless it was from rem,fed,win

now that i know more i feel confidence in fiocchi,cci,magtech,pmc

i'm still leary of armscor,s&b,wolf

anybody know what happened to american ammunition ive always heard that stuff was the worst

[berettabattler]

First of all who made these reloads?

It takes a decent amount of knowledge to crank out quality loads. People who are starting out tend to have issues.

Do you have pics of the offending ammunition?

I don't have any pics of it..

the reloads are from the range that I was at.

What kind of cycling problems?

FWIW, I have never had any "cycling" problems (either failure to feed or eject) w/115gr FMJ reloads (or factory 147gr JHP loads) in my G17 or G26 (both Gen 2). Both have been modified w/lighter firing pins, firing pin springs, 3# connectors, 8# NY trigger springs, and heavier recoil springs.

If the gun is failing to eject or feed, the problem could be due to loads are too light and/or a recoil spring that is too heavy. From what you've described, it was probably light loads that was the problem.

it was like that every other 2 rounds, it was really inconsistent.. in one mag, I had to manual cycle it 4 times of the 10 rounds out of my 17.

I'm not sure I understand. Were these his reloads or factory reloads? Factory reloads shouldn't have problems... but they aren't as good as factory rounds. I've seen them catastrophically explode and damage a good gun. I've seen them squib. I don't trust factory reloads myself.

Factory reloads are typically only problematic on the rare occasion when they almost hurt you or really piss you off.

If they're his loads, of course they can have problems. They're likely too weak to work the action. He'll need more time to develop a load. He'll need to investigate his recipe a little (or a lot) more.

the reloads are from the range I was at.. me and my mate offered the gentlemen an mag of federal 9's and there wasn't any issues. but as soon as we went back to the reloads that was made by the range.. the issues started happening all over again..

[Kappy]

the reloads are from the range I was at.. me and my mate offered the gentlemen an mag of federal 9's and there wasn't any issues. but as soon as we went back to the reloads that was made by the range.. the issues started happening all over again..

I hope they aren't cranking those rounds out in the back office.

I'd say they're probably some small brand... buddy of a buddy. Don't buy any of it yourself (obviously).

[Kappy]

heck if i was a noob i wouldnt put anything through my gun unless it was from rem,fed,win

now that i know more i feel confidence in fiocchi,cci,magtech,pmc

i'm still leary of armscor,s&b,wolf

anybody know what happened to american ammunition ive always heard that stuff was the worst

America makes great ammunition... each of us in our own garages or shops. I make some pretty kick-*** .380 ACP, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, .38 SPL, .357 Mag, .223 Rem, .308 Win, and 7.62x54R.

As to ammo manufacturers? I have no idea. I don't buy more than the odd round of ammunition aside from .22lr... and if I could find dies and the right primers, I wouldn't buy those, either.

[nice shot]

image.jpgI used some reloads from a range also...got a squib round and didn't catch it (like a moron) fired a second shot and KABOOM...slit like a banana...XD45 is done...I will never use reloads again...

[tpfishnfool]

Federal munitions, LAX, and Cheaper than dirt provide very good re loads. Also federal aluminum for 9mm and 45acp I use for range and general plinking. Cheap and feed very well.

[berettabattler]

I hope they aren't cranking those rounds out in the back office.

I'd say they're probably some small brand... buddy of a buddy. Don't buy any of it yourself (obviously).

they are actually.. is training next door, store in the front and shooting range all in one building..