Shooting reloads in a Glock

[davek8s]

[LeadFarmer74]

The issue was with first gen Glock 40s I believe. It had an unsupported chamber or something like that.

[floogy]

It's also possible he was referring to Glock's polygonal rifling which you're not supposed to shoot lead bullets through. So if he reloaded cast bullets that may be it.

[omega]

the older models had less chamber support, over sized chambers

I noticed the ones they sell now seem to have the updated chamber with tighter tolorances

by comparing the Glock 21 SF with a M1911A1 , I put a round in the chamber to see how much play it had and tried to wiggle the bullet and it was almost the same as the M1911's chamber

then I saved my fired brass from the new G21 SF and noticed it still easily slid right into a M1911A1 chamber, and showed no signs of bulging or Glock face

I shoot jacketed reloads and never had a problem, but I wouldnt use somebody elses reloads only my own

but some calibers have much higher chamber pressures, like the .40 S&W or the 10 mm, if the chambers are the older over sized type I would be more careful about using reloads in those calibers

[Blackote]

I shoot FMJ reloads through my gen3 g19 all the time. I looked into this as well as I am starting my reloading venture myself (just my .02 take it as you like). Just as leadfarmer and floogy stated, the rifling and unsupported chamber were the main issues. Many have combated the lead build up by using coated projectiles. I'll be using Hi-Tek coated LRN for my reloads. I'll check back in once I get my ladder tests done.

[Deedle]

Many firearms manufacturers "don't recommend" reloads for liability and other reasons, no real functional reason.

[wbunning]

Glock cautions against shooting lead or reloaded bullets through their handguns. The chamber is partially unsupported near the base of the case. If you hold a Glock barrel side by side with say, a Springfield, you can see the difference. That may cause a bit more expansion of the case upon firing, leaving a bit of a bulge right at the case base. Since our sizing dies don’t really size the full case length, that bulge may remain and cause a feeding problem. Some folks have had issues with that, others don’t. I run my semi-auto range pickup brass through a Lee Bulge Buster die to iron out any “Glock Smiles”. I don’t know how many trips through a Glock breech a case would have to endure before any significant weakening, if any, from constant over-expansion would manifest itself.

There is also the issue of Glock recommending that we don’t use lead bullets due to the polygonal rifling. I never could understand that part. In the first place, their barrels aren’t truly polygonal. There are no sharp angles in there to catch any lead. Gazillions of lead bullets have been fired through Glocks with no lead fouling.

All that said, I have 4 Glocks, and put aftermarket barrels in all of them and that solves any problems, real or in my imagination, with unsupported cases.

In your case, if you have brass that was not previously fired through a Glock, then load some up and shoot them. Then re-size the cases and test them in a case guage for symmetry. If they all fit well in the guage and rotate freely in it, you should be good to go.

[ARDude]

It's also possible he was referring to Glock's polygonal rifling which you're not supposed to shoot lead bullets through. So if he reloaded cast bullets that may be it.

This is the correct answer. It only has to do with LEAD bullets.

You can shoot them but, clean all that lead out of the barrel every 100 rounds or you might cause the barrel to bulge or worse. I've seen what can happen personally.

[kmas]

Old Wives

I've been shooting reloads for years in my G17, nothing unusual vs new ammo.

[aspenvalley]

I shoot HiTek coated bullets in my Gen3 GLock. 100s of rounds with no leading. My own reloads 115 to 124 no issues at all.

[davek8s]

[Carcassonne]

You can shoot reloads.

The only difference between a new factory cartridge and a reloaded cartridge is the brass. Factory new ammo uses new brass, and reloaded ammo uses used brass. Everything else is new: Powder, Primer, and Bullet. Factory ammo is made on more expensive machines.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=59

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[Snoopy47]

Glocks are more reliable because the chamber is slightly expanded, which in turn bulges the brass when shot out of a Glock.

Then there's the whole no LEAD through a Glock barrel deal. It's real. I've ruined a barrel shooting cast lead.

That in mind, you CAN shoot RELOADS in a Glock:
1) Make sure the brass is fully resized to factory spec. Basically, run it through a sizing die, and test drop it in the Glock barrel. If it falls out easily you should be good to go.

2) Use jacketed or plated bullets.

[Che762x39]

30 years ago the big deal was using lead bullets in Glocks. Use plated bullets like X-Treme Bullets.

Only reloads I ever use is what comes off my work bench. Never use someone's reloads (they could be incompetent) and don't buy reloads because it is all about profit so they are making thousands of rounds.

If you only shoot occasionally why not just buy Tula Ammo at Walmart for $7.76 a box for 9mm?

[aspenvalley]

For 9mm, I can't feel the difference between brass from Glock, CZ, or my Kahr when I resized it. Some headstamps are have stiffer brass than others but it is not link to the gun I shoot them out of. I have not see Glock brass in 9mm to be bulged and differently than any other brass.

I started with plated bullets but quickly moved to coated. I have had good luck with Acme bullets. They shoot just as well for me and I find them to be cheaper.