[DevilDawg235]

Hello there everyone... Here is the deal. I've been hearing that shooting reloads is "BAD" for Glocks.

I went to a gun show today and came across some reloaded ammo for $9!!!! I had a bunch in my hands, but wasnt sure if I should buy them. Another thing I also heard was that Glock cancels you warranty if reloads are fired.

Please help me with this as I'm going to the gun show again tomorrow.

Happy Shooting!

 

[SHOOTER13]

The Glock manual does contain a warning against using reloaded ammunition.

"The use of reloaded ammunition will void the Glock warranty, due to the unpredictability of the standards (SAMMI/NATO) adhered to, since reloads of poor quality ammunition may not meet (SAMMI/NATO) specifications, may exceed limits, and therefore may be unsafe."

Can I shoot lead bullets in my Glock?

School #1: Don't Do It
Glock barrels use special polygonal rifling not found in most handguns. This rifling is one of the main reasons Glocks are extremely accurate guns. However, the same rifling can cause a high degree of leading when not using jacketed bullets. In other words some lead from the bullet sticks to the inside of the barrel when it is fired. Too much leading can quickly lead to high pressures which can cause the barrel and/or gun to break or even explode. Most people who weigh in on this subject fall into this category including Glock Inc.

School #2: Don't Worry About It
If you clean your barrel well and do it every time you shoot there will be no significant leading. Many, many people use lead bullets almost exclusively in their Glocks and do not have any problems whatsoever.

 

[Happysniper1]

Like Shooter said, the reason Glock placed the disclaimer about shooting reloads is because they have no control over the way the ammo was reloaded, and that ammo may produce pressures so great they can damage the pistol. All factory ammo must comply with a set of standards set by SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunitions Manufacturers Institute), and ammo made to SAAMI specs can be expected to function the weapon properly.

I for one, am an avid reloader, and I know for a fact that the ammo I make is safe for the guns I shoot. I cannot say the same for ammo that is reloaded by someone else, and I do not expect others to simply accept that my ammo is within spec. It is not a rude assumption to make, for me of them or them of me, it is simply exercising an abundance of caution. Ammo is cheap compared to the cost of a blown-up gun and injured shooter.

The biggest REAL concern in reloaded ammo is overpressures: too much gun powder, or too tight a crimp, or a bullet seated too far into the case, can cause overpressures sufficient to blow up a gun. Easy mistake to make, painful consequences to suffer.

Now, a lot of reloaders use plain lead bullets (no copper jacket), since you can make these bullets at home, too! The problem is, the geometry of the riflings in Glock barrels (unique in the firearm world) is such that lead can easily coat the inside of the barrel. Eventually, there will be so much "cladding" that the actual diameter of the bore is affected, resulting in excess friction with the bullet, causing overpressure.

Like Shooter said, many Glock reloaders use lead ammo in their reloads, and fire them in their Glocks, and this can be done by installing an aftermarket barrel (such as Lone Wolf, KKM, or Bar-Sto) that will allow the use of lead bullets. Whether the barrel is replaced or not, shooting lead thru a Glock, although inadvisable, is possible as long as the bore is thoroughly cleaned with a lead solvent after each session.

The disclaimer in the manual is Glock's way of saying: we wouldn't recommend it on general principles, so if you do it anyway and mess up, we can't be held responsible or liable.

For what it's worth, I have fired over 10,000 rounds of reloaded ammo thru my G26 (and over 5,000 thru my G30), all of it my own reloads, without any issues.

Would I buy and/or use someone else's reloaded ammo? No. Not unless it was factory reloaded (as opposed to home-made).

Does that make sense?

Hope it helps.

Cheers!

 

[DevilDawg235]

Wow, really impressed with this info. The guy selling the reloads said he's been doing it for 30 years and seem reputable.

I'm just not sure wether to buy them or not. The price seems too tempting. Also looked into steel ammunition. Did some research on it and decided to stay away from them. What do you guys think about steel ammo? Seems really cheap as well. Would you shoot steel ammo thru your glocks?

 

[Happysniper1]

First question: do you personally know the guy selling the reloads? I mean, if there is a problem, can you go to him? At a gun show, it is likely that you will never see this guy again after the show....so who do you go to if there is an issue with the ammo? Not trying to discourage you, just trying to be realistic. I have reloaded so much ammo over the years, but have never set up a booth to sell my reloads, because I belive other reloaders will (justifiably perhaps) look at my product with disdain, as I would look upon other reloaders' bulk ammo for sale with disdain. It's a personal preference that may or may not be justified, and may or may not apply to you.

Second question: about steel ammo. I assume you are referring to steel-cased ammo (as opposed to brass-cased or nickel-cased ammo). I personally would not, again my preference, but I have heard others have good experiences with them. My logic is simple: steel is harder than brass, so if I shoot a lot of steel, I accelerate the wear on my extractor claw, eventually needing to replace it sooner than if I used brass, nickel or aluminum cased ammo. Also, most steel cases have a varnish on them to prevent rust, and when a round is fired, some of the varnish becomes superheated, vaporizes, then recondenses all over the insides of my gun, requiring a more vigilant cleaning. The vaporized varnish also attracts carbon and gunpowder residues, and these will accumulate in places a cleaning brush cannot get to.

Those are my opinions, and mine alone. Do not simply accept my opinion, listen to the opinion of others as well, and then decide for yourself, based on the logic presented for each point of view.

Hope that helps!

Cheers!

 

[DevilDawg235]

I trust your opinions 100% Happysniper... Thats why I'll stay away from reloads and steel cased ammo.

Thanks for this info, I really appreciate it!

 

[Happysniper1]

Do you know anyone with a chronograph, or can you borrow/rent one at your shooting range?

If so, go ahead and get some reloaded ammo (don't go overboard!), and then run them thru the chrony. If the gun functions fine, and the bullets fly at speeds within SAAMI specifications, it is a reasonably safe assumption to say that the ammo is good. It is otherwise not possible to know if the ammo is fine without testing it with a chronograph.

Here's a thought: if you do decide to get some of his ammo, ask him "Have you Chrony'd this ammo?" (pronounced "Kro-need") and if he says yes, ask what what's the velocity (it'll be in feet-per-second). Tell him you'll be back, jump on your smartphone, google search the ammo type and speed, like "9mm 115 grain bullet speeds", and see if his velocities are within what you get on your search. He could, however, be pulling numbers out of thin air, so really, there is no way to be sure than to test fire them thru a chrony.

If, however, the guy reloading the ammo is your next door neighbor, or a relative, or coworker or churchmate or whatever, someone you personally know and trust, I would say go for it. But gun show reloaded ammo? Hmmm....only if the guy selling it had a shop in your town, otherwise, I would recommend pass on it.

Again, I say this is my opinion, and mine alone.

Cheers!

 

[Happysniper1]

And thanks for the vote of confidence! I hope I never disappoint you!

 

[DevilDawg235]

Lol, I'll pass by his table tomorrow and keep walking... Your input really made me think it over.

 

[Kmurray96]

Like Shooter said, the reason Glock placed the disclaimer about shooting reloads is because they have no control over the way the ammo was reloaded, and that ammo may produce pressures so great they can damage the pistol. All factory ammo must comply with a set of standards set by SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunitions Manufacturers Institute), and ammo made to SAAMI specs can be expected to function the weapon properly.

I for one, am an avid reloader, and I know for a fact that the ammo I make is safe for the guns I shoot. I cannot say the same for ammo that is reloaded by someone else, and I do not expect others to simply accept that my ammo is within spec. It is not a rude assumption to make, for me of them or them of me, it is simply exercising an abundance of caution. Ammo is cheap compared to the cost of a blown-up gun and injured shooter.

The biggest REAL concern in reloaded ammo is overpressures: too much gun powder, or too tight a crimp, or a bullet seated too far into the case, can cause overpressures sufficient to blow up a gun. Easy mistake to make, painful consequences to suffer.

Now, a lot of reloaders use plain lead bullets (no copper jacket), since you can make these bullets at home, too! The problem is, the geometry of the riflings in Glock barrels (unique in the firearm world) is such that lead can easily coat the inside of the barrel. Eventually, there will be so much "cladding" that the actual diameter of the bore is affected, resulting in excess friction with the bullet, causing overpressure.

Like Shooter said, many Glock reloaders use lead ammo in their reloads, and fire them in their Glocks, and this can be done by installing an aftermarket barrel (such as Lone Wolf, KKM, or Bar-Sto) that will allow the use of lead bullets. Whether the barrel is replaced or not, shooting lead thru a Glock, although inadvisable, is possible as long as the bore is thoroughly cleaned with a lead solvent after each session.

The disclaimer in the manual is Glock's way of saying: we wouldn't recommend it on general principles, so if you do it anyway and mess up, we can't be held responsible or liable.

For what it's worth, I have fired over 10,000 rounds of reloaded ammo thru my G26 (and over 5,000 thru my G30), all of it my own reloads, without any issues.

Would I buy and/or use someone else's reloaded ammo? No. Not unless it was factory reloaded (as opposed to home-made).

Does that make sense?

Hope it helps.

Cheers!

Exactly why I never used reloads. After I retire though, I'll be reloading my own. When that time comes I'll ask someone with a lot of experience for advice...YOU!

 

[Happysniper1]

Hey, Double-D, as long as it's clear: I am not saying his reloaded ammo is bad, I am only saying there is no way for you to know for sure of its quality without test firing it.

Hey, here's a thought: at the gun show, buy AR15 parts and start building your own! Everyone else does

 

[Happysniper1]

@KM:

Thank your for the unequivocal vote of confidence!

 

[DevilDawg235]

Lollll.... I suck at building things. I was the kid that took his bike apart and had extra pieces left when put back together!

@Kmurray96 where in NJ are u? I grew up and worked for PCSD in North Jersey.

 

[Kmurray96]

3 miles from where I work, East Jersey State Prison (fr. Rahway).

Here's a trivia answer for you. Rahway State Prison was never in Rahway. It's actually in the Avenel section of Woodbridge.

Rahways' name came from being served by the Rahway Post Office, also the reason that NJ state prisons were re-named in 1989. Rahway claimed the prisons name artificially depressed property values in the town. Other townships chimed in and that's how the name change of NJ prisons came about.

Now you know the answer you didn't even know you had a question for.

 

[DevilDawg235]

Lmaoo, thats great! I used to hear u guys shooting at the range when I shopped at the wally world across the street in Linden!

 

[Kmurray96]

You would think we'd have used the Linden range, but no. No way the NJDOC would give way to local authority. When I started we used to lease a range down at the Sayerville landfill until the EPA closed it down for lead contamination.

Then we leased a range from Ft. Dix, which they still use, but East Jersey now operates out of the Northern Regional Range up in Mountainview Youth Correctional Facility out near Clinton. It's a hike out there for the guys who live down in the Toms River area because as you may remember from living up here, the way the roads are laid out in NJ, you can't get there from here.

A lot of our crew lives down that way, too. It's a 13-14 hr. day for some of those folks in the summertime with the shore traffic.

At least they reimburse us for mileage.

 

[Kmurray96]

I ended up with a December range date after calling the new Commissioner a liar to his face the first time he came to the prison. (While he was shaking my hand). I told him nicely that he had been, "less than forthright". (Long story...it was a union thing and I was the shift rep.)

Cost me a promotion (#1 at EJSP, #16 in the state) and it took me a few years after he was forced to resign to get off that December range date. But I do it again in a heartbeat if I had to. I think it was a mercy thing when they finally changed my date.

You ain't lived till you've had to reload magazines in a sleet storm. BTW, no gloves allowed on the range.

 

[Fathead00]

What about buying reloads from a company? A guy at my work just gave a price list from precision cartridge. Their web site is precisioncartridge.com.

 

[Happysniper1]

@FH:

Well, that would fall under the heading of "factory reloaded" ammunition, as opposed to "handloaded" ammunition. By and large, I would imagine (and this is just my opinion) that factory reloaded ammunition would follow stricter quality controls on bulk production versus the ammo that Uncle Joe pumps out in the garage. I have purchased bulk factory reloaded ammo before, and found it functioned by weapons well.

I would personally have no issues with having to use factory reloaded ammo if I needed to.

As a point of note, our fellow Member Vince7003 works at a bulk reloading company here in Reno, NV. See the thread "A Reloader's Dream Setup" here (http://www.glockforum.com/forum/f12/reloaders-dream-setup-2839/) and look at the automated reloader in the background of his pics. 90 rounds per minute production time!

Generally, and this is again my opinion and mine alone, if the ammo comes from someone that can be sued if the ammo malfunctions, it is generally more consistently reliable (and safer) than handloaded ammo made at home or purchased from someone who handloaded them at home.

Now, as regards to accuracy, I would depend only on my own handloads, since I tailor them to the particular gun I am shooting and the purpose of the shoot. In other words, I can bulk load a zillion 9mm rounds, but will tailor a couple thousand in terms of bullet type, weight and shape, and gunpowder type, formulation, and ignition properties, to produce whatever result I am going for. This is the flexibility of reloading your own ammo: on one side, if the gun blows up, ya can't blame anyone else, but on the other side you can make ammo that performs more accurately in your own gun and in the environment you shoot in. Really, really, really long term, you actually save some money over buying factory new ammo, but I am talking a year or more (because you need to recover the cost of equipment).

Being as cynical as I am about ammo, I would only hesitate slightly at buying factory reloaded ammo, especially if I know the factory or know someone who works there. No-name outfits are a definite no-no for me.

Hope that helps!

Cheers!

Kindly note that the views and opinions I express do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Glock Forum, its members, its administration, or its owners and affiliates.

 

[Happysniper1]

For what it's worth, there is a video of what a factory bulk reloader looks like in action on this page (scroll down)....

http://www.jackrossammo.com/About.html