# Most ammunition is reloaded?



## zoom996 (Dec 7, 2016)

I started buying guns and going to the local range a couple of weeks ago. My 9mm Glock 26 that I bought used is having trouble with the ammunition that the local range sells. It is called Mustang Munitions. They reload brass casings from many different companies like Federal, Winchester, etc... I complain to the manager that this reloaded ammunition is causing problems with my Glock since the American Eagle 9mm ammunition that I shot 10 rounds with had no issues in the Glock. The reloads have issues feeding and ejecting during every magazine. 

I ask if he has any American Eagle brand ammo and the manager says no, just reloads. He explains that 95% of ammunition sold is reloaded casings anyway. The premium Federal, Remington, Winchester, etc.. are all reloads. He says the only ammunition that isn't reloaded is hollowpoint ammo for self defense. 

Is he bullshitting me or is he right in saying this? Should I worry about using reloads in my guns? My Glock manual says not to do that.


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## Cait43 (Apr 4, 2013)

I doubt he is BS'sing you that he only has reloads....

Simply solution, buy new ammunition elsewhere......


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

The local-range manager is definitely handing you a messy line of bull puckey.
_Nothing_ that any major manufacturer puts on the market has been reloaded. They all use brand new materials, including cases.

He sells cheaply-made reloads at artificially high prices. They probably have lead bullets.
Glock tells us not to use lead bullets in their polygonal-rifled barrels. Doing so can lead to a KABOOM!
But he wants to sell you his reloads because he makes a large profit on them. He doesn't care that they will ruin your pistol, and maybe hurt you.
That makes him an a$$hole, and a dangerous one at that.

If I were you, I wouldn't ever go there again, and I'd tell all my friends not to go there either. And I'd tell them why. In detail.


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## Craigh (Jul 29, 2016)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> The local-range manager is definitely handing you a messy line of bull puckey.
> _Nothing_ that any major manufacturer puts on the market has been reloaded. They all use brand new materials, including cases.
> 
> That makes him an a$$hole, and a dangerous one at that.
> ...


Steve is absolutely correct. Factory ammo is not reloads. Possibly the brass has been recycled by melting it down and remaking it, but that's not a reload.

Now, I shoot a lot of reloads, but I've reloaded it myself. I sometimes use reloads my shooting club develops where we all get together and make them, but I would not use reloads bought from some range or gun show. I especially would not buy them from some idiot who lies to you like this guy has. This guy may actually believe his nonsense, but that is even worse. That would mean he is incompetent to manage a gun range.

I would definitely not buy another box of this range's reloads, regardless. I don't care for Glocks, but they are known to be very reliable and tend not to choke on most anything you can feed them. If you still have issues, try something heavier than 115 grain bullets. Try 124 or 147 grains. Some handguns need something heavier to cause the slide to rack back completely. This is rare for a Glock, none the less, worth a try.

If there is another range where you live, I'd go to that other range, buying my ammo from a gun store, online, big box store or even from that range if it is priced reasonably and is factory new ammo. I also like American Eagle. I think it's pretty good stuff, but there are other good brands as well. Lately, I've had great luck with a European brand called Prvt. Partizan which I've begun buying in bulk from Cheaper than Dirt dot com. I tend to practice with 124 grn. ammo which matches the weight of my defensive 9mm ammo which is Speer 124 grn. Gold Dot. I tend to hoard ammo. In 9mm alone, I've got probably 300 rnds of Gold Dot, a couple of thousand rounds of factory hard ball and a thousand rounds of handloads, at the very least.

If there's an outdoor range near you, especially one owned by a club, you may wish to use it and join the club. You can get a wealth of knowledge that way as well as joining in monthly BBQ and steak dinners. ;-)


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## zoom996 (Dec 7, 2016)

I'm glad you guys gave me the 411 on this guy. I believed him for a minute. I was suspicious of what he said though. It didn't make any sense. Why would an ammo factory sell reloads as new?

I decided to trust the advice here and went to Walmart to buy a couple of Remington UMC 250 round mega packs. They are a better deal than the reloads the range was trying to sell me. I want to find some ammo that is cheaper than this however. I searched last night and found some fresh brass ammo like CCI Blazer Brass in the neighborhood of .20/round versus the .30/round I paid for the Remington at Walmart. 

There are two or three others ranges I can check out. One is outdoor, but reviews are mixed because they don't let anyone under 21 fire weapons.


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## high pockets (Apr 25, 2011)

take a look at SGAmmo.com | Family Owned and Operated Ammo Sales, Stillwater OK for mail order, but keep in mind to include shipping when comparing costs.


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## Craigh (Jul 29, 2016)

zoom996 said:


> I decided to trust the advice here and went to Walmart to buy a couple of Remington UMC 250 round mega packs. They are a better deal than the reloads the range was trying to sell me. I want to find some ammo that is cheaper than this however. I searched last night and found some fresh brass ammo like CCI Blazer Brass in the neighborhood of .20/round versus the .30/round I paid for the Remington at Walmart.
> 
> There are two or three others ranges I can check out. One is outdoor, but reviews are mixed because they don't let anyone under 21 fire weapons.


Personally, I've not had good luck with Blazer ammo, but your mileage may vary. Blazer makes both aluminum and brass cartridges. My issues were with the aluminum and because of that, I quit using the entire brand. I may try the brass one day. They do use Speer bullets and CCI primers, which are favorites. The problem might be the brass not being an economical advantage anymore.

I touched on bullet weights in my previous post. 9mm comes in a lot of choices, but most often, you'll find 115 grn., 124 grn., and 147 grn. In practice ammo, 115 grain is generally the least expensive and most commonly seen. One consideration is that the lighter bullet can be slightly less reliable in defensive handguns. Over the years, I've seen a lot of failures fixed by just going to 124 grn bullets. It's not usually as much of a problem with your defensive ammo because they tend to be a tad hotter even with 115 or lighter bullets.

Here's my opinion. One, I think it's good to train with the same weight bullet you are going to use for defensive purposes so the recoil impulse will be similar. Two, I think the heavier bullets make for better defensive ammunition. I use 124 grn Short Barrel +P Speer Gold Dot as my preferred defensive load for several handguns. They are also low flash which is better for night use so you see less purple blobs before your eyes after one shot. On a side note, it's another reason not to port a defensive gun, especially with upward facing ports.

Those Speer Gold Dots I use are "Short Barrel" 124 grain and have a muzzle velocity of 1150 fps. For me, I want as close to that for my training ammo, just less expensive. For example, American Eagle makes a 9mm 124 grn. with a advertised velocity of 1150 fps. Perfect. PPU makes one with a velocity of 1120 fps. Close enough. I just don't want to go over 1200 fps or under 1100 fps, and I think I'm close enough to the Gold Dots. Moreover, I can just about always find 124 grn ammo in that velocity range for just about as cheaply as I can find brass cased 115 grn range ammo, so why not. I'm not going to quibble over a couple of pennies per round when I believe this to be important for me. Again, purely my personal but considered opinion.

PS- I have to be careful and look closely because Speer Gold Dots in 124 grn are made in Standard (1150 fps), +P (1220 fps) and +P Short Barrel (1150 fps). You might only need a box or two of that so I think it's important enough to pay attention to detail. I know the short barrel version was designed for a two inch barrel, but I've found it to have the least muzzle flash of just about anything I've tried. It just doesn't make sense to have a huge bright white muzzle flash, blinding your eyes during a dangerous situation. 

Take care,

Craig


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Craigh said:


> ...One, I think *it's good to train with the same weight bullet you are going to use for defensive purposes so the recoil impulse will be similar*. Two, *I think the heavier bullets make for better defensive ammunition*... [emphasis added]


Listen to the man
He knows what he's talking about.

(How do I know? Because I agree with him. That's how. :yawinkle


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## zoom996 (Dec 7, 2016)

Thanks Craig. That info on the ammo makes a lot of sense. I'll check on prices for the 124 grain rounds instead of 115 grain rounds.


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## Cait43 (Apr 4, 2013)

high pockets said:


> take a look at SGAmmo.com | Family Owned and Operated Ammo Sales, Stillwater OK for mail order, but keep in mind to include shipping when comparing costs.


Some online dealers periodically offer free shipping and some offer a flat shipping rate........
Handgun & Pistol Ammo | In Stock Revolver Ammunition For Sale | Sportsman's Guide

https://www.freedommunitions.com/ammunition.html


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## MoMan (Dec 27, 2010)

Sportsmans Guide has free shipping right now including ammo. 
Use coupon code: SH1252 at checkout.

I've bought plenty of rifle ammo from them (I reload ALL my own for handguns), their pricing is usually pretty good, and they ship quickly!


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