Federal 9mm Issues

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marb4

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I'm wondering if anyone has had reliability issues with Federal 9mm ammo from WalMart (the stuff in the maroon and black box)?

I have a Beretta 92FS with around 1500 rounds through it and have had 3 malfunctions in that time. 2 failure to extract and once the slide failed to lock back after the last round. All of these occured while using this Federal ammo. Could be coincidence but I'm starting the think my gun doesn't "like" this stuff. Other than these three occurances its been 100% reliable.
 
Federal makes some of the best stuff out there. I would say it's a coincidence.
Also, 1500 rounds and only two failures doesn't sound like much of an issue to me :p
 
Sounds to me like the Federal is loaded light, which wouldn't surprise me.

You could replace your recoil spring with a lighter spring, or avoid the ammo. Your Beretta is most likely sprung to match 124 grain NATO, which is above SAAMI specs for std. 9mm ammo.
 
I have found the WalMart Federal to be ok. Not great, just ok. IIRC the 9mm stuff cycled ok, but accuracy was noticeably underwhelming. My CZ preferred PMC bronze. Just MHO, but I found it to be on the mild side, which could cause cycling issues for some.

3 malfunctions out of 1500 rds with bargain basement range ammo isn't too bad in the grand scheme of things.
 
I prefer the Federal load you mention to all other 115gr FMJ loads, low cost or not. I have used it in several Hi-Power, CZ, and Bersa 9mm's with no problems of any kind and with excellent accuracy. I shoot in military pistol matches and specifically bought the last three boxes my local WalMart had in stock yesterday to use as a bullseye match load. I intend to buy every box of it I can find. The pistols I've used it in all have extra power recoil springs in them to help mitigate recoil on my arthritic hands and I've never had a failure in any of them with it.

I'd keep my eye on it, but as of now I would agree that a failure rate of 0.2%in a cheap range load hasn't reached the worry point yet. I'm more prone to say that two failures to extract could indicate a need to take the extractor out and give it and its slot and spring a good cleaning and inspection, and to make sure the chamber is clean. A single failure to lock back in 1500 rounds is not significant to me at all as it can also be caused by crud. The load does in fact generate less recoil than other loads I've used, so the other fellows are probably correct in saying it's a light load. But still, a 0.2% failure rate in a cheap range load.........??

In my experience, if a load is going to give you problems, you'll know it long before reaching the 1500 round mark. Best wishes.

JayPee
 
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Of the 1500 rounds, only 200-300 were the Federal ammo in question. This pistol definately prefers 124 grain rounds. I use a lot of RWS and Winchester NATO and seem to get the best performance with them. Blazer Brass and even Blazer aluminium seem to do well. I've also used Winchester White Box and Remington Green and white box loads with no problems but yeah, a little hotter load with a 124 grain bullet seems to give the best performance.

I'm not complaining about the three malfunctions (at least I don't intend to). Just curious what others have experienced with this particular brand given that my only issues have been with it.
 
I've used it regularly in half a dozen different pistols (glock, steyr, sig, kahr, sprinfield) and never had any issues.
 
I use it a lot, but there are a lot of complaints about that ammo being underloaded. I've seen the topic pop up at the Beretta Forum and a few other places.

I had a couple of issues with it in my carry Beretta 92 recently. I've since dumped about 800 rounds thru the gun in a month, to get the jinx off of it. It always spooks me when that happens with a carry gun.

I stopped using the Federal and had no problems anymore.
 
I recently went through 500rds of it between training and an IDPA match. No failures in either my S&W 1911 9mm Pro Series or Fusiom 9mm CCO.
 
Since I can’t run/walk/limp/crawl through a rain storm with out getting wet some what surprised that I’ve experienced no problems with Federal ammunition purchased from Wal-Mart. That said I’ve used the subject Federal ammunition in Glock G17, G19, and S&W MP9 with no issues which accounts for 1200 rounds.
 
I've yet to have any problems with any Federal in any Beretta. I've used WWB in the past, with all sorts of inconsistent loads (9mm, .40 and .45). If you want something hotter for the same price, try Fiocchi. It is rated about 100 fps faster, and should cycle even the toughest springs.
 
I actually prefer CCi Blazer.

In 9mm (I can't say anything about the other calibers), it is the cleanest 9mm target round I have seen.

I have disassembled slides at the 1k mark, and the 3k mark - with ONLY CCI Blazer aluminum being fired (besides a handful of JHP to make sure it worked in the gun). Both times, I wasted my time. The extractor and striker channel was amazingly clean.
 
YES, I've had problems with it in otherwise problem-less guns. In fact I have run into a box (purchased with 19 other boxes) that will jam all of my 9mm pistols every SINGLE round... like clockwork.

Didn't have a single problem with any of the other 19 boxes in that purchase. Was considering contacting federal but I've ended up using it to practice clearing jams and teaching my girlfriend the same.

But I certainly will not be using it in any important circumstances after my experiences with it. (I have had off and on trouble with it before)

I've also noticed Cabelas in Richfield, WI carried it for a few months, but I haven't seen them stocking it anymore lately.
 
I have run thousands of Federal rounds from Wal-Mart through my three 9mm's without any problems. I prefer this ammo because it's very reliable.
 
I had a dud primer in one round, that was in the cheap stuff you mentioned, no other real issues.
I like Federal because its made right by my house, I don't mind spending a few cents more than WWB to support the home team on something like that.

I feel their HST ammo is some of the best ammo available today as well.
 
Federal boxes in question have made me decide that reloading 9mm isn't worth it any more. $9.99 / 50 at my WM and they always go bang, good accuracy and clean.

On a side note, I noticed today that my local WM started carrying Federal JHP in boxes I've never seen before, but they only had .40 in stock - and I don't shoot that caliber.
 
I don't recall any issues with the Fed plated 9x19 I've picked up from WM ... I've run it in various pistols and a sub2000, it even ran in the ammo-picky Walther P.1
 
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