Ammunition Expectations

Status
Not open for further replies.
N

Nushif

Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
3,082
Location
Corvallis, OR
Seeing the repeated threads as to whether one other brand of ammunition is "any good" I've been starting to wonder what exactly the expectations are of ammunition. Also, is this a sliding scale?
For instance, for a given ammunition type to be "any good" must if flawlessly cycle even a finicky gun, or are some failures acceptable in ammunition when it doesn't come to serious application?

Here's my expectations of the ammunition I use:
For plinking as long as 90% of it works I am happy with it. My own reloads have never malfuntioned, other thana failed patch that we made while teaching a friend who ... oiled the powder measurer on the inside.
For self defense I want powerful ammunition that does not fail in any statistically meaningful way, without worrying too much about the specifics of the Hollow Point Design. I achieve this by buying only namebrand self defense ammunition.
So basically ... to plink and play with I get anything, really, but for SD I stick with brand name +P ammo or brandname factory, usually.

What are your expectations of ammo for various applications?
 
All I expect it to do...

is go bang when I pull the trigger. The accuracy is my responsibility....chris3
 
ball3006 said:
is go bang when I pull the trigger. The accuracy is my responsibility....chris3
Click to expand...
Idealist....

During the ammo shortage, I bought some 45 for shooting at an indoor range. Didn't notice it was remanufactured til I couldn't figger out why in the world I was shooting so bad. Ammo was just crap.
 
When I pay for a premium ammo I expect to see uniform cases, level primers, and as close to 100% ignition reliability as to not be noticable. (Say 1 failure in thousands of rounds.)

I understand that some rimfire ammo cannot be held to that standard, but if you pay for Ely priming you should see significant difference in reliability over a bulk packed brand.

When I purchase an odd ball caliber (say .32-20 or other cowboy load) that I've paid a premium price for I expect good quality brass with matching headstamps and no cosmetic flaws. I don't worry if lead ammo is 'dirty' (as some of it often is) I just make a note to warn others that load is particularly dirty/sooty.

I have a high expectation of accuracy and consistancy from American made centerfire rifle ammunition. I don't hold mass produced 5.56 to the same standards as say, a purpose built, premium priced hunting round.

When I find a real 'dog' I make a point to warn others off of it (in person and here and other discussion boards). I've only really done this a handful of times, and all those occasions the ammo was so bad as to be 'unsuitable' for serious (hunting, match, SD) use. One load was so bad I wouldn't even consider it a 'plinking' load. (Barnaul 30-06 steel case, bought a bunch of it in bulk for a match and it might be the worst centerfire ammo I have ever purchased.)
 
Last edited:
I expect it to go BANG!, and in the case of an auto-loader, extract/eject the empty with the proper force for the gun to load a fresh round. (based upon the gun being in good working order)

And if I do my part, to put the bullet where I pont.
 
Going back to the OP. My self defense ammo I expect to function flawlessly and I care what the bullet does and how its constructed. I want it to penetrate but not over penetrate and the hollow point to open up with out coming apart.

In plinking or practice I don't care that much. I'm willing to accept some failure because it comes with firing cheap ammo. Its desirable that it mimics the recoil of my self defense ammo fairly closely but again you have to accept cheap ammo isn't going to do that perfectly but you sometimes can be pleasantly surprised.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top