Defective Ammo: Winchester 9mm JHP "Personal Protection"

[AKAMac]

I'm not a pro but I'd say that they were not trimmed. Case length is important during the bullet seating/crimping stage. A shortened case may cause loose crimping but a long case will buckle the case and cause over pressurization.
Glad that Winchester has given you the opportunity to get some good stuff back.

 

[Eagles6]

Dozen years ago or so I bought 4 boxes of Winchester white box .30 Carbine sp. Some of the primers failed to go bang. Sent it back, 2 boxes (who paid? I don't remember). They said that some of the primers were contaminated with oil. Couldn't have been on my end. They sent me certificates for 4 more boxes all of which worked.
Stuff happens. It's more even more unacceptable when something visually defective gets by.

 

[lbmii]

I had similar crushed case in a box of white box Winchester in 357 Sig.

 

[searcher451]

Thanks for the heads-up on this one. I've been known to run this stuff through my Walther P99 on occasion. Of course, I haven't seen any in months and months and months. Still, good to know.

 

[pharmer]

Almost looks like the machine was set up to load .357Sig. I wouldn't shoot it in any case. Ammo companies are good at replacing defective rounds. Last time, Remington sent me double (12 ga OO Buck), Federal sent double and a check for $20 (.32HR mag, boy that was a long time ago). Joe

 

[stevemis]

It's been over two months since I mailed my ammunition back to Winchester. I've called a couple of times since. Each time I call in, they tell me to expect it "next week" and next week comes and goes without any resolution.

The last time I called I was informed the person who handles these issues "unexpectedly retired". To this day, there is no job listing for customer service on Olin or Winchester's websites.

I filed a BBB complaint this morning.

 

[stevemis]

Looks like the folks at the BBB were able to cajole Winchester into finally replacing my bad ammo. This morning I received a case (500 rounds) of 9mm JHP from the UPS man. It was overnighted, even.

 

[CombatArmsUSAF]

Dang, i never thought the BBB actually did anything. I stand corrected.

It's awesome that they sent you a case of it, how's it look?

 

[Nicodemus38]

arent you allowed to look inside the box of ammunition before you buy it? every store ive gone to has always let me look inside. especially the ones that have large aisles of ammunition.
If you dont look inside ammo, do so. Once found a box of .308 with 3 30-06 headstamps in it.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I don't buy centerfire ammo unless I'm allowed to open the box and inspect the contents. Substandard factory ammo happens as do ammo recalls. I have had outstanding service from Winchester especially for recalled ammo.

 

[pancakeofdoom]

a local shop i used to go to had signs everywhere saying "don't open boxes of ammunition". kind of suspect IMO.

edit: btw, i do realize this is a safety concern when they have firearms not 5 feet away from ammunition, but they could just keep it behind the counter and let you inspect it anyways

 

[Rifleman6555]

When I worked for Wally World selling guns and ammo I never minded most folks opening the boxes. Even the sealed Remington boxes to check the cases before they bought.

I did mind the occasional Bubba who would want to see into several different boxes and then scratch the lead tip with their thumbnail leaving a big gouge in the tip and then asking for a new unopened box. What are they checking? Do they have Brinell gauges in their thumbs? I kept a box of the damaged bullets and got to know which customer would do this and would pass them the same box they or some other Bubba had damaged before. They happily regouged the lead and were joyful in their Bubba heads and I cut down on damage loss for my shift.

While I'm on Wally World, my favorite was the guys who would come in and drop nearly a thousand dollars on rifle and scope and then want ammo at $2.00 a box. Or the guy who came in all bug eyed asking if I had 300 Remingtin Ultra magnum because he had a deer coming out in his yard at 200 yards and he didn't think his .270 would reach that far. Our deer are average 100 to 150 pounds. I asked him when his African safari was, his wife roared in laughter and I educated him on the effrectiveness of his .270. He came back later with pictures of the deer. I was supposed to sell guns, no matter what, but I just couldn't let this one past.

Sorry for going off on a tangent from the subject.

 

[BADUNAME37]

I broke a tooth once on a piece of magnet about the size of a pencil erasor that was in a Chocolate Chip Cookie.

I called the manufacter (one of the largest known). They had me ship the entire bag and the piece of magnet (that could have easily been mistaken for the size and shape of a Chocolate Chip -- except for color which was black as opposed to dark brown).

Once they had that, they reimbursed me for having the dentist fix my molar, and that is all they paid for. They sent me a complimentary box full of their various products and several coupons.

As for what happened to have a broken piece of magnet in my cookie? They never let me know. The outcome was apparently none of my business.

So, when you return these, don't expect to hear much back, except possibly an apology that you were not satisfied with their product and a coupon or two (or a replacement box or two).

In today's litigious society, no one is going to admit to anything in writing, and most likely not even over the phone!

 

[Drachenstein]

I once bought a box from a well respected local range, didn't open it to inspect, when I got it home the center row was missing.

 

[jon_in_wv]

The other disadvantage of the budget line is that it does NOT use a "low flash" propellent. Instead it uses a cheaper, standard propellent. This means that if you shoot this ammo in low light you'll get a larger muzzle flash. This can temporarily blind you. And, since most defensive shootings occur in low light, this is a valid concern.

I have to question the accuracy of this statement. I used to keep a couple hundred rounds of the Remington UMC JHPs on hand but one night I was shooting them near dusk and the fireball those suckers made was HUGE. I switched to the 115gr or 147gr WWB PD ammo for that purpose. It has very low muzzle flash even when compared to some of the other more expensive ammo I've tried. It is budget ammo and its fair to criticize it on other counts but I don't think muzzle flash is a real issue with it.

 

[KBintheSLC]

This is the Winchester White Box JHP's labeled "Personal Protection", right?

I would NEVER recommend that ammo for self defense use.

I disagree. I have used the 147g WWB-PP ammo for years. Never had a failure in my Glock. I even did some expansion testing in wet phone books in which it worked great.

I assume the OP just got a bad batch... It can happen. That is why you inspect every round before you load it into your carry gun. I actually weigh my ammo as well. This WWB-PP stuff makes a great load to put in your extra mags... load your gun with the high end stuff and the spares with WWB for an economical alternative.

 

[Deanimator]

I disagree. I have used the 147g WWB-PP ammo for years. Never had a failure in my Glock. I even did some expansion testing in wet phone books in which it worked great.

It's all I carry in my two 9x19mm handguns. It's been 100% reliable. It tested well at Box 'O Truth, both for penetration and expansion.

 

[inSight-NEO]

As I do not generally use Winchester ammo for anything but practice, I cant comment on this one other than to say I almost exclusively use Federal 115 grain JHP (9BP) for 9mm (as an HD load).....when and IF I can find it.

 

[Blue Brick]

No Winchester here only Federal…I am boycotting Winchester.

 

[outerlimit]

I found a 9mm round that had a case that was about 1 or 2mm too long. It didn't want to chamber in my gun.

I've also has some Speer .38spl ammo that had a few crushed cases.

It happens.. inspecting the ammo before shooting is a good policy, though I don't always inspect it real closely myself. I try!