Glock and ammo

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TheProf

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Heard a comment the other day about "bottom of the barrel" lightly loaded ammo... such as Winchester White Box (Walmart) and Federal purple box.

I personally like WWB. But I now wonder if it is the cause of some of malfunctions (failure to eject) in my G23. We are talking about 1 malfunction at about every 600 rounds fired. (That's the average...when I look at the last 3000 rounds fired from this gun.)


So here's my question...

1. Is this rate of failure to eject normal for Glocks...using this ammo (WWB).

2. And if it is light ammo... can someone give a list of 5 popular ammo brands...from lightest load to the more stout load.

Thanks.
 
I've not experienced that failure in 10s of thousands of rounds through a G23 and several 9mm Glocks on WWB. Light ammo or not, it isn't common.

But, if I were only using it for range ammo (and had carry ammo tested to satisfaction) I probably wouldn't worry about it.
 
I've never understood the idea that WWB is underpowered. Their 115-gr 9mms are hotter than any other standard target load I've used. Including Fiocchi (both 115's and 124's).

In fact, on two of my pistols I've learned to put a Winchester in the bottom of every mag, no matter what ammo I'm using, because it's the only thing that will lock the slide back every time.
 
I would think lightly loaded factory ammo would cause problems more frequently than once every 600 rounds, or not at all.

FWIW, I also particularly like WWB ammo and never had any issues with it in my G19.
 
I have several thousand rounds through a Glock 23 with no malfunctions. 90% Winchester White Box and Remington UMC. Almost all 180gr. Although definitely not my favorite handgun it is one of my most reliable.
 
Hi Prof,

1) Who cares if it is normal? 1 FTE per 600 rounds is 0.17% FTE. While it is still a FTE, that's why we train.

2) WWB is not light ammo. 9mm 115 gr WWB is running about 1190 ft/sec. I do not believe that is lightly loaded in the least.

Here's a great chart for your research into the stoutness factor.

http://www.ballistics101.com/9mm.php for reference.
 
Heard a comment the other day about "bottom of the barrel" lightly loaded ammo... such as Winchester White Box (Walmart) and Federal purple box.
Click to expand...


Generally people making excuses for their malfunctioning gun. Despite glocks claims, nothing is perfect.
 
115 tends to give a few more problems than 124, or so I have heard.
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Yeah, it has to do with "energy" versus "momentum." Ballistic energy (how much the bullet can break stuff) goes up exponentially with speed, but momentum (how much the bullet can push stuff) goes up more slowly.

Recoil depends on momentum rather than energy, and recoil is what works the pistol's action. That means the same charge will work the action better behind a 124 than a 115.

And yet... I have two 9mm that require a fair bit of recoil to lock the slide back. One is a shorter piece with a hefty recoil spring to compensate, the other is a full-size originally designed for .45 ACP (which typically has roughly the same energy as 9mm Parabellum but twice the momentum) and so has a really massive slide. Both pistols work more reliably with Winchester 115's than other brands I've tried. Even other brands' 124's.
 
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In USPSA circles, Winchester White Box 9mm is known for having big variations in velocity; this matters because if the velocity is too low, you won't make minor, and NONE of your shots count in the match (and you might learn this only after having spent the day sweating in the sun, shooting a couple hundred shots).

Assuming this reputation is well-founded, then this could explain your WWB experience being negative, whereas another shooter's WWB experience may be good. Combine it with slight differences in grip strength and/or recoil spring strength, and you could easily start getting a small-but-real rate of malfunctions.
 
In factory loaded range-type ammo, you really don't know what you are getting. Might be hot, might be light, might be loaded any which way. I would not expect consistency even from the same label.

That might be fine for range ammo though. If rolling your own is not an option you want to entertain, it definitely beats paying $.50/pop for factory ammo with better QC if you are going to shoot in any volume.

One malf every 600 rounds is not something I'd find acceptable in a competition gun. That is going to be one malf every 2-3 matches... no thanks.

In a stock Glock, the ammo would be my first thought though. I'd switch to a different range ammo and see what happens over the next couple thousand...
 
OP, is your G-23 a Gen4? If it is and its an early Gen4 build gun, it may have the early 336 Glock OEM ejector, which should be replaced by a Glock armorer with the newer 30274 Glock OEM unit. You should call Glock CS and give them the serial number off the side of the gun to verify which ejector your gun has.

The .40 S&W G-22 and G-23 were particularly susceptible to ejection problems including "BTF", in the early Gen4 builds, I had an early Gen4 G-22 and I had to get the ejector replaced as described above. There could also be a problem with the RSA, but Glock can tell you if you have the latest RSA. And I had problems with the 165 gr. .40S&W WWB that came in the 100 rd. box, I always thought the 180 gr. Winchester that only came in the 50 rd. box worked better in my full size .40's. I never had a lick of problems with the 115 gr. 9mm WWB in my Gen3 G-17 so I would disregard the previous comments about 9mm WWB ammo, which do not pertain to your gun!
 
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Also, Glocks do have to be lubed just like anything else... if they are dirty and dry, they can be susceptible to issues as any gun is.
 
OP, is your G-23 a Gen4? If it is and its an early Gen4 build gun, it may have the early 336 Glock OEM ejector, which should be replaced by a Glock armorer with the newer 30274 Glock OEM unit. You should call Glock CS and give them the serial number off the side of the gun to verify which extractor your gun has.

The .40 S&W G-22 and G-23 were particularly susceptible to ejection problems including "BTF", in the early Gen4 builds, I had an early Gen4 G-22 and I had to get the ejector replaced as described above. There could also be a problem with the RSA, but Glock can tell you if you have the latest RSA. And I had problems with the 165 gr. .40S&W WWB that came in the 100 rd. box, I always thought the 180 gr. Winchester that only came in the 50 rd. box worked better in my full size .40's. I never had a lick of problems with the 115 gr. 9mm WWB in my Gen3 G-17 so I would disregard the previous comments about 9mm WWB ammo, which do not pertain to your gun!
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Do you mean extractor, rather than ejector?

I've seen comments elsewhere about glocks not running well if they get dry, or the extractor channel gets dirty or dry. BTF and other problems.
 
I've seen comments elsewhere about glocks not running well if they get dry, or the extractor channel gets dirty or dry. BTF and other problems.
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You mean Striker Channel?, if you do, I agree!

I put CLP on a q-tip and go over the slide & frame rails and the top of the barrel where it locks into the slide. The cruciform on the back of the trigger bar, where it engages the tab on the striker, just needs to be CLEAN!
 
I had heard the extractor channel. In some instances it contributed to BTF. The guy stripped the extractor out and cleaned its recess and stopped the BTF, I believe someone else had a similar experience but I dont recall the exact details.

I wasnt paying enough attention at the moment, but saw comments about NOT oiling (or over-oiling) the striker channel. Clean is good though, I'm sure.
 
The "old" 336 extractor in my Gen4 G-22 would launch hot spent brass straight back at my forehead. Again it was an early Gen4 that didn't have the upgraded 30274 extractor, and the old ejector wasn't playing nice with the new DRSA, which caused the ejector problem. This explains why I got such a good deal on this used gun - LOL! After that I bought a new Gen4 G-21 with all the right parts in it and it has run 100% since day 1, so the G-22 became expendable & I wound up trading it off anyway.
 
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WWB is very good factory ammo.

I have chronoed many lots of WWB, and it is fairly high velocity and consistent. Don't listen to internet myths.

If you've got malfunctions with this ammo, look at your gun.
 
One of my favorite 9mm "range rounds" is a 100 grain Berry's plated bullet over 5.7 grains Ramshot Trueblue. Set the length to 1.050" and it runs through my Glock Gen4 19 like water through a sieve. Great for killin' soft drink cans and dirt clods.
 
I can't really speak to reliability issues, as my Glocks have ran everything fed in them, however I did have some accuracy issues with the 124 gr WWB, in my G34. I don't think it was the ammo so to speak though, just the grain weight wasn't really consistent with the factory barrel twist rate.
 
...however I did have some accuracy issues with the 124 gr WWB, in my G34. I don't think it was the ammo so to speak though, just the grain weight wasn't really consistent with the factory barrel twist rate.
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I would be very surprised if it was truly a barrel twist rate issue.

It is a fact that some guns just dont shoot as well with some ammo as another identical gun. I dont know if anyone has ever definitively stated exactly why that is, but it seems a constant.
 
The reason I asked the question was that three possibilities went through my mind...

1. It's normal for WWB ammo to induce such issues once in a while...

2. The 100% reliability of Glocks are exaggerated. What Glock users really mean is 99%...when they say their Glocks work 100%. And this would mean my experience of 1 failure to eject per 600 rounds is normal..

3. Or...maybe its just me... limp wristing every now and then.


By the way its a Gen 4 G23 about 3 years old. And yes, I do like Glocks.. a lot!

I was just wondering what the community experience with .40 caliber Glocks.
 
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