Reloaded Ammo in a Glock?

[Driver]

From my understanding a Glock will pretty much fire any ammunition that you put in it. However I read in the manual that you cannot use Reloaded ammo in it, that it may cause the Glock to explode. I have been interested in reloading my own ammo due to cost but if this is the case then I might have a second thought.
I'm just curious to see what everyones experience with it is and if there has been any issues.

 

[rbrthenderson]

From my understanding a Glock will pretty much fire any ammunition that you put in it. However I read in the manual that you cannot use Reloaded ammo in it, that it may cause the Glock to explode. I have been interested in reloading my own ammo due to cost but if this is the case then I might have a second thought.
I'm just curious to see what everyones experience with it is and if there has been any issues.

Not an expert on reloading by any means here. However, I've saw a bad handload burst the casing in a Glock 19 today at the range. A man and his daughter were shooting next to me and when she pulled the trigger, I saw fire come out of the side and she dropped the gun on the bench. The gun had a FTE and the back of the casing looked like it had been torn.

Turns out the guy bought the handloads at a gun show. He seemed pretty shaken by the whole thing. Nothing happened to the gun. I've heard of Glocks blowing out on the side due to the polymer frame. I would think the main cause for this is overpowered handloads or incorrectly loaded handloads.

I'm pretty sure Glock puts the disclaimer in the manual because they can't guarantee the quality of a reload. I have two Glocks in 9mm and I looked into reloading but for me, it didn't seem cost effective because the cost of all the tools and supplies wouldn't really save that much money over buying new factory ammo.

This is just my . Like I said, I have no reloading experience.

 

[KillStick]

From my understanding a Glock will pretty much fire any ammunition that you put in it. However I read in the manual that you cannot use Reloaded ammo in it, that it may cause the Glock to explode. I have been interested in reloading my own ammo due to cost but if this is the case then I might have a second thought.
I'm just curious to see what everyones experience with it is and if there has been any issues.

I have used reloaded ammo in glocks before, but it is trust worthy ammo. If you reload and trust your skills I don't see why not. Just don't use lead ammo in the glock original barrel, it affects accuracy and fouls the rifling. I do know that glock will not honor warranty work on there firearms if reloaded ammo was the cause of the problem. Basically reloaded ammo will void the warranty and any possible kaboom through reloaded ammo will just put you out of a pistol.

With that being said it is your firearm and your choice. Most problems that occur with kabooms are the ammunition its self, whether it be a double charge or what ever. This type of kaboom can happen with regular factory ammo also that has be produced incorrectly. The only difference is most companies that produce ammunition will warrant their product with reloaded ammo you might just end up being out of luck should a problem array.

 

[KillStick]

Not an expert on reloading by any means here. However, I've saw a bad handload burst the casing in a Glock 19 today at the range. A man and his daughter were shooting next to me and when she pulled the trigger, I saw fire come out of the side and she dropped the gun on the bench. The gun had a FTE and the back of the casing looked like it had been torn.

Turns out the guy bought the handloads at a gun show. He seemed pretty shaken by the whole thing. Nothing happened to the gun. I've heard of Glocks blowing out on the side due to the polymer frame. I would think the main cause for this is overpowered handloads or incorrectly loaded handloads.

I'm pretty sure Glock puts the disclaimer in the manual because they can't guarantee the quality of a reload. I have two Glocks in 9mm and I looked into reloading but for me, it didn't seem cost effective because the cost of all the tools and supplies wouldn't really save that much money over buying new factory ammo.

This is just my . Like I said, I have no reloading experience.

That just like bad brass to me, like a ruptured case or case separation. Its just a crap shot if you use somebody else reloads. You weren't there to see how they reloaded the ammunition or what type of materials so it is a type of leap of faith deal. I tend to stay away from some ones hand-loads unless it was factory reloaded. Even then there are no guarantees.

 

[rbrthenderson]

That just like bad brass to me, like a ruptured case or case separation. Its just a crap shot if you use somebody else reloads. You weren't there to see how they reloaded the ammunition or what type of materials so it is a type of leap of faith deal. I tend to stay away from some ones hand-loads unless it was factory reloaded. Even then there are no guarantees.

That's kind of what I told the guy. He seemed a little new to shooting and I told him that it was probably best to stick with factory loads because, like you said, you don't know the skill level of the person reloading it.

 

[Driver]

Well that makes me feel a little better. I had thought about buying reloaded ammo from someone but i guess not. Ill just have to save up and buy the stuff to do it. I think it will be a lot out of the pocket but in the long run it will be worth it.

 

[Aszerigan]

I've probably shot 50k rounds of my own reloaded ammunition through my various Glocks over the years, and I have yet to have a problem.

The reason Glock says not to shoot reloads is that they can't warranty their product against the competency of most reloaders. They offer a lifetime warranty on all their products, and they want to make absolutely sure that if they need to fix something, its not because an over-zealous loader double charged a round or two.

Reload and shoot away! Assuming you know what you're doing - your handloads are more reliable and probably safer than any factory ammo you'll buy off the shelf.

Good luck, and happy Glocking !

 

[NIFT]

Well that makes me feel a little better. I had thought about buying reloaded ammo from someone but i guess not. Ill just have to save up and buy the stuff to do it. I think it will be a lot out of the pocket but in the long run it will be worth it.

I learned the hard way (squib load) a long time ago not to use reloads from an unknown third party.

As Aszerigan said, Glock says no reloads for product liability reasons. Another reason is the very type of incident you related--a "kaboom" from a blown out case. Glock chambers are not fully supported at the bottom (top of the feed ramp), which aids reliability but can result in the failure you described from reloads. The .40 S&W has been the most known for such failures.

Lead bullets are not recommended for Glocks, even though many Glock reloaders use them The reason is Glock barrels have hammer forged rifling which seals gasses very well but also strips lead off bullets just as well. After enough lead deposits build up in a Glock barrel, it is possible to generate enough pressure to cause a failure.


My suggestions for reloading ammunition for a Glock:

1. Know your brass. Use your own once-fired brass, or use brass that you know is once fired. Avoid random range brass of unknown heritage.
2. Use jacketed bullets. Yes, they are more expensive than lead, and Glock reloaders do use lead bullets. However, jacketed bullets avoid any potential "kabooms" from lead build up, and you don't have to clean the lead of the barrel.
3. Take the time to function test various loadings to find the minimum load that runs your gun. Using 2/10th grain increments, find the load where your gun just jams and the one where it just functions. Add 2-3/10ths and you should have a reliable practice load with minimum wear and tear on the gun and minimum chance of a catastrophic failure.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[combat45acp]

Aszerigan is spot on, I have shot a ton of reloads through Glocks. I case gauge every round, some reloaders don't, I have a lot of kid who like to help. Case gauging is easy for a young kid to do, any thing that is a "no-go" I re-gauge it and usually pull the bullet and toss the brass. One thing about a Glock is that it's chamber is so loose, you can have a loaded round with bulged brass, even slightly bent and it will "drop" into a glock barrel.
I would get with someone who has experience in reloading, learn, and reload FTW!

 

[DustyDawg48]

Also, every gun manufacturer lists in their manuals that shooting reloaded ammunition voids their warranty, not just Glock. The whole kBoom! thing with the Glock is probably much internet craziness gone bad; it does happen but happens with every make and model of firearm with every type of ammo. Even the factory can double-charge a round.

Like everything to do with a firearm, reloading is not to be taken lightly. I would never shoot reloaded ammo from anyone that I did not personally know and would avoid gun show reloads like the plague.

Reloading your own ammo is a great skill, something that you can pass on to your kids and your kid's kids. Even factoring in the cost of equipment you can start to recoup your costs rather quickly. I can shoot factory equivalent 124 grain FMJ for around $10/hundred and .45 ACP 200 grain jacketed flat point for about $16/hundred. It can be done and done safely.

 

[HICKMAN]

I reload moly coated lead (blackbulletsinternational) and shoot em in my Glocks.

Just clean the barrel every now and then. I have the stock barrel in my G34 and a Storm Lake in my G35, haven't noticed a difference between the two.

 

[Sailor]

Lead does not affect my Glock barrel but I keep my fps down. The reason I run an aftermarket barrel is to more fully support the casing. You DO NOT want a failure on the bottom of a case in an unsupported area.

 

[mikeplan14]

I've been using Rainier plated bullets (from Midway) in my 23 recently. They have functioned flawlessly

 

[g+16]

The only reloads I shoot are my own, Not that I'm perfect but I'f their's a problem that it's mine. As far as factory disclaimers, I'm betting that not one of them would warrent their product with reloads being used

 

[billt]

The reason I run an aftermarket barrel is to more fully support the casing. You DO NOT want a failure on the bottom of a case in an unsupported area.

+100 !

This is the main reason not to shoot reloaded ammunition in a stock Glock pistol, not so much anything to do with liability. You have that to deal with shooting reloads in any firearm, regardless of brand. Not shooting lead ammo in a Glock is due to it's polygonal rifling which can lead the barrel very easily.

Glock pistols provide a generous throat at the bottom of the barrel to facilitate better, more reliable feeding. This causes the cases to expand, or bulge at or near the base of the fired case. With brand new ammunition loaded with brand new brass this is not an issue. However with reloaded ammo it can become a problem.

What can happen is this. When you reload a case, especially one that has been fired in a Glock, the brass gets worked hard at the base to bring it back into factory minimum specs. Now when that case is again fired, if it should happen to go into the chamber the exact same way, exposing the same area to the unsupported throat as it did the first time, the case could rupture from being over worked. A blown case is very dangerous to both the shooter as well as the gun it was fired in.

It's up to the shooter, but I only shoot factory loaded ammunition in all of my Glocks. I then save the brass, reload it, and regulate it's use to my Sig's and Beretta's which have better supported barrels in the throat area.

Factory loaded 9 MM FMJ ammo is still quite cheap. So much so that it doesn't pay to buy components and assemble it the first time around. It is easier and cheaper to buy factory Ball ammo, shoot it, save the brass, then reload. Of course if you shoot only Glock pistols in whatever caliber you are not afforded this luxury. Then, if you want to be completely safe in shooting reloads in your Glock, you would be required to purchase an aftermarket barrel that offers more throat support than the factory stock Glock barrel does. Bill T.

 

[Mudcat]

I shoot nothing but reloads through my Glocks. I use different bullets depending on what I can get a deal on. Lately I have been using the black Bullets which is a moly coated lead bullet. After hundreds of rounds I get no leading at all. Thousands and thousands of rounds through my G19 and not one kaboom something must be wrong.

The 9mm has a much thicker case bottom the bottom of a case the solid brass part extends up into the chamber and past the unsupported part. There is almost no chance of a bulged case with a 9mm in a Glock factory barrel. Spend a little time and measure how far the bottom goes down into the chamber. Now a .40 is a whole different story. I would not feel good about reloading .40 for a Glock or an H&K. Just another reason why I stay with 9mm.
I would not buy or use reloads from someone I did not know. But not to shoot reloads in a Glock or any other brand would be crazy and just think would the reloading business be as big as it is today if that were so?

 

[billt]

But not to shoot reloads in a Glock or any other brand would be crazy and just think would the reloading business be as big as it is today if that were so?

I'm not saying what others should or shouldn't do. The fact of the matter is a lot of perfectly good Glock pistols have been damaged or destroyed by blown cases that can be directly attributed to reloaded ammunition. I don't shoot reloads in my Glocks simply because I've got other pistols that I do shoot them in that have better supported chambers. It is just as easy for me to shoot factory ammunition in my Glocks and save my reloaded ammo for my non Glock guns. It is safer that way, and doesn't cause me any added work or worry. I like my Glocks and my fingers too much, so for me the risk simply doesn't add up to enough reward. Bill T.

 

[JRPLANE]

45 acp glock 21sf

i have a 45 acp glock 21sf,,I have shot 9000+ 240 gr. SWC the barrel doesn't lead anyworse that any other brand that I have owned. At first I was concerned, keep a close eye on it , cleaned it every 50 rounds. That didn't take long to see how this was not needed. I have fire 500 rounds with out cleaning. There is no more lead fouling than any othe gun, a lot less than some. My 44 mag colt annaconda leads a whole lot more!