Re-loaded Ammo in Glock 40 cal

[RBrianHarless]

As a Glock Armorer, I was instructed not to use reloaded ammunition and that it voids the warranty. I have seen numerous people use reloads without any issues unless they use cast lead bullets. The lead eventually builds in the barrel that will eventually cause a kaboom. Just my two bits.

 

[squirrelhntr]

Yes, Doesn't the Glock owners manual say use only factory ammo ?

 

[singlestacksig]

Ok, I'm gonna stir the pot here..........

Does a semi-auto pistol that has a "fully supported" chamber even exist? How can it if the barrel has a feed ramp? Revolvers have "fully supported" chambers. Case in point is the barrel out of my LCP. This is LESS supported than the Glock chambers in the factory barrels on my 22, 23, and 27. Should I avoid reloading for this gun too? I hope not cause I've already reloaded and shot several hundred for it and forgot to check the interwebz before doing so to make sure it was ok!

With that in mind, I've reloaded and shot thousands of rounds for my .40 glocks and all 3 of them are still intact....shhhh, [looks both ways] and that's with those horrible factory barrels...


Flame on!

Yes, if the gun has an action that moves back enough , the round can be fed into barrel at a lower angle, or have the ramp be behind the chamber..
In order to make some guns be .40 out of 9 mm frames the feed ramp had to cut into the chamber area.. and yes the photo you posted does not fully support the chamber..
you might want to take care if using heavy bullets & reloading..

 

[singlestacksig]

here is a photo of a full size CZ in .40
http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/singlestacksig/WP_000315.jpg

 

[charley59]

My XD .45, looks like it has a fully supported chamber. My 1911, does not. Neither do my Glocks, although the 9mm Glocks look like the chamber is almost fully supported. I have fired 40K reloads in a Glock 17 over the past 23 years, no problems. I do not reload to maximum pressures. My brass (even those shot in a G21) resizes easily in my Lee dies. I have never seen the "glock bulge" in any of my Glock brass. The brass normally wears out when the case neck splits or the primer pocket becomes loose. I reload for 9mm and .45ACP. I do not own a 40 S&W.

 

[sjstill]

Bullet setback in the .40 is a real problem, especially with 180gr bullets. I blew up my G22 several years ago because of this in my early .40 reloads. The problem was corrected (more crimp), and no more issues after 8000+ rounds.

BTW, the G22 is still going strong, albeit with a new barrel.

I use Universal Clays and 165 gr FMJ's in my .40 loads, FWIW.

 

[Cam]

1. Some otherwise properly reloaded ammo had case swell that prevented the round from going all the way in to battery. When fired in this position the unsupported case wall is overexposed and blows out.

That would have to be a pretty large "swell" in the case give the size of the Glock chambers from what I can tell.

2. Loading then unloading a round of 40 cal even once, pushed the bullet back into the casing. When you consider your carry ammo, you might load and unload the same round once a day for a long while. Glock paid an Austrian ammo manufacturer to do some testing. They pushed the bullet back 1/10 of an inch. The resulting case pressures were 2X the design pressure. This is well over the proof pressure of 1.3 to 1.5X the design pressure. My friend verified this in his Glock. The bullet gets pushed back into the brass with every load/unload cycle. Scary. I guess the crimp is wimpy.

While I agree that this can happen, I disagree that it will happen every time a round is rechambered. I have also confirmed in my guns via micrometer measurement that it doesn't always happen. I believe this would be very dependent upon ammo manufacturer and/or an individuals reloading practices. As far as a wimpy crimp goes, since the round headspaces on the case mouth, a taper crimp is all it should get. The bullet is held in the case with tension. I do agree that rechambering a round can be a risky practice, but it isn't a certainty that it will cause setback.

3. After feedback from reports in the field, Federal changed the brass design on their 40 cal ammo. They thickened up the case wall at the back end to build in some insurance against swelling and blow out. Other manufacturers reportedly just marked the ammo as "Not for reloading".

Not questioning this, but where does the manufacturer mark this ammo? I don't recall seeing it.

I advised my friend to skip the reloading for now until we know what is safe practice. I haven't found that article yet. I believe that buying reloaded ammo would be a safe bet because the guys reloading 40 cal ammo are aware of the problems and have done the necessary homework. For now I am buying new ammo for my range trips.

If you trust someone you don't know to reload your ammo, then you can surely trust yourself to do it. IMHO, buying reloaded ammo is anything but a safe bet. If you would like to start reloading, my advise would be to get a reloading book and read it, get some equipment, and give it a try. Don't let all the interwebz hype scare you away from it. A little common sense goes a long way when reloading!

 

[Cam]

and yes the photo you posted does not fully support the chamber..
you might want to take care if using heavy bullets & reloading..

Oh I'm well aware it is unsupported. That was the point of posting the photo. I should have put all of that post in purple.

 

[Cam]

here is a photo of a full size CZ in .40
http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/singlestacksig/WP_000315.jpg

Interesting. Never seen a CZ barrel. Thanks for posting! (and that was not sarcasm.) Even though it sounds like it!

 

[ftwphilly]

Forgive my noobishness but doesn't "leading" in a barrel only occur if you don't properly clean your barrel after shooting? I shoot with my dad primarily using .45 and 9mm and often mix in factory new ammo when prices are right along with reloads from whom we both consider a well seasoned veteran reloader. He just bought a new glock gen4 g17 and I did read the manual too as well. It did specify "factory new" ammunition. However, I don't think he'll adhere to that as he used to reload in his younger years.

On another note I know people carry factory ammo for legal issues but after talking with a guy at the last show here in Ft. Wayne he also said not to modify any carry pistol as it could be argued it was made more deadly than intended. Is there any truth to this of has anyone heard anything similar?

 

[Jetrefz]

i have heard this too but I have also heard that the lone wolf barrel will eliminate this issue. i have not had the stones to run reloads through a glock though because the barrel has not been reinforced so if you put a hot load through it then it may cause some problems

 

[sjstill]

If you use FMJ reloads (and don't hot-rod) through a standard Glock barrel, you'll be ok. It's when you start using lead bullets in a standard Glock barrel that trouble begins.

 

[singlestacksig]

My XD .45, looks like it has a fully supported chamber. My 1911, does not. Neither do my Glocks, although the 9mm Glocks look like the chamber is almost fully supported. I have fired 40K reloads in a Glock 17 over the past 23 years, no problems. I do not reload to maximum pressures. My brass (even those shot in a G21) resizes easily in my Lee dies. I have never seen the "glock bulge" in any of my Glock brass. The brass normally wears out when the case neck splits or the primer pocket becomes loose. I reload for 9mm and .45ACP. I do not own a 40 S&W.

the buldge is ot much of an issue in .45 or 9 mm ..
is really shows up in .40 with 180+ bullets ..

from speer reloading #13;

9mm 35,000 psi
45 acp 21,000 psi
40 s&w 35,000 psi

 

[3shots]

reload ammo in glock 40

What EvilKidsMeal said.