Posted on 10/07/2014 5:30:57 AM PDT by Jed Eckert
After the recent ammo drought, it’s good to see relatively cheap bulk pistol ammo returning to store shelves. But ammo buyers need to be aware that not everything is as it seems and not all ammo is created equal.
I found this Winchester “150 Round Value Pack” of 9mm NATO 124 gr ammo for sale at my local Gander Mountain for $49.99 recently. That works out to about $16.66 per 50, which is not bad for reloadable brass cased 9mm in the current market.
That is, until you read the (very) fine print on the bottom of the box that says, “These cartridges are loaded to military velocity and pressure; average pressure is 10% to 15% higher than industry standard pressure for 9mm Luger.”
This is obviously part of some military contract overrun packaged in bulk as cheap plinking ammo. The problem is the “10% to 15%” higher pressure puts this square in the 9mm +P category. The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer’s Institute (SAAMI) actually goes as far as to list 9mm NATO as being “unsafe” for firearms chambered in the standard 9mm Luger caliber.
While the SAAMI recommendation may be overly cautious, the reality is that 9mm NATO spec ammo should only be shot through those pistols rated for 9mm +P ammo. While this does include most modern pistol designs, such as those made by GLOCK, HK, Sig Sauer, etc., there are modern pistols not rated for these higher pressures and a large number of older pistols out there that are not +P rated.
And, even if shooting higher pressure ammo through any particular pistol is safe, it does increase the wear and tear on the pistol’s components.
While I’m happy to see bulk 9mm ammo returning to the shelves, Winchester should have labelled these 9mm NATO boxes more clearly so shooters would have a better understanding of what they are buying.
Look for the 115gr FMJ’s instead of the 124gr. Your wife will thank you.
Interesting. I’ve never seen that printed on surplus boxes. Now I’m going to look.
A minor issue with the ammo with regard to reloading is primer crimping. I have about 115,000 empty cases of once fired 9mm NATO brass (yes 900 pounds) and it the crimped primers decreases the value a bit.
As the local news lady would say "A big SCARY PILE OF GUN BRASS was found in the house!"
You should still be able to punch them out with a good de-capper pin. They make a pocket swaging pin to take the crimp out and swage it back into diameter. You can avoid reaming the pocket.
Thanks for the heads up.
I noticed that Cabelas has Remington UMC Bulk Pack (1000) 9mm 115 gr. for $179.99 on sale starting 10/09. Wonder if it’s NATO specs too.
Lew
While true, the fact that it is labeled NATO means that it is packed with more powder than non-NATO stocks. But yes, the average folk may not fully appreciate this fact based on a simple label.
Yes, absolutely doable. People just have to know, or they end up crushing the new primers going in.
But 115,000 rounds is too much for me to deprime. I am simply going to clean it up and sell it with the primers in it. I'm considering renting a cement mixer to polish them.
The brass is extremely dark, but not pitted with corrosion. I've found that a quick vinegar bath brightens them up, but I haven't found walnut shells too effective on taking off the rest. Does anyone have any suggestions for a better media? I've considered using fine sand in a cement mixer, but am worried that it will be too abrasive.
In any event, I would like to get them clean and packaged up in 1000 rd bags, so that I can start selling them for ~$50 per 1000.
Mine aren’t.
Don’t use it in an alloy frame, it will shorten the gun’s useful service life.
I use a mix 1/2 walnut 1/2 corncob with some Brasso added.
You can get Brasso from pretty much any store.
I don’t worry about getting shiny brass just getting dirt off so I don’t leave my brass in very long, but leave them in awhile and they should shine unless really tarnished.
Baking soda, possibly. Others would know better than I. I blasted small parts with soda a while back and don’t recall it doing damage to soft metals, though I never tried brass.
You can make your own vibratory tumbler and avoid destroying brass using a cement mixer by cannibalizing an old electric compressor. I’ve done it for a different purpose.
Cannibalize the motor, which already has a concentric weight on the shaft, mount the motor with ‘refrigeration motor vibration isolators’ (available at any refrigeration supply house, or perhaps Grainger) to a heavy base, mount a platform to the motor, mount a suitable bowl to the platform and you’re golden (rather, ‘polished’).
There’s this, too
http://boyerfour.com/projects/tumbler/tumbler.htm
Actually, having read his site above, if I had 900lbs of brass I’d try the tire one.
I’ve been running a bunch (250-ish) through my Springfield XD. Problem or not, do you think?
Girly ammo,what will they think of next
If I could always count on perfect hits I'd use a .22lr and aim for the eyes, accuracy will always be your best friend.
I used to get into the round ball debate, everyone else was going for .54s, 58s, and me with my little .45. I could put a .45 round ball in the neck and the deer would be DRT, no muss no fuss, no drama. My old rig is scary accurate, why waste powder and lead?
We need more government oversight ..
There should be an ATF agent at every ammo selling store that actually reads the fine print to the purchaser...and then requires said purchaser to sign a document (in triplicate) acknowledging that they understand the ramifications of their purchase.
That should keep us safe.
You can buy or make a tool to remove the crimp after you deprime the empty case.
The first one I made was out of a “church key” beer opener using just a file.
Be very careful when repriming. Make sure none of the crimp remains or you will get a crushed primer with part not in the case.
Shouldn’t be any problem for my FS-92 and LC9. I keep +P loaded as defensive rounds all the time. Sometimes I use them at the range.
Ironically my 92FS (M9) is not rated for +P rounds.
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