Winchester 40 S&W Ammo

[willie]

I received a shipment of Win 40 S&W 180 gr bonded h.p. ammo and today inspected it. At first glance primers appeared irregular. Their usual shape differed from normal appearance. They were very slightly out of round. Some had that slightly mashed look found in handloads when extra pressure was used to seat primers in a crimped primer pocket. The primer pockets themselves showed slight chamfering. My guess is that they were very slightly too small to start with or the primers were very slightly too large or the equipment tooling was worn. In a few instances some primers were discolored.

This ammo was advertised as contract overrun with a blurb stating that the receiving agency was not able to pay for it so thus it was returned. It arrived in Winchester marked boxes which were not white box generic. Neither was it yellow Ranger boxes. The boxes appeared to be commercial but did not exactly resemble those that I've seen. Cases were brass.

I believe the reputable distributor when he said that this stuff was contract over run. I do not believe that he was told the truth, and my opinion is that this is reject or cull ammunition. I paid $18-19 per box. The 50 rds that I fired shot ok. I don't know what conclusion to draw. Sorry--no pictures.

[lyodbraun]

If it functions and works great n your pistol shoot it, don't worry to much about it, or just use as some range ammo ? And not use as carry ammo... mane post some pictures of it for all to see?

[willie]

It's fine for my use--range/woods. I regret that I don't do pictures. I was surprised to see it sold as contract overrun instead of something else.

[lyodbraun]

Where did you buy it from ? Maybe the department/ agency? who bought it actually checked all the ammo and returned all the stuff that looked out of spec ?

[Doug MacRay]

Winchester QC has been somewhat lacking in recent years. I've made a few returns on Winchester Ranger ammo of various calibers since 2015, so I just don't buy it any more. If it was dirt cheap I might buy it for range ammo, but I'll stick to Speer, Federal and Hornady for carry ammo until Winchester gets their act together.

[Nephrology]

I purchased some Winchester 180gr .40 caliber FMJ in bright purple boxes with purple cases (Nickel cases colored over with Dykem or something). Also was sold as a contract overrun at $200/case. I had several issues with that ammunition, including a FTFeed in an otherwise flawless pistol and a bulged cases that got stuck in the chamber about 2mm away from lockup. I had to use a torque wrench from my car to beat the slide into battery.

I shot the rest of my Winchester RA9T and will similarly dispose of my Winchester 12ga LE ammo. I will not be buying Winchester ammunition in the future for either carry or practice. Honestly would rather have Wolf.

[QED]

Since I am under impression that having very effective self-defense ammunition can matter an awful lot, I would shoot off any potential SD ammo that doesn't look right -- in any way.

[Duelist]

I purchased some Winchester 180gr .40 caliber FMJ in bright purple boxes with purple cases (Nickel cases colored over with Dykem or something). Also was sold as a contract overrun at $200/case. I had several issues with that ammunition, including a FTFeed in an otherwise flawless pistol and a bulged cases that got stuck in the chamber about 2mm away from lockup. I had to use a torque wrench from my car to beat the slide into battery.

I shot the rest of my Winchester RA9T and will similarly dispose of my Winchester 12ga LE ammo. I will not be buying Winchester ammunition in the future for either carry or practice. Honestly would rather have Wolf.

That purple stuff is CBP practice ammo. Standard reloadable cases under the purple.

[Lester Polfus]

That purple stuff is CBP practice ammo. Standard reloadable cases under the purple.

Why do they use purple cases?

[BobM]

Why do they use purple cases?

I had heard it was to be able tell if they had duty ammo back in their mags after training

[Duelist]

Why do they use purple cases?


I had heard it was to be able tell if they had duty ammo back in their mags after training

Exactly. They are nickel cases, 180gr FMJ flat nose ammo, and the purple box says all over it "not for duty use". By coloring it, they ensure that it is very easy to tell at a glance what is in the magazine.

[willie]

Long ago I learned to inspect any centerfire ammo intended for serious purpose. Eventually I applied the practice to all centerfire metallic ammo. Recently I discovered a Federal HST round with a primer deformed from seating. Another time I bought 500 rds Federal +p+ 158 gr hp 38 spl ammo. All had zero crimp. This was the perfect opportunity for bullet jumping due to recoil. I crimped the cases myself using regular hand loading equipment. If you shoot frequently, over time you will discover examples of defective factory ammo from all manufacturers.