Observations on cheap ammo

[ArgentFix]

About 18 months ago I started keeping records of everything I shot. I pulled out all centerfire pistol info from my 2018 notes and discovered something interesting. Excluding a problematic CZ 75, silly conversion projects, or anything magazine or slide stop related, and focusing on only failures to feed, eject, or extract, I found exactly 6 stoppages in at least 20,000 rounds. Not a single one when using what I'd consider top-quality ammo like Lawman, American Eagle, S&B, Fiocchi, etc:

P99c: 1 fail to battery with Rem 115 UMC bulk
P226 9mm: 1 stovepipe with Win 124gr NATO
VP9: 1 stovepipe with Rem 115 UMC bulk
92FS: 1 FTFeed Independence Aluminum 115
P226 .40: 1 stovepipe with Winchester Purple
G42: 1 FTFeed Perfecta

I've also noticed the loose packed Remington UMC 115gr labelled L9MM3 are different rounds from the L9MM3 boxes. Different primers, different headstamps. I had no stoppages with the boxed version in 2000 rounds.

While some cheap ammo is reliable, if I had used only high quality rounds I would have had exactly zero ammo-related malfunctions in that whole year.

[ranger]

How much money did you save with the cheap ammo? Would you have trained less with "high quality ammo"?

[ArgentFix]

How much money did you save with the cheap ammo? Would you have trained less with "high quality ammo"?

Both valid points. Don't get me wrong though, I love cheap ammo. I have 9 cases of Blazer Brass (which has been great for me) in my closet due to the recent rebates. I just found it interesting to find a clear delineation between "top" and "ok" quality ammo in my own notes. It makes me less likely to give the side-eye to an otherwise reliable gun that malfunctions with cheap ammo.

[ranger]

I am even "cheaper", 99% of my ammo is my reloads.

[revchuck38]

My experience is that the hotter cheap stuff works better than the softer-shooting stuff. Blazer Brass 9x19 feels like it's right on the edge of having enough power to function. S&B 9x19 and Winchester NATO-spec ammo work really well for me.

[03RN]

You don't consider Winchester NATO as top quality ammo?

Eta. And fiocchi makes perfecta.

[23JAZ]

I have shot about 20K through my G19 of nothing but the cheap stuff. Tula, Wolf, Perfecta, Winchester White Box, Federal Aluminum, and Tula Brass with exactly 1 failure to extract and 1 failure to fire. The gun ran about 10K rounds stock then another 10K after changing springs, extractor, guide rod, and a trip to Boresight for frame work. But it eats the cheap stuff like a fat kid eats Twinkies. In my experience Glocks are not finicky. If it fires it will cycle. Modern off the shelf cheap stuff is questionable in regards to accuracy more than reliability in my observations.

[03RN]

I have shot about 20K through my G19 of nothing but the cheap stuff. Tula, Wolf, Perfecta, Winchester White Box, Federal Aluminum, and Tula Brass with exactly 1 failure to extract and 1 failure to fire. The gun ran about 10K rounds stock then another 10K after changing springs, extractor, guide rod, and a trip to Boresight for frame work. But it eats the cheap stuff like a fat kid eats Twinkies. In my experience Glocks are not finicky. If it fires it will cycle. Modern off the shelf cheap stuff is questionable in regards to accuracy more than reliability in my observations.

I find that incredible if true.

Only because steel cased ammo has a 5-10 round/k failure to fire in striker fired guns IME and while working at an indoor range.

I don't count that as a negative. I figure it's value added to practice malfunction drills.

[ArgentFix]

You don't consider Winchester NATO as top quality ammo?

Eta. And fiocchi makes perfecta.

I think I've only shot 1k Win NATO in total ever, so maybe it's fine but it's the only stoppage I've had in that P226 in 9mm. The Perfecta 380 ejects noticeably weaker in my G42 and I was not surprised by that one. My understanding was Perfecta is Fiocchi parts assembled by someone else.

[That Guy]

The only stoppages I can recall that have happened with 9mm pistols in the last few years have been with Fiocchi ammunition. S&B and Geco have been more reliable.