in the time of the Covid.
Ammo is scarce and two and a half to three times as expensive as it was before the pandemic and the commie riots.
Carry ammo, when you can find it, is shockingly expensive. An additional problem is that ammo made under huge back logs can have less QC and QA.
With that in mind how do we vett ammo to carry? What are the best practices?
Throwing ammo at it doesn't assure function, as I found out twice. I had a Gen2 Glock 17-chosen specifically under the doctrine of "original caliber/original engineering",
like people recommend 5" 1911s in .45acp, and shun the .40 and .45 caliber Glocks.
I tested this gun with over 500 rounds of Blazer ammo, then I fired an additional 500 rounds of duty ammo, Winchester 127+P+ Ranger Talon. I shot the Winchester
at a private lesson with a USPSA GM, fast and furious.
I then fired another 200 rounds trying to make it malfunction. Not cleaned and dry as a bone I fired one handed strong and weak, fired with elbow and wrist limp.
I fired laying supine holding the gun by thumb and trigger finger only with the gun upside down.
Moving at a sprint forwards, backwards and sideways, jerking the trigger as fast as I could, typically with splits in the .14-.16 range-jailbait.
Then I put the gun in service and for the next 2 years I only shot Blazer and 127+P+ through it for over 16,000 rounds(remember when Blazer Aluminum
was 84.50 per thousand?)
Not a single, solitary malfunction. Nothing. No stoppage, jam, light strike or hesitation of any kind.
There was a total of two full cases of 127+P+ shot through it.
One night I ran a box of 50 127+P+ through it at the range and cleaned it.
The next afternoon I shot a charging pit bull outside a Post Office where he had a dozen people hemmed up.
He came so fast that I had to take 2 steps back as he slid to a stop dead at my feet. I fired 5 rounds and hit him 5 times in the head and neck.
My Glock was jammed with a horizontal stove pipe.
wat?
Guess what? The gun never ran right again. I took it to my gunsmith and had him check it out. Nothing. It just didn't work right, regularly choking in various different ways.
I bought a brand new Gen3 2003 vintage 17. Changed to Gold Dot 124+p and conducted a near identical vetting process.
A year later, another dog shooting and at 6 rounds the gun chokes, I tap/rack and it double feeds. I drop it and draw my 442 carried AIWB Werner style and finish it.
Again, no apparent cause of malfunction.
I nearly went back to a Model 10.