Evaluating, Selecting, and Maintaining Handgun Ammunition

By Gary Orlando

There are many good manufacturers of quality ammunition today, so selecting good carry ammunition is not as difficult as it used to be, especially with all the information that is available online. Winchester, Federal, and CCI/Speer have been around a very long time and they have a proven track record of producing standard/full pressure cartridges. New companies like Cor-Bon, Triton, Proload and Glasser are relative newcomers with an already proven product on the more esoteric/high-performance end. As long as you select ammo from these types of quality manufacturers, you can’t go wrong. For most people, the selection process will fall along the same time-honored discussions such as "what is a better car, Ford or Chevy?" But deciding which is the best ammo for you is completely subjective.

You must consider your gun, yourself, and finally your environment in the proper selection of any ammunition:

• Your gun selection was a very personal choice by you. So your carry ammunition selection should be a personal decision also. It doesn’t matter whether your gun is a Colt, Smith & Wesson, or a Glock. It does matter that it is reliable, in excellent working condition, and is capable of being shot quickly and accurately.
  
  
• The second consideration is you. Are you familiar and proficient with your gun’s operation and manual of arms? Do you practice regularly? Do you feel you have been well trained? Do you have the proper mindset? Do you reload your own ammo?
  
  
• Third, you must consider the environment in which your ammo is to be used. What’s the temperature going to be? (I don’t mean is it 70 or 75degrees outside—I mean, is it 15 degrees below zero or 120+ degrees.) Will there be any barriers that you may need to shoot through, such as automobile glass, plate glass, drywall, or bricks? Checking for muzzle flash is also required if you think you will need to fire in a low-light situation.

What bullet weight? What type of bullet? Should I use a +P variant or just a standard/full pressure cartridge? You ask 100 shooters those questions and you will get 100 different answers. Ballistics are, by their very nature, subjective, they have been in the past, they are today and they will continue to be, even in the future when you and I are long gone. There is no such thing as the perfect or magic bullet. You can use science, live fire evaluation, and reports done by experts or whatever to help you make your choice. You can go as in-depth as you like with computer technology or just take a simple nonchalant approach.

Heaver bullets will penetrate a little better than lighter ones. FMJ designs penetrate more than HP designs. In .357 Sig, .40S&W, .45ACP, and 10MM calibers, standard/full pressure cartridges are fine. You can use the +P variant if you choose, but be aware that in .40S&W and 10MM they can be a handful. In 9MM you should use a +P variant as it will not be hard to handle and is considered the best choice by experts. When using any hi-performance ammo, especially high pressure +P, or +P+ make sure you are comfortable shooting it and you are happy with your follow-up shots and your ability to control the gun. A good solid hit with regular/full pressure ammo is better than a miss with the +P+ variant.

Keep in mind that as ambient temperature goes up, so does cartridge pressure when firing. If you use a +P or +P+ that is close to or at the maximum pressure rating of the gun or cartridge in question and then you are in an environment of the 100+ degree temperature range, that may cause a problem. It is also a very good idea to check with the manufacturer of your gun to make sure it can handle +P or +P+ ammo.

Once you’ve picked the style and manufacturer of the round you want to carry, you want to start some evaluation and testing. After you get your lot of about 150-200 rounds, you should do a through visual inspection. Use a chamber gauge and caliper for all dimensional measurements, and perform a good visual inspection for quality control issues. Things to check for: Correct OAL, any unnecessary scratches on the bullet or case, any part of the bullet plating scraped off during the seating process, primer properly seated, all components should be identical in their perspective lot, and any physical damage at all to either case or bullet.

You can’t check the powder charge this way but you could weigh each round if desired, although this may be a bit tedious. All of these checks are very easy if you are a reloader, which is yet another benefit to reloading your own ammo. If you have more than 4 or 5 visual failures in any 150-200 round lot, you should get another lot to evaluate or switch manufacturers and start over.

If all goes well in your visual examination then it is time to do some shooting! This is the simple and fun part. It goes without saying that this test should go perfectly—no unexplained malfunctions, period. If another person will be shooting your gun in the same configuration, then you need to make sure that it functions correctly for them. If you have multiple guns in the same caliber, then that’s 150-200 rounds PER gun, in the live fire testing. Obviously the biggest concern is that when you pull the trigger it goes bang and then cycles properly. As far as accuracy is concerned, if you and the round can stay within a 3" or 4" circle at 25 yards that should be just fine.

Replacement of carry ammo on a regular basis is a good idea. Determining when to do the actual replacement will vary greatly by individual and what the carry ammo is subjected to and how it is used. Modern powders and primers are very stable and have a very long shelf life if properly stored. You may need to change your carry ammo sooner if the ammo ever gets moist (condensation buildup) or wet, if it is handled excessively, if it is handled roughly (such as regularly ejecting rounds on hard surfaces, constantly loading and unloading, etc.), if there is any type of bacterial grown or foreign dirt accumulation, or if you accidentally get oil or cleaning solvent on your ammunition. Make sure your hands are clean and oil-free when you load and unload your carry ammo. If your mags seem dirty every time you clean them, then you need to clean them more often.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you spend time to choose your ammo carefully and then take the time to maintain it properly, you’ll be well prepared for spending all of your time aiming and shooting instead of correcting ammunition problems.