I won't own a gun that won't function with any ammo I feed it

[Jeb Stuart]

So I am assuming that high end custom guns, (the type I could never afford) with very tight tolerances will eat the crappiest ammo made?

 

[Jeb Stuart]

I must be in the minority, for I've sold or traded off every gun I've ever owned that had issues with any ammo they were fed ...excepting, yes, the .22 semi-autos, pistols and rifles.

But if it's a centerfire handgun, if it's a picky eater, I don't want it.



Yes. Every SIG P-series I've ever owned, every Beretta pistol except one, every CZ pistol, and 12 of my current 14 1911s ...

By the way, for all you American Eagle fans, we've bought pallets of that in .223 for training over the last couple of years, and had major problems with several production runs. NOT a fan ...

At any rate, to answer the OP, it is NOT a ridiculous statement.

So with all the ammo out there, I guess you have shot every brand, every manufacturer that exist? Just curious, You say that you are not a fan of American Eagle 223? Or would you say that since some guns do not shoot that ammo, then they should get rid of their guns? You can't have it both ways.

I have a nice pistol, that I recently shot 5,000 rounds from since new. I shot about 10 different brands of ammo of mixed grs. 115 to 147. The gun has been flawless. So if I do run a round of crap ammo through the gun and the gun will not fire it, I guess I should just toss it? Maybe you would, but Not me. I would simply not use that ammo. No big deal.

 

[OARNGESI]

All my guns feed pretty much what ever I feed them even my 1911s and ars love Tula. But I hardly ever fire over 200 rds at a given time

 

[rpenmanparker]

Based on my ill-fated thread a couple of days ago (liar, liar, pants on fire ) you guys know how I feel about this subject. I agree with tarosean and Jeb Stuart.

 

[wanderinwalker]

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any firearms I've had that have been so overly picky regarding ammo type that I've considered getting rid of them. I thought my 38 Super was going to be fussy when I first started reloading for it, but that was simply a bad batch of brass.

I think the people who expect a firearm to function 100%, 100% of the time, are lacking in imagination, not shooting enough, or setting themselves up for disappointment. I've had malfunctions with every action type I've ever spent any serious time working with. Except maybe bolt action rifles. (Maybe.)

 

[bannockburn]

The only guns that I owned that wouldn't really feed any kind of ammo were .22s, a Sterling Model 302 and an FTL Auto Nine. Oddly enough the only gun I have that has always worked with any ammo through it is a .22; my Beretta Model 70S! As to guns not functioning with any ammo I feed it; the only ammo I found that wouldn't feed in my guns was Winchester BEB (Brass Enclosed Base). That stuff was horrible at trying to get it to feed in any of my .45s!

 

[sota]

I have a bolt action rifle that is reputed to severely dislike any ammo made with Lake City stamped brass, but allows extraction fine with all others. Granted it's a single shot .50BMG upper, so it's not like it'll be blazing a path through the crowds with a wall of ammo...

 

[Hokkmike]

I have heard of the years some internet poster say "I won't own a gun that won't function with any ammo I feed it". This phrase usually comes after some owner posted a failure with a certain ammo or just a a malfunction.
Is there really a gun made that will actually feed any recent ammo made, no matter what the quality? Would you get rid of a gun simply because it did not feed a certain ammo? Sounds like a ridiculous statement, but you know the internet.

My experience has been that most AK's eat any ammo. Beyond that other types and models of guns seem to have a few bullet types/brands that give them upset stomachs. But I have never heard anyone say that they won't buy a gun that does use any ammo. Silly to discard a gun for a poorly designed or bad quality cartridge.

 

[FL-NC]

My Glocks seem to eat anything I feed them- including that nasty steel cased stuff.

 

[mgresh]

Along these lines, I never understood why people try to shoot the cheapest crap through their guns. I guess that is easier for me to say because I don't shoot as much as most on here, but I stick with quality ammo and don't mind paying for it.

 

[George P]

I have heard of the years some internet poster say "I won't own a gun that won't function with any ammo I feed it". This phrase usually comes after some owner posted a failure with a certain ammo or just a a malfunction.
Is there really a gun made that will actually feed any recent ammo made, no matter what the quality? Would you get rid of a gun simply because it did not feed a certain ammo? Sounds like a ridiculous statement, but you know the internet.

Called a revolver.......

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Is there really a gun made that will actually feed any recent ammo made, no matter what the quality?

I highly doubt it, but my three HKs have never failed to function properly, and they all have several thousands of rounds through them. It's why I carry an HK to begin with.

However, I assume I just haven't shot them enough to find the ammo they don't like and will choke on, and eventually every gun will break down or have enough wear that they fail to function properly.

I mitigate failures by trying to buy ammo brands I've had good luck with. But that's no guarantee of course. I'm hoping that by loading my own, the need to buy ammo will become totally moot for me. I'm guessing my own quality control is much higher than major ammo manufacturers.

So I feel reliability is paramount in a defensive gun, but ultimately impossible to maintain indefinitely.

 

[Olon]

I've got one pistol that is very picky. So far I haven't found any ammo at all that it will work with...
View attachment 813955

Darn I thought glocks were supposed to be reliable. Somebody must have cut you a deal on that one.

 

[Rembrandt]

Threw out six S&W model 41's in the garbage can when they failed to fire that "Bag-O-Bullits" I bought at the Farm discount store.

 

[theotherwaldo]

A many of times I wanted to "fix it" that way.

It's called Etch-A-Sketch Maintenance.
Happens all the time.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

So with all the ammo out there, I guess you have shot every brand, every manufacturer that exist?

Of course he hasn't. No one has, and that illustrates the ridiculousness of the statement to begin with.

I've gotten rid of picky guns, but I sure don't think there is a gun that will function 100% no matter the ammo. I'm guessing Old Dog is just saying his particular guns have run 100% on the ammo he has chosen to feed them. I don't think he is implying that every example of the models he mentioned will all run on any ammo they are fed. Maybe I'm wrong though about his meaning.

I know you aren't asserting the base statement that is the topic here, but it's sort of like saying I won't keep a car that wont run smoothly on any octane gas I choose to put in it, up to and including gas that's been in a gas can in my garage for 40 years. Garbage in, garbage out. Some ammo is junk, and will choke the best guns out there.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

Darn I thought glocks were supposed to be reliable. Somebody must have cut you a deal on that one.

Evidently they had extraction issues at one point. Probably the kinks worked out by now.

I also have a few guns that will not cycle this crap. Actually glad they don't. Not sure I want a gun with such loose tolerances.

 

[Zerodefect]

One of the more interesting Federal vs Brown Bear vs Wolf ammo reviews:
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/wolf-tula-brown-bear-federal-ammo-test.694340/

Federal has been my "go to", for reliability testing for a long time now.

Are you guys even getting good deals on the steel stuff? I can almost always find PMC or S&B for hardly more per case.

 

[JR24]

Most of mine have choked on something or another eventually, though these days I run almost all handloads for practice so I usually blame the ammo and its crafter.

The only specific gun/ammo issue I had was a Ruger SR40c and 170 grain truncated cone Freedom Munitions ammo, those choked it about every third round. Ran fine with other ammo.

Yes. Every SIG P-series I've ever owned, every Beretta pistol except one, every CZ pistol, and 12 of my current 14 1911s ...

My w.german P220 really hated UMC for a while during the Obama panics, some were loaded a bit long on OAL and they'd hang up on the mag. One box of 50 had 10 that wouldnt feed. My 1911s ate them just fine.

My Glocks seem to eat anything I feed them- including that nasty steel cased stuff.

My 19X and 26 do not like my 147 grain flat nose had loads, loaded to 1.13" OAL. I switched to round nose loaded the same way and they seem to function fine. Guess its the tighter chamber and the fatter flat nose. I thought about loading them shorter but my 226 are them up fine and I figured I could use some malf practice anyway.

Called a revolver.......

Had a bunch of remanufactured stuff, Ultimax or some such, years back in .38 special that liked to choke my Vaquero. Something about them caused the cylendar to bind up. It was years ago, before I started reloading, so I'm not sure of the exact cause. I suspect a sticky case or dirty rim not letting them seat properly. Had to pull the whole cylendar out to fix though.

I just pulled the offenders out and ran them in my GP100 fine.

 

[Deus Machina]

Honestly, none of my carry guns had problems with any factory load I tried.
My Ruger SR9c? Never a hiccup.
CZ PCR? Only hangups were from a particular handload wedging into the rifling. No issues with a different cast bullet or any factory load. Imagine it may have trouble with truncated cone, but that's rare enough for 9mm.
S&W 469? That thing would shoot rocks if I could get them into the magazine. Ate absolutely anything. It would just deliver them low and wide.

And I won't own anything I need to trust that won't function with any quality ammunition. Steel case and weird rounds notwithstanding, and I've hardly owned as much as many of you, but anything but a range toy or safe queen needs to function with any brass-cased FMJ I toss in it.

Heck, I have yet to own a .22 pistol that has trouble functioning. Albeit I've hardly tried everything and it may not enjoy it, but they've functioned.

 

[Ignition Override]

A friend's .40 Glock (Gen 3?) used 2,000 rds., had one minor feed or extraction issue.

 

[rpenmanparker]

Funny how frequently you hear that flat nose or truncated cone bullets won’t feed in so many guns. I once got a case of them for free through a friend associated with the manufacturer. They routinely hung up in all my 9mm guns. The solution to that is just too easy. I’ll never use them again, free or otherwise. Fool me once...

 

[armarsh]

My two Glock 21s hate SWC bullets. Absolutely awesome guns in every other regard but if I feed them SWC it is going to be a training exercise.

This training aspect is why I responded to this thread. There is great value in clearing malfunctions at the range. If you find something your gun does not like it is actually a blessing. Train with some of that ammo in addition to the stuff that works great.

 

[Olon]

My two Glock 21s hate SWC bullets. Absolutely awesome guns in every other regard but if I feed them SWC it is going to be a training exercise.

This training aspect is why I responded to this thread. There is great value in clearing malfunctions at the range. If you find something your gun does not like it is actually a blessing. Train with some of that ammo in addition to the stuff that works great.

Maybe even throw a few of those bad boys in with some of your "good" ammo so you come to expect something to go wrong every now and then. It's a good mindset to have.

 

[jstert]

a couple of my handgun musts are: 1. digest any ammo and 2. easy to fieldstrip/clean. a favorite ruger sr22 happily meets these musts. otherwise im pretty much a contented revolver guy, who favors simple fmj or wadcutter ammo, nothing exotic or even “defensive.” long guns are rimfire ruger and marlin, which heartily eat any ammo that i’ve served up.