By Ronald Alley Jr.
In the early 1990s, marksmanship of all kinds was important to me, and I pursued it at all costs. As a military reservist and an FFL holder, I had common access to ammunition. Along the way, I learned an important lesson: not all ammunition is the same, and not all ammunition will “go bang.”
In March 1995, 9mm, .45 ACP, and 5.56mm were my most commonly used calibers, just like many of you then and today. One day at the range, I opened a factory box of Federal 9mm 115 gr. FMJ ammunition and discovered one round with a hollow point bullet of unknown weight. It was odd, but I had full faith and confidence in Federal products. I wrote an actual paper letter to Federal, and I received a response dated March 23, 1995. It was an apology letter with a brief explanation of the possible cause. The Federal Product Service Representative explained that “on some occasions, a bullet can hang up in the hopper during a machine setup and be loaded by mistake.” It was a reasonable explanation, and this error represented no hazard — it was merely an incidental accident. Federal sent me a replacement box of 9mm ammunition, and I continue to use their products to this day.
In May 2023, 9mm is still a commonly used caliber — maybe even more so than before. One day at the range, I loaded a magazine and began firing a Sig 228 (remember those?). I had a failure to fire on one round, so I ejected the faulty round and continued firing without further incident. After the slide locked, I retrieved the round, which was a Remington 115 gr. FMJ, and noticed that the primer had been struck by the firing pin, but it was set sideways in the primer pocket. As a reloader, I had encountered this before, but never in a factory round. There was no hazard, just an inconvenience. I didn’t consider it serious enough to notify Remington.
Also in May 2023, I was using some Black Hills Ammunition (Blue Box – reloads) in 9mm that was approximately 20 years old and properly stored. I had grown tired of looking at it, so I decided to use it up. During firing, one round experienced a case head failure in a Glock 19. It resulted in a mild discharge and gas release, causing no damage. Upon closer examination, it was clear that the case had been reloaded one too many times. Again, no big deal — just an inconvenience discovered 20 years too late.
Between these dates, I have experienced the full spectrum of ammunition failures and mishaps. Simply put, if you’ve been in the game long enough, you will see failures, errors and defects in the product. No manufacturer is immune to error, and no country of production is free from it either. All the usual suspects follow: dented cases, squib loads, split necks, bullet setback, missing primers, corroded cases, light powder charges, heavy powder charges and wrong case caliber markings...the list goes on. These issues have been observed in factory ammunition, let alone in reloaded ammunition.
The objective of this public safety reminder is simple: CHECK YOUR AMMUNITION!
About the author
Ronald Alley Jr. is an active police officer in Massachusetts approaching retirement (someday), with a military, firearms instruction and gun dealer background. He is a proud recipient of the U.S. Army Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge. Despite the constraints of time, between work and home life, he continues to learn, train and educate. He might be seen driving an old pickup truck, but could also be seen sporting a Randall Made Knife, a Heinie custom 1911, or an Omega watch. After all, a man must have priorities and standards.
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