I know this forum has been around for some time and with me being a new member forgive me if this has been done to death. I did read through looking for the obvious thread titles so,here it is. I have a Glock 22 and have been told to only run 180gr. through it to avoid the chances of a,"kaboom." I've been doing just that however, I would like to have more options with bullet weight. I plan to address the problem with a Lone Wolf .40 barrel (maybe a 9mm someday) for my own piece of mind. I've also been told/read to stay way from reloads and shoot what ever ya want. Would that be the over all consensus, stay with factory ammo, grain not an issue in an unsupported chamber?
Factory or Reload?
- Thread starter Whiskey6
- Start date
First, congrats on your first post. You've got a lot going on here actually. I'm not sure why you were told that 180 gr ammo would prevent a "kaboom". I can't think at this point in time why a 165 gr bullet for example would be more likely to cause a kaboom, unless those are seated deeper for some reason and result in higher pressure. If anything I would think the lighter bullet seated to the same depth would help make sure the cartridge seats fully in the chamber and is more supported (if for some reason the OAL of the heavier bullet proved to be a problem). But my understanding of reloading is limited.
As for shooting reloads, the only real issue with shooting reloads in a Glock is the polygonal barrel and the potential for lead buildup in the barrel over time. Now there are loads of people that shoot lead cast bullets in Glocks when they reload and they just clean more vigorously. Of course you can also reload with jacketed or plated bullets and that helps eliminate that issue. Many people advise against using reloads from a source you haven't verified. There are plenty of guys/gals that reload very well and produce ammunition equal or better in quality to the factories cranking out standard FMJ. But the problem is making sure you're getting reloads from one of those folks rather than the guy watching TV while reloading who double charged that case by accident. There are also companies that only produce reloaded ammunition. These are outfits getting once fired or even new brass in some cases and using their own equipment operate on a pretty large scale. Some of these have good reputations, some don't. Google is your friend.
Lastly I'd ask what year is your Glock 22. Glock improved the chamber support for the 40SW models over the years and the instances of kabooms went down pretty significantly (there are those that'd argue that the actual rate of kabooms was exaggerated in the first place). My point is you may be worrying about an issue that isn't likely to be a problem. One downside to the firearms community is word of mouth is king. So if the guys you talked to remember kabooms being a problem for Glocks but haven't owned them for a long time they might not know that the problem isn't really prevalent these days. Old information or lack of information doesn't seem to stop people from passing on info, however.
As for shooting reloads, the only real issue with shooting reloads in a Glock is the polygonal barrel and the potential for lead buildup in the barrel over time. Now there are loads of people that shoot lead cast bullets in Glocks when they reload and they just clean more vigorously. Of course you can also reload with jacketed or plated bullets and that helps eliminate that issue. Many people advise against using reloads from a source you haven't verified. There are plenty of guys/gals that reload very well and produce ammunition equal or better in quality to the factories cranking out standard FMJ. But the problem is making sure you're getting reloads from one of those folks rather than the guy watching TV while reloading who double charged that case by accident. There are also companies that only produce reloaded ammunition. These are outfits getting once fired or even new brass in some cases and using their own equipment operate on a pretty large scale. Some of these have good reputations, some don't. Google is your friend.
Lastly I'd ask what year is your Glock 22. Glock improved the chamber support for the 40SW models over the years and the instances of kabooms went down pretty significantly (there are those that'd argue that the actual rate of kabooms was exaggerated in the first place). My point is you may be worrying about an issue that isn't likely to be a problem. One downside to the firearms community is word of mouth is king. So if the guys you talked to remember kabooms being a problem for Glocks but haven't owned them for a long time they might not know that the problem isn't really prevalent these days. Old information or lack of information doesn't seem to stop people from passing on info, however.
What TunnelRat said.
Just to reiterate.....bullet weight has no bearing on kaboom potential. I don't shoot anyone's reloads, except for mine. Depends on what gen you have, and if the gun is used, your barrel might not have the same chamber support as the newer ones. Please look at the following picture:
Just to reiterate.....bullet weight has no bearing on kaboom potential. I don't shoot anyone's reloads, except for mine. Depends on what gen you have, and if the gun is used, your barrel might not have the same chamber support as the newer ones. Please look at the following picture:
June 1997, Gen 2. Factory said it was delivered to a police dept.,of course they wouldn't tell me which one. I've never had a problem with police trade ins. Not shot much,a little holster wear,good price. As for my,"source," they didn't go into detail and I didn't ask. I just assumed it was the same premise as shooting a steady diet of 125gr. JHP through a S&W 19 instead of 158gr.. You just shouldn't do it. The 125 is a hotter round and harder on the 19s frame than the 158. When it comes to bullet seating I'm not sure now,one thing I make sure to do is when I empty the chamber,for what ever reason,I never put the same round back in first just to stop from moving that bullet in deeper over time. I'll even mark the round so I can keep track and rotated.This is also my CC weapon.
I also own a Model 19 and remember the same advice, but 165 vs. 180 gr isn't as dramatic a difference in velocity as with the 357 magnum loadings you're talking about. The 19 was designed to shoot 38 special most of the time and 357 magnum for when it mattered, hence the L frame design as opposed to the K frame in later years. But the Glock 22 was designed to handle 40 SW out of the gate. Nothing you buy factory is going to kill it, IMO.
That probably wasn't a real good comparison,just came to mind. The Glock 17 is,for all intent and purposes a 22 other than the barrel. The only true handgun I know that was built from the ground up to be a .40 is the HK USP and other calibers came later on that same platform. I might just be debating semantics. How about I just use good factory ammo and call it good. Thanks for the insight,TunnelRat/Dan-O.
Pietro Beretta
New member
Most of the kB! have been from reloaded ammo that were suspected of being over saami specs.
There are few if any confirmed factory ammo that lead to a kB! in the .40 glock line.
.40 is susceptible to bullet set-back as well. A lot of reloaders, as I found out, don't crimp their handgun ammo with some saying there is no need. However, on .40 a little set-back can lead to significant pressures increase, more so than a set-back 9/45 round. If a case is thin near the rim on an unsupported barrel it can lead to a kB!
If you go over to the XDtalk.com forums there was a kB! over there in a .40 recently from hand loaded ammo suspected cause over pressure because of bullet setback using a maximum charge.
There are few if any confirmed factory ammo that lead to a kB! in the .40 glock line.
.40 is susceptible to bullet set-back as well. A lot of reloaders, as I found out, don't crimp their handgun ammo with some saying there is no need. However, on .40 a little set-back can lead to significant pressures increase, more so than a set-back 9/45 round. If a case is thin near the rim on an unsupported barrel it can lead to a kB!
If you go over to the XDtalk.com forums there was a kB! over there in a .40 recently from hand loaded ammo suspected cause over pressure because of bullet setback using a maximum charge.
Pietro Beretta
New member
As someone said, never shoot anyones reloads but your own.
That way, when something goes wrong you only have yourself to blame.
That way, when something goes wrong you only have yourself to blame.
True. I believe the M&P was as well. You're right that the 22 is an upscaled 17, but my point is the 22 was created with shooting 40SW fulltime in mind and again I don't think the differences in 40 SW ammo are as dramatic as 357 magnum nor do I think the Glock is potentially as fragile as a Model 19 (both in terms of metalurgy and number of parts). There are a lot of upscaled 9mm models that seem to handle the 40SW just fine. I seem to remember the Hi Power needing some modifications in that regard after the initial changes, but I think a polymer frame can sometimes be an advantage in its ability to flex slightly.
Always sound advice. And again, reloads aren't necessarily the devil, just some more to consider when you go that route.
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I will say I never shoot anyone elses reloads, just mine, when I had my G23 I never shot lead bullets through the factory barrel. Once I had a aftermarket barrel then I shot what ever bullet type I wanted. I also will say that the bullet weight should not effect or have an effect on a Kaboom, this was more likly due to poor chamber support and as you can see from the picture an issue that has been addressed with the later guns. If you want to avoid most problems I would just shoot factory ammo through your factory barrel or get a nice aftermarket barrel and you can shoot any bullet type in your gun (I still would not shoot anyone elses reloads).
lee n. field
New member
IMHO, just do that. A Lone Wolf barrel is relatively inexpensive peace of mind.
Don't shoot someone else's reloads. The world is full of fools, and some of them handload ammunition.
The very first commercial 40S&W ammo was too hot, we blew up a couple of G22's at the academy. That was in the early 90s. But since then the leading cause of KaBooms is setback, especially with heavier bullets. A reduction of .100" in OAL will double the pressure. Years ago we tripled charged a .45acp test barrel with 12 grains of TiteGroup, it didn't blow. But when we set it back about .125" with a 230 gr, KaBoom, which is different than a case rupture. KaBooms spilt the barrel, crack the slide, blow the frame apart, and send the trigger group and mag flying. A case rupture usually only blows the magazine release and mag out, with no damage to the gun. Commercial ammo for the 40S&W today is 135, 150, 165, 180 and 200. For reloading, even more choices. The latest trend in competition is to load 220 grs in the 40S&W which makes the 165 powder floor at only 750 fps and is very soft recoiling. All semi autos have some unsupported chambers, not just Glocks. In my experience with Glocks, the BarSto barrels have the most chamber support.
I see case ruptures in competition on a regular basis, typically occurs with a 9mm Major Open division gun because the loads are pretty much right to the edge. It's practice to use new, or once fired brass, but the shooters can't always verify once fired. This was from a match 3 weeks ago, out of an STI wide body. All it did was blow the mag out, no other damage, well other than the shooter zeroed the stage because of the jam.
OP, if you do decide to reload, don't use the brass shown on the right. It shows signs of excessive pressure: flattened and pierced primer, bulged on the case where the chamber ramp is, and a significant gouge from the extractor trying to get it out of there. It is not from a Glock, it is either an H&K or CZ. The case on the left is normal, primer has rounded edges, no bulges, no extractor marks. Also don't use the following head stamps: Freedom Munitions (FM), IMT or AmmoLoad. They all use a stepped case, which will separate after reloading, leaving the forward part stuck in the chamber, and a dead gun. PITA to get out, have to use a dental pick.
It relates to the OAL of the cartridge. If the bullet is seated to the same depth then the heavier bullet must have more mass and given a set width (since it's a given caliber) it means it must be taller in height. The taller cartridge impacts the feed ramp more and receives more rearward pressure in the process. But again, you could potentially have setback with either. Unless you make a habit of constantly rechambering the same ammunition you should be okay, and as 9x45 pointed out some cases have a shelf to prevent that and other companies use a cannelure to accomplish the same thing.
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