What ammo is best for a Glock 17?
- Thread starter adam3
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PreserveFreedom
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As far as reliable feeding, FMJ ammo is traditionally the best for any auto. If you want a good defense round, I am partial to Federal HydroShok. Their hollowpoints keep somewhat of a ball profile.
I have a Glock 19, the 17's "little brother."
I usually plink with the PMP/DNL from South Africa. It is 115gr and I chrono'd it at 1070fps (a bit light). You can buy a case (1000 rounds) of this for $100 + shipping from Ammunitionstore.com. Another good, cheap option is: Olympic 124gr (avoid the 115gr, it has hard primers which malfunction in Glocks). Georgia-Arms also sells a variety of ammo at good prices.
For a defense load, you can search for what people prefer. I have a summary of the FBI terminal ballistic data here and it suggests that, of premium bullets, the 147gr and 124gr loads tend to have better penetration and expansion than the 115's. Consequently, I currently use Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P, loaded by Proload.
For practice, it might be important to shoot a load that "feels" the same as your carry load. For this purpose, I have a case of Georgia-Arms 124gr "NATO" (1200fps) on order, and am thinking about buying a case of the Olympic (should be the same spec).
-z
PS - whatever you decide on for "defense" ammo, buy several extra boxes of it the first time around and have her run them through the pistol to ensure it is totally reliable. If "limp-wrist"-type jams are common, you can try to use some "hotter" ammo, or put in a reduced-power recoil spring.
I usually plink with the PMP/DNL from South Africa. It is 115gr and I chrono'd it at 1070fps (a bit light). You can buy a case (1000 rounds) of this for $100 + shipping from Ammunitionstore.com. Another good, cheap option is: Olympic 124gr (avoid the 115gr, it has hard primers which malfunction in Glocks). Georgia-Arms also sells a variety of ammo at good prices.
For a defense load, you can search for what people prefer. I have a summary of the FBI terminal ballistic data here and it suggests that, of premium bullets, the 147gr and 124gr loads tend to have better penetration and expansion than the 115's. Consequently, I currently use Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P, loaded by Proload.
For practice, it might be important to shoot a load that "feels" the same as your carry load. For this purpose, I have a case of Georgia-Arms 124gr "NATO" (1200fps) on order, and am thinking about buying a case of the Olympic (should be the same spec).
-z
PS - whatever you decide on for "defense" ammo, buy several extra boxes of it the first time around and have her run them through the pistol to ensure it is totally reliable. If "limp-wrist"-type jams are common, you can try to use some "hotter" ammo, or put in a reduced-power recoil spring.
Killit n Grillit
New member
Speer gold dot 9mm luger 124 gr.GDHP,great self defense ammo.feeds great into glocks.
bad_dad_brad
New member
I have a G17 and a G19 and they have eaten all the 9mm ammo I have put through them. I like Win .115 Silvertips and Speer .124 +P Lawman when I can find it. As hardball FMJ I pretty much stick to Win just cause you can get it anywhere cheep. I bought a bunch of Czeck S&B and it shot fine. Just remember, only FMJ, no lead.
The Reaper
New member
You can try what I did. Shoot a bunch of different ammo, and see what you like for accurracy and recoil. The wife didn't like the recoil of some rounds. I found that some ammo just didn't shoot well in my Glocks, and some did.
Trial and error, expensive stuff usually doesn't shoot any better than cheap stuff. It also depends on what your intended use for the gun is. Plinking at the range get the cheapest FMJ ammo you can find. I shoot the Winchester White Box and S&B for the range. Carry or defense, then you may want something different.
Ya Ya, I know most people can't CCW a G17, but I can, and I get plenty of ribbing from my friends about it.
Trial and error, expensive stuff usually doesn't shoot any better than cheap stuff. It also depends on what your intended use for the gun is. Plinking at the range get the cheapest FMJ ammo you can find. I shoot the Winchester White Box and S&B for the range. Carry or defense, then you may want something different.
Ya Ya, I know most people can't CCW a G17, but I can, and I get plenty of ribbing from my friends about it.
slickpuppy
New member
I shot my 17 last week for the first time in almost 2 years. I always keep some fireball 9mm NATO rounds for it loaded by Winchester. I keep it on hand just for the 17. The Glock likes the loads super hot.