ARMSCOR 9mm Failure

Gun Geezer · Dec 13, 2022

I purchased 1,000 rounds (shipped in 100 round boxes) of ARMSCOR 115gr 9mm luger FMJ. At my last range session, I had 9 failures to go into battery with my M&P 2.0 Compact. Upon closer inspection of these rounds, each of the cases were approximately 0.5mm too long. I brought them home and placed them next to other manufactures 9mm rounds and sure enough, the offending cases were all too long.

Has anyone else had problems with ARMSCOR ammo being out of spec? This was my first and probably last time that I buy ARMSCOR ammo. I purchased it during the COVID ammo-panic time so it was all that was available at the time.

kev74 · Dec 13, 2022

I've had good luck with Armscor ammo.

How long are the cases in question?

Just because they are longer than another brand doesn't mean they are out of spec.

DWalt · Dec 13, 2022

I have used Armscor 9mm, but not recently. No problems that I can remember. Can you measure case length with a caliper to see if they are out of spec on length? 0.754” is SAAMI maximum

desi2358 · Dec 14, 2022

I haven't had any issues with Armscor ammo when I've used it but any manufacturer can have the occasional glitch. Did you actually measure the case length or just go by the visible difference to the other rounds? I would measure the actual case length to see exactly what length the cases are. It's possible your firearm has a minimum spec chamber length and the ammo is at maximum spec length (but still within overall tolerances). Or the cases could have simply missed a final trim in production and actually be over maximum ........... A caliper would tell you for sure.

biku324 · Dec 14, 2022

A guy shooting Armscor 45 acp had a squib lodge at the muzzle during CCL qualifications a few weeks ago. He was shooting a Glock.

Eric300 · Dec 14, 2022

Armscor ammo = Garbage.....in any caliber.

SnidelyWhiplash · Dec 14, 2022

Armscor uses thick primers and has been the source of many light strikes or failures to fire in many guns of various makes. When it goes bang the performance seems to be acceptable…when it goes bang.

THE PILGRIM · Dec 14, 2022

I think the only Armscor I ever shot was 9mm in a Glock 43x.
No problems!

Gun Geezer · Dec 14, 2022

Unfortunately, I don't have calipers to measure the cases. I went back to the range today and had another 16 rounds prevent the pistol from going into battery. That's 25 rounds out of 400 so far.

Maybe I'll try the rounds in question in my son's G19 and see if they work. They won't in either of my M&P's.

I'll report back to let you know if the Glock eats them.

Krogen · Dec 14, 2022

Do a plunk test before you shoot them again.

Nevada Ed · Dec 14, 2022

Plunk or no plunk...............

factory ammo should work in all of the pistols that it is used in.

They need to fix their "Mess up".

DWalt · Dec 14, 2022

Sometimes the case length can be OK, but the cartridge OAL can be too long to fully chamber. Worth doing a plunk test with some of the rounds that didn’t go into battery. See if they fully chamber.

VictorLouis · Dec 15, 2022

Could that be 9x21 for the Italilan market, that got mis-labeled, or packed into the wrong box?

CH4 · Dec 15, 2022

SnidelyWhiplash said:
Armscor uses thick primers and has been the source of many light strikes or failures to fire in many guns of various makes. When it goes bang the performance seems to be acceptable…when it goes bang.

Until the pandemic, they primarily used CCI primers.

Rlg#17 · Dec 15, 2022

That brand is junk. Filthy, primers are hard. I don’t even use the brass for reloading purposes, it goes right into the scrap bucket. YMMV, but at this point I don’t give too many things a third chance. Tried it in 9mm and45 acp. Never again.

Regards, Rick Gibbs

Gun Geezer · Dec 15, 2022

Although I have done it in the past, I didn't know there was actually a term "plunk test" until you guys pointed it out. I learn new things everyday on this forum. Thank you!

So I did a "plunk test" (using an M&P barrel and Glock barrel) on the suspect ARMSCOR rounds as well as other ARMSCOR rounds from a different box and sample rounds from PMC Bronze, Remington white box, Sellier & Bellot, Herters, Federal HST, and Hornady Critical Duty. All of the 25 suspect rounds sat noticeably higher in the chamber than all of the other manufacturers sample rounds including the "in-spec" ARMSCOR rounds. A visual inspection of these suspect rounds, when placed next to the other manufacturers rounds, showed that the cases were slightly longer.

At this point, I'm going to have to agree with the other posters here that "disapprove" of ARMSCOR ammunition and I will avoid it in the future.

Thank you to everyone who posted. Have a great day!

ruger 22 · Dec 15, 2022

The problems I had with this ammo wound up being a broken firing pin spring in my S&W 986. Since then the ammo has been good.I did however have a lot of duds in their 22lr ammo.

THE PILGRIM · Dec 15, 2022

Thanks for the warnings!
Now that the Ammo shelves are filling, I won’t buy anymore!

ARMSCOR 9mm Failure

Gun Geezer

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kev74

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DWalt

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desi2358

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biku324

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Eric300

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SnidelyWhiplash

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THE PILGRIM

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Gun Geezer

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Krogen

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Nevada Ed

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DWalt

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VictorLouis

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CH4

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Rlg#17

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Gun Geezer

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ruger 22

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THE PILGRIM

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