In distant past, when it was sunny and warm, money flowed from trees, wonderful new guns sat on shop shelves, and you had your choice of any brand, bullet weight and velocity....things were better.
I tend to agree some ammo is dirty. When you go about selecting a round for your use, you can do a bunch of different things. In the past, you could buy a single box of ammo, step out to the range and test fire it, and then make a decision. You could return to the shop, then spend your entire income tax refund, your company bonus check, or your life savings on the same brand and lot number.
That last may be important. the numbers printed on the end flap or on the ammo tray inside can be important. If there is a recall, that's the number that identifies when it was made, and what the components were. Its almost conclusive that if one box of a lot is clean (or dirty), the rest of that lot will also be. It doesn't mean it will shoot well or cleanly in all your guns, just the one you've tested it in. Some short or long barrel guns will handle ammo differently. It has to do with complete combustion.
That same idea is still possible, to some extent. The problem is you can't have any assurance of finding the same lot at WallyWorld the following day. You can buy your limit, and so can your wife, and sons, and daughters in law...
Maybe in the future, the ammo shortage will go away and you can return to the good old days.
And it gives us just another reason to reload. You can test different powders (the obvious culprit) and at different intensity levels to see which pleases you the most.
So you see, there are other things beside accuracy and dependable or repeatable velcoities to consider.
