# Winchester .40 Cal Ammo Warning



## Cabbage Head (May 7, 2009)

28 April 2009
(U) Report of Faulty .40 Caliber Ammunition
(U) On 15 April 2009, the FBI Training Division advised recently tested .40 service ammunition provided by Olin-Winchester was defective and did not perform to acceptable law enforcement standards of accuracy when tested by the Defensive Systems Unit (DSU) at the Ballistic Research Facility, Quantico, Virginia.
(U) DSU conducted a test of Winchester .40 service ammunition, Winchester Q4355, specifically lot numbers: CC03, CC13, CD10, CD20, CD30, CD40, CD50, CD60, and CD70. Testing of this ammunition demonstrated key holing and yawing at distances of ten yards or greater, and inaccuracy to the point numerous complete misses (off the
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
cardboard) occurred at twenty-five yards from pistols fired from a rest. Testing has not indicated any problems with the pistol's cycling or functioning, only with accuracy. The defective ammunition can be identified by a red sealant around the primer, which was applied during manufacturing.
(U) The Little Rock FBI Office encourages the widest distribution to law enforcement agencies within Arkansas for the identification of this faulty ammunition.

Q4355,  is an enhanced 180g Ranger Bonded (RA40B) load.


It would seem that they mabye need to keep better watch on their quality control!


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## The91Bravo (May 7, 2009)

I had a remington Golden Saber that my Dept range master showed me, not only was it missing the primer, but there was no flash hole.  The round was complete, and in a crate shipped to our dept.

How you like them apples?


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## arizonaguide (May 9, 2009)

Thanks, CH!


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## Centermass (May 10, 2009)

180 gr JHP is already a flawed round for the .40 as it is when it comes to ME and velocity.   

Nice to see Winchester capitalizing even further on it. I'll stick with Federal or Corbon.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (May 11, 2009)

The major problem with LE ammo is that it is not regulated the same way Mil ammo is. There is zero reason why a LEO should be buying ammo or getting ammo off the shelf!

LEA’s should be allotted ammo and it should meet the same standard as the military…

I am sorry bro’s that you guys get fucked the way you do…


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## arizonaguide (May 11, 2009)

Centermass said:


> I'll stick with Federal or Corbon.


:cool:

Also, I wonder why .40 is still pretty easy to get, while most other defensive handgun calibers seem to be unattainable these days.
We can't keep anything on the shelves, and can only get "boxes" of ammo instead of cases...except .40S&W.

I thought the .40 was becoming a very "popular" round. Maybe not as popular as I thought.:2c:

I was reading up a bit on the 1911/.45ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) cartridge, and found this statement interesting:



> In response to problems encountered by American units fighting Moro guerrillas during the Philippine-American War, the then-standard .38 Long Colt revolver was found to be unsuitable for the rigors of jungle warfare, particularly in terms of stopping power, as the Moros had very high battle morale and frequently used drugs to inhibit the sensation of pain. The U.S. Army briefly reverted to using the M1873 single-action revolver in .45 Colt caliber, which had been standard during the last decades of the 19th century; *the slower, heavier bullet was found to be more effective against charging tribesmen.*


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## 8'Duece (May 11, 2009)

With the amount of supply and demand this does not surprise me in the least.  

QC will alway's suffer when the demand is exponentially high for ammunition.


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## arizonaguide (May 12, 2009)

Yup, it's funny how standards drop...I find myself being able to accept (available) lead round nose training ammo now, rather than FMJ.


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