We don’t have to tell you that, depending on the part of the country and the caliber, ammo can be difficult to get. Still. When you’re in the business of reviewing guns, that can be a problem. Which is why we’re so happy to have solved that problem in most cases by partnering with Liberty Ammunition for our gun food needs. Here’s their press release . . .
Liberty Ammunition Signs on as Official Ammunition Supplier to TheTruthAboutGuns.com
Liberty Ammunition to Supply Ammunition to TTAG for a Duration of Six Months as Part of Sponsorship
BRADENTON, FL (April 2014) – Liberty Ammunition, global leader in high performance, lead-free ammunition for military, law enforcement and civilian markets, has signed on as the official ammunition supplier to TheTruthAboutGuns.com (TTAG) for a duration of six months. As an official ammunition supplier, Liberty Ammunition will provide TTAG with ammo to use during all TTAG’s gun tests. Ammunition rounds to be included from the Civil Defense and Silverado line include .223, 40S&W .380Auto, 45ACP and 9mm.
“We are very pleased to become the official ammunition supplier to such a well-known and regarded firearms enthusiast’s website as TTAG,” commented Matt Phillips, VP of Sales and Marketing for Liberty Ammunition. “We’re eager to see the relationship grow and to read the reviews that our ammunition is a part of. We know that TTAG’s writers will be quite impressed with our ammo and look forward to the readers getting to experience that as well through TTAG’s articles.”
TTAG was founded by Robert Farago in February 2010 to explore the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns. The site has been built on word-of-mouth, strong writing and a no-holds-barred attitude.
For more information on Liberty Ammunition visit www.libertyammo.com.
About Liberty Ammunition:
Founded shortly after the 9/11 attacks, Liberty Ammunition’s sole pursuit has been to develop the world’s highest performing ammunition. The company provides state-of-the-art tactical ammunition to the US military, our allies and law enforcement. In 2013, Liberty Ammunition entered the civilian market with the highest performing ammunition in the world for superior personal protection and to enhance the game hunting experience. Today, Liberty Ammunition is the global leader in high performance, lead-free ammunition for military, law enforcement and the civilian and hunting markets. www.libertyammo.com
Congrats on a sponsored ammo supply, that’s always exciting.
If you need devastatingly superficial wounds, I’m sure their stuff will get the job done.
Not going to lie, I’ve got some serious reservations about this partnership. Yes, it’s free ammo, but…..it’s Liberty Ammo of “RIP” and “HALO” fame. Hope no T&E guns break or fail from using this stuff.
They do not make the RIP ammo. That’s “G2 Research.” I do not expect you will see any change in TTAG’s opinion of the HALO/USM4 stuff for defensive use. I won’t be changing my mind on that, although I will tell the truth, which is that I’ve tested it myself in two calibers and it ran reliably and was accurate. Very glad to hopefully benefit from any that comes my way and allow me to increase the round count I regularly run through test guns – price and availability have been rough in some cases this last year…
Is this a joke post liberty ammo is well known to be marketing hype I mean who call a round HALO point then changes it to USM4 with an operaor logo behind it
They donated proceeds from every box to special operations’ charity foundations.
good for them i surprised xbox didn’t sue their asses off
So TTAG is going to use expensive, over-hyped, super-velocity ammo which consistently fails standardized expansion and penetration tests?
…and never post a reliable review of ammo until this partnership is finished with. Notice how the FNH fanboy articles ceased as soon as Leghorn was cut from the team?
I understand that the point of this venture is to be profitable for a few people around here, I’m okay with that. But stuff like this really makes me question the validity of the articles and the integrity of the source. That said I have not heard anything good about the liberty ammo aside from the fact that followup shots are easier with it due to lower recoil. My LGS tried to get me to buy a bunch of it and I held off til I got home to check reviews. I politely passed after doing a little homework.
To be fair to Nick, he already reviewed that stuff. He used it since it was in his contract, posted what he thought of it, and posted after the contract was up that a lighter specialty gun better met his needs. What more do you want? He always posted a disclosure, Scars run reliably, his scores did go up, and FN pistols are nice if you can take the bulk.
Sure, and I’m not hating on FN, I own an FNX and while I will be selling it in the near future it’s a SMOOTH shooting pistol. Great hardware for the right person, but I digress. You CAN’T say that the tone hasn’t changed since the sponsorship dried up and that’s primarily what my remarks were about.
I think you missed my overall point. The product plugs will be constant and we simply WON’T be able to trust ammo reviews. I’m not trying to dump on Farago or Leghorn or any other staff member, despite how it looks. I just think this is a BAD move and it will really call the credibility of TTAG into question.
I know you probably saw the subsequent housekeeping thread on this sponsorship, but TTAG specifically will NOT be reviewing Liberty ammo or comparing it in any way against other ammo types. As we strive to shoot at least 500 rounds through any test firearm, having a company offer to supply that ammo is a huge help. It does NOT mean that a firearm won’t also have multiple other brands shot through it. In most of my tests I try to run four or so weights and types of ammo to test function and accuracy. But to just hit a certain round count in order to familiarize oneself with a gun and find quirks and start to feel out parts reliability and such, it takes a lot of ammo.
@Jeremy: Was happy to read the article, though it only made me feel a little better. Sponsorship is done for a reason, and without an obvious return on investment, it will dry up.
It’s nice to see that the “naysayers” in this article got the staff’s attention, but the housekeeping article smacked of CYA, not transparency…
Awesome!
In other news and on completely unrelated notes…
Future articles to follow…
“Liberty Ammo, the best damn ammo on the planet.”
“Liberty Ammo: nothing else will do.”
“Liberty Ammo… I just got half chub”
Half chub caused me to laugh stuff out my nose.
Nope.
Shipped directly from ThatWasATerribleIdea-istan
NFAT?
Agreed.
http://www.reactionimage.org/img/gallery/380468541.gif
Are you having calendar issues?
Today is the 12th. not the 1st.
No .38sp? No interest.
Good for you guys. If liberty ever makes ammo that reliably passes the FBI tests ill thank them with my business. I wish I could support them more heavily as ive heard theyre friendly and mean well. But till then its hornady and federal for my carry gun
Wow that could be a several thousand dollar a month contract. Congrats guys. Us peons are jealous. 🙂
Ha, Jokes on you
It’s ammo for gun tests, geniuses. All it has to penetrate is a piece of paper.
Sometimes you guys are incredibly obtuse. Well, make that intentionally obtuse. You gun cranks would complain about a wet dream.
That’s “Official Ammo” to you pal.
That’s free ammo to you, pal.
I wish I was getting free ammo.
Lord knows I’d write a few reviews if I had enough pistol ammo to shoot in the first place!
Send me 500 rounds of full power 10mm Auto and I’ll give you a Glock 20 Gen4 review post haste.
Tom
Well, they are messy. And you’re not conscious enough to really enjoy them.
For some of us, just knowing that the equipment still works is enjoyable enough.
Hmmm…the stuff that makes Powr’Ball look slow & anemic? Maybe I’d buy some on deep discount & hope I didn’t blow my gun up. But hey congratulations on a 6 months deal. I have an open mind ( about ammo anyway ).
So who can recommend a site for objective, unbiased ammo reviews going forward?
Try Guns & Ammo. I understand that Dick Metcalf is quite the writer.
Have there even been any ammo reviews here? They’ve posted articles by shooter 410, but he seems to be freelance. I doubt he’s going to give liberty any slack, and if they were biased they’d just not post them.
Why not find a sponsor that supports 2A rights in battleground states?
“Ammunition is restricted from sale to AK, CA, CT, DC, HI, IL, MA, NJ and NY.”
There’s NO REASON to restrict sale to CA, for example. There are no state laws prohibiting mail order ammunition.
TTAG should walk the walk, given all the talking, lately, that it’s been doing. Very disappointed in this decision to support an ammunition provider who doesn’t give a crap about helping us folks who are on the front lines.
..and out of all that, Alaska? What? Just don’t wanna ship to AK?
What’s interesting about this is that, with those 8 states (plus DC), Liberty Ammunition is excluding 29.4% of the US population. They’re refusing to sell their ammo to over 92 million people.
Great bedfellow you’ve chosen there, TTAG.
(2013 census data available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_population)
Same in MA.
There is no state law in MA that restricts shipping ammo either. The AG just hassled every place that ships ammo since most of them do not check that the person buying the ammo is licensed per state law because not many states actually require you to be licensed to buy ammo.
Important questions: does it poke holes in paper and/or make steel ring? Does it successfully cycle the actions? If yes to both, it does its job as test ammo. Just keep that in mind, and this is a good deal for TTAG. Putting rounds through a gun is the foundation of a gun review. More rounds = better foundation. If TTAG suddenly starts claiming it’s wonderful SD ammo that revolutionizes the industry, then there is a problem. Until then, yay gun food.
Give this man a cigar. And not one of those exploding ones.
Phuck it. Gyufygy, just ignore that cylindrical package with no return address that UPS is gonna deliver. I acted before I read Ralph’s instructions. My bad.
Thanks for the warning! I have some ideas on what to do with it, though, it’s cool.
Sure, it’s free ammo, but I don’t see a lot of “normal” stuff in their lineup. Perhaps that has changed. As it is, I don’t see how a .40 Smith 60 grain JHP at a claimed 2000 FPS from Liberty compares to an industry – standard .40 JHP at 1000 FPS from Federal, Hornady, or Winchester. Range reloads mimic those same speeds to get similar points of aim / impact.
To get a good review, you need to use good ammo. Perhaps one of my ARs would choke on a 35 grain bullet at 3400 FPS. I don’t think most folks shoot that out of an AR, so I don’t care what happens in a bullet / cartridge / gun combo that I’ll never use. Most .223 / 5.56 AR loads are 55-77 grains. That’s what I’ll shoot, and that’s what I want reviewed. Similarly, most 9mm defensive and practice loads are 115-147 grains, .40 Smith 135-180, .45 ACP 185-230, etc. Manufacturers set up their guns for SAAMI – spec loads.
I’m seeing Liberty 9mm at 50 grains / 2000 FPS, .40 at 60 grains / 2000 FPS, and .45 at 78 grains / 1900 FPS. I don’t need to be “served” with exotic ammo that doesn’t properly perform. So unless Liberty has changed or expanded their lineup to include bullet weights that are similar to what people like us actually shoot, the value of the review become suspect.
This. Spot on, Accur81.
TTAG, why would you do range reports with ammo that few of us would ever use? 50gr 9mm @2000 fps??? Great way to burn out a barrel.
You can do better than getting in bed with exotic ammo manufacturers who apparently don’t care about supporting gun rights.
“…exotic ammo manufacturers who apparently don’t care about supporting gun rights.”
What makes you say that?
1) “Exotic ammo” – when’s the last time you used 50 grain 9mm at 2000 fps?
2) “Don’t care about gun rights” – see their ordering restrictions: “Ammunition is restricted from sale to AK, CA, CT, DC, HI, IL, MA, NJ and NY.”
Could it be due to the laws of those states?
@RockOnHellChild: see, e.g., http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2014/04/daniel-zimmerman/liberty-ammunition-is-official-ammo-supplier-to-ttag/#comment-1701553
This is a joke right? I mean the folks that run this place are free to do as they wish obviously. But it’s silly stuff like this that has caused me from reading this blog several times a day. To once a week. Even once a week is getting to be a stretch.
Sure this ammo can make little holes in paper. Just like any other bullet. But this ammo is an expensive joke.
Why not, before we start questioning their ethics and morality, see if this really does affect reviews? How would you like if I impugned your reputation when some good fortune comes your way?
Benefit of the doubt. I’d really be adrift if TTAG somehow lost its credibility. I trust the souls who inhabit this place to keep them honest, though. The self-policing is really quite remarkable around here. Keeps things balanced in the way similar blogs can’t achieve.
I don’t have a problem with this so long as tests are still done with other brands too. Fine, do the majority of function and accuracy testing with this one, but run some of the other major brands through each test too to find out if its ammo sensitive
Rest assured that The Truth About Guns will continue to tell the truth about guns. And ammo. We do not compromise our editorial integrity for anyone. I would put the word “period” here but President Obama messed that up for everyone.
Good on you. ‘Period’ has run its course, as has ‘just sayin.’
They will be using the ammo to review GUNS.
They are not reviewing the ammo.
What is the big deal here you fkng neg heads.
Seems to me that they will be able to afford to review more GUNS, something wrong with that?
If they use the same brand ammo for all of the reviews, it will eliminate a potential variable that could give one gun an advantage because the reviewer had to use what ever he could find. Would it be fair to use white box for one test, Tula for another and hornady in another. There is always somebody that doesn’t like something and just has to bitch about it. Me too and my bitch is these people.
STFU!
Well said, it is amazing just how stupid comments are around here on ANY topic, but here the inability to comprehend the obvious is particularly remarkable.
The more ‘partnerships’ you’re in the less your reviews mean
@RF,
I wish you the best, and hope you include normal spec ammunition as well in your reviews. Or perhaps you could use your clout to convince Liberty to produce ammo with the type of specs the gun manufacturers design their recoil spring rates and such for.
Yep. I was wondering about that too.
Couple thoughts here.
Liberty does have lines other than Civil Defense.
They have the capability to make target ammo.
I could use 500 round of TCM that does 4k with a 20 grain bullet… You know.. to check gun function..
if they do its not on their website.
my hold up is that it isnt a standard weight/pressure that everyday people will be shooting. the VAST majority of us shoot 115gr 9mm, 180gr .40 and 230gr 45. (and similiar weights and velocities) FAR more than we do 124+p 165+p and 200+p ammo or the ultralight bullets.
why test this way? if liberty is giving you “bulk” ammo in regular weights typical of what the average shooter can buy in bulk and shoot? sure im all for it. if its just gobs and gobs of their defense ammo, count me out. sorry, just my opinion.
I partially agree with this. The part about super light bullets.
Personally I’d want a reviewer to shove a lot of the more normal defensive ammo through a gun. (e.g., the 124 grain +P you mentioned.) I’d rather have the reviewer discover that the gun is problematic with a defense load than me after purchasing the gun.
If a 9mm occasionally malfs with 115 grain light practice loads, I don’t care that much–so long as I have reason to be confident that it WILL feed the ammo I am going to be carrying when I absolutely NEED the gun to work. (An example of this is the Beretta Nano, which chokes on some practice loads but seems to do well with defensive stuff. And yes, that’s still true; my newer manufactured one was like that.)
I do run at least SOME of my favored defensive ammo through a gun to verify this. But if a gun has a rep for choking on it, I want to know before I buy that gun.
They have LEO and Military lines that are not listed for sale for civilians.
They could also be like Duracell, making other brands under other names.
But, The housekeeping post put up today answers a lot of concerns.
The same money spent on their ammo gets you twice as many Gold Dots in a box. Is this stuff worth twice the price of Gold Dots? Rhetorical question, of course not.
Liberty ammo is “sponsoring” TTAG. That means that the cost per box is $0 /box. Unless you can score them free gold dots, COMMENT MODERATED
So TTAG gets free overpriced ammo. The unimportant non TTAG slobs have to pay 30 bucks for a box of 20 Civil Defence shells, the same 30 bucks gets you 50 rds of Speer Gold Dot. Do the math. Or dont. I could care less.
So if these are used for gun reviews, will it be the only ammo used? Some guns that might not work with “better” ammo might work with this, uh… stuff
What LEO’s use Libertine Ammo?
Great, now I can buy ammo from one more of the good guys. Be safe
Super high velocity ammo like they make can skew your gun reviews. You are NOT going to get good ammo out of a 1:7 twist AR with 3500FPS ammo. I hope that you are also going to keep supplying a stream of more typical ammo for the accuracy tests. Accuracy tests using just this would be worse than useless.
I put a box of liberty 45+p through my 1911 and would definitely not recommend it for defensive use. The Speer gold dot 200gr +p are what I’m sticking with.
Seems more like a novelty, has a big flash and boom which is neat at the range but I wouldn’t want to fire a round like that indoors without earpro and worry about a round that doesn’t retain it’s mass.
Anyways. Didn’t expect TTAG to sellout to a product like that….
Well then I must be foolish.
I use Liberty as my carry round in all my edc guns.
Im looking for a light penetrating round that’s +P and doesn’t break my wrist from a day at the range.
I might be wrong but firing a light load that I hope wont over penetrate. Do moderate to severe wounding and NOT hit the wrong thing inside my store after the fact, is a bad thing??
The stuff works as intended for my purposes.
People seem to have a little trouble grasping how things work in the world. Congrats on your new sponsor.
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