Whats your go to 9mm range ammo . (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 1/12/2025 2:52:22 PM EDT
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Looking for a good brand that i can take to the range and not worry about not going bang what brands are reliable and what one's should i stay away from . |
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| For the first 2,000 rounds or so that I put through a new pistol, I like to shoot a variety of ammo to ensure that it functions with different types of rounds and loads. That tends to coincide with what I find good deals on, to include Winchester, Magtech, Blazer Brass, Fiocchi, and (more recently) Monarch Brass 115 gr FMJ, along with Blazer Brass and Winchester NATO 124 gr. I also make sure to fire at least one box (50) of 147 gr HST to test its performance with my preferred defensive round. After that, I tend to focus on American Eagle 147 gr FMJ to match the HST ballistics while periodically shooting HSTs at the end of a session for “muscle memory.” I use some of the Winchester “high pressure” 115 gr FMJ (similar to what they used to label as “Active Duty”) sometimes also. I’ll occasionally shoot the cheaper 115 gr stuff again if I’m going to a casual range session with friends or just want to relax and blow off some steam. |
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I know I'm an outlier but I use Freedom / LAX Ammo all the time, in multiple calibers, and thousands of rounds and am happy with the price, functionality and it's not too dirty (I shoot suppressed). I have had one squib in 9mm. No denying it. I don't know what the industry failure rate is, but I have many thousands of rounds fired and one squib. Not good, I get it, but Freedom responded immediately, replaced all of my ammo and apologized and gave me an unlimited discount for my next purchase. This is for range ammo, not defensive which is in a different category of acceptable failure rate. Mistakes happen especially when making huge numbers of any product, and I find Freedoms response to be very good. 2A Warehouse has been a go to for a long time as well. Never had an issue with anything they make and also have thousands of rounds bought from them. Both have great shipping deals if you sign up. |
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| Whatever's in stock and cheapest at PSA when I'm passing through so usually AAC, Blazer Brass, Winchester or S&B although they've had some Fiocchi that's nice too. Like others, I like mixing it up anyways to make sure the gun runs fine. I'll usually grab 124gr over 115 if they have it since I carry Speer 124gr GDHP. |
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Originally Posted By Britbike2001: I know I'm an outlier but I use Freedom / LAX Ammo all the time, in multiple calibers, and thousands of rounds and am happy with the price, functionality and it's not too dirty (I shoot suppressed). I have had one squib in 9mm. No denying it. I don't know what the industry failure rate is, but I have many thousands of rounds fired and one squib. Not good, I get it, but Freedom responded immediately, replaced all of my ammo and apologized and gave me an unlimited discount for my next purchase. This is for range ammo, not defensive which is in a different category of acceptable failure rate. Mistakes happen especially when making huge numbers of any product, and I find Freedoms response to be very good. 2A Warehouse has been a go to for a long time as well. Never had an issue with anything they make and also have thousands of rounds bought from them. Both have great shipping deals if you sign up. I am near the bottom of a LAX 147grn 1k can suppressed/full-auto without a single failure or problem. Will go back for more. |
OK, see you later, Redcoat…
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Originally Posted By DoctorCAD: WWB or whatever I can find. Not picky about plinking ammo. Edited to add, I can count on one hand the number of 9mm plinking ammo that hasn't gone bang. It's ungodly reliable. This. Anything from any decent manufacturer will go bang 99.99% of the time. That said, I like Speer Lawman 147gr. Very similar to the 147gr HST or 147gr Ranger carry ammo. |
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My carry ammo is 124gr so I buy 124gr fmj range ammo for similar recoil. I've had good luck w/Blazer Brass, S&B & PMC over the years but will buy any of the name brands if it's on sale. |
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Well the vast, vast majority of the 9mm I shoot is the brand I make on my press in the basement.  However, I do occasionally buy factory 9mm as well, especially when I haven't had time to load much. When I do buy factory 9mm, recently it's been the Monarch branded steel-cased 115gr FMJ from Academy. $10 a box. It's actually Magtech ammo, so if you don't have an Academy nearby you may find it sold under that brand. It shoots fine in all my my 9mm pistols. |
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Winchester 124gr NATO Q4318, for the most part. Heavier and slower stuff if suppressed. |
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If I'm just plinking 9mm, I'll just shoot whatever is cheapest but at least reliable. For that I have a stockpile of S&B 115 gr and 124 gr FMJ (SB9A&B). Always go bang and I have not had any reliability issues. I have also shot Fiocchi, Blazer and a few other brands including Tulammo steel case stuff that have also been fine. S&B ammo seems to leave my gun less dirty (easier to clean) than other brands I have used, and for 20 cents/round, it's been pretty economical. If I want to do serious practice, like when I am practicing to get tighter groups or to get faster on followup shots, I use something closer to my carry and HD ammo (P9HST2), so for that I have a stockpile of American Eagle 147gr flat point (AE9FP) ammo. I also end a range session by shooting at least one magazine worth of carry ammo (the magazine that's been in my carry gun since the last range session). AE9FP advertises the ballistics is the exact same as P9HST2. To my experience POA vs. POI is the same in all my 9mm firearms, and felt recoil pretty much feels the same (but I am NO expert in sensing felt recoil). FWIW, this has worked out fine for me. YMMV. |
| Man you guys that say "whatever is cheap" don't really do cheap. I go cheapest with Magtech steel case or Monarch steel case both the same product currently. Both have been very accurate out of my AP5, Ar9. We rent out a M&P 9 gen 1 for our CPL classes I bet we have put a couple thousand rounds of magtech steel case through it with very little cleaning and it never jams or fails to extract. They have finally released the 124gr I just got my first 1000rd case shipped to my door $200. I do have some monarch brass 9mm which is TRN marked it isn't bad but the magtech steel feels hotter to me. |
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Originally Posted By DoctorCAD: WWB or whatever I can find. Not picky about plinking ammo. Edited to add, I can count on one hand the number of 9mm plinking ammo that hasn't gone bang. It's ungodly reliable. same using almost exclusively US made ammo. i have shot many thousands of rounds -- primarily 9mm -- over the years from many vendors. Winchester, Federal, Independence, Remington, CCI / Blazer, etc. it all goes bang IME. so i look for deals and typically order by the case. |
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I carry with HST 124gr +P ammo. I have recently standardized my practice ammo as Winchester 124gr NATO FMJ. This ammo closely resembles the HST in recoil, velocity, and POI. https://www.targetsportsusa.com/winchester-usa-9mm-ammo-nato-124-gr-fmj-w9nato50-p-113005.aspx |
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Whats your go to 9mm range ammo . (Page 1 of 2)
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