Range Ammo

[=Josh=]

I don't own a handgun yet and I've never been to an actual range. Eventually, when I buy my first handgun, I know that I'm going to want to get used to it by taking it to the range to practice, practice, practice (in addition to training, or course). Does the quality of the rounds really matter for this purpose?

I've heard that Walmart is a good place to pick up some cheap 9mm ammo. I checked at the one in Brownsburg yesterday and they have 100ct box of Winchester for $24.64. I've also seen that they have 1000ct box of Tul Ammo for $169.99 (+$15 for shipping) on BulkAmmo.com. The Winchester is brass FMJ and the Tul Ammo is steel. For target practice, does it really matter for someone who is trying to get familiar with shooting?

 

[bocefus78]

Does it matter? Yes and no.

You can shoot the cheap stuff for practice but don't go buying 1000 rounds until you know your gun will run it. Find some it "likes" and practice. Btw, online is cheaper than wally. 20 cents a round is common if you look. That's good brass ammo. Steel even cheaper.

As for carry, you want to practice with that ammo also as the budget allows. Poi may be different from the cheaper rounds, as will recoil and feeding/ejection. You also want to make dang sure your gun runs the protection stuff 100% in all conditions.

 

[HamsterStyle]

There are a couple schools of thought. Both carry weight. Some only want to train with ammo that is as close as possible to their carry ammo. That is great if you can do it. Others say to just get rounds down range. As many as possible with proper procedure. Me personally, I shoot whatever I pick up. If my carry gun won't run everything, I don't want it. Walmart has their brand of brass cased ammo called perfecta. It is usually cheaper than the tulammo. Either way, I say pick up what you can. Shoot what you can. Decide what runs best as far as carry ammo. Pick up enough of that to run through the gun to make sure it reliably feeds and fires.

In the end, every gun is different, even boringly reliable Glocks. You must test it out in your gun.

 

[=Josh=]

Btw, online is cheaper than wally. 20 cents a round is common if you look. That's good brass ammo. Steel even cheaper.

Do you mind sharing some sites to check? I'm a total novice and I'll take any good advice people are willing to share.

In the end, every gun is different, even boringly reliable Glocks. You must test it out in your gun.

I suppose that's fair. I'm looking at probably a Glock 19, but I want to try one before I buy it. I just need to find the time and money. With baby #2 due next month, both have been in short supply lately.

 

[KLB]

This site will search a lot of sites and show you the prices for the ammo you want
In stock ammo, guns, magazines, and reloading supplies

 

[singlesix]

Quality doesn't equal price. You want rounds that are consistent. I found cheap Wolf ammo to be very consistent and use it for practice. We're talking SD shooting and not Bullseye target shooting. After you learn the fundamentals of shooting Do comparison a of cheap ammo to expensive ammo and see what results you get at seven yards. Seven yards seems to be the "standard" for SD practice.

 

[t-squared]

GunBot 9mm pistol ammo

In stock ammo, guns, magazines, and reloading supplies

These two sites will help you in scoring the online deals. As you'll find, shipping is what makes or breaks the online purchases since ammo is so heavy.
From what I've seen in the past couple of years, it's pretty hard to beat Freedom Munition's prices. I've used their reman and new stuff in 9mm and .45acp with 100% success. Also, the first order gets free shipping from them...

 

[bocefus78]

Do you mind sharing some sites to check? I'm a total novice and I'll take any good advice people are willing to share.

I use ammoseek (linked above) as well as signed up for emails from target sports usa, palmetto state armory. Ammoseek has many sites so it's the first place I check.

Oops....forgot about slickguns. Check there too.

 

[KLB]

See what you did? I had to look and ended up buying another 1000rds of 22 and 1000rds of 147gr 9mm!

 

[12many]

SGAmmo.com | Family Owned and Operated Ammo Sales, Stillwater OK
they usually have some pretty good deals on blazer brass, etc in 9mm

 

[Mgderf]

Cheap Ammo For Sale | In Stock Ammunition For Sale

 

[clayshooter99]

I do not put steel cased ammo thru my guns...just my choice. My dealer sells Sellier and Bellot 9mm for 219.00 per case out the door cash price and it has a great reputation.

 

[derrickgoins]

www.freedommunitions.com

Sign up for the email updates and they'll send you daily coupon codes and specials.

 

[ckcollins2003]

I don't own a handgun yet and I've never been to an actual range. Eventually, when I buy my first handgun, I know that I'm going to want to get used to it by taking it to the range to practice, practice, practice (in addition to training, or course). Does the quality of the rounds really matter for this purpose?

I've heard that Walmart is a good place to pick up some cheap 9mm ammo. I checked at the one in Brownsburg yesterday and they have 100ct box of Winchester for $24.64. I've also seen that they have 1000ct box of Tul Ammo for $169.99 (+$15 for shipping) on BulkAmmo.com. The Winchester is brass FMJ and the Tul Ammo is steel. For target practice, does it really matter for someone who is trying to get familiar with shooting?

Does it matter? Yes and no.

You can shoot the cheap stuff for practice but don't go buying 1000 rounds until you know your gun will run it. Find some it "likes" and practice. Btw, online is cheaper than wally. 20 cents a round is common if you look. That's good brass ammo. Steel even cheaper.

This is awesome advice!

When starting off, I always suggest using whatever gets you the most rounds downrange. If you are sketchy about steel cases, you can pick up 1,000 rounds of remanufactured 9mm from freedommunitions.com for 199.99 and usually get free shipping. Now, depending on what firearm you are getting depends on what it's going to run. As mentioned before, buy a box of different kinds to make sure it will function. I don't mind the occasional malfunction when dealing with range ammo (being able to clear a malfunction is a very important part of training), but I've seen an H&K that just won't cycle freedom munitions' 9mm rounds at all.

I've never had a problem with Tula and before I started reloading, I always bought Tula because it was cheap. Some people are sketchy about steel cases and opinions vary on the usage of it. Some people won't put it in their firearms, others like myself will say that if their gun won't run steel cases then it's not a gun that is completely reliable. The choice is yours in the end and everyone's budget is different, but the more practice you can get with your money the better off you will be.

 

[ryknoll3]

Get on the email lists for SGAmmo and Aim Surplus. Aim usually runs good deals on ammo. Online is ALWAYS cheaper than in the store, figuring on buying 500-1,000 rounds. SGammo has Blazer Brass 9mm 124 gr for $199.98 for 1,000 rounds. Shipping is $16, bringing you to $215.98. This brings your per box cost to $10.80

You WON'T find an out-the-door price for that on brass-cased ammo ANYWHERE locally.

If you go steel-cased, Lucky Gunner has 1,000 rds of Tula 115 gr. for $187.65 shipped. That bring your per-box price down to $9.38.

Lastly, if you reload, you can get the price of brass cased, FMJ ammo down to $7.25/box for the first load (assuming you bought once-fired brass) and $6.00/box thereafter, reusing the brass.

 

[Markus]

There are a ton of good sites out there and just about as many that are not good. I like Palmetto but only buy when they have stuff on sale.

Take the NRA Basic Pistol course first. Then try different pistols to see what you like. Buy a reputable brand. I am not a Glock fan but it is a very reputable brand so I would never discourage someone from purchasing one if they like how it fires. One of the hottest out there right now is the Sig 226. Give that a look. I absolutely enjoy shooting a Beretta M9 more than just about any other handgun I own. But I have several to choose from and frankly like em all.

Good luck and enjoy your new hobby!

 

[kalboy]

When available/ in stock the Perfecta brass case 9mm runs $9.78 + tax or $10.46 OTD at Walmarts in my area ( Southern IN.) and is decent ammo. The spent brass can be saved for reloading later or sold /traded as well. Good to buy small amounts until known if your gun works well with any ammo.
The steel cased ammo deals available online in case lots are less money but it would be prudent to test small lots first until good function is known.
Also keep in mind during WW2 the US military used zinc coated steel cased 45acp ammo ,made right here in Indiana at the Chrysler Evansville plant and had no real complaints from the fighting fronts, at least according to chief of small arms ordnance Brig Gen Kirk. Pretty cool history of the steel cased ammo production in the linked book below.


Bullets by the Billion

 

[MohawkSlim]

Buy the cheapest stuff you can find and shoot it as often as you can. You'll find lots of "expert advice" on the internet but there's no substitute for what works for you in your gun. Buy ammo, get to the range, shoot it.

 

[Mark 1911]

I'm of the school to practice with the same ammo you carry with. That might get a little pricey, so at least shoot enough of your actual carry ammo at the range to gain a high confidence that it runs without problems in your gun and will not be likely to jam up in a defensive situation, that would not be good. Then buy something for practice that is at least the same bullet weight as your carry ammo.

When I bought my first handgun in 1985, I initially purchased a bunch of lead (non jacketed) bullets because they were cheaper. What I learned is that the lead bullets are harder to clean up after than jacketed bullets. I've heard there are chemicals / solvents that make cleaning the lead residue easier but never tried them. Just something to think about.

 

[Hiker1911]

Josh, have you landed on a particular caliber for this ammo?