Recommendation? Favorite ammo?

Grease

Grease

Joined
May 10, 2012
Messages
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I know lots of you have the gun bug alongside our favorite knife obsession.

Whats your favorite brand of handgun ammo? Got my first Ruger (LCP's are on sale today/tomorrow) coming in and I'm curious what will give the most literal bang for my buck.
 
All depends on what shoots best out of your gun ... every gun shoots some ammo better then others. And depends what you're using it for ... self defense or hunting?

For self defense I try several different type to see which the gun shoots best ... My first choices are Speer Gold Dot or Federal HST ... then Federal Hydro Shok ... Winchester PDX ... or Black Hills ... and usually one of those will perform well from whatever I'm shooting.

For hunting I prefer Swift A Frame or Barnes X bullets ... either Swift brand anmo or Federal ... occasionally Buffalo Bore.
 
I prefer Federal HST and then Winchester Ranger for defensive ammunition and Federal for target.
 
I use Barnes all copper in handgun and rifle for hunting , works very well. A second choice would be Swift A Frame.
 
I've had no problems with Tula ammo for impromptu target practice work. Every gun I've run it through seems to like it just fine.
 
I've always found Fiocchi ammo to be problem-free in any caliber I've ever tried. I typically use their Extrema 124gr JHP (uses Hornady XTP bullet) for my 9mm carry gun, and their Shooting Dynamics FMJ for the range. I've also run countless rounds of their various .223 FMJ and V-Max, also without issue. More recently, I've been trying out Magtech ammo, due mostly to very attractive online pricing. As with the Fiocchi, it has worked well in all the calibers I shoot. Magtech First Defense also is the most affordable bonded JHP handgun ammo I've found, and it has worked great for my purposes.

That being said, "best" means different things to different people. I personally have had various problems with Tula, Winchester and Blazer (Brass - haven't tried their aluminum-cased stuff) and no longer bother with them.
 
Speer Gold Dot for carry - 9mm and .380

Usually for range it's Winchester USA/Fiocci/Remington/PMC/Blazer FMJ. Whatever is on sale.
 
I like Federal and Winchester generally but when it gets down to the nut cuttin , what groups the best in a particular firearm gets the nod for me.
 
For a .380 I like buffalo bore p+ for defense ammo, also big fan of winchester ranger t and Remington golden sabre. Have tested both for expansion and penetration, was VERY impressed, won't buy anything else for defensive carry ammo usually. Also like Hornady/federal. I'd test stuff out and see what you like best though. What works well in one gun may not work well in another I've found. Haven't had to much ammo I thought was complete junk, usually it's the gun being "picky" when problems are occuring, for me.

Bang for buck would go with Hornady/federal, winchester ranger and Remington GS perfer over them and can find huge sales on them from time to time. Would look into the Buffalo bore p+ for your lcp tho.
 
Gov't model 1911 (Colt) carry ammo Federal 230 gr Hydra-shok .45, shorter barrel (Para-Ord P12) Remington 185 gr Golden Saber +P. Plinking (.22) CCI maxi-mag. :thumbsup:
 
For 9mm I load HST 135gr in my carry gun. For the range I buy cases of Magtech, Sellier & Beloit, Fiochi, or Blazer Brass. Always 124gr.

For .45ACP I keep 185gr V Crown loaded for defense. Range ammo is the same as 9mm.

.44 mag is 240gr V Crown for defense. I'm still trying to find a good ammo I like for the range. Fiochi .44 mag is disappointing, it feels like .44 special to me. WWB isn't bad, but too expensive IMO.

Still trying to find a good .223/5.56 ammo for my Wylde AR. The "surplus" stuff I bought has been giving me tons of problems.
 
Speer Gold Dot in all my carry pistols, 9mm, .40, and .45. At the range I like to run Speer Lawman, or PMC. Haven’t had any hiccups or problems with any of this ammo.
 
Gold dot +p in my 9mm ccw and home defense.

Would settle for ranger, HST also or non +p if in a pinch.
 
The local shop had SIG Sauer Elite Performance 9mm on sale so I stocked up. I ran a few boxes through both my carry guns without a hiccup. Before that it was Remington Golden Saber or their green box JHP. I think I'm a SIG convert.

For practice I use Federal, CCI brass, Winchester or Browning FMJ 115gr FMJ 9mm.
 
Another vote for Federal HST 9mm +P. The +P isn't anything excessive, adds 50fps to the projectile for almost nothing in terms of cost. I prefer the lighter 124 grain projectile. I understand they make a 147 grain version, standard pressure and +P. I'm sure most of you have seen the LuckyGnner Lab testing? If not here is the link to what is arguably one of the most comprehensive analysis of gel block ammo testing. They utilize the standard FBI protocols, including the 4 layers of denim. I looked for the bullet that came together at the intersection of expansion, adequate penetration, and velocity. The clear winner, IMO, was the 124 grain HST +P. I favor a projectile that nears the upper-end of the FBI penetration threshold of 18 inches.

Here is the link to the site and the test. http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/

Here is link to the 9mm HST specifically http://www.luckygunner.com/9mm-p-124-grain-hst-hp-federal-premium-law-enforcement-50-rounds#geltest

A close second seems to be the Remington 124 grain 9mm +P Golden Saber. It's almost identical in how it performs compared to the HST 9mm +P. http://www.luckygunner.com/9-mm-p-124-grain-jhp-remington-golden-saber-25-rounds#geltest. The HST obtained a greater penetration average verus the GS 124G +P due to having 2 test rounds exceed the 18" mark, while the GS only had one.

These results are so detailed its' incredible. Some rounds have better expansion but poor penetration, such as the Barnes 155 grain TAC-XPD 9mm +P.

The heaviest projectile that achieved the greatest penetration and expansion was the Federal 150g Micro HST 9mm. It achieved an incredible .71 inch average expansion, penetrating to an average of 17.3 inches while only moving 888 FPS. That is incredible. I've always favored faster moving, lighter projectiles. Think the old Corbon 115 grain +P. I've used tons of that. But there is evidence that has shown these short-barred firearms can deliver better terminal ballistics with slower and heavier ammo. Federal specifically produced this "Micro" line of ammo using this premise. I think I might give some a try. It's god-awful expensive though. http://www.luckygunner.com/9mm-150-grain-hst-jhp-federal-premium-20-rounds#reviews. Can anyone with more experience with this ammo explain how a heavier, slower projectile performs better from a shorter barrel?

My practice round is CCI Blazer brass-cased.
 
Blues Bender said:
For 9mm I load HST 135gr in my carry gun. For the range I buy cases of Magtech, Sellier & Beloit, Fiochi, or Blazer Brass. Always 124gr.

For .45ACP I keep 185gr V Crown loaded for defense. Range ammo is the same as 9mm.

.44 mag is 240gr V Crown for defense. I'm still trying to find a good ammo I like for the range. Fiochi .44 mag is disappointing, it feels like .44 special to me. WWB isn't bad, but too expensive IMO.

Still trying to find a good .223/5.56 ammo for my Wylde AR. The "surplus" stuff I bought has been giving me tons of problems.
Click to expand...

Blue's try this in your Wylde chamber AR, it shoots good in ours. It's not like reloads but for range plinking it's good.. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...tion-223-remington-55-grain-full-metal-jacket
 
lzeplin said:
Blue's try this in your Wylde chamber AR, it shoots good in ours. It's not like reloads but for range plinking it's good.. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...tion-223-remington-55-grain-full-metal-jacket
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll have to try that stuff out.

I put 300rds of 5.56 down range yesterday, 150 of the surplus crap and 150 of some off-the-shelf Federal. The surplus gave me 5 or 6 malfunctions, the Federal cycled flawlessly. Felt good to shoot with absolute confidence.
 
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