Needs more ammo!

**peterpiperwasaliar** · June 7th, 2012, 06:49 PM

Alright guys, after getting an overwhelmingly helpful bunch of responses on a different topic, I come to you with another question. I'm currently shooting a 9mm Smith and Wesson and was curious about which ammo I should be shooting. Right now it's all target practice, so I'll save my questions about self defense rounds for a later date. So far I've been shooting Federal Champions and Federal American Eagles. As I look around online, I see great deals on buying bulk ammunition (2500+ rounds), but I'm not familiar with many of the brands and don't really know how to tell which are good quality and which are bad. The brand I'm currently looking at is Hornady, but I'm sure there are plenty of other brands out there that will sell bulk boxes of ammo. So my questions are as follows:

1. For target practice, should I be worrying about the powder weight? (115gr, 124gr, 147gr, etc.)

2. What do I need to know about bullet types? FMJ, TMJ, CNL, FMC, wtf?! I understand some of the basic differences between them, but what should I be shooting and why?

3. What are some good, reliable brands of ammunition that you all would trust buying in bulk? Do Federal and Hornady make the cut? Why or why not?

4. I know that some rounds are considered 'dirty' and some 'clean.' What makes some rounds leave more crap inside your gun post-firing? How can I tell if a brand I select is going to be clean or dirty? Does using dirty ammunition really matter as long as you clean the hell out of your firearm afterward? I'm somewhat OCD and get my handgun as clean as the day I got it after each shoot..

I think that's all I've got for now, but I'm sure I'll come up with more questions as the discussion continues. Thanks all!

-Mike

**mpan72** · June 7th, 2012, 06:51 PM

I am just going to adress #1. That refers to bullet weight.

**peterpiperwasaliar** · June 7th, 2012, 07:04 PM

Originally Posted by mpan72

I am just going to adress #1. That refers to bullet weight.

Which weight should I select and why?

**mpan72** · June 7th, 2012, 07:26 PM

Originally Posted by peterpiperwasaliar

Bullet weight meaning the round as a whole (projectile, powder, and casing), or just the projectile portion? Which weight should I select and why?

The bullet is the projectile. Shooting targets it dosen't matter to much what weight you shoot. Different weights may change point of impact.

When you choose your sd round you should pratice with it so you know what to expect. In my opinion that is where you should focus a lot of attention.

**IntenseImage** · June 7th, 2012, 07:29 PM

Honestly, for range duty its hard to beat the Federal Champion 100 packs for $20 at Walmart. Consistent and clean

**USMC3531** · June 7th, 2012, 07:31 PM

Range ammo doesnt realy matter what you shoot. Find something that works in your gun and buy a bunch.

**NathanW** · June 7th, 2012, 07:48 PM

Originally Posted by IntenseImage

Honestly, for range duty its hard to beat the Federal Champion 100 packs for $20 at Walmart. Consistent and clean

I shoot a lot of rounds in compition and I can tell you first hand that as long as you clean the gun regularly you will be fine no matter what you shoot! I would not under any circumstances shoot non jacketed bullets (i.e. lead bullets) I routinely shoot my glock 34 with a 5k interval between cleanings with zero issues, and frankly for me if it wears out I will simply buy a new one. I currently have right around 250,000 rounds this gun which is all original except for my trigger spring which gets replaced every 20k or so. This being said the gun will probably out last you as long as you take care of it. As far as bullet weight here are the stats on that, the heavier the bullet weight the less felt recoil (i.e. we refer to them as "soft shooting") point of aim, and point of impact will be different with regards to different weights of bullets. I shoot 147g 9mm exclusively for compition. Again I would shoot what I could get cheep, as long as you are not sacrificing reliability, and with modern amunition you are going to be fine. Shoot what you can get cheep and never be worried about the theory you have to practice with what you carry! You must make sure your firearm will function with your selected carry ammo, but I would never practice with my carry amo the stuff is way too damn expensive! Practice will make you a better shooter, worring about ammo selection will not... Hope this helps answer your question.

**Twoboxer** · June 7th, 2012, 08:40 PM

I pretty much buy the cheapest 115g FMJ brass round I can find, in the quantity I want, when I'm ready to buy. This usually winds up being Federal, Blazers, or PMC.

**filgun11** · June 7th, 2012, 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by peterpiperwasaliar

Alright guys, after getting an overwhelmingly helpful bunch of responses on a different topic, I come to you with another question. I'm currently shooting a 9mm Smith and Wesson and was curious about which ammo I should be shooting. Right now it's all target practice, so I'll save my questions about self defense rounds for a later date. So far I've been shooting Federal Champions and Federal American Eagles. As I look around online, I see great deals on buying bulk ammunition (2500+ rounds), but I'm not familiar with many of the brands and don't really know how to tell which are good quality and which are bad. The brand I'm currently looking at is Hornady, but I'm sure there are plenty of other brands out there that will sell bulk boxes of ammo. So my questions are as follows:

1. For target practice, should I be worrying about the powder weight? (115gr, 124gr, 147gr, etc.)

2. What do I need to know about bullet types? FMJ, TMJ, CNL, FMC, wtf?! I understand some of the basic differences between them, but what should I be shooting and why?

3. What are some good, reliable brands of ammunition that you all would trust buying in bulk? Do Federal and Hornady make the cut? Why or why not?

4. I know that some rounds are considered 'dirty' and some 'clean.' What makes some rounds leave more crap inside your gun post-firing? How can I tell if a brand I select is going to be clean or dirty? Does using dirty ammunition really matter as long as you clean the hell out of your firearm afterward? I'm somewhat OCD and get my handgun as clean as the day I got it after each shoot..

I think that's all I've got for now, but I'm sure I'll come up with more questions as the discussion continues. Thanks all!

-Mike

1. No. You shouldn't worry about the bullet weight. As others said, it's the bullet not the powder. It's all personal preference. Some like the 115gr, because it's the most common and least expensive. Some like 147gr because of the less recoil (to me the difference is barely noticeable) and "more" stopping power Noticed I quoted "more". It's debatable. lighter bullet=faster bullet. heavier bullet = slower bullet, more mass. And then some like somewhere in the middle, 124gr. My recommendation, practice with same bullet weight as you carry/sd ammo.

2. If you're not reloading, don't worry yourself about the different bullets. FMJ is pretty much the best value for range ammo.

3. Whatever is the cheapest reliable ammo you can get. Like others said, Federal 100pack at $20 is hard to beat, and almost always readily available at your local Walmart.

4. Dirty, Clean, Semi-dirty. who cares? maybe some. I don't. You must be new to gun ownership and shooting. I used to be like that. Clean after trip to range. I no longer baby my guns.. I now clean my guns every 2/3 months, whether it was used once, or used every weekend. I do check if it's getting dry, and I might put 1-2 drops of oil. I also wipe the outside, especially for my carry gun, so dirt doesn't get to my clothes.
There 2 different philosophies.. Some say "a clean gun will be reliable". Some say "how would you know if your gun is reliable if you clean it after every range trip? Will it malfunction when it gets dirty? In a fire fight, you don't stop and clean your gun to get it working again."
So now, which philosophy would you adhere to?

**clarion44** · June 7th, 2012, 08:53 PM

Originally Posted by peterpiperwasaliar

Alright guys, after getting an overwhelmingly helpful bunch of responses on a different topic, I come to you with another question. I'm currently shooting a 9mm Smith and Wesson and was curious about which ammo I should be shooting. Right now it's all target practice, so I'll save my questions about self defense rounds for a later date. So far I've been shooting Federal Champions and Federal American Eagles. As I look around online, I see great deals on buying bulk ammunition (2500+ rounds), but I'm not familiar with many of the brands and don't really know how to tell which are good quality and which are bad. The brand I'm currently looking at is Hornady, but I'm sure there are plenty of other brands out there that will sell bulk boxes of ammo. So my questions are as follows:

1. For target practice, should I be worrying about the powder weight? (115gr, 124gr, 147gr, etc.) Nope. Whatever you find cheap will work

2. What do I need to know about bullet types? FMJ, TMJ, CNL, FMC, wtf?! I understand some of the basic differences between them, but what should I be shooting and why? Just stick to FMJ (full metal jacket) for range use

3. What are some good, reliable brands of ammunition that you all would trust buying in bulk? Do Federal and Hornady make the cut? Why or why not? Whatever works in your gun. I've had no problems with Remington, Winchester, Federal, American Eagle, Independence, Magtech, PMC Bronze, or Hornady. Hornady is more expensive, just as is Asym ammo. I tend to stick with brass cased ammo, but there's always steel cased ammo like Wolf and Tula, as well as aluminum alloy cased CCI Blazer.

4. I know that some rounds are considered 'dirty' and some 'clean.' What makes some rounds leave more crap inside your gun post-firing? How can I tell if a brand I select is going to be clean or dirty? Does using dirty ammunition really matter as long as you clean the hell out of your firearm afterward? I'm somewhat OCD and get my handgun as clean as the day I got it after each shoot.. The powder the manufacturer uses in their ammo determines how 'dirty' it is. Only sure way to tell is to shoot it. It's not going to hurt anything shooting 'dirty' ammo, unless you have a gun that gets finicky when it's dirty. I wouldn't recommend "cleaning the hell" out of your gun, but it's your gun, do as you wish.

I think that's all I've got for now, but I'm sure I'll come up with more questions as the discussion continues. Thanks all!

-Mike

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