Rank 9mm ammo in terms of best bang for the buck

taylor12gauge · January 8, 2012, 08:01 PM

This is being shot through a stock glock 19.

Question:
Strictly for target shooting, rank the following 115gr fmj ammo from best to worst in terms of value and reliability. (I.e. Cost per round & overall quality)

Winchester white box, Remington umc, federal, sellier & bellot, tulammo?

Btw...just picked up 800 rounds of 9mm sellier & bellot for .21 cents/rnd after shipping and taxes. Haven't shot any yet, but interested to see how it performs.

Thanks

3kgt2nv · January 8, 2012, 08:04 PM

every gun is different but if i had to rank them based on my preference it would be

1 federal
2 wwb
3 rem umc
4 s&b
5 stay home and watch tv
6 tula

MidwestRookie · January 8, 2012, 09:43 PM

1 fed
2 sb even tho I hate that red sealant
3 wwb
4 umc
5 tula

My personal favorite is 124gr GECO..

itchy1 · January 8, 2012, 10:30 PM

1. RWS
2. Fed
3. PMC
4. S&B
5. UMC

RWS is very good stuff and the range I go to usually has it at 10.99 a box.

Cheapshooter · January 8, 2012, 10:37 PM

Flip a coin on the first four. I watch for sales, and deals, and stock up on any US made ammo when I see a good price. I haven't tried Tula, but all the Bears, and Wolfs have run good in my European Milsurps!

RickE · January 8, 2012, 10:41 PM

Thank you for buying American when possible. It does make a difference.

B.N.Real · January 8, 2012, 10:45 PM

If you have a reliable semi auto-your best bet is the bulk sales from reputable reloaders.

You are just target shooting.

You want the cheapest you can get from a reliable reloading company and there are many.

You can get some realy great deals over the internet-just buy from established retailers with a great track record.

If they stink-you'll read it on the internet.

Just check around first before you buy.

Bamashooter · January 9, 2012, 03:03 AM

I dont usually buy foreign made 9mm. I do buy S&B 9makarov because its brass cased and a little hotter than others. I dont buy tula or bear at all.

1. CCI Blazer
2. Federal
3. Remington UMC
4. Winchester White Box

kinggabby · January 9, 2012, 03:07 AM

No particular order...
CCI Blazer
Federal
Remington UMC
Winchester White Box

checkmyswag · January 9, 2012, 07:51 AM

I've recently found out this depends on the gun.

JWT · January 9, 2012, 08:12 AM

CCI Blazer
PMC
S&B

johnbt · January 9, 2012, 08:45 AM

"My personal favorite is 124gr GECO.."

Me too, I'm working my way through 3 cases of it. I bought it for my P210, but of all my guns like it.

I like Fiocchi and S&B as well, but I'll shoot whatever is on sale, even WWB. I have had great success with Georgia Arms ammo and it's available at every gun show.

"5 stay home and watch tv
6 tula "

Now that's funny.

kealil · January 9, 2012, 09:00 AM

1. federal
2. WWB
3. tula , bear, etc

never tried pmc or umc or s&b. they just aren't cost effective here in pensacola.

i love me some federal though

AK103K · January 9, 2012, 09:15 AM

Quote:

best bang for the buck...

Hands down, my reloads. Even when buying by the case, I still beat the price by almost half.

Im not sure if its still holding out, as its been awhile since I bought any there, but Winchester value packs at Walmart were about the best price overall for blasting ammo. Basically case lot prices that you can buy by the box, and no shipping.

DBLAction454 · January 9, 2012, 09:25 AM

I can usually grab CCI Blazer Brass 115gr 9mm in my local outdoor sportsman store for $10/50rd box...

That $0.20/round but after tax its right about what you paid for your 800 rounds

My usual choices for ammo

1. CCI Blazer (Brass only)
2. PMC
3. Federal

zincwarrior · January 9, 2012, 09:32 AM

These are strictly ammunition I have fired. YMMV and I agree it can definitely depend on the firearm.

9mm only:
Winchester whitebox
Remington UMC
Magtech/PMC
S&B
Wolf
the Bears.

Beanie-Bean · January 9, 2012, 09:32 AM

I didn't see it listed earlier, but I've had really good luck with the following:

Speer Lawman 124 gr.
Speer Lawman 147 gr.

That ammo shoots pretty much like the carry/duty ammo (Gold Dot) and has been very consistent, in my experience. I used to get the cheap-o Monarch steel and brass, and even Winchester White Box (and I still do) but get Speer when I'm in the area.

I also reload, so I tend to go after factory ammo that has brass cases instead of steel.

Fargazer · January 9, 2012, 10:37 AM

I tend to say Federal - in particular, American Eagle 147, which is my standard practice round. I, like Beanie-Bean, have also had good luck with Lawman.

C0untZer0 · January 9, 2012, 12:57 PM

I picked up a 50rd box of Blazer Aluminum for $9.00 at Farm & Fleet, my 17L shoots it with no problems so that's my best bang for the buck now.

I got the Remington 115gr L9MM3 for around $11 and when I lined the rounds up on the countertop there was some short and some tall so I started taking a caliper to them an there was a 1/32" difference between the tallest rounds and the shortest rounds - I thought my Glocks would fire them no problem which they did but I won't buy the L9MM3 again.

I have a few boxes of Wolf and no ranges to shoot them at because the range owners don't allow the stuff.

Patriot86 · January 9, 2012, 01:08 PM

I must say that sellier and bellot is one HELL of a value.
On sale at Cabelas locally it is $9.99 per box of 50.

I have fired off going on 1000 rounds of the stuff without a single failure I can blame on the ammunition.

Federal, same deal nothing in 9mm I can blame on the ammo.
The thing is you get what IMO is at best a slightly cleaner round, with equal reliability that costs somewhere between $2-4 more per box. Why pay more?

Also, while I have had 0 issues with the 9mm flavor I have had a couple of bad rounds when I used federal FMJ's in .40 S&W. That is out of hundreds so no big deal, nothing unexpected I suppose.

crispy · January 9, 2012, 01:20 PM

Found Federal in new 100 ct. boxes at Wally World for $20.

sigcurious · January 9, 2012, 01:23 PM

S&B is the cheapest factory ammo I can find and is what I have used when possible. It has always gone bang and caused no issues in my guns. That being said, a lot of the other ammo people have listed seems to sell in their locations for the same ~$10/box as I can get S&B for(Sadly, I've always had to wait for free shipping at cabelas to even get the $10/box on S&B, otherwise everything local is ~$14/box).

Something else that I was recently introduced to is getting in on a group buy of quality commercial reloads, might want to look out for something like that in your area. Hopefully the upcoming batch will be some of the last target/plinking ammo I buy though, as I'm working on getting my reloading setup going

jhgreasemonkey · January 9, 2012, 01:26 PM

I used to use federal and american eagle but after the price jump a couple years back I started trying out the other budget ammo and found that my favorites in the low cost category are sellier and bellot and fiocchi. Both perform great, burn clean and I like the sealed primers. You open the box and it looks like you've got high quality ammo. They also seem a little hotter than the rest maby due to the old saami vs. cip thing. Allthough some fiocchi is made in the US.

Mrgunsngear · January 9, 2012, 02:23 PM

I have a few thousand rounds of 9mm Brown Bear and Silver Bear through my Glocks have never had an issue with it at all. No squibs, primer failures, nothing... It goes bang and is probably more accurate than me. IMO it's the best value out there short of reloading...

johnbt · January 9, 2012, 08:33 PM

I've been trying to remember the last time I saw a box of Speer Lawman for sale. All I've ever shot has been great, but that was years ago.

January 8, 2012, 08:01 PM	#1
taylor12gauge Member Join Date: December 14, 2011 Posts: 15	Rank 9mm ammo in terms of best bang for the buck This is being shot through a stock glock 19. Question: Strictly for target shooting, rank the following 115gr fmj ammo from best to worst in terms of value and reliability. (I.e. Cost per round & overall quality) Winchester white box, Remington umc, federal, sellier & bellot, tulammo? Btw...just picked up 800 rounds of 9mm sellier & bellot for .21 cents/rnd after shipping and taxes. Haven't shot any yet, but interested to see how it performs. Thanks

January 8, 2012, 10:30 PM	#4
itchy1 Member Join Date: November 8, 2005 Location: SOKY Posts: 85	1. RWS 2. Fed 3. PMC 4. S&B 5. UMC RWS is very good stuff and the range I go to usually has it at 10.99 a box. __________________ I want at least one of everything

January 8, 2012, 10:37 PM	#5
Cheapshooter Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 2007 Location: Missouri Posts: 8,306	Flip a coin on the first four. I watch for sales, and deals, and stock up on any US made ammo when I see a good price. I haven't tried Tula, but all the Bears, and Wolfs have run good in my European Milsurps! __________________ Cheapshooter's rules of gun ownership #1: NEVER SELL OR TRADE ANYTHING!

January 9, 2012, 07:51 AM	#10
checkmyswag Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2011 Location: Texas Posts: 1,328	I've recently found out this depends on the gun. __________________ No brass. No ammo.

January 9, 2012, 09:00 AM	#13
kealil Senior Member Join Date: July 27, 2011 Posts: 270	1. federal 2. WWB 3. tula , bear, etc never tried pmc or umc or s&b. they just aren't cost effective here in pensacola. i love me some federal though __________________ "A weapon without a name is nothing; Just another hunk of steel, wood, or what have you. A weapon with a name is more. It is a partner, a friend, and a comrade to the end"

January 8, 2012, 08:04 PM	#2
3kgt2nv Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: hudson valley NY Posts: 517	every gun is different but if i had to rank them based on my preference it would be 1 federal 2 wwb 3 rem umc 4 s&b 5 stay home and watch tv 6 tula

January 8, 2012, 09:43 PM	#3
MidwestRookie Senior Member Join Date: September 4, 2010 Location: IL Posts: 462	1 fed 2 sb even tho I hate that red sealant 3 wwb 4 umc 5 tula My personal favorite is 124gr GECO..

January 8, 2012, 10:41 PM	#6
RickE Senior Member Join Date: December 18, 2009 Location: Kirkland Wa. Posts: 516	Thank you for buying American when possible. It does make a difference.

January 8, 2012, 10:45 PM	#7
B.N.Real Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2008 Posts: 4,092	If you have a reliable semi auto-your best bet is the bulk sales from reputable reloaders. You are just target shooting. You want the cheapest you can get from a reliable reloading company and there are many. You can get some realy great deals over the internet-just buy from established retailers with a great track record. If they stink-you'll read it on the internet. Just check around first before you buy.

January 9, 2012, 03:03 AM	#8
Bamashooter Senior Member Join Date: March 12, 2010 Posts: 1,860	I dont usually buy foreign made 9mm. I do buy S&B 9makarov because its brass cased and a little hotter than others. I dont buy tula or bear at all. 1. CCI Blazer 2. Federal 3. Remington UMC 4. Winchester White Box

January 9, 2012, 03:07 AM	#9
kinggabby Senior Member Join Date: March 22, 2011 Location: OKC Posts: 502	No particular order... CCI Blazer Federal Remington UMC Winchester White Box

January 9, 2012, 08:12 AM	#11
JWT Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2007 Location: Southern Arizona Posts: 3,888	CCI Blazer PMC S&B

January 9, 2012, 08:45 AM	#12
johnbt Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 1999 Location: Richmond, Virginia USA Posts: 6,004	"My personal favorite is 124gr GECO.." Me too, I'm working my way through 3 cases of it. I bought it for my P210, but of all my guns like it. I like Fiocchi and S&B as well, but I'll shoot whatever is on sale, even WWB. I have had great success with Georgia Arms ammo and it's available at every gun show. "5 stay home and watch tv 6 tula " Now that's funny.

January 9, 2012, 09:25 AM	#15
DBLAction454 Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2009 Location: Ohio Posts: 394	I can usually grab CCI Blazer Brass 115gr 9mm in my local outdoor sportsman store for $10/50rd box... That $0.20/round but after tax its right about what you paid for your 800 rounds My usual choices for ammo 1. CCI Blazer (Brass only) 2. PMC 3. Federal __________________ "If you show up to a fair fight, you're not prepared" -Unidentified Marine Sniper Instructor "The philosophy of gun control: Teenagers are roaring through town at 90MPH, where the speed limit is 25. Your solution is to lower the speed limit to 20." - Sam Cohen

January 9, 2012, 09:32 AM	#16
zincwarrior Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2011 Location: Texas, land of Tex-Mex Posts: 2,259	These are strictly ammunition I have fired. YMMV and I agree it can definitely depend on the firearm. 9mm only: Winchester whitebox Remington UMC Magtech/PMC S&B Wolf the Bears.

January 9, 2012, 09:32 AM	#17
Beanie-Bean Member Join Date: October 4, 2011 Location: Central TX Posts: 87	I didn't see it listed earlier, but I've had really good luck with the following: Speer Lawman 124 gr. Speer Lawman 147 gr. That ammo shoots pretty much like the carry/duty ammo (Gold Dot) and has been very consistent, in my experience. I used to get the cheap-o Monarch steel and brass, and even Winchester White Box (and I still do) but get Speer when I'm in the area. I also reload, so I tend to go after factory ammo that has brass cases instead of steel. __________________ Ammo by Dillon and Hornady

January 9, 2012, 10:37 AM	#18
Fargazer Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2010 Location: Chattanooga, TN Posts: 466	I tend to say Federal - in particular, American Eagle 147, which is my standard practice round. I, like Beanie-Bean, have also had good luck with Lawman. __________________ NRA Life Member

January 9, 2012, 12:57 PM	#19
C0untZer0 Junior member Join Date: April 21, 2011 Location: Illinois Posts: 4,555	I picked up a 50rd box of Blazer Aluminum for $9.00 at Farm & Fleet, my 17L shoots it with no problems so that's my best bang for the buck now. I got the Remington 115gr L9MM3 for around $11 and when I lined the rounds up on the countertop there was some short and some tall so I started taking a caliper to them an there was a 1/32" difference between the tallest rounds and the shortest rounds - I thought my Glocks would fire them no problem which they did but I won't buy the L9MM3 again. I have a few boxes of Wolf and no ranges to shoot them at because the range owners don't allow the stuff.

January 9, 2012, 01:08 PM	#20
Patriot86 Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2010 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 1,293	I must say that sellier and bellot is one HELL of a value. On sale at Cabelas locally it is $9.99 per box of 50. I have fired off going on 1000 rounds of the stuff without a single failure I can blame on the ammunition. Federal, same deal nothing in 9mm I can blame on the ammo. The thing is you get what IMO is at best a slightly cleaner round, with equal reliability that costs somewhere between $2-4 more per box. Why pay more? Also, while I have had 0 issues with the 9mm flavor I have had a couple of bad rounds when I used federal FMJ's in .40 S&W. That is out of hundreds so no big deal, nothing unexpected I suppose.

January 9, 2012, 01:20 PM	#21
crispy Member Join Date: August 14, 2011 Posts: 66	Found Federal in new 100 ct. boxes at Wally World for $20.

January 9, 2012, 01:23 PM	#22
sigcurious Senior Member Join Date: May 25, 2011 Posts: 1,755	S&B is the cheapest factory ammo I can find and is what I have used when possible. It has always gone bang and caused no issues in my guns. That being said, a lot of the other ammo people have listed seems to sell in their locations for the same ~$10/box as I can get S&B for(Sadly, I've always had to wait for free shipping at cabelas to even get the $10/box on S&B, otherwise everything local is ~$14/box). Something else that I was recently introduced to is getting in on a group buy of quality commercial reloads, might want to look out for something like that in your area. Hopefully the upcoming batch will be some of the last target/plinking ammo I buy though, as I'm working on getting my reloading setup going

January 9, 2012, 01:26 PM	#23
jhgreasemonkey Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2006 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 2,238	I used to use federal and american eagle but after the price jump a couple years back I started trying out the other budget ammo and found that my favorites in the low cost category are sellier and bellot and fiocchi. Both perform great, burn clean and I like the sealed primers. You open the box and it looks like you've got high quality ammo. They also seem a little hotter than the rest maby due to the old saami vs. cip thing. Allthough some fiocchi is made in the US.

January 9, 2012, 02:23 PM	#24
Mrgunsngear Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2011 Location: Carolina Posts: 3,415	I have a few thousand rounds of 9mm Brown Bear and Silver Bear through my Glocks have never had an issue with it at all. No squibs, primer failures, nothing... It goes bang and is probably more accurate than me. IMO it's the best value out there short of reloading...

January 9, 2012, 08:33 PM	#25
johnbt Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 1999 Location: Richmond, Virginia USA Posts: 6,004	I've been trying to remember the last time I saw a box of Speer Lawman for sale. All I've ever shot has been great, but that was years ago.