9mm Ultramax...is the stuff any good?

Big Caliber · October 20, 2012, 10:47 PM

I already did a search but found nothing useful. A friend of mine was cleaning out a garage for an elderly widow and found a nice plastic ammo box with 15 boxes of 9mm Ultramax reloads in it which she did not want. Knowing I shoot a 9, he gave it all to me. I've never heard of Ultramax. The bullets appear to be lead rn. I peeked into a few of the boxes and found the brass cases were from 4 or 5 various makers. I've no clue as to which primers or powders were used. Is this stuff good enough for plinking? or does it have any sort of reputation? I have no expectations about its accuracy.

FrankenMauser · October 21, 2012, 12:47 AM

Ultramax is decent enough. Some people report that it runs dirty in their handguns, but I've never had a problem.

But... I wouldn't trust it second-hand, unless you have good reason to believe it hasn't been reloaded again.

That's the thing with Ultramax - it's already a commercial reload. So, any further reloading done with the cases doesn't leave any tell-tale signs.

zxcvbob · October 21, 2012, 12:55 AM

It's smokey and kind of weak -- but they all go "bang" and they should cycle your gun. I'm a poor enough shot with an automatic that I can't comment on the accuracy.

**Bud Helms** · October 21, 2012, 02:49 AM

Quote:

... the brass cases were from 4 or 5 various makers.

Well, this is obviously reloaded ammo, so reports of Ultramax off-the-shelf don't help much.

There is no way to predict the behavior of reloads with no knowledge of their history or the practices of the reloader.

FWIW, I find reloads I know nothing about and I get my trusty impact bullet puller and salvage the brass. Throw the powder out in the grass and punch the primers out. Start over.

A damaged pistol is a high price to pay for a box of unknown reloads.

Moving this one to Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting.

[Edited to add: CORRECTION. After further searching, it seems Ultramax is sold as remanufactured ammo. I was unaware of that little detail. Let's leave it here for now. - Bud]

Jeff22 · October 21, 2012, 02:50 AM

I shoot about a thousand rounds a year of Ultramax 5.56mm reloads that I buy from SPORTSMAN'S GUIDE. I've been shooting Ultramax rifle ammo for 7 or 8 years and I've been really impressed with it.

I've also shot some of their ammo in 9mm and .40 cal. The lead bullet loads are a little smokey (probably due to the bullet lube used) and the FMJ loads are not. The handgun reloads are standard velocity or maybe a little less than that.

WESHOOT2 · October 21, 2012, 06:28 AM

No.

It is normally acceptable.

www.georgia-arms.com

spacecoast · October 21, 2012, 07:10 AM

Quote:

FWIW, I find reloads I know nothing about and I get my trusty impact bullet puller and salvage the brass. Throw the powder out in the grass and punch the primers out. Start over.

I agree, but that's a lot of work for 750 pieces of 9mm brass, which is plentiful at a lot of ranges. But, on the other hand, what else to do with them?

If it were me in your position, I'd be tempted to try a few in my strongest 9mm (or in my case, my Hi-Point). If everything seemed OK (no squibs, flattened primers, etc.) I would empty those cases the old-fashioned way.

sidewindr · October 21, 2012, 08:25 AM

A guy was at the local range this past summer and he was trying out his new Taurus .44Mag "handgun/rifle(i forgot the name of that 16"barreled handgun with a buttstock that Taurus is now selling). Anyway the LGS gave him a box of Ulramaxx reloads with the purchase of it. Luckly I had a .45 boresnake with me because he could only get three shots off before the bore was so fouled up by crud, not really leading but just junk, his first couple shot would group really good then suddenly 4 or 5 inches off, run the boresnake through it a couple times and right back into the group, then repeat till the box was gone. Real dirty , I don't know if that was a bad box or what but it was bad.

m.p.driver · October 21, 2012, 08:37 AM

Bought a thousand rounds of their .223 years ago to shoot out of an AR.I gave up after the third case i had to hammer out of the chamber,took the 985 rounds back and got Remington instead.Their pistol ammo might be different,so shoot away.

October 20, 2012, 10:47 PM	#1
Big Caliber Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 2006 Location: S. CA Posts: 390	9mm Ultramax...is the stuff any good? I already did a search but found nothing useful. A friend of mine was cleaning out a garage for an elderly widow and found a nice plastic ammo box with 15 boxes of 9mm Ultramax reloads in it which she did not want. Knowing I shoot a 9, he gave it all to me. I've never heard of Ultramax. The bullets appear to be lead rn. I peeked into a few of the boxes and found the brass cases were from 4 or 5 various makers. I've no clue as to which primers or powders were used. Is this stuff good enough for plinking? or does it have any sort of reputation? I have no expectations about its accuracy.

October 21, 2012, 12:47 AM	#2
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 26, 2008 Location: 1B ID Posts: 5,387	Ultramax is decent enough. Some people report that it runs dirty in their handguns, but I've never had a problem. But... I wouldn't trust it second-hand, unless you have good reason to believe it hasn't been reloaded again. That's the thing with Ultramax - it's already a commercial reload. So, any further reloading done with the cases doesn't leave any tell-tale signs. __________________ "Such is the strange way that man works -- first he virtually destroys a species and then does everything in his power to restore it."

October 21, 2012, 12:55 AM	#3
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 3,653	It's smokey and kind of weak -- but they all go "bang" and they should cycle your gun. I'm a poor enough shot with an automatic that I can't comment on the accuracy. __________________ "The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun"

October 21, 2012, 02:50 AM	#5
Jeff22 Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2004 Location: Madison, Wisconsin Posts: 543	Ultramax ammo I shoot about a thousand rounds a year of Ultramax 5.56mm reloads that I buy from SPORTSMAN'S GUIDE. I've been shooting Ultramax rifle ammo for 7 or 8 years and I've been really impressed with it. I've also shot some of their ammo in 9mm and .40 cal. The lead bullet loads are a little smokey (probably due to the bullet lube used) and the FMJ loads are not. The handgun reloads are standard velocity or maybe a little less than that. __________________ You can only learn from experience if you pay attention!

October 21, 2012, 06:28 AM	#6
WESHOOT2 Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 1999 Location: home on the range; Vermont (Caspian country) Posts: 12,907	No. It is normally acceptable. www.georgia-arms.com __________________ . "all my ammo is mostly retired factory ammo"

October 21, 2012, 08:25 AM	#8
sidewindr Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2011 Location: somewhere out there Posts: 101	A guy was at the local range this past summer and he was trying out his new Taurus .44Mag "handgun/rifle(i forgot the name of that 16"barreled handgun with a buttstock that Taurus is now selling). Anyway the LGS gave him a box of Ulramaxx reloads with the purchase of it. Luckly I had a .45 boresnake with me because he could only get three shots off before the bore was so fouled up by crud, not really leading but just junk, his first couple shot would group really good then suddenly 4 or 5 inches off, run the boresnake through it a couple times and right back into the group, then repeat till the box was gone. Real dirty , I don't know if that was a bad box or what but it was bad.

October 21, 2012, 08:37 AM	#9
m.p.driver Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2009 Location: Ohio Posts: 540	Bought a thousand rounds of their .223 years ago to shoot out of an AR.I gave up after the third case i had to hammer out of the chamber,took the 985 rounds back and got Remington instead.Their pistol ammo might be different,so shoot away.