Sellier & Bellot ammo - opinions? - Page 2

JDBerg · September 16, 2019, 12:28 PM

I used to buy S&B and Fiocchi when the local Thornton, CO Cabelas used to put it on sale, since I moved to Cali the closest Cabelas is in Las Vegas @300 miles away. The local Turners Outdoorsman does put S&B on sale but if I have a choice between S&B, Fiocchi, and Blazer Brass, I’ll take the BB.

kenny53 · September 16, 2019, 12:39 PM

I like S&B ammo, it has always been good and has bang every time.

TunnelRat · September 16, 2019, 12:40 PM

I haven't had great luck with Blazer Brass lately, and they used to be my go to. The brass has been dirty to the point my hands are filthy after the range and even the copper jackets are tarnished. It could just be the supplier as I primarily use sgammo these days and did so for the last few cases of Blazer Brass. By contrast Fiocchi has been far cleaner, seemingly hotter (I didn't chrono it), and even cheaper (at least online with certain sales recently). Plus the smaller boxes.

Edit: the Black Packs of Blazer I got actually were pretty clean when I think back on it, though it was a little weaker.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Dave T · September 16, 2019, 04:41 PM

Speer, Blazer, Lawman, and Federal are loaded with SP primers in their 45 ACP ammunition. S&B has LP primers crimped in place. Swage out the pockets and S&B is some excellent brass to reload.

Dave

Doc Holliday 1950 · September 16, 2019, 08:55 PM

i've new had a proble or misire with S&B ammo

wild cat mccane · September 16, 2019, 08:55 PM

Really, the question should be what is there a bad factory ammo?

PPU is one of my least fav.

I could be wrong, but I think Vista Outdoors is one of if not the largest manufacturer of ammunition in the world. While parent to Federal and Speer/CCI, it holds the US Lake City manufacturing contract.

chaim · September 16, 2019, 08:56 PM

S&B and Fiocchi are my favorite of the cheaper range ammo. I'll sometimes/often buy UMC and WWB, but I find my guns (especially 9mm) run more consistently with the S&B and Fiocchi

scoobysnacker · September 17, 2019, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wild cat mccane

Really, the question should be what is there a bad factory ammo?

PPU is one of my least fav.

I could be wrong, but I think Vista Outdoors is one of if not the largest manufacturer of ammunition in the world. While parent to Federal and Speer/CCI, it holds the US Lake City manufacturing contract.

to me, bad would be WWB and Remington, and then Aguila (not counting steel Russian).
Dirty, underpowered, and inconsistent.
Magtech also tends to be dirty and weaker loaded.

S&B and Fiocchi are clean and fairly hot, as is MEN NATO. GECO also tends to be pretty stout.
Yavex seems to be the hottest FMJ loads, probably approaches +P. Quite consistent, too.
Blazer Brass tends to be very soft, good for range use if you're worried about recoil.

PPU is kinda in the middle. I like PPU, GECO and Fiocchi in .32, and love S&B in .45.

OhioGuy · September 17, 2019, 05:42 AM

Thousands of rounds downrange without any issue in 9mm. I can't speak to reloading.

Pretty sure Cabela's sells this as their "Herter's" store brand, and I have also had no problems with theirs.

mr bolo · September 17, 2019, 01:33 PM

Quote:

wild cat mccane: Really, the question should be what is there a bad factory ammo?

PPU is one of my least fav.

I could be wrong, but I think Vista Outdoors is one of if not the largest manufacturer of ammunition in the world. While parent to Federal and Speer/CCI, it holds the US Lake City manufacturing contract.

I tried some TULAMMO steel cased .38 Special for my S&W revolver, and noticed it sticks in the cylinder and needs to be tapped out, not good

I noticed the TULAMMO steel cased 7.62x54R also sticks in my M44 Mosin Nagant rifle, probably because of the lacquer coating?

I also tried some MAXX TECH made in BOSNIA .380 & 9mm ammo and had a few misfires from hard primers

Fishbed77 · September 17, 2019, 02:29 PM

Quote:

PPU is one of my least fav.

PPU is interesting. Their .303 British and 7.5 Swiss seems to perform as well as any other run-of-the-mill rifle ammo (though the 7.5 Swiss can't touch GP11 - which has become unobtanium - for accuracy).

My experience with some of their pistol ammo has been good enough in terms of accuracy and reliability, but it sure is dirty.

JWT · September 17, 2019, 03:16 PM

Hoave shot quite a bit of it in 9mm and been very satisfied.

dontcatchmany · September 17, 2019, 05:22 PM

Just ordered 500 rounds of 45 acp today.

I have used it frequently in the past in several calibers and never a problem.

My FMJ practice ammo is usually Blazer Brass, S&B, PMC or Fiochii

balin · September 17, 2019, 10:59 PM

I find S&B to be good plinking ammo as long as the price is right. I don't like reloading it as the primer pockets are smaller then other brass.

pblanc · September 19, 2019, 07:13 AM

A good deal of the brass cased ammunition sold by Academy Sports under the "Monarch" label is made by PPU.

I have had good results with the .223/5.56 rifle ammunition made by PPU whether it has been under the Monarch or PPU badge.

For the most part, the Monarch 9 mm Luger ammunition I have bought from Academy has worked well. A couple of years ago I bought two 50 round boxes of 115 grain 9 mm PPU boxed ammo and every round was underpowered to the point it would not cycle in any of my 9 mm auto-loading pistols.

DaleA · September 19, 2019, 12:08 PM

I've a friend that shoots a lot of 10mm S&B because, he says, Cabelas almost always has 10mm S&B and he doesn't see other brands on the shelf there on a regular bases.

I don't know if this means S&B manufactures a lot of "niche" ammo or it's just a Cabelas thing or maybe a local phenomenon.

The stuff works fine for him. (BTW I've told him about the joys of reloading and he always replies he's going to get around to it some day.)

elsancudo · September 19, 2019, 08:03 PM

He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

Doc Holliday 1950 · September 20, 2019, 08:36 PM

RA,

Whenever I can get a good price via AMMOSEEK.COM I always buy S&B
9mm for my Pistols. Never had a misfire & the ammo shoots fairly clean.

This is one of the few NON AMERICAN made ammo I'll buy. I know I might sound prejudiced but American made ammo, IMHO, is the best made out there.
Since I don't reload I'm very careful about what I fire thru my Glocks.

P5 Guy · September 22, 2019, 04:17 PM

I have shot S&B in 7.62x39, 303BRIT, 8mmMauser, 7.62x25 and 9x19 with not one problem.
I even had a case of S&B that was plated steel cased that shot fine.
Yes the primer pockets are tight and reloading needs an extra step to uniform the primer pocket, but one only has to do that chore once. And it may be loaded a bit hotter than the ecno-box ammo from the big box stores.

BillSussman · September 25, 2019, 09:59 AM

I can't speak to their factory ammo but they are my go to choice for primers, I have never had one not go bang in the many 1000's I have fired. I have had a few Winchester primers not go bang as well as a few factory loaded Winchester 9mm.

9mm · September 27, 2019, 04:05 AM

Malcolm
Junior Member

Join Date: February 25, 2006
Posts: 1

Wooah way to come out of the woodwork Sir.

Sellier & Bellot ammo is G2G I have seen a lot of reviews online with bulk ammo, they have improved quality since 2012 when I heard mixed reviews on them. I am finding 1000 round cases for $150-$170 for S&B 9mm.

DAKA · October 8, 2019, 12:02 PM

Excellent ammo, I've fired THOUSANDS of rounds NO PROBLEMS..
The packaging in smaller boxes is a PLUS.

AwayToTheRange · October 27, 2021, 02:40 PM

Not sure if this will give you some insight, but you can see a test here and on the same channel you can see several 9mm Sellier and ballot being takin apart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyw0dLlHbP4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1_ZwzqpYuE

Metric · October 27, 2021, 04:23 PM

It's particularly great practice ammo if you have some tightly-sprung pistols. Gives a bit of extra bit of push for a strong, reliable cycle.

In .32acp, S&B is probably my favorite load on the market. Superior to Buffalo Bore +p for energy (based on my own chrono figures).

JDBerg · October 28, 2021, 12:51 AM

This thread is 2 years old, dates back to when you could still get S&B ammo. Anyway, S&B worked great in every one of my 9mm guns.

September 16, 2019, 12:28 PM	#26
JDBerg Senior Member Join Date: May 18, 2015 Location: PA Posts: 1,835	I used to buy S&B and Fiocchi when the local Thornton, CO Cabelas used to put it on sale, since I moved to Cali the closest Cabelas is in Las Vegas @300 miles away. The local Turners Outdoorsman does put S&B on sale but if I have a choice between S&B, Fiocchi, and Blazer Brass, I’ll take the BB. __________________ Words to Live By: Before You Pray - Believe; Before You Speak - Listen; Before You Spend - Earn; Before You Write - Think; Before You Quit - Try; Before You Die - Live

September 16, 2019, 04:41 PM	#29
Dave T Senior Member Join Date: April 16, 2000 Location: Mesa, Arizona Posts: 1,456	Speer, Blazer, Lawman, and Federal are loaded with SP primers in their 45 ACP ammunition. S&B has LP primers crimped in place. Swage out the pockets and S&B is some excellent brass to reload. Dave __________________ RSVN '69-'71 PCSD Ret

September 16, 2019, 08:55 PM	#30
Doc Holliday 1950 Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2014 Location: Bout as south as it gets Posts: 1,238	i've new had a proble or misire with S&B ammo __________________ Shoot well and be Accurate, Doc

September 19, 2019, 08:03 PM	#42
elsancudo Member Join Date: July 25, 2010 Posts: 57	He who laughs last, thinks slowest. __________________ Freedom is the freedom to discipline yourself so others don't have to do it for you.

September 20, 2019, 08:36 PM	#43
Doc Holliday 1950 Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2014 Location: Bout as south as it gets Posts: 1,238	RA, Whenever I can get a good price via AMMOSEEK.COM I always buy S&B 9mm for my Pistols. Never had a misfire & the ammo shoots fairly clean. This is one of the few NON AMERICAN made ammo I'll buy. I know I might sound prejudiced but American made ammo, IMHO, is the best made out there. Since I don't reload I'm very careful about what I fire thru my Glocks. __________________ Shoot well and be Accurate, Doc

September 16, 2019, 12:39 PM	#27
kenny53 Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2015 Location: My back yard Posts: 971	I like S&B ammo, it has always been good and has bang every time.

September 16, 2019, 12:40 PM	#28
TunnelRat Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 12,212	I haven't had great luck with Blazer Brass lately, and they used to be my go to. The brass has been dirty to the point my hands are filthy after the range and even the copper jackets are tarnished. It could just be the supplier as I primarily use sgammo these days and did so for the last few cases of Blazer Brass. By contrast Fiocchi has been far cleaner, seemingly hotter (I didn't chrono it), and even cheaper (at least online with certain sales recently). Plus the smaller boxes. Edit: the Black Packs of Blazer I got actually were pretty clean when I think back on it, though it was a little weaker. Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

September 16, 2019, 08:55 PM	#31
wild cat mccane Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 3,626	Really, the question should be what is there a bad factory ammo? PPU is one of my least fav. I could be wrong, but I think Vista Outdoors is one of if not the largest manufacturer of ammunition in the world. While parent to Federal and Speer/CCI, it holds the US Lake City manufacturing contract.

September 16, 2019, 08:56 PM	#32
chaim Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 2,095	S&B and Fiocchi are my favorite of the cheaper range ammo. I'll sometimes/often buy UMC and WWB, but I find my guns (especially 9mm) run more consistently with the S&B and Fiocchi

September 17, 2019, 05:42 AM	#34
OhioGuy Senior Member Join Date: August 11, 2016 Posts: 1,089	Thousands of rounds downrange without any issue in 9mm. I can't speak to reloading. Pretty sure Cabela's sells this as their "Herter's" store brand, and I have also had no problems with theirs.

September 17, 2019, 03:16 PM	#37
JWT Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2007 Location: Southern Arizona Posts: 3,888	Hoave shot quite a bit of it in 9mm and been very satisfied.

September 17, 2019, 05:22 PM	#38
dontcatchmany Senior Member Join Date: July 19, 2010 Posts: 460	Just ordered 500 rounds of 45 acp today. I have used it frequently in the past in several calibers and never a problem. My FMJ practice ammo is usually Blazer Brass, S&B, PMC or Fiochii

September 17, 2019, 10:59 PM	#39
balin Senior Member Join Date: November 26, 2006 Location: Federal Way Posts: 122	I find S&B to be good plinking ammo as long as the price is right. I don't like reloading it as the primer pockets are smaller then other brass.

September 19, 2019, 07:13 AM	#40
pblanc Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 697	A good deal of the brass cased ammunition sold by Academy Sports under the "Monarch" label is made by PPU. I have had good results with the .223/5.56 rifle ammunition made by PPU whether it has been under the Monarch or PPU badge. For the most part, the Monarch 9 mm Luger ammunition I have bought from Academy has worked well. A couple of years ago I bought two 50 round boxes of 115 grain 9 mm PPU boxed ammo and every round was underpowered to the point it would not cycle in any of my 9 mm auto-loading pistols.

September 19, 2019, 12:08 PM	#41
DaleA Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2002 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 5,313	I've a friend that shoots a lot of 10mm S&B because, he says, Cabelas almost always has 10mm S&B and he doesn't see other brands on the shelf there on a regular bases. I don't know if this means S&B manufactures a lot of "niche" ammo or it's just a Cabelas thing or maybe a local phenomenon. The stuff works fine for him. (BTW I've told him about the joys of reloading and he always replies he's going to get around to it some day.)

September 22, 2019, 04:17 PM	#44
P5 Guy Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2005 Location: Tampa Bay Posts: 1,804	I have shot S&B in 7.62x39, 303BRIT, 8mmMauser, 7.62x25 and 9x19 with not one problem. I even had a case of S&B that was plated steel cased that shot fine. Yes the primer pockets are tight and reloading needs an extra step to uniform the primer pocket, but one only has to do that chore once. And it may be loaded a bit hotter than the ecno-box ammo from the big box stores.

September 25, 2019, 09:59 AM	#45
BillSussman Member Join Date: August 8, 2019 Posts: 34	I can't speak to their factory ammo but they are my go to choice for primers, I have never had one not go bang in the many 1000's I have fired. I have had a few Winchester primers not go bang as well as a few factory loaded Winchester 9mm.

September 27, 2019, 04:05 AM	#46
9mm Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2011 Location: Land of the Free Posts: 2,834	Malcolm Junior Member Join Date: February 25, 2006 Posts: 1 Wooah way to come out of the woodwork Sir. Sellier & Bellot ammo is G2G I have seen a lot of reviews online with bulk ammo, they have improved quality since 2012 when I heard mixed reviews on them. I am finding 1000 round cases for $150-$170 for S&B 9mm.

October 8, 2019, 12:02 PM	#47
DAKA Member Join Date: May 5, 2011 Location: S FL Posts: 59	Excellent ammo, I've fired THOUSANDS of rounds NO PROBLEMS.. The packaging in smaller boxes is a PLUS.

October 27, 2021, 02:40 PM	#48
AwayToTheRange Member Join Date: September 29, 2021 Posts: 19	Not sure if this will give you some insight, but you can see a test here and on the same channel you can see several 9mm Sellier and ballot being takin apart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyw0dLlHbP4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1_ZwzqpYuE

October 27, 2021, 04:23 PM	#49
Metric Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2016 Posts: 344	It's particularly great practice ammo if you have some tightly-sprung pistols. Gives a bit of extra bit of push for a strong, reliable cycle. In .32acp, S&B is probably my favorite load on the market. Superior to Buffalo Bore +p for energy (based on my own chrono figures).

October 28, 2021, 12:51 AM	#50
JDBerg Senior Member Join Date: May 18, 2015 Location: PA Posts: 1,835	This thread is 2 years old, dates back to when you could still get S&B ammo. Anyway, S&B worked great in every one of my 9mm guns. __________________ Words to Live By: Before You Pray - Believe; Before You Speak - Listen; Before You Spend - Earn; Before You Write - Think; Before You Quit - Try; Before You Die - Live