9mm Luger ammo - 115, 124, or 147 grain?

[AK103K]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

Blazer ammo is aluminum cased. It is not reloadable, nor meant to be. Aluminum is not brass. It has a different elasticity and a different coefficient of friction (among other things).

Again, this is not entirely true. While the Blazer is berdan primed, Federal aluminum is boxer primed and readily reloadable, and actually holds up fairly well to multiple loadings too.

I still wouldnt buy it with that in mind, but it will work in a pinch if its all you got.

[AgedWarrior]

Not all Blazer ammo is aluminum cased, they produce brass cased ammo too, and their brass is reasonable for reloading.

Aluminum cases , however, are not suitable for reloading. A lot of aluminum is no longer Berdan primed. Folks reload aluminum anyway and get by with it mostly by shooting light target loads, but they will crack/split without warning. Full charge loads typically fail on first reload or soon after, but light loads fail relatively soon too.

[44 AMP]

Again, this is not entirely true. While the Blazer is berdan primed, Federal aluminum is boxer primed and readily reloadable, and actually holds up fairly well to multiple loadings too.

Is Federal ammo "BLAZER" from CCI?? I don't think it is.

Not all Blazer ammo is aluminum cased, they produce brass cased ammo too, and their brass is reasonable for reloading.

BLAZER .22LR is brass cased. (and not reloadable)

BLAZER centerfire ammo is aluminum cased, (and not reloadable)

BLAZER BRASS is brass cased.

BLAZER and BLAZER BRASS are similar sounding but not the same thing.

[OhioGuy]

Maybe I'm weird, but I've shot a mixture of weights through multiple guns of different sizes and brands, even mixing the grain weights within a magazine, and in no case could I ever discern any difference in recoil or point of impact. Unless it was specifically loaded to a higher pressure.

[AK103K]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

Is Federal ammo "BLAZER" from CCI?? I don't think it is.

Its not, but the Federal is aluminium too, and the impression I was getting from your post was, you cant reload aluminum. Which you can.

[Jim Watson]

CCI and Federal are both divisions of the same conglomerate, looks like the current iteration is Orbital ATK. I doubt there are two aluminum case production lines.

[KyJim]

For practice, I shoot either 115 gr FMJ or 124 gr FMJ. My preference is for 124 gr because that is what my defensive use ammo is (normally, 124 gr standard pressure Gold Dots or HST). Nevertheless, I haven't noticed a big difference in point of impact at "normal" defensive distances (no more than 25 yards). Plus, the 115 gr ammo is normally a tad less expensive. I have never used 147 gr rounds for range fodder for two reasons. They are typically more expensive and I have seen reports here and there that specific models of pistols did not feed them well. This may be on the pistol and not the round, but I just never thought the extra weight, extra expense, and extra recoil were worth it anyway.

I would stick with any brass-cased mainstream brand in 115 or 124 grains --- Federal, Remington, Winchester, Blazer, Speer, etc. I've never had reliability issues with any of the mainstream brands in any of my 9mm pistols. I have 1911s in 9mm, SW M&P and Shield, SW 3913, Kahr CM 9, and a couple of Star pistols (not counting my revolvers).

[rt11002003]

I must be getting old; have found I prefer softer recoil. There are two brands of 9mm ammo in 147 gr that shoot softer than either 115 gr, or 124 gr. They are Freedom and Minuteman Munitions. I've tried both of these brands in several pistols I own, with never a problem. Minuteman Munitions have a blue poly cover on the bullet. Recently, they've only had reman stuff available. Normally, I don't use reman ammo, but have run a 1,000 rounds so far without a hiccup.

[44 AMP]

and the impression I was getting from your post was, you cant reload aluminum.

Apologies if I gave you the wrong impression. I said Blazer and all I meant was Blazer. CCI intended Blazer to be non-reloadable (using the ordinary methods) which is why they use a Berdan primer. And, while I'm not certain I think its a size of Berdan primer not commercially available to the US market in general.
It might even be proprietary. I've never bothered to ask.

Yes, it is possible to reload aluminum cases, and steel cases, and its even possible to reload rimfire cases. Results are inferior to brass in several important ways, which include case life, and cost/effectiveness.

Aluminum, steel and berdan primed brass in common calibers is considered "fire and forget" ammo, meaning its not worth the time, trouble and cost to reload it.

[stagpanther]

I bought a couple thousand CCI 115 gr speer fmj RN--shoots well out of pistols and carbines alike; more importantly it's always there to satisfy the urge to shoot when I'm out of ammo or handloads for all other calibers. probably not a good choice for SD--wouldn't want to be hit by one nonetheless.

[Josh Smith]

Hello,

Before I switched to .45acp, I used 124grn +P Gold Dot in my full-sized pistol.

When I grab another 9mm, I'll go with the same load for defense.

Regards,
Josh

[aarondhgraham]

I solved my own dilemma about choice,,,
And it was so easy I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it.

I went into my ammo cabinet and looked at what I had.

The ammo I had for 25 ACP was Fiocchi,,,
It works in my Taurus 22-PLY so I ordered 250 more rounds of the same.

The ammo I had for my 380 and 9mm included a lot of Blazer Brass,,,
It works well in all of my 9mm pistols so I ordered 500/1000 rounds respectively.

The 32 ACP ammo that ran very well in my Beretta 81 was Aguilla,,,
SGAMMO didn't have any so I decided to take a chance,,,
I ordered a few boxes of Sellier & Bellot to try.

I've used Sellier & Bellot before in 9mm,,,
I figure it's a decent name brand,,,
I'll just cross my fingers in hope.

I also ordered a few boxes of ammo for some of my other guns,,,
That added about $100 to the total.

This will give me a decent bench stock to shoot from,,,
If I am diligent and replenish it religiously,,,
I should be set for range fodder ammo.

I tell ya though,,,
That order (with insurance, shipping, and state tax) was 581.48,,,
It took about 5 minutes to make my finger click the "Place Your Order" button.

Now it's all about the waiting.

Aarond

.

[OhioGuy]

I've shot thousands of rounds of Sellier & Bellot, without ever having a single failure. Cabela's "Herter's" ammo was manufactured by S&B for years, although recently the packaging has changed at it appears to be from a different manufacturer now.

[Spats McGee]

I'm a little late to the game (story of my life), but FWIW, I bought 124 grain the last time I bought 9mm. I only have two 9mms, a Shield and a G19. Neither is what you'd call picky. They pretty much eat anything and everything. But who knows? I might stumble on a great deal on another 9mm soon and wind up with a 3rd 9mm. So I figured it made sense to get a middle-of-the-road weight. Besides, I carry 124 grain.

[Carl the Floor Walker]

I joined Target Sports a year ago. One of the best investments I have made. Not only in Price, but shipping. Since every gun is a individual and likes or prefers a certain ammo, I can buy many different varieties of ammo. Even if just one box, I get free shipping to door. I have quite a bit of different brands and weights for different caliber handguns. Like experimenting with all of them for my EDC guns. Also a lot of Buckshot etc. I have ammo coming in a few times each week.
Personally, I do not think you can pick just one ammo for all guns, . Try them all out.

[Spats McGee]

Originally Posted by Carl the Floor Walker

It's be-ginning to look a lot like Christmas....

[DaleA]

Persoanlly (sic) I do not think you can pick just one ammo for all guns, . Try them all out.

(Note: it would have been easier to just correct the spelling from "Persoanlly" to "Personally" but I always wanted to use (sic) and now I have.

I like the above advice. Life is short.

A few years back during an outing with a friend and a 10mm all we could find was Sellier & Bellot at the local Cabela's but the good news was it was on sale. We had good luck with it and my friend still uses it to this day so I expect you'll be okay with it.

Good Luck.

[jmr40]

For years the typical police 9mm loading was a 124 gr HP at about 1250-1300 fps depending on barrel length. The military NATO load is a 124 gr bullet at about 1200-1250 fps. That is less than 100 fps slower than typical 357 mag loads when fired from 4" or shorter barrels.

Years ago when everyone thought speed was the answer 115 gr +P loads were somewhat popular with some police agencies, but I don't know of any currently going that light. Most that I'm aware of are still using the 124 @ 1300 fps.

Early 147 gr loads at around 900 fps were designed for suppressed fire and early 147 gr hp bullets did not expand reliably at the slower speeds. They earned a bad reputation that still hangs around.

But newer 147 gr hp bullets have proven to work very well and there are now loads in the 1000-1100 fps range. According to the FBI that is the load they think works best and what they carry now.

I have a lot of 124 gr +P ammo that runs around 1250 fps from my guns and that is what I usually carry in my 9mm pistols. But I've experimented some with the better 147 gr loads and will probably move in that direction when I shoot up all my 124 gr ammo.

For practice I can still get 115 FMJ for around $8/box. That is what I use at the range. At ranges out to 15-20 yards there isn't enough difference in POI to matter regardless of which ammo is in my guns. Yours may be different.

[USNRet93]

If you have a gun that works with anything, all the time..for range ammo, whatever is cheapest(probably 115g). If you have a finicky gun in terms of ammunition type and maker, get some and try it first.

I get whatever is cheapest, 115mm...for range/plink..gonna do that this morning with youngest son..

Glock 26/4, Glock 17/4, Glock 45(son's)...

[Doc Holliday 1950]

I generally buy the same grain practice ammo that I use for self defense.
It just makes sense and if possible try to buy the same brand for TP & SD.

[kozak6]

115 gr is usually cheapest.
124 gr is often spicy NATO spec (about +P).
147 is subsonic and retains the most velocity from short barrels, possibly at the expense of recoil.

Shoot at least a few magazines of each through each gun before you make up your mind. Some guns just don't like aluminum cased ammo.

[batmann]

I carry Speer 124 gr GD in my 9s

[silvermane_1]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

Is Federal ammo "BLAZER" from CCI?? I don't think it is.




BLAZER .22LR is brass cased. (and not reloadable)

BLAZER centerfire ammo is aluminum cased, (and not reloadable)

BLAZER BRASS is brass cased.

BLAZER and BLAZER BRASS are similar sounding but not the same thing.

Actually that's not true anymore there 44 AMP:
https://youtu.be/FiPNQwnaIik

[JDBerg]

Originally Posted by USNRET93:

If you have a gun that works with anything, all the time..for range ammo, whatever is cheapest(probably 115g). If you have a finicky gun in terms of ammunition type and maker, get some and try it first. I get whatever is cheapest, 115mm...for range/plink..gonna do that this morning with youngest son..Glock 26/4, Glock 17/4, Glock 45(son's)...

The targets don’t know the difference, with cheaper range ammo, I can shoot more rounds. All of my Glocks will shoot just about anything I load into them, a little bit of gunsmithing can help a lot with this.

[TruthTellers]

Whatever your defense ammo is, it's best your practice ammo be the same projectile weight, even tho it's very likely they'll shoot to a different POI, it's just that a POI shift with a different weight is guaranteed.

I use to not like 147 because I thought it was too much for 9mm, but after seeing how well it performs handguns and PCC's at distance, I've rethought it. The downside of 147 gr is it will be more expensive than 115 and 124.

124 I'm not really sure what the benefit is. It might be hotter than 115, but it's not that much hotter.

115 is great for guns like the LC9s or for low recoil. It's probably my favorite load in 9mm and I like that Winchester and Remington make cheap JHP's in 115 that work, even from short barrels.

Obviously, shoot whatever you shoot best with or your gun shoots best with.