Range / Practice ammo resources. [Archive]

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Hawkeye

03-08-07, 12:34

John_Wayne777

03-08-07, 19:27

I am curious as to what folks favorite choice for range/practice ammo is?
What are you personally finding to use that works well in 9mm, .45, .223/5.56??? Sources?
What have you personally found to not work?

Personally I shoot whatever I can get the cheapest in 9mm or .45 ACP, but I prefer to use most anything other than Wolf, or aluminum cased Blazer ammo. (I've never used the aluminum cased Blazer, but I don't know how my weapons would react to it so I skip it anyway...) I will use WWB ammo, but I try to find something better as it tends to shoot dirty and I have run into a few unprimed rounds in it. I prefer getting my hands on American Eagle ammo if I can, with PMC a distant second.

In 5.56 I try to get all the XM193 I can get as training ammo. I will supplement this with American Eagle .223 or PMC .223 if I can't get the XM193.

In 7.62x39 I shoot (well....collect is probably a more appropriate term since I hardly ever shoot my 7.62x39 weapons....) Wolf ammo primarily...but I recently ordered some of that Golden Tiger ammo from AIM Surplus, and it seems to be very good stuff. I will burn through about 500 rounds of it this weekend in the Vickers AK class...

I have been fortunate, I guess, in that my weapons don't really care what I feed them.

Hawkeye

03-08-07, 19:45

Like you, my weapons tend to shoot pretty much anything. My problem as of late, has just been finding much of ANYTHING.

Dport

03-08-07, 19:49

I have only used WWB for pistols with one exception since ~April 2005. The one exception was 250 rounds of UMC I used when I bought my M&P, and that was because the Gander Mountain had no WWB.

As for rifle, I hate to say this, but whatever I can get the cheapest. I haven't used Wolf since ~March 2005. I have used XM193, Georgia Arms, Winchester .223, and now I'm using UMC .223. It's too damn expensive to be very picky these days, but I won't use Georgia Arms again.

John_Wayne777

03-08-07, 20:03

I should add that I don't use reman ammo EVER in my weapons.

Dport

03-08-07, 20:05

I should add that I don't use reman ammo EVER in my weapons.

I don't either...any more.

rubberneck

03-08-07, 20:09

For handgun ammo give Atlanta Arms and Ammo a shot. They currently make ammo for the Army Marksmanship Unit and the Glock team.

I haven't ordered from them since I started reloading this time last year but his prices on 40 and 45 at the time were cheaper than the price of Winchester's value packs at Walmart.

Danny is a great guy to deal with and over the course of two years I probably burned through 30,000 rounds of his ammo and only had two problems with his 147 grain 9MM. The rest ran through my guns like a champ.

Cold Zero

03-08-07, 20:48

i use winchester white box for 9mm and .556 with good results.

i have tried and used over 10,000 rds of 9mm 115 f.m.j. remanufactured ammo from cabela's, called ultramax with no problems. very cheap.

Snake RAH

03-08-07, 23:21

Monarch for AK.
American Eagle for the AR15s (55 gr).
Winchester Q4172 for the 9mm.

Sportsman's Warehouse for the AE, when they have it. Academy Sports for the other two.

The only remanufactured I shoot is blue box Black Hills. Unfortunately, it is rarer these days than I like. 68 and 75 gr were what I used out of my precision ARs, which now go unshot, since I can't get ammo for them.

A coming AWB 2.0 won't matter much if we can't get good ammo to shoot.

BTW, I've personally witnessed Hunting Shack Munitions (HSM) and Ultramax (sold in the Cabela's dry box) blow up two ARs in the last year. The HSM blew up a Bushmaster M4, and the Ultramax blew up a SLR15. The shooters were not injured, and both ammo companies stepped up to the plate and fixed the guns.

C4IGrant

03-09-07, 14:32

I have always just used m855, but now have a source for the Hornady 75gr TAP (practice) so that is what I will be shooting from now on. :D

C4

shark31

03-09-07, 14:48

I have always just used m855, but now have a source for the Hornady 75gr TAP (practice) so that is what I will be shooting from now on. :D

C4

Do you have any of either for sale? :D

rob_s

03-09-07, 14:57

I bought 400 rounds of .45 ACP 200 grain SWC from www.thehuntingshack.com that I was quite happy with, and I'll be ordering another 400 to test a little more before ordering a bulk amount of 5k or so. They even bumped up the velocity for me from 800 to 850 so I'd meet the IDPA power floor.

Thanks for reminding me.

FWIW, they also do .223 but I haven't ordered any yet.

LukeMacGillie

03-09-07, 16:07

AE 223, and WWB for 9mm and 45.

But I have pretty much an unlimited supply of M855 and Winchester Ranger Ball now, and a decent supply of Mk262. Only thing Im buying these days is 45 and I just picked up one of Wally Worlds 250 round Rem/UMC value packs, but have not shot any of it yet.

9301

03-09-07, 16:12

I usually buy American Eagle .223 from my local gun dealer. Are their cheaper routes? I’m sure there are, but I like having a local gun dealer and throw them as much business as I can as long as it isn’t grossly out of line to do so.

I use just about anything in my Glocks and haven’t had any problems with factory or factory reloads with the exception of Wolf ammo where I have had more than my share of FTF.

The only other handgun I own is a J-frame S&W, but don’t shoot it very often now that I carry a Glock sub-compact instead. When I shot it more often I bought the cheapest bullets I could find. I never really expected it to be very accurate to start with, so why buy expensive stuff?

nickdrak

03-11-07, 00:04

Sonic Crack

03-11-07, 01:44

why dont more of you reload your ammo?? Isnt it suppose to be cheaper to reload instead of buying it??

Snake RAH

03-11-07, 13:22

why dont more of you reload your ammo?? Isnt it suppose to be cheaper to reload instead of buying it??

I don't reload because it isn't cheaper if I have to factor in my time spent on reloading.

ST911

03-11-07, 18:42

First choice for duty and training ammo is always Black Hills, all calibers, a variety of loads. Reman is fine.

Other acceptable loads, in no order of preference: Major manufacturer economy offerings (AE, WWB, Lawman); M193/M855; Major NATO import (Radway, etc); XM and Q loads

No: Wolf or other com-bloc import; Adcom; gunshow specials.

Submariner

03-12-07, 19:20

We shoot WW 9mm and .45 ACP from Wally World.

For carbine we have shot reloads for the past five years of classes that I put together before Y2k. Had to finish Pat's last class with some IVI that shot fine. Looks like Mr. Dillon is going get called on again as .223 prices are too high.

Most practice at home is with Federal bulk pack .22LR through Kuehl uppers.

macman37

03-13-07, 06:40

I just picked up 1,000rds of 9mm Remington/UMC grn/wht box from Dick's Sporting goods for $140+tax locally. Normally they charge $10 per box of 50, but if you buy 500rd cases they drop the price to $6.99 each. They have similar breaks on .40 & .45 purchased in bulk quantities(500rds or more).

I think the grn/wht box Rem/UMC is excellent practice ammo. NO issues for me.

+1 This has always been mine (and my family's - 2 brothers and my dad) preferred .45acp and 9mm practice ammo. I've never had an ammo related failure through many range sessions over the last 10 or 12 years (before that we used Winchester white box but that stuff was DIRTY) and a few handgun classes.

The Dick's case prices are excellent as well.

For .223, if I was taking a class sometime soon, I would go buy a couple cases of American Eagle so as not to dip into my stash.

jim

meat

04-08-07, 23:51

I fired 14000+ rounds of Wolf 9mm through my G17 last summer and did not have one "ammunition quality" related malfunction.
I will NEVER buy Georgia Arms ammo again of any kind.
M855/Radway/AE/Hornady/Black Hills from now on, but, even as I say that, the price continues to climb...