Ammo Price Related to Performance??

M

mukibetser

New member
I'm putting in a few orders for 9mm ammo for defensive purposes, and trying to figure out how the relatively wide disparity in name brand, US manufactured ammo prices relates to quality, reliability, and effectiveness. For example, I've seen:
50 rds of Federal LE Tactical HST 124gr +p for 19.95 (0.40 per round)
50 rds Speer LE Gold Dot 115gr HP for $24.99 (0.50 per round)
50 rds Winchester 9mm 115gr silvertip HP for $37.95 (0.75 per round)
20 rds Corbon 115gr +p HP for $18.49 (0.92 per round)
20 rds Federal 9mm hydroshok 124gr HP for $18.95 (0.95 oer round)

Now, I'm sure people may have reasons why they prefer the Corbon or Fed hydroshok over the Fed HST or the Speer, but is it worth 2x the price? Do you get 2x the performance. Wouldn't I be better of buying twice as much of the Fed HST and practicing more with it?

So, do people think the widely varying price of HP ammo is justified and is indicative of quality and effectiveness?
 
Some are justified; some are not. The HST and Gold Dot are very good loads, some of the best really so if they feed reliably load them and dont think twice about it. The Corbon 115gr +P load is another very good load and has been proven in the real world to work very, very well. Is it worth almost double the price of the Speer? Probably not considering you are getting a nickle plated case, CCI primer, and a bonded bullet vs. a brass case and a standard Sierra jhp bullet.

The Hydra-shok is definately overprices since the HST is the improved version of the Hydra-shok (Hydra-shok two). The four loads listed above it are better loads and they are cheaper...so selecting self defense ammo solely on the price is not a health habit IMO.
 
Are these prices from a catalog or website? I've noticed that those retailers who put out a catalog and have a web presence (which seems to be all of them) have fluctuating prices. So much so, that I would disregard anything that arrives in print form, and look to the website for up-to-date prices. And do a lot of cross-checking before you place an order. And then be prepared to see the ammo you just bought go on sale somewhere for less two seconds after you hit "confirm."

Are all these prices from the same source? I'm wondering because I've seen a noticeable price disparity between sources of as much as 20% or so on select loads.

As far as the desirability of one brand to another, all of the ones you listed are probably B to A+ performers that would have some attributes to recommend them for use in one platform or another. Speaking to the Hydra-Shoks specifically: they are probably overpriced, at least in regard to their performance relative to other designs. It has a lot of momentum behind it, with many law enforcement agencies and civilians alike still buying it; sometimes out of habit. The HST, by all accounts I have heard, is a better bullet. The best explanation of the price difference that I have encountered is that the older Hydra-Shok is more expensive to manufacture than the newer HST.

In regards to the Cor Bon, I have in inventory some of their .38 Spl. and .357 Mag loads. While I do not doubt it is a good performer, I do not see their 9mm 115gr. +P load to be a good value.

"You get what you pay for" is a good rule of thumb, and higher quality is worth paying extra for, especially when the difference may mean your life. but, as your value detector seems to be telling you, the highest price does not always equal the best product.
 
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If it feeds, goes bang, and has a bullet with a hollow point it will be just fine for defense. Of course I am of the "it has to have a 4 in the size of the bore" belief so these rules may not apply for those less worthy calibers. Don't overpay for marketing hype.
 
Thanks. All of the prices I quoted were from Ammunitiontogo.com, which I find to have the best in stock selection and prices.
 
You know it is difficult to tell what is best because of makers hype. Alot of people will tell you what is best because that is what they use. You really need to be able to access some kind of impartial tests as the makers will always show you perfect recovered bullets, not something that just mashed into a blob or fell apart. Cor Bon is good stuff but the price probably reflects the fact that they are not a major manufacturer, therefore they have to charge more for their production costs to make something equal to a big three product. Maybe see what the police use in your area as a starting point but that is just a starting point, not a endorsement that they are always right. But they perhaps have more access to certain test data that is not seen in glossy ammo ads on the newstand. I am sure that a dirt cheap low cost bulk ammo is not gonna be as good as premium stuff, and they do actually do alot of research and development for the premium loads. But choosing among the premium loads based on bullet performance would take alot of research, and presumably several of them probably work equally well. The fact that one type costs 2 dollars more a box does not mean it will work that much better, IMO.
 
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