Ammo Question

V

verticaledge69

Moderator
Hi Everyone, I am fairly new to the forum, as you can see by my post count.

I have a 9mm and just picked up a SA 45ACP...

I went to a few shops today and was bombarded with ammom selection. What is the best ammo for these guns, and why? What is the difference with the grain count, etc...:confused:

Again, sorry if this is an ignorant question, I just don't have a clue:o
 
verticaledge69 said:
just picked up a SA 45ACP
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An XD45, or one of their 1911's? Not that it really matters for this discussion, just curious.

verticaledge69 said:
What is the difference with the grain count
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This is the weight of the projectile. 7000 grains = 1 pound. You'll probably get an equal number of arguments from both sides of the slow/heavy and fast/light crowds. Personally I only use 230 gr in .45 ACP.

verticaledge69 said:
What is the best ammo for these guns, and why?
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The short answer to your question is that the best ammo is the one that functions best in your gun.

The longer version of that answer is, you need to get out and do some ammo testing. I won't carry a new weapon until I have run a minimum of 500 total rounds through it, with at least 250 of that being the ammo I intend to carry. Yes this is going to cost you a little, but this if this is a weapon you are going to trust your life to, are you really concerned with saving a couple of bucks?

Here's how I get there-
The first 250 will be FMJ, usually my own reloads. This is mainly a familiarity/break in period. I then run 50 rounds each of 4 different JHP loads (I use Speer Gold Dot, Ranger SXT, Remington Golden Saber, and Federal HST). I use this first 50 rounds to determine which of these loads is the most accurate in the new weapon. Once that is decided, I run an additional 200 rounds of that load through the weapon looking for reliability. Once all of this is complete with no reliability issues, I will trust a gun/ammo combination for carry. No amount of internet research or forum advice on a particular round is going to tell you what will be the most accurate and function the most reliably in your specific gun.
 
I don't carry a .45 ACP, so I can't comment on PD ammo. I use 230 gr. FMJ in my Colt Defender at the range. My wife likes 185 gr. FMJ in her Springfield V10.

For carry in my Keltec PF-9, I use Corbon 115 gr. DPX. I believe it has the best overall ballistics numbers.
 
Most calibers have (or at least "had" at one time) a standard, typical bullet weight. There are also other weights that work... some heavier, some lighter.

Take your two-- the standard weight for 9mm is 115 gr. For the .45 it's 230 grain. Both of these cartridges have a military history and those weights are typical because of the bore size relative to the overall loaded length of the full metal jacketed round.

What's the best ammo to look for? Well, it really depends on what you hope to accomplish when you load the pistol. If you are punching holes in paper in competition, you often want one that cuts a clean hole in the paper and often you'd like a lighter load that reduces recoil/muzzle flip to give you a quicker follow-up shot.

If you want ammo to possibly defend yourself or your home from an attacker, it's likely to be a high-performance expanding round that will do the most damage when it hits flesh, tearing a large hole and delivering as much shock and energy to the target.

If you are using a larger handgun to hunt game, you might want a heavy lead bullet that cuts a big hole in the animal but without fragmenting.

If you simply want a decent round for practice shooting, target fun and basic skill building, one of the "generic" offerings from the big well-known ammo makers is a popular choice. Winchester offers a "USA" brand. Remington sells the UMC brand. Federal has their American Eagle stuff. CCI sells Blazer Brass. All of these are loads that don't do anything particularly well but are decent quality ammo and have lower prices.
 
You need to get on line and find out, because it's such an open ended question.

For the most point, if it goes bang, that's what you need.
 
for both....

as mentioned above find the standard weight/grain for both... I'm pretty sure 115gr for 9mm and 230 for the 45acp... then I would suggest a good name factory ammo in FMJ in both of these for practice. If at all possible buy this in bulk. even re-loads often are fine. the more you can practice the better.

for defensive ammo... you can gather all kinds of opinions... most folks will suggest some type of hydro-shock round... all of it will cost a good bit more... make sure it functions well in the pistol and clean out your 'carry' mag every month or two to make sure it still works right.
 
For the vast majority of us, especially new shooters, the cheapest is the best if you don't reload your own.
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Sounds like you've never tried to fire Wolf ammo.

I personally have had great results with Fiocci and Sellier & Bellot FMJ practice loads. I've run them through a number of 1911's, several of which are quite finicky and prone to ammo-related stoppages, and never had an issue with a cartridge from either company.
 
Here is what I use...

i can't speak for the .45, but I shoot a lot of 9mm.

For target/practice I use CCI Blazer Brass 115 gr FMJ.
Great target ammo, never had any duds, or jamming issues. Also is a really inexpensive target ammo.

Here is a Link: CCI Blazer Brass

I useFederal Premium Law enforcement Tactical Hollow Point for carry.
Also a great round.

Enjoy!
 
I shoot alot of 9mm

+1 on the Blazer, it's about as cheap as I feel comfortable going and it runs fine. You might save a bit on Wolf or some surplus stuff but I don't like feeding that to my guns. Cheap commie surplus ammo is great for cheap commie surplus guns, if you are firing you favorite American shooter feed it American ammo. Winchester White Box and American Eagle (Federal) FMJ are good too for target time.

As for business ammo I like either Federal Hydroshock or Cor Bon powerball. It may be worth a look to see what the cops in your area carry and carry the same (Which is why I used the federal when I still carried a 40) The cops usually run good stuff and it gives a teeny tiny bit of legal protection if you shoot the same stuff the cops do (IE they can't try to portray you as a premeditated nut who wanted to kill someone with dangerously lethal hollowpoint ammo)
 
Wolf

On the wolf ammo, my local range has banned all wolf ammunition due to lead problems.

Stick with good ammunition as much as you can!
 
On the wolf ammo, my local range has banned all wolf ammunition due to lead problems.
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Wolf can have various problems in some guns, but Wolf doesn't have any more lead in it than standard ammunition of other brands; the REAL reason they don't want you using it on their range is because they can't turn around and sell the fired brass, either because it's steel-cased, or Berdan-primed.
 
I've never had the slightest problem with many hundreds of rounds of Wolf ammo in my SKS, but I can only speak from that experience. The SKS is NOT a finnicky gun by any means!

I've found a excellent local only vendor that produces great handloads for basically all my handgun and rifle calibers, I use them for most all of my plinking and then buy a few high end commercial loads for more serious stuff.
 
I would say this: If you're starting the long journey of finding the best defense ammo, you'll be subject to a lot of marketing hype. There are many companies out there that will promise you astounding performance with their special ammo. They may point to supporting data that looks plausible but which is almost certainly baloney (e.g. Strasbourg tests or one-shot stop statistics).


Wading through all the false and misleading information about calibers and cartridges might be a task requiring more than a lifetime.


After a number of years of looking at all the theoretical and anecdotal data I could find*, here are my conclusions:


1] Caliber for your gun matters about as much as octane rating for your car

2] Any kind of pre-fragmented handgun ammo (e.g. Glaser) is going to have wimpy performance by one of the more important objective measurements of cartridge effectiveness, which is penetration

3] Effectiveness is not proportional to muzzle energy

4] Stopping power for a handgun is usually just in the mind of the person being shot (or shot at). That is, handguns, like voodoo, work best on people who believe in them. Drunks, dopeheads, and cavemen are often non-believers.




*I'm an engineer not a scientist, so I might not have been too rigorous
 
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For a short history, read on...

1) the ( &.45 were developed as military calibers, as designed they used the
124 gr & . 230 gr bullet weights.

2)The min-60's saw the development of the HP, the major problem is the bullet
had to increase in size/ volume to incorporate the HP void, this pushed the
known bullet shape outside of what was known capabilities of the case and
powder. Powders and pressure measurements were SLOW to catch-up.

3) With new powders, (e.g.: Power Pistol, 296 etc.) the resticted capacities
were mitigated.

4) Presently for 9MM the 115 and 124 HP's, in this order are considered the optimal. THe present "+P" loads are at the head of this line.

5) In the .45 ACP, the 185 & 200 gr HP are considered more effective that a
230 gr HP. This by increase velocity in both Std & "+P" ratings.

6) What for you to decide on? What give you best accuracy and best recoil
control, is my answer.

For my own use, I've decided on the (for 9MM)124gr XTP-HP & (for .45ACP) the discontinued 230gr XTP-HP from Hornady.
(Any .38 or .357, look at Hornady's 140 XTP-HP)
May I recommend googling Steve Camp's "Hi-powers & Handguns" for excellent info.
 
Wow..... Didn't realize it was such a loaded question.... As I stated, I am fairly new, so trying to do as much research as possible.... I will look into the book recommended. I have spent so much time reading through this forum and info on the web, I think my eyes are goin crossed...:o Now I just need to take it in, digest it, and try to make sense out of everything.:D

For clarification, I got the XD45ACP....

What do the different acronyms mean, ex FMJ, XTP, DPX, etc....:confused:

I plan to get out over the next few weeks and will try multiple brands. I plan to have two types, one for target shooting, and one for HD.

In regards to HD/SD, what are the best types of rounds, hollow points?

Sorry for all the newbie questions. I know they get frustrating to the experienced....:o
 
For practice I use mostly Blazer Aluminum (.45 ACP 230 gr. FMJ. 40S&W 180 gr FMJ and 9mm 115 gr FMJ). Generally the lowest cost ammo I can find in the stores around here and I find it to be cleaner than some of the other low cost alternatives.

Never have had any issue with the way it shoots in any of my semi autos.
 
What do the different acronyms mean, ex FMJ, XTP, DPX, etc....
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FMJ= Full metal jacket or "hardball" this is practice ammo
MC= Metal Case, essentially the same as FMJ
JHP= Jacketed Hollow Point this is carry ammo
JHC= Jacketed Hollow cavity, essentially the same as JHP
JSP= Jacketed Soft point, this is practice or hunting ammo
LSWC= Lead Semi-Wadcutter, this is practice ammo
XTP= Xtreme Terminal Performance, Hornady's name for their JHP
DPX= Deep Penetrating X Bullet, a type of Corbon JHP
EFMJ= Expanding Full Metal Jacket, a proprietary Federal bullet design
+P= Loaded up to 10% over maximum pressure typically to achieve higher velocity. Only officially exists in .38 Special, 9mm, and .45 ACP.

There are others out there between different manufacterers like STHP or GSHP but most of them are simply some type of JHP.

About any premium JHP from Winchester, Remington, Federal, Hornady, Corbon, Speer, or Black Hills would be a good choice for you handguns. I, personally, prefer a 230grn bullet in a .45 and a 124-127grn bullet in a 9mm. Also, it's best to avoid pre-fragmented rounds like Glaser, Magsafe, or Extreme Shock as they're prohibitively expensive to shoot enough to ensure reliability and have underpenetration issues.
 
For my 9mm and my .45, I use Winchester white box FMJ for range/practice. When at home, I keep them loaded with Federal HydraShok JHP. As previously stated, don't just buy ammo and assume it will work when your life is depending on it. Test fire what you will be using first. If it works, you've got a winner. If you get a few failures, it's time to try another brand.
 
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