Do you Shoot the Same Ammo?

4

45Gunner

New member
Most times at the range, I take the same brand ammo, for that outing, so the rounds are all consistent. Once I "zero in" at the distance I am shooting, I can maintain small, tight groupings.

A couple of days ago I was at the range with a buddy that was shooting his 1911 .45 ACP, as I was mine. We were "testing" some reloads that a friend of his wants to sell us, and at a very reasonable price. To make a long story short, in addition to the test ammo, we had three other brands of ammo between the two of us, all 230 grs FMJ. Both of us noticed a difference between each brand of ammo.

Since this is the first time that I can recall mixing different brands, I got to wondering if other shooters either:
1. shoot only one brand, (and if yes, do you have a favorite?)
or
2. shoot multiple brands.

I usually buy my ammo in bulk and thus stay with the same brand. Most of the guys that I shoot with, with few exceptions, are "casual" shooters and buy whatever the range has on sale that day.
 
I'm a casual shooter by most accounts, so I don't worry to much about my range/skill(?) maintenance ammo. I always finish my shooting secession's by firing 50 rounds of my carry ammo, which is Speer 158Gr. .357 Magnum.

I have found that the +P 38 special and the lower power .357 Magnum ammo I use as range ammo generally groups low and left by several inches from my P.O.A. My groupings are decent, 12 rounds double action in 2-3 " groups.
 
I will shoot whatever is on hand, and whatever I have brought, I shoot whatever will make the gun go bang in range ammo, but Premium ammo I do have my favorites, like Gold Speer, Hornady, Hydra-shock... Unless I suspect a problem with a particular range brand I don't even pay any attention to the brand name, just the price.
 
I don't have as many guns as I did at one time so I may not be representative of most folks on the board, but I stay consistent with ammo.

By way of example, when I go to the range to shoot my carry gun I always shoot one or two mags of my carry ammo (9MM Remington 115gr JHP) followed by 100rds or so of Federal Champion 115gr FMJ. I suppose if I just couldn't get my round of choice I'd go with Winchester White Box in the same 115gr FMJ, but so far I can always get Federal.
 
Since I aqm not a bullseye shooter, I do not see an inch, or two, deviation at 10 yards, as really a major problem when using different loads. COM strikes me as a six inch diameter circle, whether at ten feet, or ten yards.
 
I mostly shoot my reloads in practice. I try to find a load that mimics the way the gun shoots and acts with the ammo I carry in it.

I also buy by the case for some things, especially stuff I dont load for, and I try to get the same "lot" at the same time, if possible, when buying multiple cases.
 
In the two handguns I keep loaded and ready, I load handloads to match the factory weight and velocity. Recoil from either is a moot point as I normally shoot enough magnum revolver rounds that theirs are hardly noticed.

I have found that neither changes POI enough that I actually notice it, so I figure the handloads are a close enough replica. Once done I load the clips back up with factory and am good to go.
 
I haven't gotten into reloading yet, though I plan to later.

In the meanwhile, I try to find range ammo that's the same weight as my carry ammo.

Otherwise, I don't worry about it too much, with the caveat that I stick with brands I know, and I avoid steel.
 
I buy ammo in bulk, usually splitting a couple thousand rounds with my friend, so I usually shoot the same range ammo (American Eagle).

I usually use that range ammo for every session, but every other session I will spend some time shooting my HP home defense ammo (Winchester Talons). This is to make sure it is still feeding properly through my pistols, and to ensure that I am still accurate with it.

I don't and can't carry a pistol, so I don't train with HP's as much as I would if I carried. If I carried, I would spend 80% of my time training with the HP's I would be carrying. But since it's for home defense, I still train frequently (maybe not as frequently if I were carrying) but enough to make sure everything is functioning fine just in case.
 
I may be in the minority here but I really just shoot what is the cheapest. I just bought a ton of surplus/bulk ammo so it will take a while to go through it all.
When it comes to my defense ammo I use what I have heard is the best. I really don't consider myself knowledgable enough to see a difference.

I do understand though that as you get into matches and comp shoot it can make a big difference. I don't think my guns can even tell the difference.
 
As a rule, I buy American Eagle ammo. It's always been reliable and generally it's has the best prices, and it's made bt the same folks that manufacture my SD/carry ammo...Federal. For my .357, I always shoot .38 Special at the range and FMJ in my auto-chuckers.
 
For practice with my SR40 and sp101 I use whatever is cheap. In my mosquito I use CCI minimags because they are the most reliable and I use them in my 10/22 because that's what it's sighted in with.
 
Yeap, ammo is different. That's why they have that little box in data/score books marked "AMMO".

So are primers, so is powder, etc. Even the same brand may be differant with the next lot number.
 
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For range ammo, I shoot whatever is cheap and available. Like Kraig pointed out, there is likely variables within lot to lot so I don't get too worked up that I have to shoot the same brand, same gr, same bullet every time I go to the range.
 
I realize that some guns "like" certain brands of ammo better than others and I also know that different weights of ammo within a given caliber may shoot to a different POI. But, let's get real, here. When one looks at the charts that are contained in popular gun magazines of a particular gun's accuracy using rounds from different manufacturers, the differences are slight. Ok, my [insert manufacturer and model] shoots a 2 inch group with ammo A and only a 2.5 inch group with ammo B. Unless one is shooting that gun at a Camp Perry event, who cares? The differences are inconsequential. Now, the differences can be greater with different bullet weights within a given caliber. 158gr. .357 magnum rounds nearly always shoot higher than 125 gr. magnum rounds. It doesn't matter who manufactures the rounds, the differences in POI between bullet weights are pretty consistent. The explanation has to do with muzzle rise vs. speed of bullet and I won't go into a long description of that save to say that the consequences of shooting different weights are well known.

So, I honestly don't care very much who manufactures my range ammo, I know that the brand name isn't going to have much impact on accuracy. I do care about weight. For example, I've discovered that my 9mm CZ shoots closer to POA with 124gr. 9mm than with 115 (about 1 1/2 inches higher at 10 yards). So, I look for 124gr. for this gun. Similarly, I have the sights on all of my .357 magnums calibrated for 158gr. magnum rounds. With my S & W 625, a .45ACP revolver, I've calibrated my sights for 230gr. rounds and avoid shooting lighter rounds.

Shoot consistently the same bullet weight and you'll get very consistent results. Manufacturer? Generally, my philosophy for range work is cheap is good, brand name irrelevant, so long as I maintain consistent bullet weight from session to session.
 
I shoot "jimbob86 brand" ..... Their .45 ACP Pin Load is outstanding!

The .38 Plinker Load is cheap and accurate, too, and has a recoil that even a squealing 10 y.o. girl does not mind!
 
I shoot my 200gr SWC handloads by the boatload. At 25 yards, they shoot a couple inches low compared to my carry ammo, but at 25 feet, they are essentially POI=POA.
 
A couple of days ago I was at the range with a buddy that was shooting his 1911 .45 ACP, as I was mine. We were "testing" some reloads that a friend of his wants to sell us, and at a very reasonable price.
Click to expand...

I shoot my reloads in my guns. I shoot someone else's reloads only if I know the person well and know their reloading techniques or....... they are a licensed commercial reloader.

Anything else is just askin' for trouble.
 
Consistency, consistency, consistency....

.38 SPL is my main caliber and I always shoot the same ammo, Speer 148 gr HBWC with 4 gr of W231 or HP38 (exact same powders with different labels.) It's my range and home defense load.

When I go shoot, I go through maybe 250 rounds, at least, using S&W K-frames, and it's made me very, very consistent. It's at the point where I can almost do it in my sleep. When I try some other stuff out, like a cylinder of whatever someone with me may have brought, my POI is off.

Before I started reloading, I would get this or that ammo, shopping according to price. My results were ok but nothing remarkable. I began reloading to save money but also noticed a huge side benefit, a giant improvement in my results. Before, using the varied ammo, my first shot or two was always pretty much used for finding the POI. Now, I know the POI before I even touch the gun.

The same principle holds true for everything else in life, whether it be the clutch feel in a certain car, a pitcher's baseball, etc. Imagine a pitcher trying to nick the outside bottom corner of the strike zone while using balls of different weights for each game. Ever been on the job with a carpenter who's had his trusty ol' hammer stolen? It takes them a while to get used to the new one.

When buying ammo, I suggest religiously using the same stuff, maybe buying it in bulk. For everyone, however, reloading is the ticket. Either way, find one load and stick to it. You'll see.
 
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How in the world do you guys afford to buy ammo at todays prices? And in bulk too!! I can hardly afford reloading components,much less the ready rolled.

I'm envious!
 
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