Practice ammo recommendation

[JimboCX]

Hi guys as you can see, I am new to this site and new to guns. I used the search but it did not come up with any good results. What brand is good and relatively inexpensive. It seems like that there are so many options, like handguns, that I don't want to fire junk. I am not trying to start an ammo debate, just good recommendation.

 

[cwillour]

Caliber(s)?

Range?

Shooting style? (Precision, practical, plinking, etc)

Primary ammo?

Do you reload? If not, do you plan on starting in the near future?

So many parts to the question, so little information.

 

[pudly]

What type of gun and what caliber are you using? Generally for handguns, any factory brass-cased ammo really works fine. .22lr is more sensitive to ammo brand than other calibers. Non-brass may be okay depending on the firearm.

PS- Welcome to INGO. You should really go over to the "Introduction and Greetings" area and introduce yourself to everyone.

 

[JimboCX]

Dang nab it...I am sorry that I didn't give you that information. I have a Taurus PT111 G2 9mm. It will not be my primary ammo, just practice. I plan to use it at an outdoor range, some plinking may be involved. Mostly to get familiar with the gun before I go precision.
I will be shooting with experienced guys. We plan to shoot during the holidays. Thank you all.

 

[pudly]

In that case, I'll go with my original recommendation. Any brass-cased commercial ammo (Winchester, Federal, etc.) is fine and you will have a hard time finding much difference. Steel-cased ammo is often a little cheaper, but is harder on the extractor, is generally dirtier, and is non-reloadable. However, if those items don't bother you, you can include steel-cased ammo such as Tula as well. I'd recommend buying a box or two of whatever you are interested in and making sure you are happy with it. One box of anything (including steel), won't be real problem for your gun.

Reloaded (aka remanufactured) ammo is more of a crap-shoot, so I'd recommend staying away from it unless you are doing your own reloading.

 

[JimboCX]

Thank you, pudly. Is Remington a decent practice ammo? I had a conversation with a buddy who said that the Remington ammo didn't feed consistently with his Glock 19.

 

[halfmileharry]

IF your gun is new or low round count run ball ammo in it to break it in. After that I recommend you practice with what you'll be using to defend yourself with. It'll cost a bit more but I don't like to change things I trust my life with.

 

[pudly]

Remington is generally fine. Glocks can normally eat anything, but he may have hit a bad batch. If you find it at a good price, feel free to buy a box or two and give it a try. I've used many brands- Winchester, Federal, Remington, Aguila, Speer, etc. and they have all worked fine with my guns over the years. Hollow-point/defensive ammo will often be more sensitive, so I would definitely test those and stick with one brand of defensive ammo. Practice ammo is more flexible.

We've had three ammo shortages in the last 5 years due to politics and media hysterics by anti-gun groups when a mass shooting occurs. Things are relatively good now (except for .22lr), but learning that you can get by with whatever is on the shelf is good to know.