I’m a novice gun owner looking for inexpensive ammo to use at the range, but I don’t want to use ammo that’s going to foul my 9mm, misfire, or jam. Obviously I can’t completely avoid those problems, but which ammo manufacturers should I avoid?
Thanks for any info!
Bryan
There really aren’t too many you need to out and out avoid, but i will say that Winchester’s USA Forged (steel cased) causes problems. I have had problems with Freedom Munitions too - i have had squibs and overcharged rounds from the same box.
Due to the increased demand and shortage, I have seen a ton of new manufacturers I have never heard of before; many are being imported from Europe. I wouldn’t hesitate to give any of them a try. I wouldn’t hesitate to give a bad review if I had problems with their product hurting me or damaging my guns either.
If you buy from a gun show, avoid reloads from unknown sources. If they are selling the ammo by the bag, or if it’s an unbranded box and the headstamps are different among the rounds inside, I would steer clear.
I tried Freedom once. 17% failure to fire. I won’t try them again.
For me, for pistol ammo, I only buy brass, new, non-remanufactured, sourced from known suppliers.
I would stay away from reloads and re-manufactured ammo… anything else is fair game.
I recently had a chance to clean up the brass after the state police had a training session where they run around between the firing line and the 100 yard targets and do some kind of live fire training.
They are using Winchester 9 mm and 40 S&W.
Their 5.56 and 223 bullets were RP, Remington Peters.
Strange, I’ve fired quite a bit of Freedom Munitions new mfg 9mm with no issues. My AK-V loves it. Go figure.
Their new ammo seems to be ok from what I have seen, but too many horror stories of their ammo blowing up guns, ftf, fte, etc. for me to ever use them again, new or remans.
I didn’t even know their new stuff had a better reputation.
I might be tempted, but getting both burning powder to my face AND squibs in the same box, I just dont want to risk trying them again.
Everything I have bought from them has been in the last six months or so, maybe they have improved?
I have the exact same experience here with FM. I have shot a good deal of their stuff from pistol to rifle and 00buck / slugs. I don’t remember ever having a misfire.
Interesting, I just noticed FM are calling LAX Ammunition a sister site. Never noticed that before now. I’ve ordered from both with no issues before.
I have a slightly different approach to non-topshelf 9mm ammo.
I shoot it all.
If I have concerns about the quality or reliability, then I run it through a more rugged or less valuable weapon first, and once it has proven to be reasonably consistent, I start feeding my other weapons.
I don’t mind buying handloads or bulk bagged ammo at gun shows, but I make sure I don’t pay too much for it. Then, since I may expect it to run poorly, I use it as a training exercise. FTF, FTE, and squib at all good drills to work through. Yes, it can be dangerous. If you don’t recognize a squib and address it properly, it is almost a certainty you’ll blow up your gun. Double-charges can be a concern, but with most powders, the density to volume ratio is such that it’s unlikely someone could even fit the projectile in with a double charge.
I also reload, so starting about 6 months ago I basically stopped shooting factory ammo. I’ll still run a few to compare to a new load I’ve worked up, but for the most part I just shoot my own.
To be clear, I feel reasonably comfortable shooting unknown loads in 9mm, but I am not willing to often take that risk with some other pistol calibers or most rifle calibers.
When a round doesn’t fire, put it in a different gun… bet it works.
I’ve used a few boxes of FM stuff. I had no problems, but it’s a pretty small sample size, I think. I didn’t even know the horror stories until after I’d bought and used some. Seems it was ammo from a certain time period. I have a couple of boxes left. Wish me luck.
Welcome!
My father and I have still been buying FM 9mm since this thread was last active, with no troubles. I have branched out and am buying some Norma 9mm also (free shipping), but still order the FM.
I have a S&W revolver that will not fire European ammo. Seems as though their primers are harder than ours, or so I’ve been told.
I would shop for 9mm ammo at Palmetto State Armory. They sell a Fiocchi 115gr that has great reviews.