Ammo Brands

[JCMC219]

So this may be a silly question, but are there particular BRANDS of ammo (specifically in either 9mm or .357SIG) that are better than others? For instance, is Federal Ammo considered better than Winchester or other brands in the same way a namebrand retail product might be better or not as good as generic brands? I'm just wondering what folks on the board think about this.

[H. Schoolboy]

So this may be a silly question, but are there particular BRANDS of ammo (specifically in either 9mm or .357SIG) that are better than others? For instance, is Federal Ammo considered better than Winchester or other brands in the same way a namebrand retail product might be better or not as good as generic brands? I'm just wondering what folks on the board think about this.

You'll get a million answers. Speer Gold Dot are the best.

[kennethm3]

I only recommend that you avoid Wolf or any other Third World, steel cased crap and poor quality remanufactured ammunition. The rest of it is all about the same.

[nsedet]

Quality ammo is all going to be about the same to most people . More important than brand is getting the right type of ammo to meet your needs based on what you are doing with it (e.g., target practice vs. self defense).

[krellum]

The best ammo is what my agency provides because it is:

1) required, and
2) free

[TheGreatGonzo]

The best ammo is what my agency provides because it is:

1) required, and
2) free

From what I hear from some of the guys that qualify with you, you must have gotten some of that "defective ammo" that never hits the center of the target.
Gonzo

[Big Sexy]

From what I hear from some of the guys that qualify with you, you must have gotten some of that "defective ammo" that never hits the center of the target.
Gonzo

BIG believes the ammo is ok, but K should try opening his eyes, when he shoots. Oh, and the little yelps surely doesn't help things. :D

[krellum]

From what I hear from some of the guys that qualify with you, you must have gotten some of that "defective ammo" that never hits the center of the target.


Not me - I hit's where I's aimin'...unless I've been drinking.

k

[Jedi]

I'll second what some of the more experienced folks have said. You'll get a million different answers if you ask a million people. Basically it's going to depend entirely on what your purposes are, what you're shooting at, how much penetration you're look for, etc. When it comes down to it though, if you're carrying under the colors of a particular agency/department, check with the guys at your range. Usually there will be a list of which ammo is allowed for your duty weapon, off duty carry, etc. And as Super K alluded to, free and required generally works out to be the best combination.

[dmclark]

If you're on the job, agency policy usually dictates what you'll carry. Has everything to do with "scope of employment" if you have to use the ammo.

My answer would be "depends on the gun" for types of ammo. I like Hydrashock .45's and I LOVE Speed Gold Dots for my M&P 340. My G27 will feed anything and want more.

[Kahuna5150]

To echo what others have said...

Most agencies are going to issue you (and require you to carry their) duty ammo. It has been my personal experience (from the places I've worked). The ammo you get issued has far more to do with (at least when I was a local officer) the State (or federal) bid than the stopping power of the ammunition. If a large agency like CHP (here in CA) gets a purchase for Federal Ammo on the state bid, most other agencies jump on board and order Federal Ammo (at the reduced price) as well.

For agencies that allow you to carry your own ammo, most say "Must be a hollow point, minimum of XX grains, maximum of XX grains, and must not exceed XXXX FPS" or some such.

Federal, Remington, Cor-Bon, Speer, etc. are all good choices. Shoot what you shoot best... Stay away from the "white box" practice ammo, or ammo that isn't well known. I'd stick with the major players when it comes to ammo selection.

Kahuna

[JCMC219]

Thanks for all the good replies to my post folks. What prompted my question originally is that I noticed a drastic difference in the types/brands of ammo that I've shot from my Sig. In my agency we tend to use cheaper ball ammo when doing basic practice on paper targets (which is completely reasonable) but then switch to the agency issue Federal Hydra-Shok when qualifying. The ball ammo leaves my pistol incredibly dirty, while the Hydra-Shok is a cleaner round. It also seems to shoot truer (but that could just be my perception). Either way, I'll stick to the better stuff for my off-duty when I get out to the field.