Ammo Advice

[dsthompson]

I am an infrequent shooter. I shoot enough to keep my skills up to where I am safe, but not much more than that.

I have recently decided to begin building an ammo supply for the future, purchasing ammo each week in small amounts and storing it.

While browsing last night, I saw prices for a box of 45ACP from $17 to well over $30. Same kind of thing for 9mm, .308 and 5.56 (Different prices ranges of course).

I know that there are reasons for the higher priced ammo: accuracy, reliability, velocity, effectiveness, etc. But I am under the impression that these attributes, when it comes to general use, are essentially splitting hairs and the higher prices are for those who want the very best performance...the top 1% of performance, more of less. All I'm looking for is the hypothetical Zombie killing effectiveness.

So my question is, when it comes to ammo, where is the sweet spot between unreliable garbage and Match grade ammo that wins you prizes?

Addendum: I'm not necessary looking for where to buy, but what grade to buy.

Thx all

 

[Eastexasrick]

Welcome to the forum. I am not going to address the question directly for two reasons. I load my own, and anytime I see a zombie killer question it's from a kid in his mom's basement.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[dsthompson]

Welcome to the forum. I am not going to address the question directly for two reasons. I load my own, and anytime I see a zombie killer question it's from a kid in his mom's basement.

Well, at 61 I'm not a kid in Mom's basement.

The Zombie killer reference was simply a humorous way of indicating I'm not in competition shooting and simply need the round to take care of business when required. No jams, no misfires, etc.

 

[jrbfishn]

Round nose will typically penetrate deepr than HPs. Heavier weight, same results for bullet design. But not always.
Go to your favorite ammo store and by a box of everything they have in your caliber. Shoot them. Forget anything that does not function well regardles of why, design or how many people say they are the best. Don't consider those. Period.
Then factor in performance you want and price range you are willing to pay.
Buy more of those.
If you can avoid it, never trust your life, or your loved ones, to untested ammo.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

 

[Moonpie]

It depends on what you want the ammo to do.
If you want the very best terminal performance you will want the ammo that will perform the best. For example: hunting ammo. You want penetration and bullet mushrooming effect for the put down.
If you're just going to be punching paper you can do that less expensively using the cheaper ammo that is typically loaded using FMJ bullets.
You can use either for both tasks I've described but one works better than the other for the specific task.
It's up to you and your wallet.
For what it's worth lay in a supply of both. Say 80% FMJ/bulk stuff and 20% premium stuff. You'll be shooting the bulk stuff more often so keep more of it.
Make no mistake tho, the FMJ stuff will put the hurt on goblins.
Is it the best choice? no. But it can and does work.
Both types have very long shelf lives if stored properly. That point is a wash.

 

[Eastexasrick]

Well, at 61 I'm not a kid in Mom's basement.

The Zombie killer reference was simply a humorous way of indicating I'm not in competition shooting and simply need the round to take care of business when required. No jams, no misfires, etc.

OK, you pass
All name brand factory ammo will generally meet your criteria. Price does not guarantee anything other than marketing strategy. Name brands are a good place to start, and range time to make sure your weapon likes the ammo, and you get the group you expect. It matters little how fast or hard it is advertised to hit, if you cannot get it to hit what you are aiming for. Besides range time is the only way to get a proper comfort level with your weapon, and its ammo.

EDIT and read the above 2 posts, they are dead on.

 

[seeker_two]

 

[TheDan]

well you said zombies, so...

Jokes aside it's actually good stuff. The polymer filled hollow point allows for better function in some semi-autos but it still expands nicely.

Get name brand ammo that says it's for self defense. You want to practice and check for function and accuracy with your self defense ammo, but get "ball" or FMJ for volume practice.

 

[seeker_two]

 

[jimbo]

Hello and welcome. You already have some good advice and I agree with all the previous suggestions.

 

[General Zod]

My major criteria is "jacketed hollowpoints for self defense, ball ammo for target shooting". I avoid the super cheap stuff and the expensive stuff, and if anything consistently fails in my firearms (and I haven't found anything that does) then I won't buy it anymore. If in doubt, take a box of three or four brands to your local range and try 'em out. If you gun won't reliably work with it, you should know within a magazine or two.

 

[Lonesome Dove]

It's called marketing and it works great for the Gulible. They could paint a bullet blue and say it's the most lethal bullet ever created and 100s of millions of gulible people will go buy some. Creater is now an Instant Millionair. Don't get caught up into it. Any hollow point ammo is all you need for self defense. Plinking and targets ball ammo is best and it's cheaper although the military uses it with great success for defense. You can Google why they use it.

 

[contender buff]

 

[glenbo]

FMJ still makes a hole in whatever it hits.

 

[Slimshaddy]

I'm a fan of Fiocchi FWIW.

 

[CavCop]

I am an infrequent shooter. I shoot enough to keep my skills up to where I am safe, but not much more than that.

I have recently decided to begin building an ammo supply for the future, purchasing ammo each week in small amounts and storing it.

While browsing last night, I saw prices for a box of 45ACP from $17 to well over $30. Same kind of thing for 9mm, .308 and 5.56 (Different prices ranges of course).

I know that there are reasons for the higher priced ammo: accuracy, reliability, velocity, effectiveness, etc. But I am under the impression that these attributes, when it comes to general use, are essentially splitting hairs and the higher prices are for those who want the very best performance...the top 1% of performance, more of less. All I'm looking for is the hypothetical Zombie killing effectiveness.

So my question is, when it comes to ammo, where is the sweet spot between unreliable garbage and Match grade ammo that wins you prizes?

Addendum: I'm not necessary looking for where to buy, but what grade to buy.

Thx all

Many ways to look at ammo. Range, target, military, hunting, self defense, law enforcement.

Range ammo: you just want to shoot what is cheap, it’s not that accurate, it’s not always reliable, and it is basic ammo. Think plinking.

Target ammo: you just want to punch holes in paper, it’s accurate for putting holes in paper and reliable enough to enjoy shooting and doing competitive shooting sports. Think match shooting.

Military ammo: higher pressures, reliable, sealed primers and stronger crimps from full auto fire and being dropped or bouncing around a lot. More penetration less expansion/effectiveness on living targets. Think Full Metal Jacks for war.

Hunting ammo: Softer tips, more lead, made for damage over semi automatic reliability. Accuracy for longer ranges. Think soft points and hollow points.

Self Defense ammo: Penetration and Expansion with reliability and accuracy. High tech fancy bullets that expand and cause more injury. Think how much is my life worth.

Law Enforcement ammo: Highly tested reliable ammo with nickel cases that do not over penetrate, and expand well. Made by major manufacturers for the Government. Think FBI spent millions testing it and my tax money buys it for agencies to use.

Now there are lots of variables. But your intended use and budget should guide you.

I highly recommend buying a small amount of whatever ammo you think you want, and see how it works in your firearms. Some firearms are picky with ammo and cost is not a factor, it’s the weapons choice of ammo. Some like steel cased some like FMJ, some like softer hollow points. Most/not all European firearms can eat steel cases ammo all day, where American firearms will jam. Most/not all Military based firearms will shoot FMJ/ball ammo all day long. At one time many American firearms from .32’s to .45 worked best with Winchester Silvertips (a good ammo to test older pistols that seem to have feeding issues).

Good luck in building your supplies. Ammo is probably going to go up in price and down in availability with Ukraine and the US Military contracts for next year.

 

[Glenn B]

Well, at 61 I'm not a kid in Mom's basement.

The Zombie killer reference was simply a humorous way of indicating I'm not in competition shooting and simply need the round to take care of business when required. No jams, no misfires, etc.

First off allow me to say welcome to Texas Gun Talk. Then let me say, you will find some members here who seemingly take great joy in being arrogantly disrespectful to new members much as, I think, was the first reply you received. That attitude is their fault not yours so do not allow it to dissuade from future posting. After all, it was OBVIOUS you were not asking about buying ammo for use as a real zombie killer; well, obvious to those who did not read into your question what they wanted to read into it beyond what you actually said.

As for your question, I recommend purchasing whatever caliber of practice ammunition you desire in full metal jacket, brass cased, boxer primed, configuration. I also recommend staying near (not right at) the lower end of the price range and buying ammunition from well known manufacturers such as Federal, CCI, Speer, Remington, Winchester, Sellier & Bellot, Prvi Partizan, PMC, Magtech and others.

I also recommend purchasing your carry ammo in JHP configuration or similar from the same brands - at first buying more of it but eventually buying less of it and then buying more of the much less expensive FMJ ammo.

Once you decide on your carry ammo, you can decide on the practice ammo of the same grain weight. Shoot the carry ammo first and then shoot various brands of practice FMJ ammo to see which one(s) reliably shoot to the same point of aim as your carry ammo (many probably will but some may be markedly different). Then purchase more of the FMJ for practice purposes. A ratio of four boxes of FMJ to one of JHP might be a good one in the long run but the ratio is up to you.

Note that JHP, or other bullet type carry ammo for self-defense, will be more expensive than practice ammo. It can cost anywhere from double the price to several multiples of price higher. I carry mostly JHP ammo such as Speer Gold Dot or Federal JHP or Hydra Shok for self defense. They are not inexpensive. Your choice of self defense ammo is your choice; so, I recommend reading the specs and the advertising for each you consider.

A good place to check ammo specs is at the website TargetSportsUSA.com. you can bring up many brands and types of ammo and if you scroll down the page for each, they usually give you the specifications for it.

A good place to price ammo is ammoseek.com for online purchases. I realize you said you buy a box a week or something like that but buying a case at a time online is usually less expensive per round than getting a box at a time in a gun store. Note that you must pay close attention to shipping cost from online ammo dealers, some charge extremely high and cost prohibitive fees for it. Ammoseek.com shows the cost of shipping from each dealer for each item listed. The lower the rating, the higher the price of shipping BUT make sure that is the current way they index shipping costs as they used to give a higher rating for lower shipping, then reveresed how they did it.

Good luck and safe shooting.

 

[Tnhawk]

FMJ still makes a hole in whatever it hits.

The Army didn't supply me with HP ammunition.

 

[Tnhawk]

...So my question is, when it comes to ammo, where is the sweet spot between unreliable garbage and Match grade ammo that wins you prizes?

Addendum: I'm not necessary looking for where to buy, but what grade to buy.

Thx all

My plan during the last twenty years was buy it cheap, stack it deep. I did stay away from Russian ammo however.