What brand is best for clean shooting target ammo?

[bassking]

I don't think it's retarded, it's just not very cost efficient for the average Joe. For instance, a lot of people carry $30/box law enforcement JHP ammo, which may take weeks to order online in these rather trying times. So, sending 100 of those hard-to-find bullets down the range at some unexpecting paper target seems somewhat wasteful.

I think practicing with similar bullets is ok. For instance, if I'm going to carry 230gr JHP, I'll practice with much cheaper 230gr FMJ (Winchester white box from Walmart for me). The kick is about the same, but the damage to the wallet is much less. Not to mention that my local Walmart stocks these readily.

So, I think that as long as you try to keep it reasonably similar, you'll be ok and save some money.

For break-in ammo for me it was ok to use the value box of 100 winchester 45 Automatic 185 gr. WinClean (I think the name was winclean) that I purchased from Wal-mart for around $31 USD.

Normally for my current carry Baby Eagle .45 cal I always practice what I shoot Remington UMC 230 jacketed hollow point 100 value pack I also buy a Wal-mart for around $36 USD.

The purpose with the winchester was merely to break-in the gun, going forward now that I am confident with the break-in, I would prefer to only shoot what I carry. For the $5 difference ok $15 since I usually shoot at least 300 rounds at the range, that just one 12 pack of good beer.

But also note, I did not find a 100 value bundle of 230 jhp of the winchester at Wal-mart. I wish I knew the price difference.

I agree Superman

I was once told not to shoot ammo in my gun that I wasn't going to be carrying due to the difference in load, placement, etc. Sort of like "know your gun, know your ammo".

Let me say that again, I agree Superman

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[stormbringerr]

using federal hst jht for range practice would get real expensive.all you need to do is use a cheaper bullet of same caliber and weight for practice.

[drs1457]

I started out using WWB from Wal-mart but have begun using Blazer from them. I notice that there is a LOT more muzzle flash from the Blazer stuff than from WWB. Has anyone else noticed this?

[kentuckycarry]

I started out using WWB from Wal-mart but have begun using Blazer from them. I notice that there is a LOT more muzzle flash from the Blazer stuff than from WWB. Has anyone else noticed this?

Funny you should say that. I just noticed that very thing last week and commented on it to my bro n law....We were shooting 357 loads..

[1911packer]

I was once told not to shoot ammo in my gun that I wasn't going to be carrying due to the difference in load, placement, etc. Sort of like "know your gun, know your ammo".
I've always just shot what I load, which right now is $20.00/box Federal Personal Defense loads.

If you pros think that's retarded I may try cheaper loads for practice.

Nah, not retarded, but at a $1.00/round it could cut down on your practice time. Check out Federal HST at half the price for a better (IMHO) carry round and shoot FMJ for practice. Remanufactured ammo from a RELIABLE company (like Georgia Arms) is fine for practice.

When you rotate out your carry ammo, shoot it for practice and functionality and replace it with fresh.

[drs1457]

Funny you should say that. I just noticed that very thing last week and commented on it to my bro n law....We were shooting 357 loads..

I wonder what the extra muzzle flash implies about the load?

[nosights]

I shoot 90% Wal-Mart Winchester 100rnd Value Pack ammo (19.98/100rnds). Yeah, not the cleanest but still cheap. Dicks Sportig Goods sells Remington UMC for 8.98/50rnds but they have been sold out for a month and I am begining to wonder. (all 9mm prices)


The recoil difference between cheapo target ammo and a hotter/heavier load will make virtually no difference in real life scenario. Muscle memory takes over and this is when trigger control, stance and grip take more of an importance. Practice, practice and more practice!

My range visits usually consist of 30% 22LR in my Mark III, 50% 9mm in my M&P 9L (range/comp gun) and the remaining 20% is shot through my M&P 9c (carry gun), J-Frame (backup carry) and my M&P 45c (primary carry). I try to get to go shooting 1-2 times a week (minimum 300 rounds per trip).

[RevDerb]

I usually use Blazer Brass now when I can get it. I think it's a little cleaner than WWB. I prefer BB, WWB, and UMC in that order. They're all about the same though.

-Jeff-

ditto

[MP45Man]

What brand is best for clean shooting target ammo?
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[retsupt99]

Are you kidding me?
Lots of stuff...

[Munsterman]

I'm not an expert. I'm also not rich

Sure, if I were a billionaire I might do that. But since I'm not and I still want to practice as much as possible, I practice mostly with cheapo WWB from Walmart (and 22 also). From my personal experience I can say with certainty that practice with WWB does translate to skill with premium ammo too.

My practice ammo: WWB 9mm 115gr FMJ ($0.16 per round)
My carry ammo: Speer Gold Dot 9mm +p 124gr 'short barrel' ($1+ per round)

The carry stuff kicks a little bit more but it's not a huge difference. I do shoot off a handful of them every once in awhile but not a ton.

WOW! Where are you finding Winchesters for $8.00 a box ! I'll take all I can get at that price. Our local Walmart had them for $10.95 a box. I just ordered a case of the Federal Am. Eagle 115gr. FMJ and the shop cut me a deal and I got it for $186.

[DAtrigger]

Georgia Arms (very clean 9mm Luger).
Most headstamps are WCC, WIN and FC (few RP, Speer, Blazer and I)

[mfcmb]

My practice ammo is almost exclusively WWB from Walmart. It's usually the cheapest ammo I can buy (online or off), is extremely reliable, and works fine for practice.

I do LOTS of dry fire practice, a moderate amount of live fire practice with WWB, and then periodically do live fire with my more expensive defensive loads.

I figure the difference in "feel" between shooting WWB and my defensive load is similar enough that I can get 95% of the benefit of live fire practice using the cheaper ammo, and just occasionally shot the more expensive defensive load for fine tuning my shooting.

Even with WWB, I figure that with each shot I'm throwing a quarter ($0.25) downrange with each shot; and I can't afford to do too much of that. I could only do a small fraction of the live fire practice I do if I was throwing, say, a dollar downrange with each shot!

[glock45]

I shoot Blazer Brass FMJ 230 gr and WWB 230 FMJ 230 gr at the range and carry Federal HST 230gr +P.
Plinking with the HSTs is prohibitive so I just shoot the ones I have chambered before to stay current with my carry ammo.
WWB and BB are weaker loads though, sometimes I feel my G30's slide has a tiny delay in getting back to battery. I have not had any FTFs or FTEs though. My G21 will eat absolutely anything with no problems...
The Fiocchi 230 gr rounds are excellent for the range but are about $5 more expensive (per box of 50) than BB and WWB.

[cvhoss]

I was once told not to shoot ammo in my gun that I wasn't going to be carrying due to the difference in load, placement, etc. Sort of like "know your gun, know your ammo".
I've always just shot what I load, which right now is $20.00/box Federal Personal Defense loads.

If you pros think that's retarded I may try cheaper loads for practice.

Well, I'm no pro and I don't think you're retarded, but I will give you my .02 worth.

Shooting effectively is primarily a function of muscle memory. Performing the same task repeatedly until you do it the same way, every time. Unless you are independently wealthy, limiting yourself to only shooting your defensive ammo is going to prevent you from practicing enough to become the best that you can be. Practicing at defensive ranges, bullet impact changes won't be terribly significant. At 10-15 yards, a COM hit is going to be a COM hit regardless of the type or brand of ammunition. May not be in the 10 ring, but still in COM.

What I suggest is that you get your sights adjusted and your sight picture adjusted with your carry ammo. After that, using the same sight picture, blast away with the cheap stuff. If your point of impact is a bit different than with your carry ammo, no big deal. You are still going to be close and you are going to gain much needed practice that you may otherwise not be able to afford. And, when you go back to your carry ammo, you're still going to be on target with it. The only concession that I make is that I do try and practice with the same bullet weight as my carry ammo. If you're going to carry 115 grain bullets, don't practice with 147 gr. bullets. While impact point may not vary much, recoil and handling will be different.

And to the OP -- unless you don't plan on cleaning after a range session, I wouldn't worry about it. Just shoot what lets you shoot the most (though I do draw the line at using steel cased ammo in my handguns). One thing I try and do with my carry gun that's a bit different than range guns is that with my carry gun, I like to clean at the range after shooting practice ammo. I will then put one mag of carry ammo through it to verify function and that I got everything back where it is supposed to be. Assuming everything works correctly, I then just pull a bore snake through the barrel and wipe down the breech face. I'm then reasonably sure that it will work when I need it.

Hoss