A little background, until 3 weeks ago I had never shot anything but long guns. And I haven’t done that in 10+ years.
So now I am the proud owner of a 3rd gen G19 and 3rd gen G26. I have been to the local range several times and have done OK with both guns. To date I have fired WWB 115gr, Federal (from WM) 115gr and American Eagle 147gr.
I do understand the difference between FMJ and JHP. I also do understand the different bullet weights available in 9x19. My question is how do you guys pick from so many choices?
I have really enjoyed shooting so far and want to get out at least once if not twice a week, so cost is something of a concern. My wife works for Wal-Mart so I get a discount on WWB, Federal and the Remington UMC. I end up buying any of these for about 20-22 cents per shot.
I purchased the American Eagle at the range and it ended up being about 30 cents per shot. However, I like the American Eagle the best of what I have tried so far. That large slow moving bullet let me stay right on top of a dinner plate target.
I have also found internet prices between the 20 cents/round at WM and the 30 cents/round from the range. Speer Lawman in both the 115gr and 124gr gets good reviews as does the surplus Winchester NATO 124gr.
I guess my question in all this is how did you decide what to buy when you were just starting out and what weights and/or brands gave you really high bang for your shooting buck.
I suppose the only prerequisite is that whatever ends up being my primary training ammo, I need a counter part in the same weight, if not the same brand, for HD.
I know this is a bit of a ramble, but I appreciate any help ahead of time.
While the recoil differences between the different weight bullets are real, they’re quite negligible. Buy a box of 115 gr, 124gr, and 147gr. and see for yourself. And just realize that your self defense ammunition might not have the same POI as your practice ammo…which does tend to push me towards 115 or 124 grain stuff.
Make yourself aware of these things and buy the cheapest, crappiest, dirtiest ammunition you can. Your Glocks will(should) eat it up. Practice is far more important than ammunition choice, or even some minuscule difference in recoil. Don’t over think it. Buy lots, shoot lots. Try and sneak a class with a professional trainer in soon before you start ingraining to many bad habits.
Yeah, what thopkins22 said lol! I buy a few boxes of home defense ammo like Horandy Critical Defense, run a couple of mags to make sure its good to go then just buy LOTS of the cheap crap for practice. Buy in BULK its even cheaper. You should be more concerned with shooting the gun than choices of ammo. And if you think the ammo choices are overwhelming now… wait till you get into reloading:p
I use 115 gr. American Eagle, Magtechs, and CCI Blazer Brass for practice. I’ve heard Sellier and Bellot is good but I haven’t been able to try it yet. I avoid Winchester white box and the cheap Federal ammo as I’ve found it to be under powered.
For defense ammo, I prefer 124 gr. Hollow points. Hornady TAP’s, Winchester Rangers and Speer Lawmans are my top picks. (It’s usually whichever is on sale at the time.)
thopkins22 took the words right out of my mouth. Don’t stress yourself out over it. Buy the cheapest stuff you can find and shoot the living daylights out of your firearm. The “right” answer will reveal itself to you through experience. Also, keep reading the forums. If you have a question or curiousity use the very helpful orange search button near the top of the page.
Again, there is no one answer. What’s “right” for you can only be discovered through experience, trial and error, etc. Have fun and be safe!