Cheapest carry ammo you have carried?

My reloads in .38 Special P+

I've carried cheap ol' Tula .45 230-grain FMJ in my Smith 457.

Homemade 158 grain wide flat nosed bullet, 3.5 grains of Bullseye, and whatever small pistol primers I had loaded in the press that day.

Hornady XTP

Absolute cheapest I've carried is Tula steel case fmj.

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I've carried WWB before - aside from reloads (which I don't usually do but I've done in a pinch) that's as cheap as I've carried.

Still carry cheap rounds S&B 9mm 115gr JHP.
But I figure since so many carry .22 and 32 for SD that I am still a little bit better off, despite these rounds not being the best available
I do want to start carrying 147gr and might do so soon.

The only ammo I carry is my own hand loads. 158 gr SWCs over 3.4 grains of Bullseye in 38 special.

What is carry everyday. My own reloads. I have much better quality control than any manufacturer

My reloads. Either XTP's or LSWC HP's.

What is carry everyday. My own reloads. I have much better quality control than any manufacturer

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I doubt that. But you have confidence in your reloads and that counts for something. Plus, if one doesn't go "bang" (no flash hole??) you know who to blame

To repeat an old saw, “Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.” So I load up with what I’ve researched to be the best for my needs and that usually means expensive.

Currently, I load all my carry guns with Hornady Critical Duty because the material in the hollow point guarantees expansion even if it goes through heavy clothing.

The only exception is the Corbon 9x23 DPX ammo for my Colt Combat Commander, right at $2 a cartridge on sale , because Hornady doesn’t make Critical Duty in that caliber.

I couldn't tell you for sure, but it was a reload. 148 gr HBWC, loaded backwards over about three grains of Bullseye powder in a 38 case. Probably less than $.05 a round.

I didn't "carry" it, because there was no legal carry in those days, but it was in my nightstand gun.

I don't know how it would have worked on a zombie, but it sure made an impressive hole in a bank of Virginia red clay.

While I never carried it on my person, back around '85, I used to carry around my first pistol in my car, loaded with the stuff the gun show vendor I bought it from tossed in for free: CCI Blazer aluminums. Does it get any "cheaper" than that ?

Cheapest is about like cajon bass......in my case a home cast with scrap that was a mix of recovered backstop lead and wheel weights 148 DEWC lubed with the old Lee cookie cutter and set in range pick up .38 Special cases with Unique and primers. Assembled with an old you add the hammer LEE Loader.

I preferred a 158 SWC but had to buy those at the time.

Carried in a Charter Undercover.

Any ammo beats no ammo and the super duper hollow point science projects were not really all that available in the late 1970's.

I really felt like I was in much better shape getting three to four times the ammo for a buck and using the "excess" to practice with.

-kBob

@improperlyaged - Times have never been so hard for me where I would compromise my safety for a buck or so more per round. This mindset came after shooting two perps that should have stayed down, but didn't stay down because it was crappy ammo. Mind you that I didn’t practice with the expensive stuff other than to test for function and POI.

To be absolutely in sync with your question then I would have to answer “Free” courtesy of the USMC for my issued Colt 1911 A-1, 230gr. FMJ WCC 69.

As a police officer also “Free” for my issued .38spl revolver, Win 158gr LHP +P, but not for my shotgun or non-issued carry autos when I was in homicide.

I've carried FMJ in the 9mm and .45 when it was all that I had. Sometimes, you have no choice but to go with what you have. Training, mindset, and an eye to environment are far more valuable. I am not too proud to avoid a bad situation (yeah, run away) as it beats the alternative seven ways to Sunday.

Sometimes cheap is good

When I carry a .357 magnum, I use WINCHESTER white box 110 grain jhp. This is a discount version of the load I carried when I started as an LEO. It worked fine then, so I trust it. Great price and mild recoil for a .357 magnum!

I use REMINGTON 115 jhp when I carry a 9m.m. these days with standard velocity ammo. This load is on the gentle side, but will expand based on the tests I have seen. I buy the 100 round boxes, so that I can practice with it.
This round is a very reliable feeder, so when I find the +P version of this ammo, I buy it on the spot for use in my larger 9m.m. pistols.

I also like the REMINGTON 125 grain semi-jhp when I shoot +P .38 Special. It is inexpensive and pleasant to shoot with less recoil than the 158 grain .38 Special lead hollow point.

Jim

I was wondering what is the cheapest ammo that you have carried in your ccw?

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The question is too general to answer well.
BUt answering the question as it was asked; Thunderbolt .22LR
Not good at all, but it and the pistol were on hand at the time (many moons past).

My handloads, which I still prefer. SD ammo is made with the best components I have, and made very carefully.

However I got a couple of hundred rounds of Federal +P .38spl duty ammo (158gr HPSWC) for $9 a box a couple of years ago.

Also, I have one box of Tula .380 I paid $11 for that runs very hot - like 1080fps out of an LCP, saved that for carry also.

Raising the price of the ammo does not make it more effective. Handloaded cast wadcutters are about as cheap as it gets, the same cost bracket as .22 rimfire.

After some reflection the most economical ammunition I've ever carried was some Speer 135gr short barrel gold dot 38 +P I bought 1500 rounds for like $12.50 about 2006 in 2008 when the first ammo drought hit I sold 1000 rounds for about $25 a box leaving me 500 rounds that were -12.50 a box.

Around here SE Wash/Central Idaho 20 rd boxes of
Federal Hydra Shok or HST, Speer Gold Dot, Barnes
VorTAC run $ 27

I've found 20 rd @ $ 20 for Hornady 'Custom' 230 gr.
XTP also Prograde w/same XTP at $ 18

I guess the cheapest carried would be Blazer brass FMJ

R-

I don't worry much about carry ammo. Cheapest has probably been thunderbolt 22lr, but in centerfire I have carried wwb ball, or other cheap loads. I won't buy the really high end stuff that I won't practice with though, so probably the most expensive I have carried was lawman. I carried a lot of magtech gold over the years, shot a deer and a raccoon with mag tech 9mm and was impressed with performance.