Premium Range Ammo - Oxymoron?

[sirgilligan]

Recently I was shooting some Sellier and Bellot, UMC, and American Eagle 115 gn 9mm FMJ ammo testing function of some new pistols. The pistols were very dirty afterwards, I am not sure which ammo was the dirtiest, but man they were full of dark grey gunk. Also, which isn't to be unexpected, they all shot fairly different. That got me to thinking, Is there a clean, non-anemic, standard power, standard velocity (whatever that really means) range ammo? It may cost more, but a little consistency and clean burning would be great. Since ammo prices are coming down, I figure I could spend for "better" if "better" exists.

So, is there a recommended "premium" range ammo out there?

 

[SlowFuse]

I'm not sure if it is considered premium but I use Speer Lawman 124 grain as a baseline for comparison.

Works well in most handguns I have.

 

[Dog Soldier]

When I was a Pup their was a breakfast ceral called "Wheaties". They claimed to be the breakfast of champions. Well that cereal tasted like wet alfalfa hay. And I never did look like the guys on the box.
It seems ever since then I rarely believe anything written on a box. When you walk past the stacks of ammo they all claim to be match grade. They have pictures of guys with trophy elk deadlier than yesterday.
It makes me remember those Damn Wheaties.

 

[Big7]

Not much room to burn all the powder in a 9 Para.

I shoot a bunch as that is my primary carry arm.

Shoot what you want for fun, clean it and be done.

When it get's down to it, Gold Dot is your friend.
If your weapon is rated for +p or +P+, all the better.

Expect a little powder with small cases in short barrels .

 

[guyfromohio]

I've always found CCI Blazer Brass to be 100% functional and cleaner than S&B and WWB.

 

[FROGO207]

Often times the less you pay the less satisfaction you get. This applies to ammunition as well as to other items. I will admit that there are exceptions but more often than not this rule wins out. FWIW I hand load mine and I am much happier with my results.

 

[browningguy]

Yes, there is premium range ammo. Look at Black Hills for examples. Their 115 gr. FMJ load has been very consistent in my guns. I also like the 155 gr. FMJ in .40.

 

[Old Dog]

Hmm. I must do more shooting that some, because when I shoot my pistols, I expect them to be very dirty afterwards. Cleaning guns is not a chore for me, so I've not sought out ammo that might be marginally "cleaner" shooting than another brand. My chief concerns are accuracy and reliability, and I have found numerous "budget" brands that provide both.

Also, I've found that claims of "cleaner-shooting" ammunition often seem fairly subjective, as my guns tend to get just as dirty shooting those brands as well as others ...

 

[rule303]

Sounds like the perfect reason to start reloading. Most all of the inexpensive 9mm ammo is filthy and inconsistent. If you want to shoot factory ammo, you can try Speer Lawman, WinClean, or Federal Premium, but you will pay 2x or more "white box" prices.

 

[drband]

I load my own "premium" target ammo!
W231 works well enough for my 9mm needs and is neither excessively dirty or very clean. I find little difference in brands of commercial FMJ target ammo. It's all a bit dirtier than my handloads, but it all works.
Load, shoot, clean, repeat.

 

[stoky]

Hornady's American Gunner isn't bad, IMO, le$$ than the blank Duty marketease.

 

[herrwalther]

Of those three brands you mentioned I believe S&B to be the dirtiest ammo of the group. I like shooting American Eagle ammo at the range, one of the reasons being relatively easy cleanup. WWB is pretty easy cleanup target ammo but you run the risk of having malfunctions with that ammo. I also really like Blazer brass ammo for target shooting.

 

[huntsman]

So, is there a recommended "premium" range ammo out there?

Used to be target or match ammo Remington and Winchester, but in today's world you either buy their cheap crap or the magic SD stuff.

https://www.remington.com/ammunition/handgun/target-pistol/revolver



I bought a case of .380acp in a closeout deal about 6 years ago that I use as ball carry ammo.

 

[John Joseph]

Try PMC. I found it to be the cleanest .45 acp I've shot in quite awhile.
I just picked up 3 more boxes on sale at the local ACE hardware at $17-18 a box.
I found it very accurate, as well!

 

[cdk8]

Have you ever used Geco ammo? Many seem to like it for the consistency and cleanliness.

I personally prefer Speer Lawman or American Eagle 147gr, because they closely mimic their 147gr Gold Dot and HST defensive loadings. I don't think either are exceptionally clean nor exceptionally dirty, but I've found both to be very reliable and consistent. They are a ton cleaner than UMC IMO, but not as clean as something like a premium Fiocchi ball or JHP range loading.

 

[John Joseph]

Another plus for PMC, for 45 ACP, is they use LPPs. if reloading is in your future and your're saving your brass, Try sticking with either LPPs or SPPs. Once you get them mixed it's kind of a PITA to sort 'em out. Not a consideration with 9mm however.

 

[Walkalong]

Not much room to burn all the powder in a 9 Para.

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Expect a little powder with small cases in short barrels .

I am going to have to disagree with this. It's pretty easy to get a clean burning 9MM load that doesn't leave powder in the gun or dirty the gun up much, much less leave it full of gunk after a 200 or 300 round round session. Unless one is using a powder that is too slow, or too light of a charge of slow for 9MM powder, the powder will be completely burned long before it runs out of barrel.

That said, the low priced "range ammo" is priced to sell and may not be the cleanest out there. I don't buy factory 9MM ammo, so I can't be much help there.

 

[rskent]

For me, the gold standard of plinking ammunition is CCI Blazer.

It seems to work well across the board. It is generally the most accurate for me as well.

 

[guyfromohio]

For me, the gold standard of plinking ammunition is CCI Blazer.

It seems to work well across the board. It is generally the most accurate for me as well.

My range has frequent deals on the Brass (can't use aluminum there).....often $9.99 for 115gr and $10.99 for 124gr. I usually buy a few cases when the deals hit. I used the aluminum at another range for years without ammo-related failures. Wish i still could as $8.99 deals are back in fashion in the area.

 

[ACP]

I have been through most all of the above and have developed a preference for American Eagle ammo by Federal. I shoot 45 ACP 230-gr. FMJ and 38 Special 130-gr. FMJ to match the weight of my carry ammo. The 45 is close to my carry ammo velocity as well, while the 38 is just standard pressure (I carry +P in the j-frame).

I have found American Eagle to be totally reliable and accurate, and very clean too. I usually buy it on sale or order it online in half-case or case lots, so the price is very good.

I also sweep/save all my brass, and what I don't reload I collect in a large plastic tub and take down to a local metals recycler who gives me cash for the brass.

 

[wally]

Not much room to burn all the powder in a 9 Para.

Boy do I disagree with that!

I shoot mostly reloads using Unique which is generally considered the "dirtiest" powder out there. It certainly is dirty in .45ACP but in higher pressure rounds like 9mm and .40S&W I don't take them apart to clean until well over 1000 rounds. I just wipe off the light black "soot" that coats the action with a patch wet with Hoppe's and run a bore snake through it two or three times, followed by a drop of oil on the rails and barrel lockup.

I don't reload I collect in a large plastic tub and take down to a local metals recycler who gives me cash for the brass.

You could probably get a better price by selling it to re-loaders instead of as scrap. Especially if you keep the headstamps separated.

 

[Sav .250]

As noted all ammo is not crated equally.

 

[Sunray]

"...cereal tasted like wet alfalfa hay..." Shoulda put more sugar on it. snicker. Why do you know what wet alfalfa tastes like. Not that it's any of my business. snicker.
There's no such thing as 'range ammo'. Practice with the ammo you carry.

 

[wally]

There's no such thing as 'range ammo'. Practice with the ammo you carry.

Not unless money is no object! The POA/POI changes at typical self defense ranges among various handgun loads in the same caliber are negligible compared to all the other factors that will affect your shooting ability under stress. More practice with cheap ammo is better than less practice because the ammo is too expensive.

 

[stchman]

All ammo will make your gun dirty. Some ammo is a little dirtier, but it all makes the gun dirty. I've shot some of my buddy's reloads and they are just as dirty as store bought.