Sellier & Bellot ammo, any good??

[shooter71]

was going through the cheaper than dirt catalog and saw this. ive never tried any and was wondering if its any good. usually when it comes to range ammo ive stuck with Wolf and PMC. ive not had any prbs with Wolf as of yet but i think i want something a little better or at least with a brass case as far as new ammo goes. for reloads i havent tried any yet but OMC/Miwall are going to be the choice for that, but at times spending $150 for 500 rnds at a time isnt as easy as spending $25-50 for box ammo. you guys know what i mean.

so , opinons on S&B ammo, can it be bought in store (never looked since i didnt know about them) or should i just stick to $10 PMC if i have to order the S&B?

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Its fine. It is basically indistinguishable from Winchester white box, or Remington UMC.

 

[JBP]

I've never had a problem with any of the calibers I've used in either handguns or rifles. I just ordered some in 25 ACP & 32 ACP from Natchez. It was a lot cheaper than anything else I could find online.

 

[Walkalong]

No problem, shoots good.

 

[DogBonz]

Never had any issues

But look around, cheper than dirt is not always that cheap.

 

[Bacchus]

Love it and highly recommend it. Primer pockets can be a little tight--FYI if you plan to reload.

 

[DMK]

I've shot many, many thousands of rounds. I had one high primer in 9mm FMJ and one 45ACP FMJ that for some reason would not chamber, like the brass was out of spec. Other than those two bad rounds, never a problem. It's always been very inconsistent too.

But look around, cheaper than dirt is not always that cheap.

They nail you with an ammo tax too. I prefer Natchez, Outdoor Marksman or AIM

 

[1 old 0311]

I have used it in .32. .380, 9mm, and 12 guage. Cleaner, and hotter, than WWB, but they do use hard primers. I don't have a problem with them. Some do.

 

[pbhome71]

The only issue I have is with Mauser C96

On the S&B 9mm that I use, the primer cup seems to be thinner than Winchester White Box (WWB). This usually is not a problem on any pistol. The only gun that is having problem with piercing primer on the S&B is my C96. It will leave a nice round hole with S&B ammo, but only a deep dent on a WWB.

No problem with any of newer guns, though.

-Pat

 

[strat81]

My Taurus 24/7 has had no problems with it. Shoots more accurately than CCI Blazer. As others have said, it's on par with WWB and UMC.

 

[CWL]

Shot plenty of it in .45ACP, .40SW, 9mm. My only observation is that it shoots dirtier and leaves more residue inside my guns.

I don't use their 12ga OO though because it patterns really bad for me.

 

[mdao]

My P3AT has issues with S&B's hard primers. Never had a problem with that on any of my other guns though.

 

[Apple a Day]

I've had problems shooting the 158 grain LRN .38Spl out of a snubbie. I've shot plenty of 9x19, 9x18, and 7.62 Tokarev with no problems.

 

[shooter71]

if its about the same as WWB, i might be better off getting the value packs..by the time i order the S&B im sure the S/H would prb cancel out any discount on the ammo

 

[michiganfan]

Buy it all the time

 

[ChuckB]

S&B is the ammo recommended by CZ. I've always liked it.

Chuck

 

[P. Plainsman]

Hard primers, at least on their revolver ammo. I've had ignition problems with S&B .38 Special. This is with an action-tuned S&W revolver that also balks on rare occasions w/ CCI primers.

Otherwise seems fine. Their .357 Mag ammo is loaded hot.

I am thinking about buying a bunch of S&B 9mm FMJ for my CZs. At one time Cheaperthandirt had it at around $6.70 a box -- good even with ammo tax. Now it's up to $8.75 a box; not worth it.

 

[tinygnat219]

It's good stuff, it's inexpensive. It's a good thing.

 

[Tezcatlipoca]

Great for shooting and good brass to reload.

 

[shooter71]

the gun show is coming up in March..ill look to see if i might can find some there

 

[oscarswanson]

.357 Sig has hard primers. Every thing else work OK.
Oscar

 

[Plastic Cowboy]

I burned through a case of 1000 in 9mm with no problems in an XD-9. Haven't gotten around to reloading them yet but I've heard about the tight primer pocket from several sources. Most say it's not much of a problem though!

 

[115grfmj]

excellent quality commercial ammo....

Just european........but I dont hold that against them.....Actually.....S&B 158grjsp is my favorite for my smith, and my Marlin, their 95 gr 9x18 is my p64's favorite. No problems ever, a little hotter than most american commercial stuff, but very accurate, and reliable.

 

[antsi]

S&B is my preferred brand for range ammo. Whenever I can find S&B in the caliber I'm looking for, and the price is competitive (almost always is) that's what I buy. I've used S&B in 357 SIG, 357 magnum, 38 spl, 45 ACP, and 7.62x54R. It has been good accurate practice ammo in all those calibers. My impression is S&B is at or near full power for all loadings (unlike some range ammo that seems to be loaded light).

I have also reloaded a lot of S&B brass without the primer pocket problems some people mention. I wonder if it depends on what kind of primers you use? I use Winchester primers and have never had this problem with S&B brass.

In 357 SIG, the S&B I tried was a little dirty due to unburnt powder in the gun.

I have had some issues with hard primers requiring second strikes to fire in 38 spl and 357 SIG. However, in both cases, the guns themselves had been subject to "amateur gunsmithing." In both cases, the guns were probably 50% responsible for the malfs because the guns were making light primer strikes. In both cases, the guns would function with softer primer ammo, but occasionally misfired with S&B. In both cases, the guns worked fine with S&B once the guns were returned to factory spec.

 

[AcenJay]

One of the local indoor ranges doesn't allow Sellier & Bellot, because according to them, they ricochet too much. Other than that, I have heard that it is fine clean shooting ammo.