What is a cheap clean 9mm round for plinking

[Milkmaster]

Some of you guys are as picky about your ammo as you are with your pistols. I shoot a box of 50 rounds through my Beretta 92fs every few months. Some of the ammo is clean and others are dirty as can be. My pistol never jams, and I really have not paid much attention to what brand of ammo I shoot through it until now.

Now I have a question... What is a decent brand of 9mm pistol round that burns clean for my plinking needs?

I don't care or need hollow point super dooper high expandable hydra shock and rock guaranteed dead for a 100 years ammo.

I am talking about needing generic clean burning 9mm pistol ammo to put holes in paper and cans!

Reccommendations?

 

[Trebor]

You'll find that the cheap stuff generally doesn't burn clean. That's because it uses cheaper propellent then the more pricey stuff.

I recently wrote several long reviews of "plinker grade" ammo on Epinions. Here are the links to the full reviews.

Blazer Ammo: Blaze away with the cheap stuff for practice

Winchester White Box 9mm 115 gr ammo for cheap target practice

Remington UMC 9mm Mega Pack is good bulk ammo

American Eagle 9mm 147 gr FMJ FP ammo for target shooting

And here's a couple cleaner burning options:

Winchester Win Clean 9mm Luger ammo reduces lead exposure

American Eagle 147 9mm Luger TMJ ammo reduces the risk of heavy metal poisoning

 

[searcher451]

Nothing is cheap any more, but the Winchester white box 115-grain 100 rounds at WallyWorld sells for under $20 these days and burns relatively cleanly ... if you can find it. The local store has been out of stock for three weeks. Every time I stop by, it's the same story: "We never know any more when we'll get any in -- and it goes out the door right away when it does arrive."

 

[wnycollector]

http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/catalog1/index.php/sort/3a/page/1/cName/9mm-fmj-ammo

 

[bluetopper]

Before I started reloading I always bought aluminum cased Blazer 9mm ammo. Very clean.

 

[Snarlingiron]

I have shot about 10,000 rounds of the Blazer aluminum stuff. 115 grain ball. Never had any problems.

I recently have changed over to Blazer Brass only because when I can find it at Wal Mart, it is cheaper than I can buy the aluminum stuff. Around here it goes for $8.95 per box of 50. I doubt you will find anything cheaper.

I have also ordered canned heat from Georgia Arms. It has been good stuff. However, I placed my last order on November 20, 2008, and I am still waiting.

 

[bannockburn]

Milkmaster

On the occasion that WallyWorld has WWB, it's been priced at $19.99; at Gander Mountain it's now $29.99. They also had Blazer Brass for $8.99; again when you can find it. I've also had good results from Remington Green box ammo from Dick's. I haven't checked prices there lately, but a while back they had the 9mm. for $9.99 a box with a 10 box purchase.

 

[Milkmaster]

This is a follow up question to my original question at the top... NO one has mentioned Wolf ammo. I see it at the gun shows a lot. It says Russian made. What is the story on Wolf ammo? Is it any cleaner or dirtier than the rest?

 

[GregGry]

The wolf with the polymer coating burns somewhat dirtier then other cheap 9mm ammo. The inside of my pistols tend to have more gun shot residue inside then with other ammo. It might be due to the metal case not expanding the same as a brass case would to the chamber. It really wasn't a big issue for me at all though. I don't mind Wolf, but I tend to shoot winchester white box more because its often the same price around here.

 

[Restorer]

Milkmaster
What's up in the 'Boro? I'm MTSU 1981. Football team was Boots and The Blue Losers.
Take a trip to Larry's in Huntsville. Last week I picked up several 250 count boxes of Speer 115 gr. TMJ for $49.99. Also got Speer Gold Dot 124 gr JHP for 99.99 per 250.

 

[Travis Bickle]

American Eagle is the cheapest really clean ammo I'm aware of, and it's not that cheap.

 

[benderx4]

Bought 10 boxes of Blazer Brass the other day since Wally was all out of WWB. Shot half of it today in some P7s and a P30. No problems whatsoever - I liked it and it was REALLY cheap. Maybe shoots a tad dirtier than the WWB, but maybe my guns were a bit dirty to begin with.

 

[NG VI]

I honestly wouldn't worry about it too much. Fifty rounds every few months is a small enough amount that you really don't *need* to clean it even close to every time you go out.

 

[sm]

Another vote for Blazer with aluminum cases.

Fiochhi is another favorite of mine.

 

[wally]

When I'm not reloading I shoot mostly CCI aluminum Blazer and Wolf or Monarch steel cases.

I don't find any of it particularly dirty and usually go 1000-1500 rounds before I have to take them down and clean. I shoot steel plates typically 300-400 rounds per outing, so I'm only cleaning them every four or five outings, I just get home, wipe them down, drop of oil on each rail and back in the safe 'til next time.

--wally.

 

[melikesguns]

Blazer or WWB

 

[Trebor]

Wolf ammo is the only ammo I specifically had to bar from my CCW classes.

After two separate classes where students whose guns had problems running Wolf ammo, and slowed the classes down trying to get the guns to work, I had to ban it from the class.

In one class I had two different students who both had 9x18 Makarovs and who both had Wolf ammo and who both had problems with the ammo working in their guns. One student had his gun lock up tight with a live round in the chamber that we had to use a range rod to push out from the muzzle.

Btw, the students didn't know each other and bought their ammo at different places.

Shoot Wolf if you want, but I've seen too many problems with my own eyes to trust it.

 

[rscalzo]

I was surprised to see that my Walmart had WW 9mm at a little over $20 per hundred. these were 50 round boxes.

 

[mgkdrgn]

This is a follow up question to my original question at the top... NO one has mentioned Wolf ammo. I see it at the gun shows a lot. It says Russian made. What is the story on Wolf ammo? Is it any cleaner or dirtier than the rest?

I've gone through about 5K rounds of Wolf in my Glock 26. Eats it like so much candy. Some will say it's dirtier than others ... but since I clean after every shoot ... doesn't matter to me.

Which reminds me ... under 1K rounds left ... time to reorder!

 

[Onmilo]

CCI Blazer Brass case is decent and still available for reasonable prices.

I personally haven't had very good luck with the aluminum case stuff as it tends to run erratic in my Glocks.

 

[ZombiesAhead]

I haven't read this whole thread but I'd say the two rounds you should be looking at are:

1. Winchester White Box 115 grain FMJ - Brass case, clean, good enough for carry ammo IMO - $20/100 last I bought it a year or so ago, $35-$40/100 today (?) - $.35/round (?)

2. Wolf 115 grain polymer FMJ - Steel case, clean enough for me, most people don't carry it but it's not bad - $199/1000 rounds, ~$20/100 rounds today - $.20/round

I have used about 1500 rounds of WWB through a Glock 19, Kel-Tec Sub2k, and CZ-75 and I have never had a problem due to ammunition.

I have used about 600 rounds of Wolf 9mm through the same guns and also never had a problem due to ammunition.

 

[Ben86]

It's Blazer Brass, or secondly WWB for me. That's just beause BB is a little cheaper. All the target ammo is dirty. I stay away from steel cases. They can be tough on the extractor claw. All I want out of my target ammo is a cheap price, decent accuracy and function. UMC would be my third choice just becuase it is the most expensive out of the three in my neck of the woods.

 

[buenhec]

While cleaning my 9mm 1911, it seemed way dirtier than usual, kind of sandy and gritty on the inside. I remembered that a week before I shot 150 rounds of Walmart white box. I had run out of my reloads that week. Boy is that stuff dirty.