Explain 9mm Ammo Options to a Newbie

Chilidip

Chilidip

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So with the Rpal approved my CZ Shadow paid for and paperwork in my first range trip is closing in and I need your help. Looking at 9mm options I have no idea what to choose? I saw Wanstalls post about AE and wondered if there is any reason for target shooting not to use the cheapest ammo I can get, especially as a beginner? I see references to brass and aluminium cases etc. I think I get the grains thing (higher weight =slower but more impact?)

Anyone up for posting a tutorial or linking me to one?
 
Most pistol ammo will be much more accurate than the shooter, so there really is no point in buying the premium stuff unless it's all your gun eats (which shouldn't be the case for the shadow). Those who reload are most concerned with case material (brass is easiest to reload) , but aside from that it shouldn't matter much. Some ammo may leave your gun less dirty than another, but that's not really significant if you regularly maintain your pistol.
 
Your CZ is not a dedicated target handgun, like a SIG 210 or P9S Sport etc. It will happily eat most anything you feed it and spit it happily on or close to target. Your shooting skills at this point is the major factor. Shoot whatever cheapest ammo you can find. As for bullet weight, the common 9mm weights are 115gr, 124gr and 147gr. Most combat style pistols will feed 115 and 124 with zero problems. Aluminum casings like CCI Blazer are non- reloadable one shot deals, only a problem if you choose to reload. S&B ammo is brass cased and a bit cheaper generally. Any AE, Remington, Winchester White Box, Federal etc on sale is worth it. Don't worry too much about FMJ or truncated cone. Your CZ should feed with no problem! Have fun!
 
The bullet weight does affect the point of impact to some degree. I find that 115gn rounds tend to hit about 1 to 1.5 inches lower than my POA at around 12 yards. 125's are dead on and when I tried some "just big enough" power factor loads for IPSC using 147's the holes were about 1 to 1.5 inches higher at 12 yards. This assumes that you can produce nice tight groups so you notice. At the time I was able to shoot 1.5 inch groups at that distance.
 
I seem to shoot best with 124 gr out of my Shadow - best groups and closest point of impact to point of aim. Watch out for Sellier & Belot FMJ - it's the only ammo with which I've had any feeding issues, and I discovered it has a slightly longer overall length than most others. Other than that, all brands feed and group fine, including Wolf reloads. Hope you enjoy your Shadow!
 
Step 1 is to always check with your range and what ammo they allow. If you're indoors it's a bigger issue than outdoors. Some ranges are fussy about anything not made in the USA or anything that could be considered surplus.

Other than that don't worry about it to much at the beginning. Some guns like one brand or bullet weight more than others and you wont know till you try. Gl finding much variety to begin with. You might just have to settle for what ever is behind the counter to start.
 
If you are going to shoot any amount at all get yourself setup for reloading sooner rather then later. When I got my Shadow I bought 1000 rds of Blazer for $350 in. I did this since I didn't want to wait for a reloading setup. I got a reloading setup and after the first 2000 loaded rounds, the setup has paid for itself. After that I'm paying 16 cents per round vs 35 cents per round for factory ammo.
 
I am definitely considering reloading. Found a lot of conflicting opinions at this point on if there is much value in reloading if 9mm is the only calibre you plan to reload.
 
Chilidip said:
So with the Rpal approved my CZ Shadow paid for and paperwork in my first range trip is closing in and I need your help. Looking at 9mm options I have no idea what to choose? I saw Wanstalls post about AE and wondered if there is any reason for target shooting not to use the cheapest ammo I can get, especially as a beginner? I see references to brass and aluminium cases etc. I think I get the grains thing (higher weight =slower but more impact?) Anyone up for posting a tutorial or linking me to one?
Click to expand...

I believe your CZ has 1 in 9.8 twist rifling. It may prefer bullets at the heavier end of the range (e.g. 147 gr) but should have no real trouble with the typical 115 or 124 gr factory options (or other choices you might find in reloads).
 
I save a bit more than 50% the cost of factory ammo by reloading. Pistol powders are difficult to find however.
It all depends on how much you plan to shoot and if the initial cost is worth it to you. For me, it absolutely is a must.
Right now though, concentrate on learning good fundamental skills with your new handgun before you worry to much about about getting involved in a whole new aspect of the sport.
Besides, a new pistol benefits by a few hundred rounds of full power factory ammo during it's break in period.
 
Given I live about 800 yards from the front door of my range and I'm a competitive type of person I can see myself shooting alot. I think I'll get in on this AE sale from Wanstalls and while I'm going through it start to look at reloading options. At 50% of factory is that buying bullets or casting your own? I'm pretty sure I don't see myself casting my own.
 
Most ammo will not affect your ability to group, improve your trigger pull, or have fun. I have found just buying ammo from my gun club (reloaded) to be a reasonable option when needed in a hurry, or buying from one of the sponsors here (for new brass) to be fairly close price-wise. I have also had good results and prices with Centaure ammo (Tradex) out of Hawksbury. You will need a source of brass. You can buy used brass for $40/1,000 plus tax and shipping. Unfortunately all of the reloading companies cost about the same as buying new bullets after you throw in the shipping charge to Manitoba, CRS included, as their shipping charge quoted to me was quite high. The typical cost of 124gr ammo delivered to my door is about $315/1,000. However, if you can get it for free from work, or even wholesale, then don't bother.

I just bought a Lee Loadmaster with carbide dies (4) delivered to my door for $310. I also load .40 cal as I save about 7 cents more per round reloading those. That was another $55 for dies. My cost per round for 9mm, not including brass or my time is 20 cent/per (tax, shipping).

FMJRN bullets 10 cents
Primer 4.5 cents
Powder 3.5 cents (assuming you can find some right now).

So the least expensive ammo cost to reload spread is about 13.5 cents. That means I break even after 2,296 home made rounds. With the turret press you can crank out about 400 rounds/hour. Getting a turret press is well worth the extra cost.
 
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Chilidip said:
I am definitely considering reloading. Found a lot of conflicting opinions at this point on if there is much value in reloading if 9mm is the only calibre you plan to reload.
Click to expand...

With any reloading there will be a break even point. It's when the cost difference between factory and reloads finally pays off the investment in reloading equipment.

Currently one of the cheaper bullets is Berry plated. Those are about 10.5 cents on Budget Shooting Supplies website. Primer is another 4 cents at today's prices. Powder for 9mm is around another 2'ish cents depending on what you're using. So each round is 16.5 cents. That's $8.25 for a box of 50 or $165/1000 . The cheapest I see factory ammo is $300/1000 which is $15 a case.

So depending on how much you shoot you might pay off the investment in dies, press, scale and other gear in under a year or it may take a couple of years. After that you're reloading for a lot cheaper.

There's time as well of course. Obvioulsy it takes time to set up and make the ammo. But with a nice progressive setup it's not hard to run off 300 rounds per hour or more. And setup time can be reduced if you can dedicate a place for reloading which can stay set up between sessions.

On my CZ's I found that they would jam about once in ever 20 to 30 rounds fired when I tried Blazer aluminium ammo. So I'm running off what I've got for practice and plinking and use only the brass cased ammo for matches.

As for the Barnaul ammo all you can do is buy a box or two of 50 rounds and try it. I tend to be ske
 
I have never tried aluminum Blazer out of my Shadow, but it seems to eat everything. I shoot 124/5 grain bullets as the middle ground is a safe bet, and I thought the 147's were slower to get back on to target. (probably just me) I also thought 115 grain bullets were great, but a heavier bullet was better for steel and knocking things over.
 
It will take a while to pay off the reloading equipment if you only reload 9mm but if you are like most of us you will shortly be reloading other types of rounds. As for powder being hard to find well that is true for everything in the reloading world at this time. At 3-4 grains a round a pound of powder gets you a lot of reloads.
 
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