Ammo Recommendation - 9mm (Vanity)

IrishPennant

[IrishPennant]

Excuse the vanity post but I just picked up a new Ruger P95 9mm. I figured it was the right time. I'm not a stranger to handguns, carrying the .45 back in the Corps and then transitioning from a wheel gun to the Sig 9 (226 I think...or 228 - one was bigger) when I was a cop...but I left that over a decade ago and I haven't had a handgun since. I am almost ashamed to say, I didn't leave with much memory either...they gave me rounds - I shot rounds - qualified well 4 times a year and life was good.

But now that I have one I am wondering what the best rounds for this Ruger would be; both inexpensive but good rounds to send down range and "impact rounds" to keep in the mags at all other times.

The manual states the pistol is chambered for a 9mm x 19 Parabellum (9mm Luger) cartridge. Well, there ya go! I had no idea there was such an animal. It also says not to load any other 9mm cartridges such as 9mm short, 9mm Steyr, Bergmann, etc.

I guess bottom line, I don't want to look like a geek when at the counter buying rounds. I would rather say "Gimme a few boxes of them and a few boxes of those, thank you very much."

Any guidance from knowledgeable FReepers???

p.s. for those obama/ACORN trolls scrubbing the internet, the above post is hypothetically presented. I would never, ever own a gun...

[Gaffer]

....."Gimme a few boxes of them and a few boxes of those, thank you very much." .....

In this era of selfless hope and change, Obamadenijad-style......GOOD LUCK WITH THAT....

You ain't gonna pick up a few boxes of this or that in this particular time period....

[elpinta]

For range ammo, I go to Wallyworld and ask if they have any ‘9 mil’ and get whatever they sell me, which lately is 2 boxes max.
For carry ammo, I go to a gun store and see what they have in ‘9 mil JHP’ . . . Jacketed Hollow Point . . .
I no longer get the super-premium stuff, just JHP, brand name, that is all.
Hope it works out for you!

[IrishPennant]

I hit a local gun shop website - Owner posted on the home page that sales were so incredible on both ammo and weapons that he brought on extra staff...now he has seen the normal summer slow down and sales for both have dropped....says he does not want to get rid of the extra staff and is fully stocked with guns and ammo - so “Come on Down” says he.

[Chode]

9mm kurtz/shorts are called .380 "three-eighty" so they will NOT say 9mm on the box.

[IrishPennant]

Thanks el...so basically any trash down range???

[elpinta]

“... seen the normal summer slow down and sales for both have dropped...”

That is interesting, nothing like that around where I live... maybe a slight dip in traffic, but the ammo is rationed everywhere I go.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

The 9 mm ammo is in short supply at the moment.

I recommend full metal jacket for practice rounds and Federal hollow points for carry if you can find either one.

I am not kidding.

You should buy what you can find.

I recommended a friend buy a used Springfield Armory XD 9 semi-automatic I saw at a gun store. He then had trouble finding ammo. I had a couple of boxes I gave him because he had a great firearm but no ammo at all.

[IrishPennant]

9mm kurtz/shorts are called .380 "three-eighty" so they will NOT say 9mm on the box.

Thank God - With my low sloping forehead, one can only wonder what I would walk away with???

[IrishPennant]

I’m mid-south.

[IrishPennant]

I was in Bass Pro the other day - Maybe I was not looking specifically for 9mm ammo, but the walls were stocked with ammo boxes. They could not all have been bird shot.

[LasVegasMac]

Not sure but I'm in the same boat. My S&W 9mm showed up at the gun store today, just got back from filling out the paper work. Now I have to wait - until Monday because they are closed on Sat for the 4th.

I have a crap load of Wolf 9mm ready to go. Bought it because it was dirt cheap. Lots of different opinions on that brand but my SKS chews up the 7.62 real good!

I see a lot of favorable mentions of Winchester 9mm ammo in the blogs, etc. Will have to get some on order.

Will be watching the thread to see what the wise one's have to say.

[LimaLimaMikeFoxtrot]

Your Sig was probably a P226. I have a P228 and it is slightly smaller.

I shoot Blazer Brass for target (115 grains I think) and shoot Federal Premium Hydra-Shok JHP +P+ for defensive rounds.

Your pistol is probably rated for +P or +P+ but it's a good idea to find out for sure.

[LimaLimaMikeFoxtrot]

At Bass I think they keep pistol ammo behind the counter. Shotgun and rifle in the aisles.

[Recon Dad]

If you can't find ammo at Walmart if you're close to a Bass Pro Shop or Cabela’s you usually can find it there.

[Chode]

look/ask for Hydra-Shok for defensive/carry rounds, the best there is...

[LimaLimaMikeFoxtrot]

By the way, thanks for your service in the Corps.

Very Proud dad of a Marine myself.

[IrishPennant]

Just browsing, I am getting a lot of LIMITED purchased...you know, limit of XX number of boxes, etc...but not too many out of stock indications

[IrishPennant]

Not sure but I'm in the same boat.
Will be watching the thread to see what the wise one's have to say.

Good deal...thanks for your input and I am glad my vanity post will help more then just me!!!

[5Madman2]

For carry/self defense ammo one recommendation is to carry the same type of duty ammo (Brand, not necessarily caliber) the local cops carry.

It’s usually functional and can reduce liability in court, because your lawyer can say your ammuniiton was commonly used by a Major PD.

YMMV.

Federal Hydra Shok, Speer Gold Dot, Remmington Golden Sabre, Winchester SXT are all common.

[IrishPennant]

Your pistol is probably rated for +P or +P+ but it's a good idea to find out for sure.

I was searching the web for ammo talk...came across a few blogs where they taled about the Ruger being able to fire +p and +p+. What is that/are those???? (If you have a moment?)

[IrishPennant]

Good point - they did have shotgun ammo in the aisles...and yeah, I do have a close BPS. I guess that is my destination!!!

[IrishPennant]

You are very welcome...That makes your son my brother!!! Give him my best - doesn’t matter he don’t know me from Chesty.

[LimaLimaMikeFoxtrot]

There are probably smarter gun guys here than me, but +P signifies higher "over pressure" for higher muzzle velocity more stopping power.

+P+ is even higher, but I do not have actual data.

[IrishPennant]

Seems to me we carried a hydra-shock when I was a cop....had little fins that opened up to chew the flesh or something once it impacted, right?

[LasVegasMac]

You ain't gonna pick up a few boxes of this or that in this particular time period....

I bet ya I pick up quite a few boxes this weekend....

"2009 Las Vegas Gunshow Schedule NEW LOCATION: Las Vegas Sports Center, 121 E. Sunset Rd July 4-5, 2009"

We had a CrossRoads gun show three weekend's ago, too.

Seriously, I know what you mean. At the last gun show, my boy says, "Dad, I know why everybody on the Internet is out of ammo.....it's all here!"

Get it when ya can!

[LasVegasMac]

No big deal.

The "vanity post" police don't pack!

lol

[IrishPennant]

I remember right when I was getting out of the Corps, we as MPs were going from the 45 to the 9 (Beretta). I think I had one for a week before my EAS papers came in. Anyway, bunch of troops whining to the range instructor about less stopping power, smaller round, etc...The instructor said "Hey, would you rather be hit by a mac Truck doing 40 or a Volkswagen doing 80"???

I always remembered that (more for the humor then anything else).

[smokingfrog]

The Winchester “white box” or Blazer brass FMJ is usually decent ammo that doesn’t cost too much. When breaking in your gun, I wouldn’t use any steel case or anything too cheap.

For defensive purposes, try the 124 grain Federal Premium Hydra shock or if you have feeding problems with that try some Federal 105 grain EFMJ.

Make sure your pistol can use +P ammo.

[IrishPennant]

For carry/self defense ammo one recommendation is to carry the same type of duty ammo (Brand, not necessarily caliber) the local cops carry.

It’s usually functional and can reduce liability in court, because your lawyer can say your ammuniiton was commonly used by a Major PD.

Excellent thought!!!! Thank you.

[LimaLimaMikeFoxtrot]

PERSONAL OPINION FOLLOWS: I used to re-load Winchester AAA 12 gauge shells when I shot a LOT of Skeet and Sporting Clays.But I will never again buy a re-loaded pistol round EVER again.

I bought some 9mm reloads at a gun show and halfway through the first magazine a cartridge exploded when the firing pin hit the primer. Burns to my arm and face, scared the bejeezus out of me and damaged the extractor in my Sig.

Don't shoot re-loads that you have not loaded yourself.

Just sayin..

[IrishPennant]

When breaking in your gun, I wouldn’t use any steel case or anything too cheap.

Great post in its entirety, but that one thought above has to be the most common sense thing I can do. Thank you for bringing that up.

[5Madman2]

No problem-good luck with your new weapon.

[Yosemitest]

Check out these three pages from Georgia Arms.

[LasVegasMac]

When breaking in your gun, I wouldn’t use any steel case or anything too cheap.

Why is that?

Not doubting you, by any means.

I'm just a FNG and need to learn.

[IrishPennant]

Basically, Georgia Arms is tapped out of the 9’s, huh???

[IrishPennant]

Hey gang...going to go grab evening chow and maybe an adult beverage...check back in shortly...Thank you all very much. I knew I could count on FReepers!!!

[SampleMan]

Despite what you will hear on FR, the 9mm is a fine round. As a man stopper it tends to over-penetrate. That is why you want to use hollow points when you mean business.

You should have no problems with the P95 cycling anything, however, don't bet your life on it. Shoot at least fifty rounds of the hollow points down range to make sure that they don't give you any feeding problems.

[Vendome]

Go to any indoor range and ask for ammo. They will hook you up with American Eagle or Wolf.

[absalom01]

Winchester Ranger +P has shown to have consistently good terminal performance for duty rounds.

Winchester “white box” USA brand FMJ are good quality range rounds.

[andy58-in-nh]

9mm is ridiculously hard to find right now, especially given how ubiquitous it once was. For personal defense rounds, your best bet (assuming you can find them) are Winchester 9mm 147gr. JHP or (cheaper) Remington 115 gr. JHP’s. Federal makes great ammo as well, but I haven’t seen it for months.

[Yosemitest]

Call them on the phone and put in the order,
while looking at the item you want to order on their site, to provide them the Item Number.

I order .45 ACP when they were out of stock and in two weeks, I had it in my hands.

[smokingfrog]

It just makes sense. A new gun is going to have tighter tolerances & the brass is softer metal to break in more gradually/gently. Plus, steel case ammo is often lacquered, which tends to melt and gum up the works. In Russian guns, its not a problem since tolerances aren’t that tight to begin with. The Russian stuff may have harder primers too.

[LasVegasMac]

Thanks for the reply. Makes complete sense.

Wanna buy some Wolf 9mm? :)

[Chode]

bingo...

[Yosemitest]

One more piece of info. When I spoke to them to place my order, I asked for advise.
I had several calibers I wanted to purchase over time.
They told me to place the orders for .45, .45 Colt, and for .9mm first. They're hard calibers to get now due to the demand.
Also, if you get a notice saying the order will be delayed, DON'T CANCEL the order.
The orders are filled on a "first come, first serve" basis.
If after three months, they can't fill the order, then they will cancel it.
But they said don't cancel the order yourself unless you absolutely have to,
because it puts you back at the end of the line.

[smokingfrog]

I don’t shoot much Wolf or other Russian ammo except in a Mosin, which is no problem. I think most of the Wolf is polymer coated now (not laquered). If so, go ahead and shoot it up!

[Gaffer]

Been there. However a lot of what you’ll see are what I call ‘ home business loads’. Not too sure of quality or consistency.

[mad_as_he$$]

I prefer the 9mm sword. It works every time and so far is not serialized. All my guns were destroyed in a raging RV fire which I pushed into Lake Tahoe to extinguish. Unfortunately, the RV sunk all 1500 feet to the bottom.

[sig226]

+P ammunition is loaded to 10% higher pressure than standard ammunition. In the 9mm, the SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturing Institute) standard is 35,000 p.s.i. 9mm +P loads hit 38,500 p.s.i.

There is no standard for +P+ ammunition. It is loaded to whatever the manufacturer loaded it to. Some of the N.A.T.O. stuff exceeds 42,000 p.s.i. Ruger makes a very strong gun, but +P+ ammunition is still 7,000 p.s.i. over the design load for the cartridge. I never reccomend it.

Whatever range ammunition you can get cheap is good for practice. Ruger centerfire pistols will normally eat anything. I personally use the Remington Golden Saber 124 grain +P 9mm load. It is the most accurate of the brands I’ve tried and it performs well in tests and on dirtbags.