Ammunition

[crazysquirrel]

I was looking at ammunition the other day. I saw 9mm target rounds, 115Gr. I also saw other 9mm's that say 124 Gr.

Can someone explain why the differences? Other than stopping power of course.

I have seen a few others with different Gr's for different caliber's.

Just wondering why there are so many to choose from.

I also did not see a thread regarding how to store ammunition so that it works when you need it to. Water/humidity issues perhaps?

What to do with suspected bad ammunition? How can you tell if it is bad by looking at it?

 

[Sav .250]

Looking up stuff stays with you. Having folks tell you everything is the easy way. Kind of like cheating. You have your answer but don`t know why.

Not trying to be nasty but that`s the way I look at it.

 

[crazysquirrel]

I didn't take your reply as being nasty at all. I was wondering if other knew something that I didn't?

 

[buck460XVR]

Ammo lasts a long time as long as it's stored in a dry place. Different weight projectiles can just be a personal preference, or what shoots to best POA in a fixed sight handgun. What works well for one may not be the best in another. This is where experience comes in. As for the looking up info or having folks tell you, I doubt if it matters as for retention. We retain what interests us and forget what bores us, regardless of how we learn it.

 

[Jim Watson]

Georg Luger and DWM thought 124 grains (actually 8 grams, 123.4 grains) was the proper weight bullet for good function in their guns.
They found that 115 grains (7.5 grams, 115.7 grains) did OK. Saving half a gram of copper and lead adds up over the vast volumes of ammo being loaded.

So many to choose from? Some actually serve specific purposes, some are just a product to sell.

Your ammunition is comfortable when you are. Cool and dry is best.

In the absence of visible corrosion, I do not know how to tell "good cartridges" from "bad" by looking at it. If it doesn't go off, it is bad.
I am a handloader so I salvage duds by pulling the bullet and either saving it for reuse or melting down, the brass is reloadable, powder can be spread on the ground where it will eventually decompose and be used as a nitrogen source by plants, a few bad or suspect primers can be simply trashed.

 

[P5 Guy]

Crazysquirrel

While you are asking about differing weight bullets for a 9mm there are some that hit POA (point of aim) with a gun having fixed sights better than lighter or heavier bullets. Speaking strictly for target shooting purposes.
Some rifle barrels have faster or slower twist rates and shoot different weight bullets more accurately.
And finally in defense ammunition there is the problem with over or under penetration depending on the weight of the bullet.
All ammunition I know of if stored in a cool dry place will be fine for your grandkids to shoot. How can one tell 'bad' ammunition? Well that is a tough one. In my experience some fairly nice looking .303BRIT from Pakistan wouldn't shoot well at all. Too many hang fires and weak rounds.

 

[reddog81]

115 and 124 grains are the weight of the actual bullet. In theory 115 should be slightly cheaper than 124 due to less material being used assuming everything else is equal. 115 should have a higher velocity than 124 assuming the same amount of pressure behind the bullet.

It's best to test a couple different manufacturers and various weights to see what your gun shoots the best.

Typically you should avoid getting your bullets wet but unless completely submerged for a while I wouldn't worry about it. Your self defense ammo should be replaced if you suspect contamination.

 

[crazysquirrel]

115 gr is a LOT cheaper than 124Gr.

$50 for 200 rounds of 115Gr vs $21 for 50 rounds of 124Gr.

I suppose start out with low Gr first then work up?

or use the cheap stuff for practice?

But what do I do with the empty casings? I do not reload.

Can they be sold? And what can I expect to sell them for roughly?

And without knowing a reloader would target ranges buy them?

Someone told me that the Gr was the charge in the shell not the bullet weight.

 

[P5 Guy]

Crazysquirrel

Look at your range or gun shop for a company that remanufactures ammunition, they love getting once fired brass. There is a company in my area that does this and discounts the purchase price of their ammunition for brass.

 

[Sam1911]

Grains is a unit of weight. Equal to one pound divided into 7,000 pieces.

So you can measure bullets weight in grains. And manufacturers always tell you how heavy the bullet is. 115, 124, and 147 grains are really popular weights for 9mm bullets.

115 and 124 gr weights will perform very similarly. Choose a variety of both and see if your gun seems to shoot one brand and style more accurately than the others.

The amount of powder in the case is also measured in grains by weight. Usually something between 3.5 and maybe twice that depending on the powder and the power level you're going for. Manufacturers do not tell you that.

Almost any range you shoot at will have some place to dump spent brass if you don't want it. Others can use it. Unless you're shooting A WHOLE LOT of 9mm I wouldn't expect anyone to be much interested in buying your empties. There's millions and millions of 9mm cases out there cheap or free for the taking.

 

[BLB68]

Someone told me that the Gr was the charge in the shell not the bullet weight.

Here's an article to clear that up:

http://blog.cheaperthandirt.com/grains-refer-gunpowder/

Also, this is NOT an endorsement for the store that hosts that blog.

 

[crazysquirrel]

Wow thx.
Don't have one yet

But planning to (waiting for tax refund )

 

[reddog81]

Both Bullets and powder are measured in grains. 115, 124, and 147 are common bullet weights for 9mm. A typical powder charge would be around 4 grains but depends on the powder used and the bullet used.

Once fired 9mm brass is worth about 2 or 3 cents per case. Not a whole lot but 1000 pieces should get you $20 if you want to take the time to collect them, sort out the other calibers, and most people want clean brass.

 

[crazysquirrel]

Ahhh.... you could equate small Gr with hitting a target further way more accurately whereas a heavier Gr has more stopping power at close range.

Learning something new all the time lol.

 

[crazysquirrel]

Gr vs recoil

Which gives the least recoil? Lower Gr ammunition or heavier higher Gr ammunition?

say 124Gr has more recoil or less than a 115Gr?

 

[Sam1911]

You can't really say based only on that. The weights are so very similar and you could put a lot of powder under the 115 gr bullet and a light charge under the. 125 gr bullet and your perceived recoil would seem "backward."

In fact, that's what a lot of us competition shooters do with 9mm. We load 147 gr bullets with fairly light charges and get a combination that meets the required power factor but recoils very softly.

You'll just have to try some loads and see what you like.

Note that any cartridge marked "+p" is going to be hotter and harder recoiling.

 

[Warp]

115 gr is a LOT cheaper than 124Gr.

$50 for 200 rounds of 115Gr vs $21 for 50 rounds of 124Gr.

Where you are getting 200 rounds of 9x19 ammo for $50?

BTW: There is no excuse for paying $21 for 50 rounds of 9mm FMJ. That's just dumb.

Quality 124gr factory brass 9x19 FMJ: $10.95/50

Same ammo, 1k rounds for $226 shipped (that's $22.60 per 100 rounds total cost)

http://www.sgammo.com/product/prvi-...124-grain-brass-case-prvi-partizan-ammo-ppr95


Plenty of other examples out there

 

[Sam1911]

Ahhh.... you could equate small Gr with hitting a target further way more accurately whereas a heavier Gr has more stopping power at close range.

Eh. I don't think I'd say that. They're very very similar. Some manufacturers choose to make one kind of bullet (fmj, jhp, tmj, whatever) at this weight and other manufacturers like to make them at different weights.

Likewise one gun will prefer this bullet at that weight more than another bullet at the same weight. Just got to try a bunch and settle on something that works.

 

[crazysquirrel]

would just fired brand new shells qualify as clean?
And $20 is almost 1/2 the cost of another box of target rounds

 

[crazysquirrel]

Walmart has 200 rounds, Winchester target, 9mm, 115Gr for $50
Comes in a white box.

Remington and others are a bit more pricey.

 

[Warp]

Gr vs recoil

Which gives the least recoil? Lower Gr ammunition or heavier higher Gr ammunition?

say 124Gr has more recoil or less than a 115Gr?

Neither gives more or less recoil. That depends on the individual round. Felt recoil will depend more on the powder charge than the bullet weight, although potential powder charge does vary, in part, by bullet length and weight and type.

If you buy good quality 124gr 9mm FMJ, like Speer Lawman or most of the European manufacturers, it will have more felt recoil than the generic 115gr FMJ ammo from Walmart/big box stars here (like Winchester White Box, Blazer Brass, etc)...but a 115gr +P or "+P+" defensive load like Speer Gold Dot 115 +P+ or Federal 9BPLE will have more than any of the above.

Walmart has 200 rounds, Winchester target, 9mm, 115Gr for $50
Comes in a white box.

Remington and others are a bit more pricey.

Ah yes, that makes sense. I haven't seen those but I have seen $25/100 all the time. That's an okay price, but you can get higher quality ammo ordering online for less per round.

And that includes good quality 124gr for less than the WWB (Winchester White Box) at Walmart

 

[crazysquirrel]

The 2 guns I was looking at do not recommend +P or +P+ ammo and voids the warranty.
Also they void the warranty if you use reloaded ammunition.

Rather picky if you ask me.

 

[crazysquirrel]

Where I am, hoarders drive up the prices remarkably.

.22LR's almost impossible to find and all other ammunition is sold at whatever the market will bear and even then it is sold out quickly.

I wouldn't mind a small .22LR for convenience but you cannot get ammo for it here.

And some places have waiting lists with strict 2 or 3 box limits.

So if you want ammunition you pay whatever they want to charge or go without.

I do not have a credit card so online buying is out of the question.

 

[Warp]

The 2 guns I was looking at do not recommend +P or +P+ ammo and voids the warranty.
Also they void the warranty if you use reloaded ammunition.

Rather picky if you ask me.

Are they real small guns? Like pocket size guns? Any quality gun that isn't pushing the physical limits on size (for the cartridge) should be able to handle +P just fine. (what guns?)

I think reloaded ammo voids all gun warranties...lots of bad things have been known to happen with reloads gone bad.

 

[Warp]

Where I am, hoarders drive up the prices remarkably.

Even if true...order online. I posted one real good link up there.

I do not have a credit card so online buying is out of the question.

You can buy online using your Visa or whatever debit card. I bet you can also just buy a pre-paid Visa or Mastercard or whatever card and then use it. I will also bet you could contact some of these retailers about mailing them a check to pay or an order.

Or pay cash to a friend and have them order the ammo (what state are you in?).

I guarantee that if you really want you can get good deals on 9mm ammo by ordering online.