I have shot alot of the cheaper 9mms and I thought it might help people out if I gave my opinion and some facts that I have witnessed about the 4 cheapest and most common brands. I am not claiming to be right or an expert, this is just my experience and personal view based on it.
The 4 types I speak of are: CCI Blazer, Winchester white box, Wolff, and Sellier & Bellot. I will give some general impressions and the cheapest prices that I have found. I will also use the Gun Tests type of rating system because I think it is a good one.
CCI Blazer,
($4.85 a 50 round box from Natchez plus shipping). Made in U.S.A. CCI Blazers are aluminum cased and are not reloadable. They are FMJ 115gr round nosed bullets. I think they come in different weights but the 115gr is all I buy or see.
The Blazers are the hottest feeling 9mms of the 4. I think they are the fastest but I have not chronographed them. They have a nice kick that simulates self defense ammo and this makes it a great training round. They seem to be consistant and accurate in all my guns. They are also very reliable, I have only had 1-2 bad primer in the several thousand rounds I have shot. The main draw back to them is, the case is not as smooth as brass or nickel and it can cause feeding problems in some guns, esp if the gun has a tight chamber. They would not feed reliably in my early Kahr E-9.
Verdict, Buy it, good ammo if you don't reload and your gun is able to feed them reliably.
Wolff,
$5-6 a 50 round box. Russian made, not surplus as many have claimed. I don't remember the weight but I think they were 147gr. These are also fmj round nosed bullets. These have a steel case and are not reloadable.
Medium velocity round. They seem to be somewhat inconsistant in powder charge as they vary quite a bit from round to round. Not very accurate, probably for reason stated. Hard and inconsistant primers cause unaccpetable amount of "duds". I was getting 1-2% bad primers. The bullets are not crimped tightly (probably due to the steel case) which can cause catatrophic problems. They tend to move in or out of the case which can spike pressures to dangerous levels. I have never any problems caused by the steel case but I have heard that they can damage internal parts of your gun. This is also the most dirty round out of the 4, it can leave varnish on the internal parts of your gun that is a pain to clean off.
Verdict, Don't buy. This ammo is not cheap enough to warrent the problems is has and there are better choices for the same or less money.
Sellier & Bellot,
Price: $5.19 a 50 round box plus shipping (Natchez). Made in the Czech Republic. Medium velocity 115gr FMJ round nose bullet. Brass reloadable case. They claim these have oil proof primers and they are painted or sealed with a red sustance.
In my experience, these haven't been as accurate as either the Blazers or the Winchester ammo but I have not done as much shooting with these as the other 3 type listed. I found one cartridge with the bullet seated about 1cm too far done in the case. This alarmed me and I have checked all my S&B ammo for this problem since. I don't think it is a common problem but I felt it important enough to mention it. They have been 100% reliable in every gun I have shot and they seem to be a good general purpose target/plinking round.
Verdict: Buy it. If you reload or even if you don't this is decent ammo for the money.
Winchester White Box,
Price: $10.96 for a box of 100 plus tax at Wal-Mart ($5.48 per 50). 115gr FMJ round nose bullet. Brass cased and reloadable. Medium velocity.
This ammo seem to be the second most accurate after the Blazer but it is very close. It has never shown any inconsistancy that I can detect and it has been 100% reliable in all of my guns over a long period of time and many rounds. This is my favorite ammo and it has the added bonus of being reloadable and convinent to buy. I have never had a single problem with this ammo and think it is a deal at less than $6 a box.
Verdict: Best Buy. With all the benifits of this ammo, I wonder how long it will be until Wal-Mart decides to raise the price.
Well there it is, my humble attempt at a ammo report. If anyone has corrections to add, feel free. I hope this helps out someone.
The 4 types I speak of are: CCI Blazer, Winchester white box, Wolff, and Sellier & Bellot. I will give some general impressions and the cheapest prices that I have found. I will also use the Gun Tests type of rating system because I think it is a good one.
CCI Blazer,
($4.85 a 50 round box from Natchez plus shipping). Made in U.S.A. CCI Blazers are aluminum cased and are not reloadable. They are FMJ 115gr round nosed bullets. I think they come in different weights but the 115gr is all I buy or see.
The Blazers are the hottest feeling 9mms of the 4. I think they are the fastest but I have not chronographed them. They have a nice kick that simulates self defense ammo and this makes it a great training round. They seem to be consistant and accurate in all my guns. They are also very reliable, I have only had 1-2 bad primer in the several thousand rounds I have shot. The main draw back to them is, the case is not as smooth as brass or nickel and it can cause feeding problems in some guns, esp if the gun has a tight chamber. They would not feed reliably in my early Kahr E-9.
Verdict, Buy it, good ammo if you don't reload and your gun is able to feed them reliably.
Wolff,
$5-6 a 50 round box. Russian made, not surplus as many have claimed. I don't remember the weight but I think they were 147gr. These are also fmj round nosed bullets. These have a steel case and are not reloadable.
Medium velocity round. They seem to be somewhat inconsistant in powder charge as they vary quite a bit from round to round. Not very accurate, probably for reason stated. Hard and inconsistant primers cause unaccpetable amount of "duds". I was getting 1-2% bad primers. The bullets are not crimped tightly (probably due to the steel case) which can cause catatrophic problems. They tend to move in or out of the case which can spike pressures to dangerous levels. I have never any problems caused by the steel case but I have heard that they can damage internal parts of your gun. This is also the most dirty round out of the 4, it can leave varnish on the internal parts of your gun that is a pain to clean off.
Verdict, Don't buy. This ammo is not cheap enough to warrent the problems is has and there are better choices for the same or less money.
Sellier & Bellot,
Price: $5.19 a 50 round box plus shipping (Natchez). Made in the Czech Republic. Medium velocity 115gr FMJ round nose bullet. Brass reloadable case. They claim these have oil proof primers and they are painted or sealed with a red sustance.
In my experience, these haven't been as accurate as either the Blazers or the Winchester ammo but I have not done as much shooting with these as the other 3 type listed. I found one cartridge with the bullet seated about 1cm too far done in the case. This alarmed me and I have checked all my S&B ammo for this problem since. I don't think it is a common problem but I felt it important enough to mention it. They have been 100% reliable in every gun I have shot and they seem to be a good general purpose target/plinking round.
Verdict: Buy it. If you reload or even if you don't this is decent ammo for the money.
Winchester White Box,
Price: $10.96 for a box of 100 plus tax at Wal-Mart ($5.48 per 50). 115gr FMJ round nose bullet. Brass cased and reloadable. Medium velocity.
This ammo seem to be the second most accurate after the Blazer but it is very close. It has never shown any inconsistancy that I can detect and it has been 100% reliable in all of my guns over a long period of time and many rounds. This is my favorite ammo and it has the added bonus of being reloadable and convinent to buy. I have never had a single problem with this ammo and think it is a deal at less than $6 a box.
Verdict: Best Buy. With all the benifits of this ammo, I wonder how long it will be until Wal-Mart decides to raise the price.
Well there it is, my humble attempt at a ammo report. If anyone has corrections to add, feel free. I hope this helps out someone.
