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What ammo do you shoot?

6K views 31 replies 27 participants last post by  Steyr 
#1 ·
Hello all. New to forum and just purchased pt111. Took it to range the other day and loved how it shoots! I used ammo form Speer, but wanted some feedback on what you guys use for range/home defense.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Speers makes excellent ammo. I use Speers Gold Dot Law Enforcement Ammo for carry in my .380 pistols.

For 9mm:

Range = Remington UMC JHPs

Self Defense = Remington Golden Saber Ammo
 
#3 ·
Welcome from Kentucky! As far as ammo, for range I use the cheapest that my gun will shoot since I dont reload yet. WWB and Federal as of now. For CC/home defense, I use Corbon Powrball in all my guns.
 
#5 ·
The only thing about WWB is it is dirty. I think that it helps to show me if my gun will run with a bit of "junk" on it. Its not as bad as some people lead on but it does run dirtier than your higher priced ammo. But I have never had a problem with it at all. Good ammo
 
#6 ·
I have shot WWB in both my PT145 and PT111. I have a had a few problem with FTF's, but not sure if it's me limp wristing or not. I have had the best luck, so far, with Federal. Haven't had the chance to test much of the PD ammo, but I hear Hornady is great. I have some for my PT111. I also bought some Winchester PDX-1 for the 45. I don't have a report for you yet though.
 
#7 ·
Price is determining factor for me on range. I currently use 115 gr. 9mm & 180 gr. .40, WWB & Rem UMC. Recently bought some Federal, but haven't used as yet. Have also used Monarch and Blazer. All FMJ. WWB shoots fairly dirty, much more so than UMC. I have had no ammo issues at all, regardless of brand.
 
#18 ·
I second that. And I keep the end of the box, that list the lot codes in a drawer. I have read many horror stories about dumbass prosecutors going after guys for hand loads, bigger grain bullets than necessary, ect, ect. So I figure the jury is going to see the ammo is even labeled "defense"
Hey, every little thing I can do if I need to be in court after a shooting right?
 
#9 ·
critical defense, did some practice shots through a few phone books, good penetration for heavily clothed issues, and great displacement after two phone books it went from a .45 to almost a .75 in diameter round, would most likely stop even the most committed assailant.

AIE
 
#10 ·
In my PT-92, 908, and 111, I mostly shoot G.S. Custom 124 gr. J.H.P. They are virtually identical to my S.D. load of choice, Speer G.D. 124 gr @ ~ 1,200 f.p.s. Price-wise, G.S. seems pretty reasonable (cheap) so I can use them for practice or S.D. These are in the weights and velocities recommended by Taurus in the manual and they seem to shoot P.O.A. I found that the W.W.B. 115 grain load to be to be too light.
I also have been using his load in 38 Special with a 125 gr J.H.P. rated @ 950 F.P.S. in both of my Dan Wesson .357 magnums. Fun "shooting" loads in these guns.
The Rossi m68 in .38 Special gets loaded with one C.C.I. snake load followed by four standard pressure rounds with a 158 grain projectile @ 755 f.p.s. from A-merc Ammo Co. This A-Merc load is an encapsulated and compressed powder in a flat-nosed projectile. It is designed to dump all it's energy in the soft target, but not penetrate through walls.
Different guns with different loads, each for a different mission.

Just stay with the recommendation in your manual ( 9mm: 124 grain @ 1225 f.p.s.) using any modern S.D. load, and you'll be fine. Run a few boxes through to ensure reliability and to confirm your P.O.A.
 
#11 ·
I mostly use reloads for range shooting - 124 grain moly coated lead round nose. Been working well so far, the few FTFs can be explained by bad or hard primers (the PT111 and perhaps other Millennium Pros seem to have a relatively weak punch to its firing pin compared to full size pistols).

Flawless using factory ammunition, however. Have tried and also regularly use the following:
Armscor 124 grain FMJ
Tactical Corner 124 grain FMJ
Jethro Custom 124 grain FMJ
Winchester White Box 147 grain truncated cone copper jacketed
CCI Blazer 115 grain FMJ

For self defense carry:
Remington Golden Saber 124 and 147 grain
Hornady TAP-FPD 147 grain, XTP 124 grain, Critical Defense 115 grain
Magtech Guardian Gold 124 grain
Winchester White Box 147 grain JHP

No appreciable differences in recoil and accuracy between these varieties (from up close and personal all the way to 50 yards). Cleaner burning powders for the premium loads. POI all just behind the front sight dot once trigger control is perfected.
 
#15 ·
Welcome to TA, good choice on the 111. As for 9mm range ammo, i can run just about anything in my Hi-Point 995. Most of the time it's either 115-124 gr. Federal Champion, Winchester White Box, or Remington UMC's from Walmart. Occasionally i'll pick up a couple boxes of TulAmmo if the case selection is limited. For home defense, i have 124 gr. Remington UMC JHP's that come in a 100 round pack, also from Walmart. The best solution i think would be find out what runs reliably in your gun, but in general, most of your factory ammo will perform in a similar manner from one company to the next. No one wants to be upstaged by the next guy, so that choice would be between you and your Mil-Pro.
 
#17 ·
Big PT111 Millennium Pro fan here...actually, more like an apostle than a fan.

Since I'm a firm believer in the fact that there's not a nickle's worth of difference in street performance between today's premium JHP's, I carry what's "on sale" at the moment.

Right now it's Winchester 147 gr. JHP's.
;)
 
#20 ·
Pretty much as everyone else has posted:

Range: WWB FMJs, occasionally range (where I shoot) reloaded FMJs as they can be has for about $13.00/box of 50

SD carry: Speer Gold Dots for PT140; Hornady Critical Defense for the LCP and my 1911s. I have a tough time finding Corbon Balls in my area. I also occasionally use Hornady's TAP|PD but, again, they are not as available as the HCD's. I wonder what effect Hornady's Critical Duty will have over their Critical Defense line.
 
#22 ·
I generally use Federal Hydra-shok in my handguns for carry/defense, and Federal Champion for practice. However, I did pick up a few boxes of Speer Lawman because it was on sale, and it had a bit more punch than the Federal load -- at least in the .40. I could feel the difference in my hand.......
 
#25 ·
Lots of good 9mm ammo out there to choose from these days. I usually use Speer or Federal 115/124 grain ball for the range session, and use Hornady 115 grain Critical Defense for carry purposes. In my .45 ACP I do the same manufacture in 230 grain ball, but run the Federal 230 grain JHP for carry.
 
#26 ·
I am surprised no one has posted this yet.

The plain truth is there is no "best grain" or magic bullet for any pistol. With any new pistol it is best to purchase as many different types and manufacturers of SD rounds in your caliber, go to the range and try them. It is best to do this after break in firing. Then go with the SD rounds that work the best for you with that pistol. Once you have decided on that, stock up on them. Then you can start looking for cheap practice rounds that shoot close to the POA of your SD rounds, and stock up on them. If you reload, you can adjust the rounds for your pistol by changing powders, primers, OAL, and/or bullets.

Having said that, my PT-111 works best with Win 115 grain SXZ moly coated JHP (and I use Federal Champion 115 grain FMJ for practice) and my PT-92 AFS is best with Speer 124 grain gold dots. I have a close friend of mine with a Kahr CW-9 and Federal 147 grain HST JHP are the charm for him. Go with what shoots best for you and you will need to try many different types and sizes to find that best bullet for yourself. Maybe you get lucky and find that best bullet on your first try, but probably not. My PT-111 was the most finicky about ammo and took me the longest to find what worked best for it of all my pistols.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Okay. Good to know. I recently purchased Federal from Wal-Mart. Just haven't had a chance to go back to range. I'm breaking in the mags by reloading them every day. But again, thanks for all the suggestions! I'm actually thinking about getting another gun. Probably a revolver. Leaning towards one of .357 models.
 
#28 ·
Okay. Good to know. I recently purchased Federal from Wal-Mart. Just haven't had a chance to go back to range. I'm breaking in the mags by reloading them every day. But again, thanks for all the suggestions! I'm actually thinking about getting another gun. Probably a revolver. Leaning towards one of .357 models.[/QUO

Good choice. The .357 is very versatile since you can shoot .38 special for practice and even .38+P for SD.
 
#29 ·
For trips to the range I use reloads almost exclusively. For SD, I use Hornady XTP Custom.
 
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