9mm Target Rounds in M&P9 FS, Pro, CORE- UMC vs. PMC vs. WWB vs. Federal vs. Fiocchi?

[falconman515]

9mm Target Rounds in M&P9 FS, Pro, CORE- UMC vs. PMC vs. WWB vs. Federal vs. Fiocchi?

So I know this has been talked about often here but I would like to know based on actual users out there using an M&P9 Full Size (or Pro, CORE, etc. ... especially 5" since thats what I have) NOT Shield or Bodyguard only FS M&P ... which do you prefer and have you found to like or run better? ......

What round shoots the best for you when target shooting and has had less or no issues for you overall between the main top 5 115g 9mm target rounds options pictured below?

I have bought some PMC, UMC and Fiocchi but have yet to shoot any, curious how well they all do in your M&P9 including the other 2?

I know there are other brands out there but these are overall the most popular brass rounds (not going to ever shoot any steel rounds etc.) for standard plinking, paper target and range shooting and the best all around price for a run of the mill quality budget rounds.

Thanks so much for your feedback and thoughts on this!

 

[Rpg]

Not all ammo works in each pistol.

It isn't unusual to find that some ammo isn't reliable in a specific pistol.

If you can run 100 rounds without any issues, the ammo is good for your pistol.

Test them in your pistol, beginning with the least expensive.

If that functions reliably over 100 rounds, you've found the best for you.

 

[BlackTalonJHP]

It's hard for me to see much difference in accuracy with these, as they are all low cost target ammunition. I'll give my thoughts on the 5, as I have shot them all, in multiple platforms including the FS M&P.

My least favorite -
REM UMC, perhaps it's because I can't find it in quantity as much as I can the others and I shoot less of it.

Cons are that it is somewhat dirty and QC seems to have gone down during the recent increase to 24/7 production. Velocity is the lowest of the group. Also seems to be the least accurate of the bunch for me and availability is not as good as the others.

Pros are that it can be found in value packs and sometimes can be found tied for the lowest price.


Next -
PMC Bronze

Cons are that it is not as available locally and only comes in 50 round boxes to my knowledge. Velocity is the second lowest of the bunch. It also usually costs as much as any of the others. If country of origin matters to you, it is made in ROK.

Pros are that it has a copper jacket vs the brass of other imports. It also seems to be available on the shelf after the better 9mm is picked over. Tied for my least favorite with Rem UMC.


Next -
WIN USA

Cons are that it is somewhat dirty, and QC can be hit or miss. Accuracy is fair, in my experience.

Pros are that it comes in 100 round boxes and is roughly tied for the lowest cost. It is also made in the USA vs PMC and Fiocchi if that matters to you.


Slight Favorite -
FED CHAMPION, this round is actually a CCI Blazer Brass round (look at the head stamp and the box it comes in - Speer size). The following applies to CCI BB as well.

Cons are that the bullet is plated and not FMJ and the powder charge is on the weak side (it states on the box to not use this in ported firearms)

Pros are that it seems cleaner than some others, it can be had in 100 round value packs locally, and is roughly tied for lowest price with the Winchester. Made in USA.


Slight Favorite -
Fiocchi Shooting Dynamics

Cons are that it is only readily available in 50 round boxes locally and that is perhaps the priciest because of this. The round is made in Italy and consequently uses a brass jacket, which is harder than the usual copper. This makes it a little harder to remove during cleaning IMO. Primers tend to run a little harder than Federal and Winchester, so if you are using reduced power springs, etc this may be an issue.

Pros are that the round is loaded hotter than the rest and the powder seems to get burned thoroughly and cleanly.
I would also put S&B in this category, since it is loaded hot and has a brass jacket as well.



Again, it is very hard to rank all of these as they are quite similar 115gr FMJ rounds.

Other budget priced 9mm to look for is Magtech (made in Brazil) and Aguila (made in Mexico) which I feel the same about as the PMC and Sellier & Bellot (made in Czech Republic) which I like pretty well.

If you are looking for lowest cost, then any of these will do. If you are looking for better accuracy, reliability, and overall quality, you will have to move up to Federal American Eagle or Classic, Remington Express, Winchester Super X, Fiocchi Extrema, Speer Lawman, Hornady Custom, Lapua, Norma, etc.

Hope this helps.

Black Talon

 

[falconman515]

Not all ammo works in each pistol.

It isn't unusual to find that some ammo isn't reliable in a specific pistol.

If you can run 100 rounds without any issues, the ammo is good for your pistol.

Test them in your pistol, beginning with the least expensive.

If that functions reliably over 100 rounds, you've found the best for you.

Kinda my thinking ,... that's why I bought 100 rounds of PMC, UMC and Fiocchi to try on my first trip out (gonna blow through maybe 50 of each on the first trip then another 50 of each on the next) ... then find some Federal, Winchester WB etc. to try for the next few trips.

I know I will find what works and what doesn't ... I hope they all work 100% flawless and this thing will eat anything though.

 

[falconman515]

BlackTalon .... AWESOME Info

EXACTLY the kind of feedback I was looking for.

Thank you So Much for the detailed thoughts and feedback on all of these.

I will be trying them all ... just wanted to pick the brain of the guys here who have used them on the M&P9 FS guns to see what there results were.

Thanks again!

 

[fdw]

My 9FS runs like a champ with only one malfunction in over 2,000 rounds including shooting steel case.

Of what you have pictured, I mainly shoot Winchester White Box because i see it quite often at Wally World.

Of what you don't have pictured I shoot mostly TulAmmo.

 

[Ranger17]

My least favorite -
REM UMC, perhaps it's because I can't find it in quantity as much as I can the others and I shoot less of it.

slight sidetrack but Gander Mt often has this ammo on sale (i've picked it up several times), and anything over $50 is free ship so for me it's been about the best value as I cant count on my WM to be stocked when i'm there. I've yet to have any issues with UMC after several hundred rounds of it.

On track lol, though so far i only have a 9c, in addition to the brands listed in the OP's post i've also had good luck with Herters (from Cabelas). Similar pricing to the others but as it comes in a smaller box its easier to pack out when hitting the range. May be worth a try in a FS9.

 

[BlackTalonJHP]

I will admit that I'm slightly biased against Remington and more in favor of Federal and Winchester. ATK and Olin provide almost all of the ammunition for military/law enforcement and I myself prefer HST, Gold Dots, and PDX over the Golden Sabre. Remington seems more focused on supplying firearms to mil/l.e. rather than ammo, and I don't think they spend as much time, effort and r&d in bullet design, etc. At least not on defensive rounds, maybe on rifle rounds for hunting.

 

[rz625-8]

That is why I carry and own revolvers. No jamming up,or,failure to fire problems. My revolvers go bang all the time I pull the trigger.

 

[falconman515]

Cool Story ... Thanks!

 

[Bkreutz]

I don't usually use "store bought" ammo. Too inconsistent and expensive. I shoot a lot of competition and the one brand that I really don't like is Federal. I had to fail to fire episodes and both of them were due to primers that were inserted backwards . Luckily neither one happened during a match. Handloading is the only way to tailor a round to your particular pistol. An added plus is the savings, I currently load 9mm for .10 to .12 per round which is a big savings since I average around 1K rounds per week during the shooting season. (my competition schedule slows down in the winter, I'm getting to old to stand around in the rain )

 

[OKFC05]

My favorite load in the 5" M&P Pro 9mm is the 124gr Precision Delta FMJ over Titegroup for a 130 Power Factor.
The various commercial loads have QC problems from time to time, and it seems to rotate among the companies. Running production lines 24hrs has not helped.
Having to use commercial ammo for students, I have seen problems with all the brands listed. In the last year, Win white box has led the pack with duds here.
If you want the most consistent ammo tailored to your needs, load your own.

 

[RussellD]

Might want to try some ammo loaded with a heavier bullet.

+1 on the load your own

 

[falconman515]

Might want to try some ammo loaded with a heavier bullet.

What advantages would this have in just plain paper target shooting? Any?

I see other heavier grain loads but why would I pay much more to shoot paper?

Plus I am a once a month if I'm lucky to shoot kinda guy (more like once every couple months) ... so reloading though obviously cheaper would take me many years just to re-coup the cost of what I would pay for reloading equipment etc.
This is no ROI really for me in reloading ... maybe in 5 years I guess but still not worth it.

 

[kilroy2721]

While I mainly shoot my own reloads, I have shot plenty of factory rounds in the different brands you have mentioned, and have had no problems with any of them. I would agree that the Remington UMC is the dirtiest of all of them.

 

[falconman515]

What would you all most agree aside from shooting the best which is shoots the cleanest???

I know they all are cheaper rounds and most all run dirty regardless but is there a consensus overall on which option pictured above will be the Least Dirty?

 

[Ranger17]

What would you all most agree aside from shooting the best which is shoots the cleanest???

I know they all are cheaper rounds and most all run dirty regardless but is there a consensus overall on which option pictured above will be the Least Dirty?

I hit the range monthly+/-, and i try to run 75-100 rounds thru my 9c each visit. I don't know if I've been able to see a major difference in what ammo I've uses is dirtier then the others. I figure with the frequency I shoot i'll clean after each session anyway, so for me it's more important to find ammo that fires when I need it to, at a reasonable cost (if that ammo is "cleaner" then that's a bonus).
I'm thinking the dirty rounds may show up more for those who shoot often and at a higher round count, where it can accumulate more then just after a few mags worth. Could be wrong of course.