Ordered a Shield 40 cal from PSA last week. This is my first handgun so I wanted to ask which brands of ammo do you find acceptable for the range. I have taken note of the premium defense ammo recommendations in the other thread. Looking forward to getting to know this firearm as well as my long guns. Thanks!

Blazer works fine in my new .40 Shield.

Remmington UMC 180 grain.

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M&P 40c; 40 FS; 40 Sh; 15 TS

I don't have a Shield but for range ammo I use whatever is the cheapest I can find. If I find one that doesn't work I don't buy it next time. For instance, on Sunday I test fired 3 handguns.....45, 40 and 38/357. I brought along 3 different types of ammo for each one to see if they function. All functioned just fine and I was satisfied with the results.

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I have shot most all the brands available in my area umc,blazer,fiocchi(spelling?),wwb,tulammo,Remington etc basically whatever I find I buy it and out of all of them only one to exhibit any FTE or FTF malfunctions was Winchester white box which has since been taken off my buy list. Ill shot what I have of it but I wont purchase any more of it.

I also subscribe to the buy it when I see it philosophy.

There were reported issues with Blazer aluminum and primers not being properly seated, causing damage to the breech face on some pistols.

Problem with new M&P, how does yours look? Updated/Solved***

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Unintentional M&P Fan Boy.

WWB, Blazer, PCM is my favorite. Generally if a gun will feed it reliably, it will feed about anything. Your Shield should be fine with it. My 9mm eats it up without any problem. Tulammo 380 is so out of spec in 380, it will not feed in my Bodyguard. They actually sent me a check for reimbursement.

Just a thought... I enjoy reloading and like Winchester brass. I only buy WWB for target shooting when I need more brass.

So, I'd suggest picking up your brass just in case you decide to reload in the future. Reloading a single head stamp simplifies things a bit.

Will

I like the Winchester Target rounds. 165g FMJ
Haven't had an issue, picked up a box of 100 for 50 bucks at the army navy.
I don't trust aluminum shells in a semi auto, heard too many people complain about them not loading and not ejecting.

Speed lawman 180gr

WWB, Fiocchi, American Eagle. I really like the performance of Fiocchi, and it usually is cheaper than the other brands. UMC works fine, but it smokes a lot and seems far dirtier than other brands.

Buy a box of several and see which you like before buying large quantities. Here's a useful site for comparing ammo prices and availability:
GunBot ammo
FWIW, my Pro 40 and Shield 9 both eat the factory reloads from LAX Ammo without problems.

I use Federal 100 round value packs from Walmart. They're around $33 a box and usually in stock. Fairly inexpensive and always go bang.

I agree to use inexpensive ammo. I just don't like using the steel cased ammunition, and only use brass cased ammo. At SD ranges, the ammo doesn't make much difference in the impact point, out to 25 yards. I would suggest if you plan on using the gun for self defense, make sure you practice with the ammunition you will use for carry. You want to make sure if functions properly, and also that you are familiar with the extra felt recoil and flip, that the SD ammo should produce.

I also use the Federal Champion, available at Walmart. The best pricing is with the 100 round boxes, when you can find them in stock. I find the Federal Champion very reliable and it never causes a malfunction in my Shield 40. When I swap over a 9mm barrel, for the 40 barrel, the Federal 9mm ammo is equally reliable.

Bob

It must be nice to find ammo for anything on the shelves at ChinaMart. All the stores around here look like the bread isles at the grocery stores after they call for snow....barren.

I have a full size M&P 40 and I shoot PMC Bronze 40SW FMJ 165gr for range work because that's the cheapest I can find locally. My LGS sells 1000 rd cases of PMC Bronze 40SW FMJ in 165 or 180 gr for $329.

I completed a general defensive handgun course this weekend where I launched several hundred rounds of PMC 40SW FMJ 165gr down range with no ammo issues whatsoever. My M&P40 performed flawlessly as well.

A good article on 165 vs 180 gr 40SW...

CALIBERS -- Why the 180gr Bullet is a Bad Choice for .40 S&W

As discussed in this article, 165gr is probably a better choice for 40 SW.