Practice ammo for the 9mm Sheild

[ptf18]

Would like to know what others are using for 9mm practice ammo in their Shield?

Not blasting ammo, rather good to better quality ammo.

Any particular bullet weight recommendations for this specific gun?

I recently purchased a new 9mm Shield and shot a box of Blazer 115gn bullets (brass case)thru it just to get a feel for the gun.

That ammo shot OK.

 

[jbtrucker]

Blazer is a good choice and whatever 115-124 gr is on sale Federal Remington , Fioochi , Independence sometimes Winchester. My Shield was finicky with HP at first but after a few hundred rounds ball ammo would cycle HP no problem including Truncated Cone

 

[1076HandCannon]

I use regular Winchester White Box (WWB) for plinking. For carry I use Hornady Critical Defense. My Shield has never malfunctioned with ~500 rounds down the pipe.

 

[CB3]

I always shoot 115 grn ball because my carry ammo is the Barnes TAC-XPD all-copper 115 grn bullet.

I buy by the 1000-round case shipped to my home. Sometimes Fiocci, sometimes Sellier & Bellot, sometimes Magtec. I find the European loads a little hotter and cleaner than Winchester White Box and other economy US made ammo. I won’t shoot steel case anything because it is almost always real dirty and low powered.

The gun eats anything, but the above mentioned three loads are economical, consistent, clean and at <$0.18/rnd, affordable.

 

[sheepdawg]

I like a lot of the Magtech stuff. It's bonded 124 gr. JHP is reasonably priced so you can practice with what you carry and it has very good reviews.

 

[lkabug]

I use Speer Lawman 124 gr, for the range.
It closely replicates my carry ammo.

 

[Rob613]

I carry 147 gr. Federal HST so I shoot Federal 147 gr. American Eagle FMJ at the range.

 

[Univibe]

Q4318 NATO can't be beat.

 

[iowaMallard]

Blazer brass 115gr

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

Blazer Brass 115gr, Winchester White Box 115gr, Fiocchi 115gr
I'm liking the Shield so much I'm thinking about getting another
Local Gun getting place has another Shield for $228.
Also the deal at PSA on the 5 magazines & ammo is smoking HOT!!

Five (5) Boxes Fiocchi 9mm 115gr FMJ Ammo, 250rds & Five (5) S&W M&P Shield 8rd 9mm Magazines

 

[swsig]

Q4318 NATO can't be beat.

I totally agree with the above. Winchester NATO 124g is easily the most accurate ammo I shoot with my Shield 9. I've tried just about every major brand and a few minor ones over the 5,800 rounds I've shot with my Shield, and Win NATO is the best. Even better, it's inexpensive.

 

[markmiela]

I carry 147 gr. Federal HST so I shoot Federal 147 gr. American Eagle FMJ at the range.

This ^^^^^^^


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ranger17]

I have a PC Shield 1.0 which I found some ammo brands’ fmj rounds list “not for ported use” due to thin plating, etc. Realizing that following those disclaimers or not is for another discussion, I have used Remington UMC, Herters, and American Eagle; all has been 115gn. Mostly the Rem ammo.
Those all have worked well for me and often can be found on sale, and I have 2500 trouble free rounds thru that Shield.

Thought I’d add that i have not found any noticeable difference between 115 and 124 gn ammo in the Shield; have not spent much time with 147 to be able to offer opinions on that.

 

[mckenney99]

Ok prepare for all the gasps and fainting. I shoot any ammo I can get through my Shields. In the winter I shoot Wolf steel cased and Blazer Aluminum, so I don't feel compelled to pry the cases out of the mud. Yes I'm a reloader and just can't stand to leave "brass" behind, hence the steel or aluminum cases so I can sleep at night. Other wise I've tried just about everything else throughout the year and mine eat and shoot everything. Granted most of my shooting is quick combat drills at 7 yards or less because to me that's more realistic as to how the gun will be deployed. Secondly, I've been disappointed in the 15+ yard accuracy of this Shield and I haven't felt compelled to buy an aftermarket barrel for it. I can shoot at 15+ yards and still put bullets where they need to go but this gun just does not shoot decent groups at the longer ranges.

 

[LVSteve]

I find the European loads a little hotter and cleaner than Winchester White Box and other economy US made ammo.

European 9mm is loaded to original 9mm specs, not the SAAMI downloaded spec that protects 45 ACP.

 

[ContinentalOp]

Whatever the cheapest ammo you can readily get that runs reliably in your gun (or unreliably if you want to practice a lot of malfunction-clearing drills... ).

I like to keep the bullet weight the same as my carry load, but it's not essential.

Personally, I like Speer Lawman TMJ ammo. It's my first-choice, go-to practice load. I don't have a Shield, but the barrel on my Beretta PX4 Compact is pretty close in length to a Shield's barrel length. I carry 147gr HST and so far have been using Speer 147gr TMJ for practice.

 

[ptf18]

Practice ammo for the Sheild

I carry 147 gr. Federal HST so I shoot Federal 147 gr. American Eagle FMJ at the range.

Rob613. Why do you use the heavier bullet?

 

[ptf18]

Secondly, I've been disappointed in the 15+ yard accuracy of this Shield and I haven't felt compelled to buy an aftermarket barrel for it. I can shoot at 15+ yards and still put bullets where they need to go but this gun just does not shoot decent groups at the longer ranges.

Mckenney.... Have you tried an assortment of bullet weights at the farther distances to see if the Sheild performs better than what you have seen?

Fellows: Anyone else seeing less than "stellar" results at distances greater than what we usually shoot at (7-10 yards) using the Shield?

 

[Bozz10mm]

For practice ammo, I use 115gr FMJ Fiocchi and 124gr FMJ American Eagle. Both are clean, reliable, and accurate. Fiocchi is a little cheaper so that is what I have used the most.

 

[mckenney99]

Mckenney.... Have you tried an assortment of bullet weights at the farther distances to see if the Sheild performs better than what you have seen?

Fellows: Anyone else seeing less than "stellar" results at distances greater than what we usually shoot at (7-10 yards) using the Shield?

I have tried all 3 main bullet weights and various brands of ammo with same less than stellar results. Initial testing was done seated with a solid rest for gun and arms. Accuracy of my 9mm Shield is no where near as good as my 45 Shield. I have gotten even worse accuracy from my 5 inch Pro model but I am looking at replacing that 5 inch barrel. All of my other M&P's (5) shoot very well. Inconsistent accuracy and trigger pulls are a known issue in some M&Ps & Shields. Again not a huge issue for me, this is a short range defensive firearm. I am long past the point where I was in a position to take offensive action at longer ranges. The 9mm Shield has been extremely reliable and that is more critical than target grade accuracy.