I am a first-time gun owner - purchased a Ruger SR9 last week. I have some questions about ammunition and am looking for sound advice and seasoned gun owner's experiences. I've shot Magtech, Blazer and Federal 9mm Luger ammo with the gun and I have had the best experience with the Blazer and Federal. So, my questions are:

1. Is the 115 grain less desirable than the 124?
   
2. Is it safe to buy the ammo online and have it shipped? (I've seen good deals on Cabela's and natchezss.com).
   
3. If I buy in bulk (which for me right now is more than 2 boxes at a time) what is the best way to store it?
   
4. Are there any good gun stores in Northern NJ that sell ammo at good prices? (I've bought a few boxes at Ramsey's up in Ledgewood for $14/box).
   
5. Does it matter if I buy brass or aluminum?
   
6. Does really cheap ammo do any damage to the gun? And, is it potentially dangerous?
   
7. Is there a manufacturer I should never, ever buy?
   

Thanks for any help and feel free to thrown in other ammo tips I didn't ask about!!!

115gr is a lighter bullet. Some people prefer a heavier bullet.

 

Buying online is great - you tend to get better deals. I buy from Cabelas a lot.

 

I just store at room temperature. If you feel your place is going to be really humid, you might want to get some dessicant to help keep it drier.

 

I would buy brass over aluminum - several ranges (including RTSP) do not allow aluminum or steel cased ammo.

Cheap ammo might be dirty and less accurate. Shouldn't hurt the gun.

• Is the 115 grain less desirable than the 124? - Personal preference, also difference firearms may prefer different weights.
  
• Is it safe to buy the ammo online and have it shipped? (I've seen good deals on Cabela's and natchezss.com).Yes. I typically use SGAmmo, AmmunitionToGo, NatchezSS and TargetSportsUSA. If you are buying a case at TargetSportsUSA then delivery/shipping is included (note that when comparing costs)
  
• If I buy in bulk (which for me right now is more than 2 boxes at a time) what is the best way to store it? You can buy a GoldenRod heater (http://www.goldenroddehumidifiers.com/) for a few dollars if you have humidity or are storing in a garage or basement. These are less hassle than using the dessicant satchels.
  
• Are there any good gun stores in Northern NJ that sell ammo at good prices? (I've bought a few boxes at Ramsey's up in Ledgewood for $14/box). not sure, I've generally found buying online is best
  
• Does it matter if I buy brass or aluminum I would suggest brass for now, it is more reliable in a greater variety of firearms.
  
• Does really cheap ammo do any damage to the gun? And, is it potentially dangerous You can find Federal, Sellier & Bellot, Speer Lawman for between $9.99 and $11.50 a box so I've never seen a need to save that little bit extra and go for the Russian or other brands.
  
• Is there a manufacturer I should never, ever buy? different people will probably say yes. All I'll say is I stick to Federal American Eagle, Sellier & Bellot, Speer Lawman myself. I found WInchester white box very dirty, and I found Remington flamed too much.
  

 

 

HTH

 

TheWombat

For decent priced ammo keep an eye on the Dicks flyers. This week Remington 9 is 11.98, some weeks as cheap as 9.98.

Buy online. It's usually much cheaper than any local stores (sorry local shops, it's the truth).

 

Try buying a bunch of different boxes and ammo....mix n match if you will. Then shoot that stuff and see what your pistol likes more or shoots better.

 

Cheaper ammo is usually steel cased, and won't really do any damage to your pistol. Most people prefer brass because you can reload it, cash it in, and people tend to have less problems with brass than steel or aluminum. I found a deal of $160 shipped Blazer Aluminum on gun broker two months ago, I had to hop on it because it was such a good price.

For range ammo shoot whatever you can get cheap that has good QC. I usually either shoot WWB (filthy, and I have found oddly crimped cases), Magtech (9a 115gr), and Federal (WM5199) because I can get it fairly cheap. For HD rounds you are going to want to shoot a few hundred rounds of it problem free before using it to protect you and your family. HD ammo of course is a bit more pricey.

I bought 2 cases at Natchez this weekend, 1 of Speer and 1 of Federal. It worked out a couple of bucks cheaper than Targetsport even though TS offered free shipping. Think I paid 9.49/box for 9mm and 15.99/box for .45 acp. Similar to other posters, you have to find what works for you. I haven't had any issue with WWB from Walmart in PA, but do notice that Remington tends to flame a bit more so I tend to stay away. Haven't had any issues with Federal or especially Speer - a buddy of mine is NJSP and they use Speer at their training ranges - figure if good enough for them, good enough for me.

I am a first-time gun owner - purchased a Ruger SR9 last week. I have some questions about ammunition and am looking for sound advice and seasoned gun owner's experiences. I've shot Magtech, Blazer and Federal 9mm Luger ammo with the gun and I have had the best experience with the Blazer and Federal. So, my questions are:

1. Is the 115 grain less desirable than the 124? - Not less desireable, just lighter and therefore higher fps rates. With a heaver bullet you can move up to +P to keep the velocity up.
   
2. Is it safe to buy the ammo online and have it shipped? (I've seen good deals on Cabela's and natchezss.com). - I buy from Sportsmans Guide and have been able to get 9MM at .20 a round on free shipping days
   
3. If I buy in bulk (which for me right now is more than 2 boxes at a time) what is the best way to store it? - store it in ammo cans so you can keep the caliber's organized and locked up. Plus they are stackable. If I get a good price I will pick up 1,000 round lots.
   
4. Are there any good gun stores in Northern NJ that sell ammo at good prices? (I've bought a few boxes at Ramsey's up in Ledgewood for $14/box).- I have only bought at Dick's until they moved the ammo department to Rockaway. It is now too far out of the way for me so I buy online.
   
5. Does it matter if I buy brass or aluminum? - if it will run through your gun, it dosn't matter.
   
6. Does really cheap ammo do any damage to the gun? And, is it potentially dangerous? - all ammo is potentially dangerous. With really cheap ammo you may be cleaning more often.
   
7. Is there a manufacturer I should never, ever buy? - different brands shoot differently. Some ranges prohibit certain manufacturers.
   

Thanks for any help and feel free to thrown in other ammo tips I didn't ask about!!! - what matters is what you use for practice versus what you use for home defense. In a HD scenario, stopping power is key while minimizing penetration through walls.

Seems like most of the questions here were answered pretty well.

 

For other tips, I would suggest the following:

 

If you buy a gun safe, find the one you want, and then get one that is twice the size. One gun becomes eight very quickly, and if you are married, your wife will start to use the safe to store Jewelry and other valuables.

 

Welcome to the sport.

Seems like most of the questions here were answered pretty well.

 

For other tips, I would suggest the following:

 

If you buy a gun safe, find the one you want, and then get one that is twice the size. One gun becomes eight very quickly, and if you are married, your wife will start to use the safe to store Jewelry and other valuables.

 

Welcome to the sport.

 

That is exactly right, you can and will use the safe to store other valuables. I bought a Winchester gun safe on ebay for 1449 with shipping. Its rated to hold 51 long guns, but I think that is optimistic. There are pockets for hand guns and a ton of pockets for other stuff.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WINCHESTER-Security-GUN-SAFE-Fireproof-RANGER-45-Black-/190618269126?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c61bbf5c6

 

This is the safe I bought. It was shipped free but was palletized in a very sketchy way. I almost bought a smaller safe but am glad I didn't.

Fantastic looking safe! Did I read that right? 51 long guns 0_o. I thought I went overboard with my safe and it is a bit smaller

It is spec'd at 51 LG's and there are holsters for 8 hand guns on the door. I think 40 LG's maybe a stretch but possible. The safe is good quality, much nicer than the cannon safes at Tractor Supply or Dicks.

Thanks for all the great replies. I need an ammunition decoder ring to figure out some of the acronyms though. Rifleman wrote this: can someone explain what fps is and +P

• Is the 115 grain less desirable than the 124? - Not less desireable, just lighter and therefore higher fps rates. With a heaver bullet you can move up to +P to keep the velocity up.
  

Thanks for all the great replies. I need an ammunition decoder ring to figure out some of the acronyms though. Rifleman wrote this: can someone explain what fps is and +P

• Is the 115 grain less desirable than the 124? - Not less desireable, just lighter and therefore higher fps rates. With a heaver bullet you can move up to +P to keep the velocity up.
  

 

fps = feet per second.

+p is a specification that the ammo is a bit more powerful than standard. Some guns can handle +p (higher pressure) and some not.

Use muzzle energy (in ft lbs) as a guide - force = mass x velocity squared. I love this stuff! But don't get too caught up on this... all major brands will work well.

And also be aware that there is no SAAMI specifications for +p+ ammo so that stuff can be loaded to whatever the manufacturer wants.

• Is the 115 grain less desirable than the 124? - Personal preference, also difference firearms may prefer different weights.good quality modern pistols should shoot almost anything.
  
• Is it safe to buy the ammo online and have it shipped? (I've seen good deals on Cabela's and natchezss.com).Yes. I typically use SGAmmo, AmmunitionToGo, NatchezSS and TargetSportsUSA. If you are buying a case at TargetSportsUSA then delivery/shipping is included (note that when comparing costs) Good advise
  
• If I buy in bulk (which for me right now is more than 2 boxes at a time) what is the best way to store it? You can buy a GoldenRod heater (http://www.goldenroddehumidifiers.com/) for a few dollars if you have humidity or are storing in a garage or basement. These are less hassle than using the dessicant satchels. Just keep it in a dry box or ammo can.
  
• Are there any good gun stores in Northern NJ that sell ammo at good prices? (I've bought a few boxes at Ramsey's up in Ledgewood for $14/box). not sure, I've generally found buying online is best Sales, sales, sales!!!
  
• Does it matter if I buy brass or aluminum I would suggest brass for now, it is more reliable in a greater variety of firearms. Brass is preferred. Aluminum OK in a pinch. Steel is bad.
  
• Does really cheap ammo do any damage to the gun? And, is it potentially dangerous You can find Federal, Sellier & Bellot, Speer Lawman for between $9.99 and $11.50 a box so I've never seen a need to save that little bit extra and go for the Russian or other brands.Brass is preferred. Aluminum OK in a pinch. Steel is bad.
  
• Is there a manufacturer I should never, ever buy? different people will probably say yes. All I'll say is I stick to Federal American Eagle, Sellier & Bellot, Speer Lawman myself. I found WInchester white box very dirty, and I found Remington flamed too much. I like "Jockey " brand breifs. Do you have a preference?
  

 

 

HTH

 

TheWombat