Bulk 9mm Ammo Purchase - For future brass

[Lonely Raven]

I've hit the search and seen "what brass" threads that seem to be all over the place.

This one is a little different in that, I'm looking to buy 2k of factory ammo (bulk cheap stuff) for my fiance and I to practice with, which will eventually be reloaded with loads figured out for each of our pistols.

I can find bulk Winchester White box, Speer Lawman, S&B, Federal American Eagle, and Aguila 9mm for *about* $200 per 1000, plus shipping. I've seen good and bad on all but WWB, so I'm leaning towards that.

So my question, do any of these stand out for having excellent brass for reloading? Our use will be basically inexpensive training/tactical and hopefully taking some classes this year.

Note: I've been reloading on and off for 10+ years, but until recently all my brass was free...so I never really paid attention to brass quality. I have experience reloading, I'm just not sure what's good brass *today*.

Thanks in avance!

Edited February 6, 2012 by Lonely Raven

[9mmMike]

Winchester brass is excellent among the names mentioned below. I often buy WWB and pull the bullets and powder and load them to my specifications. I also have experience with Federal's American Eagle and my reloads with their brass worked for me as well.

[jdphotoguy]

Don't quote me on this, but I seem to recall S&B being difficult to seat primers in.

A shoot all WWB before I started reloading, so had plenty of Winchester brass, thus all my reloading is done with Winchester brass, it's of good quality, easy to prime and it gives me more consistence using just one manufacture of brass. That is not to say the others have inferior brass.

Edited February 6, 2012 by jdphotoguy

[pmd]

Contact Doug at DC Ammo - he might be able to set you up..he's in the Vendor section and make great stuff..

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showforum=249

[Steve RA]

Look in the classified section, there are usually people selling 9mm brass for really low prices.

[springer99]

I find that WWB and Federal American Eagle brass to be very good and about equal for reloading. The S&B brass does tend to have tighter primer pockets than those two, but other than that, I've had no problems using that as well.

I also tend to buy bulk ball ammo to use for practice and save the cases for reloading. In that case, I try to get the Federal AE as that's been the most accurate factory ammo, by far, that I've found. YMMV

[splitime]

I haven't started reloading it, but I did shoot some Federal AE 124grn yesterday and liked it quite a bit. Kept all the casings for future use... Was on sale at Palmetto for hair over 10 a 50rnd box.

[mcracco]

Guess I don't understand why a reloader would buy factory ammo just for the brass. There are any number of vendors where you can buy good quality once fired brass. Why not start there and pay half as much for a finished round?

[59Bassman]

Guess I don't understand why a reloader would buy factory ammo just for the brass. There are any number of vendors where you can buy good quality once fired brass. Why not start there and pay half as much for a finished round?

He might be getting set up to reload and looking for ammo to shoot until he's set up. I did that several years ago when I got back to shooting handguns. I bought a whole bunch of .45 ACP Blazer Brass ammo to shoot until I got my reloading setup back together.

So far with my limited 9mm experience (about 5K rounds), I've come to hate S&B or Aguila brass. Those two seem choke my press more often than anything other than ICC. I don't have problems with any other brass. Winchester, Hornady, Federal, Speer, R-P, all good stuff.

[njl]

I'm guessing he doesn't reload yet, but is planning ahead, so he wants to make sure his factory ammo has good brass for when he does start reloading it.

Of the above, Win and Federal would be my first choices. Speer is probably fine too. I wouldn't recommend S&B. My only real experience with Aguila is in .30 carbine...where their factory stuff is underpowered, not terribly accurate, and some of the brass doesn't survive the first shooting, much less reloading.

[springer99]

Guess I don't understand why a reloader would buy factory ammo just for the brass. There are any number of vendors where you can buy good quality once fired brass. Why not start there and pay half as much for a finished round?

For some "Service Pistol" matches using an M9, we're not allowed to use reloads but must use what is considered to be standard ball issue ammo. Plus, Federal AE goes on sale from time to time at just over $10 a box which makes it pretty reasonable. Otherwise, you're right, a good reload would be a bit cheaper.

[njl]

A bit cheaper? If you can't load jacketed 9mm bullets for about 50% off commercial ammo prices, you're doing something wrong.

[codemonkey001]

i'd go w/ the Winchester. i happened to get several thousand that were once fired at a police range and it's nice.

[warpspeed]

Either Winchester WB or the Federal AE will be just fine.

[Hi-Power Jack]

A bit cheaper? If you can't load jacketed 9mm bullets for about 50% off commercial ammo prices, you're doing something wrong.

When I buy MG by the case, the bullet alone is $5/box of 50.

If you buy commercial at $10/box, you're not paying for the

brass, powder or primer to save 50% ???

The b,p,p cost about $2/box, depending. That adds up to $7/box, doesn't it?

And, if you load 147's, the cost goes up even more.

You do save a bit, but get better ammo.

I guess you can save more by shooting lead bullets? But that's too messy for me.

Jack

[hkguy]

My 9mm reloads cost just under $5.50 per 50. You might want to look at USA ammo, their remaned ammo is $8.50/50 rounds or even georgiaarms, their canned heat is a great value as well.

[njl]

I mostly shoot 124gr 9mm. 124gr FMJ from PD are $84/1000 delivered.

So...loading 1000 rounds, figure $84 for the bullets (more for 147s, less for 115s), $30 for the primers, $12 for the powder, $0 for the brass you pick up at the range, so $126 total. Last I looked, Win value packs at walmart were about $23 for 100 rounds (plus tax). So that's $24 and change for 100 rounds vs $12.60 for 100 rounds. Nearly 50% off.

If you don't have access to a range where other shooters leave you free brass, you may have to buy brass, but if you buy wisely, you can get mostly once fired brass for around $30/1000 and re-use it enough times that the cost amortizes out to almost nothing...unless all your shooting is lost-brass events.

I just checked Natchez though, and see they have several brands of factory ammo on sale...so you can get a case (1000 rounds of) Federal for (to me) $213 delivered (Blazer aluminum is even cheaper). That's probably a better deal than Walmart Winchester value packs...but still quite a bit more $ than it costs me to reload 9mm...and I'm using heavier bullets and getting less recoil.

[Dr.Woo]

I shoot at an indoor range and sweep up any brass laying around. I have accumulated thousands of 9mm. It is the most wildly used caliber. If you go to a gun show you should be able to buy used 9mm brass for $35. to $50. per thousand. Another idea is to ask at your local indoor range. They usually sell used brass that they sweep up. It matters not to me what brand. Only military brass with crimped primers cause a hiccup.

[gose]

I shoot at an indoor range and sweep up any brass laying around. I have accumulated thousands of 9mm. It is the most wildly used caliber. If you go to a gun show you should be able to buy used 9mm brass for $35. to $50. per thousand. Another idea is to ask at your local indoor range. They usually sell used brass that they sweep up. It matters not to me what brand. Only military brass with crimped primers cause a hiccup.

No need to go to a gun show, once fired mixed headstamp 9mm brass can usually be found online for $30-40 shipped.

[Lonely Raven]

Guess I don't understand why a reloader would buy factory ammo just for the brass. There are any number of vendors where you can buy good quality once fired brass. Why not start there and pay half as much for a finished round?

I ran the numbers, and I'm coming in at a little more than half the price of new, assuming I'm using quality bullets.

I want fresh brass shot from my gun, not something swept up off the floor, and/or from someone I don't know. I've been bitten too often in the past with brass that didn't load more than 3 times before it was shot, or too "Glocked" to use.

I figure if I start with fresh brass, that came from my pistols and prepped by *me*, I know what I'm working with.

My other option is to try to get permission to sweep up after an event at my local shop, but then again, I never know if these guys are using well used reloaded brass.

I appreciate everyone's suggestions. I'll stay away from Aguila and S&B for reloading. I seem to hear a lot of *meh* about their brass. I had a lead on WWB @ $200 for 1000 but they sold out. Hopefully another deal like that will come up soon.

[Dr.Woo]

Well, to each His own. I've never had any problems and If I have to throw some away, no great loss. I would buy loaded bullets and save the brass before I would pay the prices I see for new brass. What ever works for you.

[sroe3]

I shot S&B and RWS my first year in USPSA. $189-210/1000. I saved all my own brass at practice. At the the end of the match I picked brass on the stage I tore down. I had little trouble with bulged or cracked brass. I probably would have culled a few less rounds using only my own brass but I don't pick "my" brass during a match. In hindsight I would have bought better ammo. The S&B does have tight pockets. Not a problem but noticeable. RWS is a steel jacketed, copper plated bullet and a little hard on the gun barrel. Live and learn.

[njl]

My only experience with RWS is picking it up at the range and finding that it doesn't flare easily on the powder funnel. I definitely wouldn't buy either S&B or RWS for the brass with the idea of reloading it.

[Sin-ster]

I single out Federal brass from the "unmarked" pile, and have decided that it is by far my favorite.

Or I should say-- my press's favorite.

WIN has been a fairly consistent PITA from day one, as I had tons of WWB brass on hand. It seems to size harder (using Hornady One Shot), it does not clean up as well as the Federal (in my walnut media with Frankford Arsenal polish) -- and most importantly, I catch primers going into the pocket all of the time and end up with them mangled, sometimes to the point of pulling the case. That has never happened with the Federal stuff-- to the point where when I do run into a hiccup, I know without question that a piece of WIN has snuck into my separated brass.

I also find that it loads longer than Federal, Speer, PMC and R-P in my press-- which BTW, is giving me an ES on COAL of no more than .003, and an SD less than .001.

I have heard that the tougher resizing is due to thicker brass, and surmise that its refusal to clean up very well is a matter of the brass composition-- which probably effects resizing as well. The rough seating of primers has been attributed to a sharper shoulder on the primer pocket, the fact that some primer pockets aren't centered in the WIN brass (which makes sense, as not every case will crush one), and even to some outlandish conspiracy theory that the non-crimped brass shares something in common with the crimped in terms of construction.

All I know is that reloading 1k per Thursday (that's right-- starting up in about 20 minutes), the Federal goes through my machine like butter, with the only consistent hiccups coming from the WIN that has snuck in there. YMMV.

[Lonely Raven]

That's great info, thanks!