Ammo advice for newbie

[zmorrow]

So I have my CHL.

My father purchased me a gun, a Beretta Nano. (9mm).

I've still got to get a holster, but I went to a local Shooting Range down the street from me (Carters Country) and got lost with the variety of ammo.

If I want to go target practice, what is the best value. I don't want to buy top dollar full metal jacket ammo just to bury it in the dirt.

I was raised around guns and hunting, but it has been years sense I've purchased ammo or been "in the know" when it comes to ammo and guns.

I'm getting back involved with listening to multiple podcasts and getting involved on this forum, but the ammo is extremely confusing to me.

I'm also considering a Black Mamba holster from http://www.concealmentsolutions.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Anyone know anything about these? I heard about them listening to gundudes podcast.

All advice is greatly appreciated and highly criticized.

So to recap, Ammo? Holsters?

Thanks in advance,

Zach

[Middle Age Russ]

Zach,

For practice, you will want the least expensive (still too expensive compared to a couple of years ago), reliable ammo you can find. Typically this will be Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) or "Ball" ammo. Winchester White Box (WWB) is usually OK but a bit dirty/sooty. Remington and Federal also have good offerings, and you can sometimes get RWS, GECO or a few others that are also good.

For carry / defense, you will want to get Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP) ammo. In 9MM, there are several excellent choices -- as long as your gun runs it well. You will want to test functionality with whatever you choose. Speer Gold Dot and Hornady Critical Duty or Critical Defense are well recommended, as are offerings from some other manufacturers.

I don't know anything about the holster you mention, but I can recommend the Comp-Tac Minotaur M-Tac without reservations if you a looking for an Inside the WaistBand (IWB) holster. Others are equally impressed with the CrossBreed Supertuck, Galco KingTuk and other similar Kydex/Leather hybrid holsters. I will let others comment on Outside the WaistBand (OWB) holsters, since the M-Tac is the first holster I bought and I haven't even considered needing another.

[sammeow]

What he said....
And don't be afraid of Tula BrassMax. 100 rd for $23 at Wally World and Academy. PMC Bronze, Herters, Federal AE all shoot well in my LC9.
Check your owners manual, but it's a good idea to stay away from steel case and +P in small pistols. They can cause issues.

As far as holsters go... Remora and N82 Pro. IWB are my choices.

[carlson1]

I like the Hornady Critical Duty. I also like Federal HST.

I have to experience with the holster listed, but look into the Comp Tac Infidel holster. It is easy on and off. The construction of any of the Comp Tac products are superb and no I do not work for them.

[TexasCajun]

I carry the nano every day. For practice, I prefer the heavier jhp rounds (124 or 147 grain). But today it's hard to be picky with 9mm, so I'll shoot the 115 vs not practicing at all. WWB, speer lawman, fedral, pmc, etc will all run through the nano. For carry, i use either federal hst or hornaday critical duty. I carry in a kholster hybrid half moon holster and I carry 2 spare mags in a Fox mag carrier. And since I believe in a substantial amount of practice with what I carry, and since the nano cab get hard on the hands after a while; I picked up a Talon rubber grip wrap so I can extend my practice sessions.

[Cedar Park Dad]

Zach,

For practice, you will want the least expensive (still too expensive compared to a couple of years ago), reliable ammo you can find. Typically this will be Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) or "Ball" ammo. Winchester White Box (WWB) is usually OK but a bit dirty/sooty. Remington and Federal also have good offerings, and you can sometimes get RWS, GECO or a few others that are also good.

For carry / defense, you will want to get Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP) ammo. In 9MM, there are several excellent choices -- as long as your gun runs it well. You will want to test functionality with whatever you choose. Speer Gold Dot and Hornady Critical Duty or Critical Defense are well recommended, as are offerings from some other manufacturers.

I don't know anything about the holster you mention, but I can recommend the Comp-Tac Minotaur M-Tac without reservations if you a looking for an Inside the WaistBand (IWB) holster. Others are equally impressed with the CrossBreed Supertuck, Galco KingTuk and other similar Kydex/Leather hybrid holsters. I will let others comment on Outside the WaistBand (OWB) holsters, since the M-Tac is the first holster I bought and I haven't even considered needing another.

MAR has the way of it.
cheap ammo, also look at Sellior & Bellot, Wolf, Magtech, and Bear. I am not a real fan of them, but they are cheap ammo. Indoor places typically only take brass.

More importantly, it must be restated, you need to test what carry ammo you want. Each pistol is different and reacts differently. Decent carry ammo should never jam a well maintained pistol and magazines.

I'll second the holsters noted above. All are good.

[C-dub]

Winchester White Box (WWB) is usually OK but a bit dirty/sooty.

Do you really think WWB is dirty?

I have found it to be a little on the expensive side for FMJ, but as far as cleanliness goes, it is much cleaner than many others. I like the Federal stuff that comes in those 100 round value packs, but haven't seen any for a while. The only problem I have with it is that stuff is that I tend to find flakes of unburned power on my arms. The dirtiest stuff for me is Blazer.

[Pecos]

Zach,

For practice, you will want the least expensive (still too expensive compared to a couple of years ago), reliable ammo you can find. Typically this will be Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) or "Ball" ammo. Winchester White Box (WWB) is usually OK but a bit dirty/sooty. Remington and Federal also have good offerings, and you can sometimes get RWS, GECO or a few others that are also good.

For carry / defense, you will want to get Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP) ammo. In 9MM, there are several excellent choices -- as long as your gun runs it well. You will want to test functionality with whatever you choose. Speer Gold Dot and Hornady Critical Duty or Critical Defense are well recommended, as are offerings from some other manufacturers.

I don't know anything about the holster you mention, but I can recommend the Comp-Tac Minotaur M-Tac without reservations if you a looking for an Inside the WaistBand (IWB) holster. Others are equally impressed with the CrossBreed Supertuck, Galco KingTuk and other similar Kydex/Leather hybrid holsters. I will let others comment on Outside the WaistBand (OWB) holsters, since the M-Tac is the first holster I bought and I haven't even considered needing another.

[The Annoyed Man]

Winchester White Box (WWB) is usually OK but a bit dirty/sooty.

Do you really think WWB is dirty?

I have found it to be a little on the expensive side for FMJ, but as far as cleanliness goes, it is much cleaner than many others. I like the Federal stuff that comes in those 100 round value packs, but haven't seen any for a while. The only problem I have with it is that stuff is that I tend to find flakes of unburned power on my arms. The dirtiest stuff for me is Blazer.

I don't have a problem shooting WWB in any of my guns, but I notice that it leaves more of a sort of baked on carbon residue in my guns than some other brands. Monarch red box from Academy is fairly inexpensive (by comparison in today's market) for brass-cased ammo. I notice that it does leave some sort of flaky ash-like stuff laying around all over everything where it's been fired, but there isn't too much baked on soot. S&B is the same way. The Remington green boxes of FMJ burn a lot like the WWB, at least in my experience.

But I don't worry too much about dirty practice ammo. Clean your gun when you're done, and treat it with something like Froglube to help keep stuff from sticking to the metal in the first place......so that cleaning your gun the next time becomes a breeze.

In my Kahr PM9 (roughly analogous to the OP's Nano) I carry Corbon 115 Grain +P DPX JHPs: http://www.corbon.com/corboncart/corbon ... px09115-20

The all-copper bullet construction conquers hard barriers like auto glass and steel while still maintaining its integrity. This is an optimum load for Law Enforcement.
- Deep penetration on soft tissue 12-17 inches.
- Easily conquers hard barriers like auto glass and steel.
- Reduced recoil due to lighter weight projectile.
- Solid Copper projectile.
- Environmentally friendly!
*CERTIFIED: CALIFORNIA LEAD FREE*

Caliber: 9mm Luger Plus P
Bullet Wt.: 115gr DPX
Velocity: 1250fps
Energy: 399ftlbs
Test Barrel Length: 4.0 Inches
20 rounds per box.

Per this website—Ballistics by the Inch—that would amount to about a 70 fps loss in my 3" barrel, for a velocity in my gun of approximately 1180 fps. That's a 5.2% loss of velocity, so energy loss would be similar resulting in about 378 ftlbs, and penetration of 11.4" - 16.1"..........still more than adequate.

The stuff is expensive....on the order of $5-$10 more per box of 20 than other brands....but it functions in my gun, and what is $5-$10 if I actually ever have to use the gun in self-defense?

(EDITED TO FIX LINK)

[Middle Age Russ]

Regarding my comment about WWB being a bit dirty or sooty. In 100 round boxes of the stuff that I have used, it has seemed to leave more of the carbon soot behind than some other brands. As TAM said, it isn't a big deal since most of us clean our guns reasonably frequently. FWIW, the cleanest factory rounds I have shot in recent years in 9mm have been RWS. The ejected brass has virtually no soot on it or anything.

[rotor]

Seriously, are there any commercial brands that don't go bang and cycle your gun? When everything was abundant and cheap you could be choosey but everything seems to work well and the only thing I don't buy is steel cased ammo, because I can't reload them. Otherwise beyond the standards I buy Aguilla, PMC and whatever else is on the shelf. For practice I use 115 and 124 gr fmj. For carry I agree with the self defense rounds, all have to be tested in your particular gun. Cheap stuff for practice though. How long does it take to run a boresnake down a barrel?

[zmorrow]

Thank you all so much for the advice! This forum is full of so many helpful people! Love it! Thanks again and I will be doing some heavy practice so I will certainly get some talon grips.

Zach

[C-dub]

Regarding my comment about WWB being a bit dirty or sooty. In 100 round boxes of the stuff that I have used, it has seemed to leave more of the carbon soot behind than some other brands. As TAM said, it isn't a big deal since most of us clean our guns reasonably frequently. FWIW, the cleanest factory rounds I have shot in recent years in 9mm have been RWS. The ejected brass has virtually no soot on it or anything.

I'll have to try some of that RWS stuff.

[JSThane]

How long does it take to run a boresnake down a barrel?

I would advise against doing only this in a cleaning of a semi-automatic. In fact, the bore is the one area of the gun I rarely worry about cleaning at all. With modern primers and powders, we no longer have to worry about corrosive salts getting in the bore and eating it. All that's left is the actual carbon fouling.

I'd check any part of the gun where metal moves against metal. Slide rails, frame rails, feed ramp, etc. These are where I've noticed heavy carbon buildup on my pistols.

I've never fouled a barrel to the point where the pistol jammed. I have fouled the rails and feed ramp enough to jam it up.

[Beiruty]

I thoroughly clean my pistols in the first week after the shooting. Call me whatever you want, a pistol that looks like a new one is a blessing.