Reliability of Walmart sourced practice ammo?

[KeithH]

In cheap 9mm brass practice ammo I have three choices. Yellow box Remington, white box Winchester and Federal Champion. Its there any difference in reliability with these three in an HK P30SK? I had two stoppages yesterday with the Winchester, both stove pipe jams. I have not had any issues yet with this gun till yesterday. Just hit the thousand round mark. The manual insists on brass ammo only.

I did purchase some over pressure Federal Aluminum 9mm that locked a Shield down tight that I used to own. Been a little wary of Walmart since then.

So does it matter or not?

[Peally]

Walmart doesn't make ammo they just sell the common brands you can find in any sporting goods store ;)

If your P30 isn't eating them all just fine that's a bit odd. Winchester white box is the go-to for generic nothing-special OTC ammunition.

[pangloss]

Check out SGAmmo.com. They have a great selection and great prices. Also Lucky Gunner and AIMSurplus. Is there some reason you're limited to WalMart?

Sent from my Moto G Play using Tapatalk

[Artemas2]

All three of your named lines are quality inexpensive low power factor ammo;) If you use any one of them long enough you will have a stoppage of some kind.

Federal American Eagle and Blazer BRASS may be a touch better, but for practice it will all work.

[Cypher]

Second for SGAmmo. I can get Blazer Brass for 3 or 4 bucks cheaper per box than Walmart prices

[KeithH]

Walmart doesn't make ammo they just sell the common brands you can find in any sporting goods store ;)

If your P30 isn't eating them all just fine that's a bit odd. Winchester white box is the go-to for generic nothing-special OTC ammunition.

Thanks. Good to know. I am a little wary of Walmart because they are my employers biggest vendor, keeping some of our plants running 24/7. We routinely carve out tiny amounts of raw materials per part to cut costs. Quality gets compromised in the process.

Makes me suspicious of anything they sell.

[BehindBlueI's]

Thanks. Good to know. I am a little wary of Walmart because they are my employers biggest vendor, keeping some of our plants running 24/7. We routinely carve out tiny amounts of raw materials per part to cut costs. Quality gets compromised in the process.

Makes me suspicious of anything they sell.

Why not just order online? There's a plethora of reliable online sources for cases of practice ammo.

[Artemas2]

Thanks. Good to know. I am a little wary of Walmart because they are my employers biggest vendor, keeping some of our plants running 24/7. We routinely carve out tiny amounts of raw materials per part to cut costs. Quality gets compromised in the process.

Makes me suspicious of anything they sell.

I have heard years back that Wal-mart buys (or use to buy) guns that did not pass QC from Ruger and some others. I have no idea or anyway to verify if there is any truth to that claim.

[KeithH]

Check out SGAmmo.com. They have a great selection and great prices. Also Lucky Gunner and AIMSurplus. Is there some reason you're limited to WalMart?

Sent from my Moto G Play using Tapatalk

Thanks for the reminder of SGAmmo.com. Have not bought from them in 8 years. Completely forgot they existed.

[JAH 3rd]

I use SGAmmo for two reasons, price and a variety of choices in whatever caliber I am looking at....talking handgun ammo here. Of course, looking for ongoing sales from various vendors can save one some money too.

[Kyle Reese]

Sellier and Bellot 9x19 115 grain FMJ,
$163.80 per 1000. Shipping is usually $16. This is my current go to practice ammo for my Generation 5 Glock 17.

https://www.sgammo.com/product/sellier-bellot-ammo-sale/temporary-sale-1000-round-case-9mm-luger-sellier-bellot-115-grain-f

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[Lester Polfus]

In cheap 9mm brass practice ammo I have three choices. Yellow box Remington, white box Winchester and Federal Champion. Its there any difference in reliability with these three in an HK P30SK? I had two stoppages yesterday with the Winchester, both stove pipe jams. I have not had any issues yet with this gun till yesterday. Just hit the thousand round mark. The manual insists on brass ammo only.

I did purchase some over pressure Federal Aluminum 9mm that locked a Shield down tight that I used to own. Been a little wary of Walmart since then.

So does it matter or not?

If that was the Winchester White Box 115 grain ammo, it's pretty weak sauce. I can regularly induce a failure in my otherwise completely reliable Glock 19 by shooting that ammo with a weak, one-handed grip. A friends 9mm USP would have occasionally have issues with that ammo too.

I don't think the problem with that ammo is that you bought it at Wal-Mart. It's just not hot enough to be 100% reliable.

[RJ]

Third (fourth?) for sgammo.com.

I consistently find them hard to beat for reliable quality ammo. Last ordered a case of AE9DP and a couple boxes of Federal HST. They consistently have good prices and availability (although GD 124+p is hard to find; good that Federal HST 147 is also on Doc's List) such that I've never had a problem getting ammo from them. And fast shipping. And very easy to communicate with. Just a solid company to deal with for all of the (10?) or so transactions I've had over the last four or five years.

[vaspence]

I did the majority of my P365 2000 round test with the Wally World Fed 115 brass fmj. For the price (around $180 per thousand) it's comparable with 115fmj shipped. I've had no issues with it or the small amount of aluminum Federal 115 fmj I used. That said, I love me some sgammo for 124 and 147 grain 9mm.

[Wayne Dobbs]

SGAmmo is very much GTG. I have been buying that Federal 115 from Wally World lately and it's $182.98 counting the sales tax. I've had great luck with that line of ammo in everything.

[BigD]

I have heard years back that Wal-mart buys (or use to buy) guns that did not pass QC from Ruger and some others. I have no idea or anyway to verify if there is any truth to that claim.

I don’t trust Walmart, but nor do I believe all the rumors out there.

Why would Ruger be willing to sell sub-standard guns through Walmart but not through Cabela’s or the LGS? It’s their reputation and warranty claim regardless of where it was purchased.

[einherjarvalk]

I ran about 400 rounds of Federal Champion through my P30L without complaints other than some lead flakes occasionally spitting back at me. I try to avoid Wally World for ammo, but if I'm really pressed for time, I'll still pick up Federal Champion.

Brownells and SGAmmo are otherwise my go-tos. I've paid 17 CPR for my last two cases of Fiocchi and S&B from them.

[11B10]

My excuse for buying ammo at Wal-Mart is simple: I'm low and in a hurry. Buying ammo online has always been the cheapest way for me..if I have the time. I've not had as many firearms as some here, but, I've never had any problems with Wal-Mart ammo. FWIW, I only buy Federal American Eagle there.

[Kyle Reese]

I guess that my biggest problem with buying ammo at Wal-Mart is having to go to Wal-Mart, attempt to track down someone with a key to the ammo cabinet, etc. Much easier to just order from SG Ammo, Target Sports USA or Brownells.

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[Lester Polfus]

I guess that my biggest problem with buying ammo at Wal-Mart is having to go to Wal-Mart, attempt to track down someone with a key to the ammo cabinet, etc. Much easier to just order from SG Ammo, Target Sports USA or Brownells.

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At our local Wal-Mart, there is a non-trivial chance you might have to use the ammo before you make it back to your car.

[BehindBlueI's]

At our local Wal-Mart, there is a non-trivial chance you might have to use the ammo before you make it back to your car.

My very first suspect as a detective drove to a Wal-mart in a different county and robbed a guy in the parking lot of his newly purchased .270 rifle and accouterments then drove back to our county for his planned shootout with the police (which he didn't actually engage in). This was a guy who was setting fire to houses then shooting the occupants as they ran out in a targeted "you owed me money and didn't pay me" message sending campaign.

[Lester Polfus]

My very first suspect as a detective drove to a Wal-mart in a different county and robbed a guy in the parking lot of his newly purchased .270 rifle and accouterments then drove back to our county for his planned shootout with the police (which he didn't actually engage in). This was a guy who was setting fire to houses then shooting the occupants as they ran out in a targeted "you owed me money and didn't pay me" message sending campaign.

Sounds about right.

Ours opened after we moved here. There was a stabbing in the parking lot within 24 hours. My understanding is that the other stores in town like Fred Meyer, have seen a noticeable reduction of inventory shrinkage, shoplifting, and general shit-baggery.

As much as I dislike it, I do occasionally go there. It's a 40 mile round trip to The Wal-Mart (we're "rural") but that's still 20 miles closer than some of the other stores that sell some of the stuff that Wal-Mart sells.

The last time I was there, there was a grown ass man arguing with his mother about whether he could have the big box of Pop-Tarts or the little box. What moved it out of "pathetic" territory and into "frightening" was that he was open carrying what I believe was some form of Taurus autoloader in a cheap nylon holster.

[einherjarvalk]

I guess that my biggest problem with buying ammo at Wal-Mart is having to go to Wal-Mart, attempt to track down someone with a key to the ammo cabinet, etc. Much easier to just order from SG Ammo, Target Sports USA or Brownells.

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No kidding. I once waited a full hour for someone to find a damn key and open the cabinet for me. If it weren't for the fact that they were selling the last of their ZQI 7.62 for $5 a box, I'd have left 45 minutes prior.

[Olim9]

100rds of 12ga birdshot for $20 is about the only reason why I go there from time to time.

[Trooper224]

I don’t trust Walmart, but nor do I believe all the rumors out there.

Why would Ruger be willing to sell sub-standard guns through Walmart but not through Cabela’s or the LGS? It’s their reputation and warranty claim regardless of where it was purchased.

Between college and the military, I worked for Walmart for a short time. Products are routinely damaged in transit due to the companies haphazard way they load things into their trucks. It's not uncommon to find something like a firearm damaged because it started at one end of the trailer at point A and wound up on the opposite end at Point B. The company doesn't send the product back, but puts it on the shelf instead. I think this is where people get the idea of seconds being sold.

[Trooper224]

Sounds about right.

Ours opened after we moved here. There was a stabbing in the parking lot within 24 hours. My understanding is that the other stores in town like Fred Meyer, have seen a noticeable reduction of inventory shrinkage, shoplifting, and general shit-baggery.

As much as I dislike it, I do occasionally go there. It's a 40 mile round trip to The Wal-Mart (we're "rural") but that's still 20 miles closer than some of the other stores that sell some of the stuff that Wal-Mart sells.

The last time I was there, there was a grown ass man arguing with his mother about whether he could have the big box of Pop-Tarts or the little box. What moved it out of "pathetic" territory and into "frightening" was that he was open carrying what I believe was some form of Taurus autoloader in a cheap nylon holster.

Were they Strawberry with colored sprinkles? If so, watch out. Only steely eyed pistoleros eat those

[Lester Polfus]

Were they Strawberry with colored sprinkles? If so, watch out. Only steely eyed pistoleros eat those

I'm a brown sugar cinnamon man myself, but I gave up all pretense years ago..

[OlongJohnson]

Winchester White Box 9mm cases do not have the grooves machined with any decent QC. They are randomly in and out of spec, leading to a maybe it will, maybe it won't extract reliability outcome. Many or most of the grooves are non-concentric to the case, so if it's rotated one way in the chamber, it will run fine, but the same case rotated to a different orientation in the chamber will fail to extract. You can see how it's going wrong by inspecting the witness marks on the non-extracted brass.

The bullets in WWB .380 are formed randomly, some with a fairly crisp edge to the flat nose, others fairly rounded, and scattered in between.

I've seen WWB .38SPL with a case mouth that was wavy, as if notched to mate perpendicularly to another case, and the high parts were swaged into the bullet ahead of the crimp. That one could have gone badly if fired.

I've run some of the contract overrun .40S&W purple case ammo because it was cheap and I had no issues.

I have gone through 350 rounds of UMC 9mm and had zero issues other than more soot than average building up on the front of the slide, including all the rounds I put through an M11-A1 that routinely chokes on WWB. Have more in the queue.

Same with the PPU-stamped Monarch from Academy.

I have had zero issues ever on American Eagle 9mm ammo, and quite decent accuracy with the 124gr from a classic Sig.

I've inspected some AE in .40 S&W that was so random and garbagy it made me wonder if some of the cases weren't reloaded. Most of them had dings in the side exactly like my G34 puts in every round it ejects. I've seen quality firearms (Colt 1911 and USP) exhibit frustratingly poor accuracy with AE in .45 ACP; both shooters did dramatically better that day with a Beretta that was loaded with quality Hornady ammo.

I have had one FTE with the M11-A1 and Blazer Brass, but that's the only BB issue I've ever had in any caliber.

I have no reason to think ammo sourced from Walmart would be different than the same SKU from any other source.

I do believe Walmart would buy special batches of decontented guns, such as the very cheapest Remington 700s, to get the price down. But that would be intentional reduction of content, not guns that failed to meet QC standards.

[Darth_Uno]

I've not noticed one "plinker" 9mm to be much better or worse than another regardless of where it came from, but it's not always as accurate out at 25+ yds (but then again, neither am I). I'll stick with my Fiocchi 124 gr.


Were they Strawberry with colored sprinkles? If so, watch out. Only steely eyed pistoleros eat those

Those are my favorite. I admit that I like Pop-Tarts way more than a grown man should.

[awp_101]

I'm a brown sugar cinnamon man myself, but I gave up all pretense years ago..
You're not alone in the brown sugar cinnamon appreciation and I've gone from steely eyed to corrective lenses and apparently skipped the whole gunfighter stage...:confused:

[11B10]

Wow. I must live in Oz. One of the Wal-Marts I buy ammo at is in close proximity to our capital and does have it's share of crapola, but no more than other locations, IMO. I've never waited more than 5 minutes for assistance with the locked ammo case. I must have a charmed life!

[ragnar_d]

I don’t trust Walmart, but nor do I believe all the rumors out there.

Why would Ruger be willing to sell sub-standard guns through Walmart but not through Cabela’s or the LGS? It’s their reputation and warranty claim regardless of where it was purchased.

Fact. I worked for a company that sold a lot of product to Walmart. The product either met the QC specs for the line or it didn't. Now, Walmart wasn't buying the high end line of stuff. Additionally, beyond warranty claims, the lawyers would have a damn field day with that. Selling a nonconforming product into the marketplace. Someone would be getting paid.


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Disclaimer: I work in the firearms industry as a designer and engineer. My posts do not represent the opinions or positions of my employers, past or present.

[ubervic]

What is this 'Walmart' that so many speak of?

[Trooper224]

Those are my favorite. I admit that I like Pop-Tarts way more than a grown man should.

Since we're coming out I'll confess to the same.

[Lester Polfus]

Since we're coming out I'll confess to the same.

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

[Trooper224]

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Some of my best friends like chocolate, onions layers and all that.

[KeithH]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I feel better now.

The last two boxes of Winchester 115 grain did seem a bit soft shooting. Malfunctions with my EDC always freak me out, even if it was with practice ammo.

[HopetonBrown]

My experience is that Winchester white box is the lamest factory loads out there.

[WDR]

Cheap plinker grade target ammo from Wal-Mart is the same as cheap plinker grade ammo from anywhere else. They don't have a monopoly on cheap ammo. A lot of the 115gr target grade ball is semi-anemic.

That said, I've never really had a problem with WWB from Wal-Mart, other than when they made it with brass jacketed bullets, vs copper, for a short while way back in the early/mid 2000's. I was getting some keyholes and other weird stuff going on. I no longer buy WWB, as I mostly reload. Current Winchester QC is probably not as good as Federal or CCI/Speer from what a lot of folks have been posting. I flat out refuse to buy Remington/UMC after having, and seeing a lot of failures and problems with various calibers and types of ammo. It's almost universally filthy, and they really are not innovating at all anymore.

HK's seem to be more ammo sensitive than Glocks, and you are probably better off buying slightly hotter or heavier bullet loads. Speer Lawman, S&B, or a "NATO" clone load and I bet you'll have no issues.

[Sauer Koch]

We’ve been running Lawman, Blazer Brass and AE through my wife’s P30sk without issue. I have some S&B but haven’t ran any of it through this gun, but have used it in our Sigs and it’s great.

[lwt16]

I ran somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-6 thousand rounds last fiscal year and only had one stovepipe. It was with my department issued Glock 17 firing department issued WWB practice ammunition.

WWB has been the department's go to ammo for range practice for some years now. I have seen boxes with missing primers, bullets seated too far down in the case, etc.

I, like many others here, rely on SGAmmo for practice ammunition. Sellier and Belot in 9mm and .45ACP has been a joy to purchase and shoot. The 9mm loadings come in very compact boxes of 50 that don't take up very much room on my storage shelf. I just got a case of 115g in day before yesterday and have ran a couple of cases of their 124g FMJ offering.

For me, the worst part of it is trying to keep a case on hand at all times. I get about 80.00 a month of "play" money out of our household budget and had to open up a separate account to put my fun money in. I keep it in there and save it up and when I get enough to order a case, I transfer it over and order away.

Regards.

[Peally]

Damn son, time to start reloading. It's not as fun as sex and video games but 80 bucks can go a pretty long ass way towards making ammo.

[HCM]

Damn son, time to start reloading. It's not as fun as sex and video games but 80 bucks can go a pretty long ass way towards making ammo.

There is a time /money ratio as to wether it is worthwhile to reload. There is also an up front investment. Realistically for a pistol shooter a Dillon 550 is the minimum set up that makes sense. By the time you add all the extras you need like a scale to check powder measure etc you are pushing $1k.

I used to reload when I had more time than money. Right now time is in shorter supply and I can get 9mm ball < $200 per k so. Not worth it for me. I am however, saving my brass in 5 gallon buckets for when I retire and the ratio reverses.

You can invest in gear and make more ammo in a set period of time but that doesn’t help if you barely have time to shoot.

[BehindBlueI's]

Realistically for a pistol shooter a Dillon 550 is the minimum set up that makes sense. By the time you add all the extras you need like a scale to check powder measure etc you are pushing $1k.

If you're shooting thousands of rounds a week, maybe. I shoot 2-300 rounds per outing and a Lee turret has done fine by me for a long time.

[KeithH]

I got rid of all my reloading stuff. Single most boring (and obsessive) hobby I ever engaged in. Obsessive because I am a perfectionist and also because I was determine to find every last single piece of fired brass. The one piece of brass I could not find would keep me awake at night. It was maddening.

No thank you. Now i’m FREE!!!! For a while I had to shoot Federal aluminum just to break the compulsion of finding and picking up every single spent cartridge. Now it feels so good to walk away and leave that brass laying there.

[lwt16]

Damn son, time to start reloading. It's not as fun as sex and video games but 80 bucks can go a pretty long ass way towards making ammo.

For years, I was the sole breadwinner here at casa de la lwt16......on a cop's salary.

Putting a wife through nursing school, and now.....us together putting our son through college (he pays half with his part time job bucks) has required me to live within my means.........

Translation: we outright own a very modest 3 br/2 bath rancher that has absolutely no space for a reloading set up. I debated for years getting into it and have a business partner that has space, a full set up (Dillon progressive, I think) and has offered it's use to me any time I want it. He lives 3.5 miles away and has his own 25 yard shooting range that is at my disposal.

The thing holding me back is free time. My work schedule has been changed from 8 hour shifts, to tens, back to 8s, back to 10s....and now back to 8s. Today, they asked us were we interested in 12s.......so I can't really plan anything when I am at the whim of the brass "changing" things to attempt to make their mark on the agency.

The last case of 9 I got Monday was 163.90 plus 16 to ship. I do save my brass and my buddy has thousands and thousands of my brass and other's brass stored at his compound. Not sure when I could squeeze in the learning aspect as well as the time to actually run a press.

I do the cooking, cleaning and yard work also since I get home before everyone else so my free time is devoted to range time. I spend about a thousand dollars a year staying on the three ranges in my control. All of that is ammo, paper targets, paint for my steel, and staples.

Maybe when I retire I'll get started in reloading.

Regards.

[Duelist]

There is a time /money ratio as to wether it is worthwhile to reload. There is also an up front investment. Realistically for a pistol shooter a Dillon 550 is the minimum set up that makes sense. By the time you add all the extras you need like a scale to check powder measure etc you are pushing $1k.

I used to reload when I had more time than money. Right now time is in shorter supply and I can get 9mm ball < $200 per k so. Not worth it for me. I am however, saving my brass in 5 gallon buckets for when I retire and the ratio reverses.

You can invest in gear and make more ammo in a set period of time but that doesn’t help if you barely have time to shoot.

I've been in grad school for the last two years. I haven't reloaded one round of 9mm: if I'm messing with a 9, I want to be shooting it, not reloading. A few boxes of .38 Specials, a couple of boxes of .243 hunting ammo, and that's it. Mostly been shooting 9mm out of cases of ammo. I've actually been shooting pretty regularly (a couple of times a month, sometimes more than once a week), and I don't know that I will go back to reloading 9mm anytime soon. Certainly not before next summer. I have most of three cases of ball, one still sealed. I doubt I'll buy any more soon, either, unless a crazy sale comes along.

My wife was rearranging furniture, and found my ammo stash. "Do you even know how much ammo you have!?" LOL.

[Peally]

You either find time or you burn money, it's a choice.

[HCM]

You either find time or you burn money, it's a choice.

Yup.

[Duelist]

You either find time or you burn money, it's a choice.

Truth. You have to find the balance that works for you.

[vcdgrips]

Concur re the time v money issue. Presuming apples to apples-- 85.00 @1000 for some plated bullets. 25@ thousand for primers and 20@ pound for powder., I am at 125 @ thousand. I am presuming 0 for picked up brass. It takes me about 3-4 hours to go from the keyboard to having 1000 boxed rounds on a stock 550 or SDB. Even at min wage for the 3-4 hours, at my scale of production, it is essentially a wash when reloadable, brass cased 115 FMJ practice ammo can be had at 180ish @1000 all day long.

[Lester Polfus]

I really enjoy my Lee Classic Turrent press, but I still buy all my 9mm ammo. I shoot multiple thousands of rounds of that, and there's no way I'm going to sit there and crank that handle on either the LCT or a Dillion when 9mm is so cheap. I do have 5 gallon buckets of brass sitting in the garage, in case the economics changes.

It would technically still be "cheaper" to just work overtime than to reload .38 Special, 10mm and .357 but I reload lots of that every winter. Usually a 1k or so of each will get me through the next year.

It does pencil out both time and money wise to reload 100 round lots of premium hunting rifle ammo though.

When I was younger and broker, much of my practice ammo was assembled on a single stage press c-clamped to the kitchen table...

[WDR]

Truth. You have to find the balance that works for you.

With a Dillon or other progressive press, it really does not take much time, IF you have settled on a load, and can just sit down and crank ammo out. Fiddling around and testing loads can burn up a ton of time in a hurry. Some folks are compelled to tinker incessantly, chasing some particular trait ( accuracy, "shoots soft"/"shoots flat" etc) in search of perfection. Others settle on one load that works, and just stick with it. I do both sometimes, but settling on a standard load for most uses helps you avoid tinkering and wasting time.

I loaded up 2500 rounds of 147gr 9x19 on my Dillon 550 last spring, at a pace of about 200-400 rounds at a sitting after work ( I work 12's) over the course of a couple weeks. Maybe a couple of hours at each sitting, give or take. All told, I probably spent 5-6 evenings loading ammo after the kids were in bed. My costs for that run were roughly 50% of what I could have bought AE9FP for from SG Ammo at the time... I got a good deal on 2500 147gr Hornady FMJ's right as I was getting ready to order a case of the Federal load. It will take me a while to burn through that.

I also loaded a pretty good pile of 148gr HBWC .38 in a similar fashion last spring. 200 rounds a night for a few nights adds up quickly. Bonus with wheelguns: It's easier to keep track of your brass.

9mm is sometimes hard to justify loading, but if the brass is free, it can be worth it. With some steel case loads under $150 shipped per 1000 right now, I can see why some folks just don't bother. When I shoot on an indoor range, I sometimes buy CCI Blazer or the Federal clone, just to avoid losing brass.

I am 100% certain that I have not saved a single thin dime by reloading... but I can tell you I've probably shot a lot more for my money.

[HCM]

With a Dillon or other progressive press, it really does not take much time, IF you have settled on a load, and can just sit down and crank ammo out. Fiddling around and testing loads can burn up a ton of time in a hurry. Some folks are compelled to tinker incessantly, chasing some particular trait ( accuracy, "shoots soft"/"shoots flat" etc) in search of perfection. Others settle on one load that works, and just stick with it. I do both sometimes, but settling on a standard load for most uses helps you avoid tinkering and wasting time.

I loaded up 2500 rounds of 147gr 9x19 on my Dillon 550 last spring, at a pace of about 200-400 rounds at a sitting after work ( I work 12's) over the course of a couple weeks. Maybe a couple of hours at each sitting, give or take. All told, I probably spent 5-6 evenings loading ammo after the kids were in bed. My costs for that run were roughly 50% of what I could have bought AE9FP for from SG Ammo at the time... I got a good deal on 2500 147gr Hornady FMJ's right as I was getting ready to order a case of the Federal load. It will take me a while to burn through that.

I also loaded a pretty good pile of 148gr HBWC .38 in a similar fashion last spring. 200 rounds a night for a few nights adds up quickly. Bonus with wheelguns: It's easier to keep track of your brass.

9mm is sometimes hard to justify loading, but if the brass is free, it can be worth it. With some steel case loads under $150 shipped per 1000 right now, I can see why some folks just don't bother. When I shoot on an indoor range, I sometimes buy CCI Blazer or the Federal clone, just to avoid losing brass.

I am 100% certain that I have not saved a single thin dime by reloading... but I can tell you I've probably shot a lot more for my money.

Great point about how certain shooting venues don’t lend themselves to retrieval of brass.

I prefer to shoot outdoors but sometimes work, life and other commitments mean an evening session at an indoor range is the only option.

[deputyG23]

Agreed that 9mm, at today's prices, isn't worth the time to reload. I get a better return by loading .38 practice ammo at about $6/50 versus $14 or more for store bought. I have a crap ton of brass and several thousand primers and pounds of powder in reserve in case of another ammo drought or a reduction in income.