TulAmmo v. M&P9

[Tamara]

The total malfunction count in my M&P9 went from 1 to 10 in the space of one magazine last weekend.

On the way to the Sooper Seekrit Range Location, I asked my hosts to swing by Wally World so I could grab some nine and .22, in order that I not be a complete mooch all weekend. The Wal-Mart in Española, NM was well stocked with deuce-deuce, but I bought the last fifty-rounder of 9mm Remington FMJ they had in the store, and supplemented it with a lone box of TulAmmo.

Ugh.

I don't know what they use on those steel cases, but it caused enough stiction against the other cartridges and the walls of the mag tube itself that the column of rounds would bind in the magazine, allowing the top rounds to rattle loosely.

At first, I was ready to blame the magazine, and borrowed a silver Sharpie to draw the Frownie Face of Disappointment on the baseplate, when, Lo! I ran out of TulAmmo and went back to shooting borrowed Winchester and Federal and the problem went away!

Every time I violate my rule of only using decadent Western Capitalist ammunition in decadent Western Capitalist guns, I get reminded why I do it that way in the first place.

[jstyer]

I feel your pain.

I have an BCM/DD AR that has had maybe 5 malfunctions using Federal, Aguila, and even Wolf ammo. In a pinch I bought a box of Tulla ammo last year... hard as I would try, I could not get two consecutive rounds to go through the firing cycle.

While I'm no scientist, I'm pretty sure that the cases are coated in 80 grit sandpaper. Which tends to impede normal feeding and extraction behavior.

[YVK]

While I'm no scientist, I'm pretty sure that the cases are coated in 80 grit sandpaper. Which tends to impede normal feeding and extraction behavior.

But those rounds that do feed polish your feed ramp and clean your chamber on their way in. Russian ingenuity in its best.

[JonInWA]

While hardly my first choices, I've had zero problems with TulAmmo in 9mm or .45 ACP, and I've used it in Glocks (G17, G19, G21) and 1911s (SIG GSR). I've also had no problems with Wolf ammunition in 9mm in Glocks. The stuff works, seems to do fine accuracy-wise (at least as well, if not better than the Winchester Value Pack stuff), but usually I prefer Federal Champion, PMC Bronze, American Eagle or CCI Blazer (aluminum or brass cased).

Best, Jon

[Tamara]

While hardly my first choices, I've had zero problems with TulAmmo in 9mm or .45 ACP, and I've used it in Glocks (G17, G19, G21) and 1911s (SIG GSR). I've also had no problems with Wolf ammunition in 9mm in Glocks.

I've never really had a problem with Wolf in pistols, but you're welcome to all the TulAmmo in 9 and .45 that I'll never be buying from now on. :p

[Chuck Haggard]

My understanding is that Tula makes ammo, but Wolf doesn't. A lot of Wolf ammo is made by Tula.

At any rate, I just burned 500 rounds of "Wolf" at a carbine class that looked exactly like the Tula I also shot up, along with the Herters from Cabelas that is also Tula renamed.

Dirty as hell but no issues until I let the carbine get dry (a Colt 6920).

I've also shot a few hundred rounds of all of the above through my G17 without any problems.


I do tend to save Russian/commie ammo for Russian/commie guns, and try to avoid shooting ammo from places that I wouldn't drink their water.

[fixer]

My experience is similar with a PX4. These have glossy mags and the steel cases bound up like crazy. I didn't get any stoppages but I think I was lucky more than anything.

However I've run about 100-150 rounds through a gen 3 g19 and it behaved well in the magazines... however there were a few concrete like primers.

Basically this ammo is good for practicing clearing malfunctions.

[roadsiderob]

I may never be rich, but I'm glad to be at a point in my life where I can afford decent ammo. It boggles my mind that people will spend big bucks on a fine firearm and then try and feed it shitty ammo. It's like buying a high performance car & trying to run it on cheap gas. I typically buy Fiocci 9mm by the case. It's not the cheapest but it's not the most expensive. I can't even remember the last time I had an ammo related stoppage or malfunction.

[Tamara]

I may never be rich, but I'm glad to be at a point in my life where I can afford decent ammo.

Someday I hope to reach that point. :|

[Nephrology]

I got half a case of TulAmmo sometime last year that I just finished. It induced consistent failures to return to battery in my G19 and G17. The steel cases seemed to be so thickly coated in whatever lacquer they use to proof them against corrosion that they would hang up on the very last few millimeters of slide travel. Coupled with the fact they they were all hilariously underpowered and I would have to give the back of the slide a good thwack with the ridge of my hand to seat the cartridge fully. As someone mentioned above, too, I had several hard primer strikes that failed to detonate.

Never had any trouble with Wolf or Brown Bear, however. Wolf does not make ammo and is in fact an importer but I do not know from whom they get their ammo. Brown bear is sourced from the Barnaul plant in Russia.

[jetfire]

I had a similar issue with steel cased ammo through Glock mags earlier this year. Turns out I needed to brush out the insides of my mags fairly frequently when shooting high volumes of steel ammo to keep the cases from binding up inside the mags.

[F-Trooper05]

If you ever get a steel sliver in your thumb from trying to pull out an out of spec cartridge from your chamber you'll never use the shit again.

[rockymtnnut]

One thing I do like to incorporate is low end ammo to my training . I do get a few tap rack bang sessions every once in a blue moon. It's important to me for my pistol to be able to fire the cheap stuff as well as the good.

[orionz06]

One thing I do like to incorporate is low end ammo to my training . I do get a few tap rack bang sessions every once in a blue moon.

I had a few cases of CCI last year that were good for 5-7 bad rounds per 1,000. All decent strikes on the primer.

[1986s4]

Never had a problem with the steel case stuff in any of my weapons. Wolf in a no longer owned CZ and Ruger Mini 14. Currently I've been using Hornady Steel Match in my pistol and Colt AR15, no issues. I had a shooting buddy who bought a case of Wolf, back when it was really cheap, for his G30. At pistol matches one could follow his progress from the trail of ejected .45 rounds. Some pistols just don't like certain ammo I guess.

[JMS]

I used to run Wolf through my M&P45 pretty frequently; the steel cases bound somewhat more than brass, but didn't cause any problems. 3 squib rounds in ONE box of Tula, though, and I was done with ever touching that production line ever again.

Something about that steel-case stuff mating up with M&P mags, man...the 9mm ones in particular, it seems. Couldn't jam a 17-round mag past 12 rounds, and even those rattled like maraccas. I took to lightly lubing the exterior of the ammo, for a while, which allowed for full mags and no rattling, but it didn't take too long for that to be a PITA. Not having to do that, and not having to get lube off of my hands (so I could shoot without the gun catapulting out of my hands like that freakin acorn Scrat's always chasing, despite stippling) after jamming mags is worth paying the extra money for real ammo.

I won't bust anybody's nuts for using that stuff successfully, more power to ya. Hard to dislike cheap ammo, but if it gets to the point of being a cheap source of frustration...dude, I can procure frustration for FREE....

[1986s4]

I used to run Wolf through my M&P45 pretty frequently; the steel cases bound somewhat more than brass, but didn't cause any problems. 3 squib rounds in ONE box of Tula, though, and I was done with ever touching that production line ever again.

Something about that steel-case stuff mating up with M&P mags, man...the 9mm ones in particular, it seems. Couldn't jam a 17-round mag past 12 rounds, and even those rattled like maraccas. I took to lightly lubing the exterior of the ammo, for a while, which allowed for full mags and no rattling, but it didn't take too long for that to be a PITA. Not having to do that, and not having to get lube off of my hands (so I could shoot without the gun catapulting out of my hands like that freakin acorn Scrat's always chasing, despite stippling) after jamming mags is worth paying the extra money for real ammo.

I won't bust anybody's nuts for using that stuff successfully, more power to ya. Hard to dislike cheap ammo, but if it gets to the point of being a cheap source of frustration...dude, I can procure frustration for FREE....

Try Hornady One Shot. A case lub for reloaders. Sprays on and dries.

[Bigguy]

I'd bought 100 rounds of Tula .380 at wally world because it was almost $8 cheaper than the Winchester white box. I couldn't get 3 rounds at a time trough my LCP. I happened to have a box of Remington oil wipes with me and began to wipe each cartridge with one before inserting into the magazine. That reduced the failure to feed to about one in every 14 rounds.
If I'm ever attacked and all I have is Tula ammo. I think I'll just throw the cartridges at the BG rather than try to shoot them through my pistol.
Needless to say, I've already purchased my last box of Tula.

[Wes Peart]

Shot a coupla thousand rounds of Tula 9mm and .45 over the last few years through Glocks and 1911's, never had feeding problems. More misfires than brass cased stuff but I'd just put it back in the gun later and it always shot the second go around.

[ACP230]

I shot a club-supplied M&P9, with some kind of Russian steel-case ammo, at a Turkey Shoot last month.
No problems and the stuff hit what I was aiming at.
I won't buy it myself because of reports like those on this thread, however.
I also like to end up with reloadable brass after shooting factory ammo.

[TGS]

Every time I met someone who ensured me that their steel cased Russian ammo was reliable enough stuff for the range, their gun proceeded to choke up on a regular basis.

I have a buddy with a SIG 220 that can't load more than 3-5 rounds of Tula in the magazines. I guess it's good to see that it isn't just his gun being a Cohen P.O.S., as others here are reporting similar.

ETA:

and try to avoid shooting ammo from places that I wouldn't drink their water.

That's sig line quality.

[2alpha-down0]

Reloaded 9mm is cheaper than Tula in bulk nowadays. I have very little incentive anymore to shoot Tula pistol ammo.

When I did, it was noticeably harder to load in mags (M&P) and I could feel the gun struggling to feed that stuff. Tula accounts for most of the failures I've had with that gun.

I continue to feed my AR a steady diet if Tula with no problem other than the same difficulty loading mags, both Pmag and GI.


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[JodyH]

The Wal-Mart in Española, NM
WTF is wrong with you?
That place is more dangerous than the darkest depths of interior Indy.
You're lucky you didn't expend more ammo in the parking lot than you bought inside.

btw: The Allsup's convenience store across from Camel Rock is the only place I've ever skinned my smoke wagon with full intent of shooting someone. And the only convenience store I've ever seen in NM that has an armed security guard (securing the liquor cabinet) working nights.

ps: damn this is a necro zombie thread

[2alpha-down0]

ps: damn this is a necro zombie thread

I blame Tapatalk.


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[justintime]

I put 4k through my ak a while back with no issues. I still use it in that platform from time to time. I've never had issues with it elsewhere, but I shoot it in low quantity.

[Greg Bell]

I have shot around 300 rounds of Monarch steel cased ammo through my M&P 9mm (which appears to be the same or similar to Tula. No problems. My main problem with it is that it STINKS. Woof.

[Tamara]

I shot up some TulAmmo at MAG-40 this past June; I was running close to Winchester on BBs and TulAmmo was all the Wally World in Rochester, IN had in stock. As long as I didn't try to put more than ten or eleven rounds in a mag at one time, the "stiction" issues were avoided.

[JSGlock34]

After witnessing a friend come across a squib, multiple mangled cases, setback bullets and assorted other issues while running through a case of 9mm Tula at one of Todd's classes, I wrote this brand off. My friend described the shot to shot consistency from this particular case as "pop...bang...POP...pffftt...pop...BANG...pop..." and opined that the Tula factory workers needed to lay off the vodka when loading cases.

Unfortunately ammunition was in short supply, and Tula was all that was available at the time. While not my preferred brand, I've used Wolf in the past and have found their 9mm (and 5.45mm/7.62x39mm for that matter) acceptable for range use.

[JodyH]

We burned through cases and cases of Wolf 9mm back in the mid-2000's with nary a problem.
A full auto Uzi will do that.
:cool:

[NETim]

After witnessing a friend come across a squib, multiple mangled cases, setback bullets and assorted other issues while running through a case of 9mm Tula at one of Todd's classes, I wrote this brand off. My friend described the shot to shot consistency from this particular case as "pop...bang...POP...pffftt...pop...BANG...pop..." and opined that the Tula factory workers needed to lay off the vodka when loading cases.

Unfortunately ammunition was in short supply, and Tula was all that was available at the time. While not my preferred brand, I've used Wolf in the past and have found their 9mm (and 5.45mm/7.62x39mm for that matter) acceptable for range use.

Tula KrispiesTM?