Choosing a 9mm practice load by cost per round
The club shoots about 3,000 rounds of 9mm a month. We priced six practice loads and ran 100 rounds of each through the same pistol.
Price per round
| Ammo | Store | Price | Rounds | Per round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magtech 9mm 115gr FMJ | Club order | $264.00 | 1,000 | $0.26/rd Lowest |
| Winchester USA 9mm 115gr FMJ | Online retailer | $279.99 | 1,000 | $0.28/rd |
| PMC Bronze 9mm 115gr FMJ | Online retailer | $14.99 | 50 | $0.30/rd |
| Blazer Brass 9mm 115gr FMJ | Big-box store | $15.49 | 50 | $0.31/rd |
| Federal American Eagle 9mm 115gr FMJ | Local shop | $17.99 | 50 | $0.36/rd |
| Speer Lawman 9mm 124gr TMJ | Local shop | $21.99 | 50 | $0.44/rd |
Box prices are hard to compare when one option comes in 50s and another in cases of 1,000. A 50-round box at $17.99 is $0.36/rd. The club’s case order works out to $0.26/rd. Shipping is not included. The online prices need a minimum order to ship free, which the club order clears but a single member buying one case may not.
How it ran
Each load got 100 rounds in the club’s Glock 19 Gen 5, at 7 and 15 yards. The only stoppage was one failure to eject with the PMC Bronze, and it did not happen again.
| Firearm | Ammo | Rounds | Malfunctions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glock 19 Gen 5 | Federal American Eagle 115gr FMJ | 100 | 0 | |
| Glock 19 Gen 5 | Blazer Brass 115gr FMJ | 100 | 0 | |
| Glock 19 Gen 5 | Magtech 115gr FMJ | 100 | 0 | |
| Glock 19 Gen 5 | PMC Bronze 115gr FMJ | 100 | 1 | One failure to eject, round 63 |
| Glock 19 Gen 5 | Speer Lawman 124gr TMJ | 100 | 0 | |
| Total | 500 | 1 | ||
We are staying with the Magtech case order for classes. For members who buy their own, any of the 115 gr loads above ran fine in our pistol.