What You Need To Know Before Selecting Ammunition For Target Practice

Competitive shooters can burn through thousands of rounds per year honing their skills - a necessity in a sport where precision is everything. With ammunition costs soaring due to inflation, supply chain disruptions, and rising material costs, many shooters are looking for ways to maintain their practice regimen without breaking the bank. Whether you're training for competition, working on self-defense skills, or simply enjoying recreational shooting, understanding how to select the right practice ammunition is crucial for both your wallet and your development as a shooter. From traditional factory loads to newer laser training systems and even reloading options, today's shooters have multiple paths to maximize their training value while managing costs. Here's what you need to know before making your next practice ammunition purchase.

If you're like most shooters, you've got plenty of ammo laying around your garage or locked up in your gun safe. However, you may not want to use up that expensive ammo when there are less expensive options that may work just fine for target practice.

Selecting the right ammunition for target practice is essential for men who want to improve their shooting skills and ensure safety while on the range. By considering factors such as caliber, type, weight, and storage, men can make informed decisions when choosing ammunition for their firearms.

Additionally, seeking guidance from experienced shooters or firearms experts can provide valuable insights and recommendations for selecting the best ammunition for target practice.

Consider This Before Choosing Your Practice Ammo

When purchasing practice ammunition, several key factors require careful consideration to ensure both safety and value. While some folks simply think that practice ammo is synonymous with being cheap but that isn't necessarily the only consideration you should make when purchasing ammunition. Even though this doesn't need to be the most powerful or fanciest ammo - you still need a high-quality product to avoid malfunctions that could damage your weapon or cause injury.

Safety and Compatibility

First and foremost, verify the ammunition matches your firearm's exact specifications, including caliber and pressure ratings - using incorrect ammunition can result in catastrophic failure and lead to injury.

Quality and Reliability

While practice ammunition doesn't require match-grade precision, it should still feed and fire consistently. Choosing ammunition from reputable manufacturers helps minimize the risk of malfunctions that could interrupt your training.

Intended Use

Your training goals should guide your ammunition selection. Basic target practice typically only requires standard full metal jacket (FMJ) rounds, while developing specific skills might call for different ammunition types. 

Storage Conditions

Proper storage is essential - ammunition must be kept in a cool, dry place away from extreme temperatures and moisture to maintain its reliability and extend its shelf life.

Cost Per Round

Consider the total cost including shipping and taxes when making your purchase. While buying in bulk often reduces the per-round cost, make sure you can safely store and reasonably use larger quantities before making a bulk purchase.

Range Requirements

Always check your local range's ammunition restrictions before purchasing. Many indoor ranges prohibit certain ammunition types, particularly those with steel cores or steel cases, due to safety and facility maintenance concerns.

Every major ammo manufacturer produces practice ammo. For example, consider the following:

• Browning 40 S&W FMJ Practice Ammunition. 165-grain weight, with 100 per box, five per case. The Browning practice ammo has traditional brass for reloading and is tested for accuracy and velocity. 
• Federal American Eagle FMJ, 9mm 115 gr. The Federal is ideal for plinking and practice due to its low cost and full metal jacket construction. The 9mm centerfire is widely available and inexpensive. You can also reliably get cheap 9mm ammo to practice with for a gun like this too. 
• CCI Blazer Brass 9mm Luger FMJ, 147 gr. 50 per box. CCI offers reloadable brass and clean-burning propellants for its ZFMJ ammo. The 147 gr. Gives the new shooter better performance characteristics. 

Finally, you should consider the fact that different types of ammunition will fire differently. If your goal is simply to have fun firing your gun at the range - this isn't a big deal, just get an inexpensive ammo that would great. However, if your goal is protection and precision shooting matters, then you will also want to practice with the correct ammo. This will help prevent surprises where the gun "kicks" differently than expected for instance.

Understanding Self-Defense vs Target Ammo Needs

The primary benefit of target ammo is that it can be manufactured cheaper, allowing shooters to purchase larger quantities. The more ammunition a shooter can purchase, the more training a shooter can have at the range based on his available budget. One of the significant debates is whether a shooter should use target ammo in real-life situations such as for self defense purposes. Generally speaking, though, in practical situations where you need the firearm to do its job of helping to protect you, a conscious decision should be made to carry and load the correct ammunition. This is not the time to try and save a few dollars and risk your life, family members, or property.

In certain circumstances, using target ammo is acceptable but not recommended. These circumstances can be anything, including if you are out of ammo, local restrictions, or as a last resort. Target ammunition is cheap for a reason!

Knowing if your concealed carry weapon will cycle the cheaper target ammo and the more expensive hard case bullet is essential. One of the last things a shooter wants is firing a bullet that doesn’t work correctly. This issue is not as significant as it used to be because technology has improved all ammo and firearms. However, it is good to cycle through a few rounds from each new box you purchase. 

Modern-day pistols and revolvers can easily feed FMJ and JHP ammo; however, certain older designs may have trouble cycling a jacketed hollow point.

Laser Ammo Is A Great Alternative For Target Practice

High-tech companies are filling a void that has been left untapped. Training by laser was once considered toys for use at at an amusement park or at the commercial level for military and law enforcement simulators. Times have changed though and today Pulling the trigger on your weapon and the direct impact of a firing pin emits an eye-safe laser pulse. The impact point is rendered by a red dot on specially crafted targets. 

Laser training systems replace live ammunition with devices that emit a laser pulse when your firing pin strikes. These come as chamber inserts, barrel attachments, or dedicated training weapons with simulated recoil.

Key Benefits

Practice anywhere with proper backstop - home, garage, or backyard. Zero ammunition cost and no range fees. Instant feedback helps develop proper trigger control, sight alignment, and grip without recoil anticipation interfering with learning fundamentals.

System Options

• Chamber inserts: Drop in like regular rounds, work with your existing firearms
• Barrel attachments: Mount to muzzle, typically more expensive but more features
• Training weapons: Purpose-built replicas with integrated laser and mechanical recoil

Best Use

Ideal for mastering fundamentals and getting extra repetitions between range sessions. While not a complete replacement for live-fire training, laser systems offer cost-effective practice that develops essential shooting skills without burning through expensive ammunition.

• Sure-Strike Laser Ammo features everything a shooter will need to develop their skills with a laser brand. Sure-Strike features NRA-led instructors and divisions specifically for law enforcement and the military.
• iTarget lets a shooter use their actual weapon and a smartphone to practice dry-firing anywhere there is at least 20 feet. iTarget offers a full range of laser cartridges, targets, and plenty of instruction.

Understanding Ammunition Reloading: A Cost-Benefit Analysis

Many shooters consider reloading their ammunition as a way to reduce the cost of range time and target practice. However, this decision requires careful consideration of several factors that impact both safety and value. As a result, it is often better to purchase reloaded ammo from a processional source such as at the shooting range or a gun show retailer that you know has the expertise to do it correctly, rather than looking at it as a way to save money by doing it yourself.

Let's take a look at how this might break down if you want to make the investment in training and equipment to start reloading your own target practice ammo.

• Initial Investment: Equipment costs typically range from $300-700, including press, dies, powder measure, and essential tools - requiring thousands of rounds of production before reaching the break-even point.
• Cost Savings: Experienced reloaders can typically produce ammunition at 30-50% below retail prices, though these savings can vary significantly based on component availability and market conditions.
• Time Investment: Reloading demands dedicated time for both learning the process and actual production - this isn't a casual hobby and requires meticulous attention to detail and careful record-keeping.
• Performance Benefits: Custom loads can be tailored to your specific firearm and shooting style, potentially improving accuracy and consistency beyond factory ammunition.
• Safety Requirements: Process demands strict adherence to published load data, proper safety protocols, and ideally mentorship from experienced reloaders - mistakes can be catastrophically dangerous.

Reloading can be economically and practically rewarding for serious shooters who have the time, space, and dedication to learn proper techniques. However, it's crucial to approach reloading as a serious hobby requiring study and patience rather than viewing it solely as a cost-cutting measure.

So, Which Are The Best Ammo Brands For Target Practice?

There have been many mergers and acquisitions in the guns and ammunition market in recent years. Supply chain issues have crippled supply lines making companies ripe for takeover. When products are scarce in the marketplace, buyers flock to the lowest prices, even though this may be a mistake. It is always best to stay with one or two premium ammunition brands and understand their ballistics for better shooting performance.

• Federal Premium is the world’s largest ammo maker. The company has been a quality builder since the 1920s, with a broad range of products to fit every shooter’s needs.
• CCI is an affordable quality brand built in Idaho since 1950. The company’s products serve all shooting disciplines with a wide range of grain weights.
• Hornady is a quality round best known for its hunting cartridges. The company’s mentality is “Ten Bullets Through One Hole” The company offers everything from practice rounds to heavy grained rifle cartridges. 
• Winchester makes this list owing to its 125 years of building quality ammo. Their range of offerings is enormous, from practice to competition rounds. 
• Fiocchi is a quality builder that offers well-designed and highly reliable ammunition. Their product is a bit more expensive but has good feed reliability and balance.

Practice Makes Perfect When It Comes To Shooting Sports!

Whether you are doing target practice to help improve your chances of repelling a home invader or to become more familiar with a new hunting rifle before heading out into the woods, shooting sports require lots of practice to get right. Guns are very complicated machines and the process of learning can be challenging as well as expensive. That's why selecting the right practice ammunition is so important.

Choosing the right ammo is the same as choosing the perfect handgun. Quality beats out every. Ammunition builders have their specialties, and it is up to the shooter to find out what they are. Match the perfect ammo to your firearm for optimum performance.

Stay with one or two manufacturers so you know the individual characteristics of each round and builder.