Sidearms & Scatterguns Is match pistol ammo actually worth it?

[The Angler]

Specifically Federal’s gmm in 45acp ball.
I usually train from 10-30yrds and I’m keeping pretty good groups within that range with the cheap stuff.

I don’t plan on making this my regular plinking ammo, but depending on the answers and results I receive, I may keep a couple of boxes on hand when the guys start talking shit and money is on the table.

So does anyone have any experience with this stuff? Any noticeable change in groups?

What factory ammo do you guys practice with?

 

[...]

for all my shooting i shoot Tula.

its cheap, and accurate enough to hit a IDPA target at 100yds.

at 30 yds, anything you shoot is going to shoot just fine.

 

[Ledzep]

I might buy some once as a curiosity to see how well I can shoot just for shits and giggles, but for most all of my shooting it's Tula or Herters or whatever else Walmart has cheap.

Winchester "Forged in America" steel-cased stuff produces horrible groups with all my pistols, and shotty function in a few. Seems very inconsistent. Other than that, I don't ever shoot for scoring rings on paper so it doesn't really make that much difference.

 

[308pirate]

Unless you have a match-tuned pistol (or something insanely accurate from the factory like a CZ Shadow) it's a waste of money.

Besides, other than to verify POI vs POA, what is the point of shooting groups?

 

[The Angler]

Unless you have a match-tuned pistol (or something insanely accurate from the factory like a CZ Shadow) it's a waste of money.

Besides, other than to verify POI vs POA, what is the point of shooting groups?

shooting groups, for me, is all about maintaining the fundamentals, and that’s it; similar to how shooting at long ranges with a rifle reveals weaknesses in your fundamentals. You’ve heard the saying about perfect practice...
I practice many different disciplines when I go out to the range, some more than others, but the one thing I practice on every trip, is the fundamentals.

 

[The Angler]

So who the hell is this stuff for? I don’t think anybody shoots .45’s any more in competition do they?

Maybe it’s for the guys that shoot service pistol 1911’s?

 

[308pirate]

So who the hell is this stuff for? I don’t think anybody shoots .45’s any more in competition do they?

Maybe it’s for the guys that shoot service pistol 1911’s?

Lots of people still shoot .45 ACP 1911s in competition:
IDPA Custom Defensive Pistol division
USPSA Single Stack division
NRA Conventional Pistol
CMP Service Pistol

The latter of the two are bullseye matches and that is for whom Federal Gold Medal pistol ammo is aimed at. The first two don't need that level of accuracy.

 

[The Angler]

Ah yes, thank you for that. I don’t compete, so I wasn’t aware that there were .45 specific divisions. I always just assumed I’d be the only guy shooting a .45 against 9mm’s and .38 supers. Might look into getting into it for the sake of better training.

 

[tansinator]

Only if you can shoot the difference, which I cannot.

 

[Mike 556]

Got to agree with 308pirate. For bullseye yes, for the run and gun games, not so much
Best,
Mike

 

[101stinfantry]

I've never been able to tell the difference, except in rimfire. I don't have any custom, or target centerfire pistols, so if there is a difference, its either me or my guns.

 

[sgj2025]

Are you a competitive bullseye shooter? If not, I would use the savings to buy more ammo. I like to move and shoot at steel targets and my old glocks could care less about what ammo we are using at the time.

 

[brainiac]

Sometimes a guy likes to check his guns accuracy. Then you know if misses are your fault or the guns fault. I tend to enjoy shooting small targets at slightly longer distances. Aim small miss small crap for me.

 

[Veer_G]

It depends. I would have said categorically no, but then I ran some whiz-bang RP .45 Colt through my 25-5 and the clouds parted.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

I haven't shot in a pistol match since before 1998. When I did, I was always firing my own handloads.

Nowadays, I'm pondering getting into informal club pistol/carbine matches. I'm not all that hung up on winning, but i figure it;s silly not to train with what you'll be shooting in the match. Since the move to AZ, I have once again begun to own and shoot a pistol, the Ruger American Pistol 9 Pro. My pistol marksmanship is still kind iffy after staying nearly 20 years offline. I have Federal 147gr Hydra-Shok for HD/PD, and have done some infrequent practice with S&B 115 RN, Winchester 115 RN, and Independence Aluminum case 115 RN. For me, the RN's all shoot about the same which is either telling me that ammo is not the weak link to my so-so marksmanship, or that, as above, at short distances (25yd and under), it's not really anybody's weak link. Either way, the Indie looks plenty good enough for me until my marksmanship improves mightily.

For 50yd, I'd be looking at 147 RNBT Subsonic Match, because when I'm wingin' it that far out, I need every advantage.

Greg

 

[D. Hargrove]

I shoot Bullseye, we still do the 1911 thing pretty much exclusively, most roll their own but if not then many folks use ROZE Distribution 185gr SWC.
http://www.rozedist.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=RZD&Category_Code=ZBA-45ACP
I shot these myself before I made the jump to my Dillon Press.

David

 

[Gray Squirrel]

My department uses Federal American Eagle as practice ammo for both rifle and pistol. The stuff works great for being a middle of the road ammunition (decent quality). We use Speer Gold Dot as duty ammo. I cannot tell a difference in the pistol at 3-25yds (our qual distances), but I can tell a difference in the rifle (3-200 yds).

I don't think pistol match ammo is worth it. I would just buy some good quality range ammo to have on hand. But at the close distances a pistol is typically shot, it is unlikely you are going to see a difference.

If anything, you'll probably notice the difference in quality based on how it functions in your pistol versus how it groups downrange.

 

[Lead_Whisperer]

I wouldn't waste money on it. It's going to add up fast if you do any amount of shooting. I'd put good money into Defense ammo. Personally, for quality ammo it's best to reload.