Understanding Ammo for First Time Gun Owners

Congratulations! You’ve done your research to find a handgun that fits your needs. Now, to find the ammo that allows you to practice, feel more comfortable with your new gun, and become a more accurate and consistent shooter.

Ammunition types are just about as varied as the guns that shoot them. Their technology can be proprietary and the names for similar cartridge sizes are not logical.

How to Check if your Ammo Fits your Gun

Most importantly, the ammo you purchase needs to fit with your firearm. There are three areas you should always check to make sure they are a match:

  1. On your firearm – likely along the barrel or on the frame itself you should see a designation for what caliber the firearm accepts
  2. On the box – For new shooters, it is recommend to use factory-made ammo (versus reloaded rounds or some random assortment you bought at a gun show). The box itself will designate the caliber.
  3. On the cartridge – For most centerfire cartridges, it will be stamped on the base.

Shopping for Ammo as a New Gun Owner

When you’re shopping for ammunition, you’ll likely get dizzy trying to decipher all the brand names, types of cartridges, grains, and marketing jargon. Most stores will not accept returned ammunition, even if its opened. It is a liability risk for the store to accept returned ammunition. They don’t know how the ammo was handled. Was it under extreme heat? Was it submerged in water? Did it get dirty? The store doesn’t know how you’ve handled your ammo so they won’t accept it.

Instead, take a picture of your firearm, bring your owner’s manual, or bring your firearm itself (in a locked box) with you to the store. If you are unsure, ask a nearby clerk to verify your ammo purchase. Having complete confirmation you have the right ammo will save you from eating $60-$90 in ammo you can’t fire.

Types of ammunition: Practice and Defense

Your handgun can fire practice and defense ammo as long as the caliber is a match. You won’t need to purchase separate guns to fire the two types of ammo. Getting away from the long list of individual ammunition types – there are two main categories of ammo: practice and defense. As a result, these ammo types are manufactured in a way to meet those purposes.

A note on +P or +P+ ammo

9mm-ammo-P-cartridge

+P Ammo Considerations

One area you will want to keep an eye on as you are shopping is +P or +P+ ammo. The P stands for pressure. These need to be taken into special consideration because they are a higher pressure load than standard ammo – but they are packed into the same cartridge. These are mainly designed for personal defense because they provide increased velocity and energy, potentially resulting in improved performance. Your handgun needs to be rated for +P and/or +P+ ammo. If not, it can damage your firearm, yourself, and those around you. The ability to use this ammo will be in your owner’s manual. Most modern handguns are rated for +P but you need to confirm before loading and firing this ammunition.

What is practice ammo?

Practice ammo is manufactured to penetrate its target and designed to be used on the range. The bullet is completely enclosed with no hole or hollow divot. The manufacturing process usually produces them in larger quantities so they are often less expensive than defense rounds. Practice ammo has the full metal jacket (FMJ) design. FMJ is a type of bullet with a soft lead core that is covered by a metal sleeve or “jacket.” The sleeve is usually copper but can be brass or steel.

  • When should I be using practice ammo?
    • Practice ammo is perfect to use at the range because it will allow you to hone in on your shooting fundamentals like grip or trigger control while firing less expensive rounds.
  • What are the other names for practice ammo?
    • Practice ammo is also referred to as ball round, ball, range, or full metal jacket (FMJ).

What is defense ammo?

Defense ammo is manufactured to expand, or mushroom, upon impact when it hits the target. The bullet has a hollow point at the top or is fluted along the sides. The manufacturing processes require advanced ballistics because they need to perform differently and meet higher standards than practice ammo. As a result, defense rounds are more expensive than practice rounds.

  • When should I be using defense ammo?
    • Defense ammo is meant to expel more impact onto its target and is designed for personal protection. It is still a good practice to know how your gun behaves with defense rounds. You should feel confident that your gun operates and won’t malfunction when you need it the most.
  • What are other names for defense ammo?
    • Defense ammo is also referred to as self-defense, hollow-point (HP), traditional hollow point (THP), or jacketed hollow point (JHP).

Ammo Preferences for your Handgun

Each gun tends to prefer certain ammunition. After you’ve become accustomed to identifying the right cartridge type and found practice rounds, it can also be helpful to try out various ammunition manufacturers. Consider taking 4-5 different boxes of ammo with you next time at the range, shoot them in groups, and see which has the most consistent grouping. It may be a difference in feet-per-second (FPS), grain, or manufacturer that pairs well with your specific handgun.

Common Manufacturers for Practice Ammo by Caliber

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