G
Guest
·I have recently discovered an ammo manufacturer that has excellent ammunition for nearly the best prices I have found. The company is Lancer Custom Ammo (http://www.lancerammo.com/). Having been introduced to them by a fellow IDPA competitor, I was able to try some different 9mm loads for my Sig 228 and Steyr S9. Some guys on the Sig forum setup a group buy and it happened to be a company in my backyard, so I was able to pick up some samples to try directly from the owner of the company.
The first load I sampled was the 124 grain FMJ. This is designed as a standard pressure 124 grain load, and is claimed to produce 1120 fps from a 4-inch barrel. I found this to be a nice load, with almost no flash and a “smoother” recoil impulse than WWB 115 grain, which I actually find to have a fair amount of muzzle blast and is a decently hot load. I also think this load was more accurate than WWB 115 grain, although this was subjective as I don’t have a Ransom Rest for a true comparison in my guns.
The second load was the 147 grain FMJ. This load is a “download” that was originally developed for a NC Police Department pistol team. It is claimed to provide 895 fps from a 4-inch barrel, comfortably making IDPA power floor for SSP and ESP. This is the softest shooting load that I have ever fired in a 9mm and shot-to-shot recovery is ultra-fast. I’ve never really shot subsonic 9mm loads before, and what’s neat about them is that they are relatively quiet compared to standard 115 and 124 grain high-velocity loads. The bullets don’t break the sound barrier and the high-pitched “crack” is missing. IMHO this makes up at least 1/3 of the blast and perceived recoil. It also makes a BIG difference when shooting in a cramped indoor range with low ceilings and close walls. With muzzle blast and noise down, I again found this to be subjectively a very accurate round. Both this and the 124 are very clean burning also, with a bit less fouling than WWB. This is now my favorite load.
I bought 1,000 of the 147 grains and used them at last weekends IDPA match, and came in 3rd in SSP/Expert, only 4 seconds off the top spot. This was a huge improvement over the previous weekend’s performance, the first time I shot in SSP/EX when I came in 9th using WWB 115gr FMJ.
Did the ammo alone account for my improved performance? Not all by itself, but I certainly felt that the very quick shot-to-shot recovery and lower noise/blast allowed me to concentrate that much more on the front sight.
The best part is this is some the most affordable ammo I have found. The bulk loads come in 500 round lots in waterproof military .30 caliber ammo cans. The 9mm 147 is only $135 for 1,000 rounds, which is much cheaper than I have seen anywhere else for this heavy a bullet. Their other calibers are similar value-priced.
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Lancer Custom Ammo’s main business is NC Police Department contracts, so you know the quality is excellent. The owner is a very nice guy that will also develop loads for your specifications on a bulk basis. He is now expanding his business to attract IDPA shooters and range addicts. I was considering investing in reloading equipment (again), but at these prices and quality, I think I may just spend that brass scavenging/cleaning/reloading time at the range.
Jeff
The first load I sampled was the 124 grain FMJ. This is designed as a standard pressure 124 grain load, and is claimed to produce 1120 fps from a 4-inch barrel. I found this to be a nice load, with almost no flash and a “smoother” recoil impulse than WWB 115 grain, which I actually find to have a fair amount of muzzle blast and is a decently hot load. I also think this load was more accurate than WWB 115 grain, although this was subjective as I don’t have a Ransom Rest for a true comparison in my guns.
The second load was the 147 grain FMJ. This load is a “download” that was originally developed for a NC Police Department pistol team. It is claimed to provide 895 fps from a 4-inch barrel, comfortably making IDPA power floor for SSP and ESP. This is the softest shooting load that I have ever fired in a 9mm and shot-to-shot recovery is ultra-fast. I’ve never really shot subsonic 9mm loads before, and what’s neat about them is that they are relatively quiet compared to standard 115 and 124 grain high-velocity loads. The bullets don’t break the sound barrier and the high-pitched “crack” is missing. IMHO this makes up at least 1/3 of the blast and perceived recoil. It also makes a BIG difference when shooting in a cramped indoor range with low ceilings and close walls. With muzzle blast and noise down, I again found this to be subjectively a very accurate round. Both this and the 124 are very clean burning also, with a bit less fouling than WWB. This is now my favorite load.
I bought 1,000 of the 147 grains and used them at last weekends IDPA match, and came in 3rd in SSP/Expert, only 4 seconds off the top spot. This was a huge improvement over the previous weekend’s performance, the first time I shot in SSP/EX when I came in 9th using WWB 115gr FMJ.
Did the ammo alone account for my improved performance? Not all by itself, but I certainly felt that the very quick shot-to-shot recovery and lower noise/blast allowed me to concentrate that much more on the front sight.
The best part is this is some the most affordable ammo I have found. The bulk loads come in 500 round lots in waterproof military .30 caliber ammo cans. The 9mm 147 is only $135 for 1,000 rounds, which is much cheaper than I have seen anywhere else for this heavy a bullet. Their other calibers are similar value-priced.
Lancer Custom Ammo’s main business is NC Police Department contracts, so you know the quality is excellent. The owner is a very nice guy that will also develop loads for your specifications on a bulk basis. He is now expanding his business to attract IDPA shooters and range addicts. I was considering investing in reloading equipment (again), but at these prices and quality, I think I may just spend that brass scavenging/cleaning/reloading time at the range.
Jeff
