[HipGnosis]

I've bought my first gun. & now I need ammo...
I've read a lot online...
I'm going to try a few different brands / versions of ammo. I've read that not all guns / owners like all ammo.
I'm adding a notepad and mechanical pencil to my gun bag to track results.
How many brands / versions should I buy?
How do I determine / decide how many grains to buy?
Of course, I will eliminate any with feeding issue(s). Then I will track accuracy (though I really will work on improving my accuracy).
What else should I note / track?

 

[LostinTexas]

For me, the first thing I'd do is figure out what seems to work best in terminals. What is hopefully going to stop a fight in the biggest hurry. There are lots of "favorites" for this, but do your homework. Shooting the Bull is a good youtube site with lots of pretty good info. I don't always agree with the guy, but he does a good job of presentation.
After that, match target ammo with SD ammo as much as possible. If you choose 124 grain carry in 9MM for example, then try to find 124 grain target ammo. 147 and 115 grain are common and are fine to use though.
Take that new gun, and this is an expensive time for this, and run it like a rented mule from a man you hate. Get it hot, and run round after round. You are trying to make it stop. During all this, you are simultaneously learning the trigger and sorting out any magazines that don't function properly. I do this usually for a thousand rounds. These days, I still go 500, but like I said, it's expensive. Still needs to be done to some degree though. Then find the SD ammo that works flawlessly, every single time, no matter what. The good part is, SD ammo is usually pretty good. That is the one to carry. You may find a gun that just doesn't like a certain offering, but that is not very common.
Good Luck.

 

[HipGnosis]

For me, the first thing I'd do is figure out what seems to work best in terminals.

After that, match target ammo with SD ammo as much as possible. If you choose 124 grain carry in 9MM for example, then try to find 124 grain target ammo. 147 and 115 grain are common and are fine to use though.
Take that new gun, and this is an expensive time for this, and run it like a rented mule from a man you hate. Get it hot, and run round after round. You are trying to make it stop. During all this, you are simultaneously learning the trigger and sorting out any magazines that don't function properly. I do this usually for a thousand rounds. These days, I still go 500, but like I said, it's expensive. Still needs to be done to some degree though. Then find the SD ammo that works flawlessly, every single time, no matter what. The good part is, SD ammo is usually pretty good. That is the one to carry. You may find a gun that just doesn't like a certain offering, but that is not very common.
Good Luck.

Umm.. what is "terminals"? HOW do you / I figure out what works 'best'??
& / or "SD ammo"?

 

[LostinTexas]

Umm.. what is "terminals"? HOW do you / I figure out what works 'best'??
& / or "SD ammo"?

Oh my, you are newer than I thought. No problem, we have all been there.
Tune in to the youtube and sort through the reviews for your caliber choice. See how they work and decide what is in your expectations. There is no such thing as a Magic Bullet, so followup shots and accuracy is a must.
Terminal performance is performance in target. Expansion, penetration, consistency. The "accepted" performance is 12-18 inch penetration, and 1.5+ expansion. Some expand more and penetrate less, some the opposite. Some don't meet any of the perimeters.
If you want recommendations, then HST 124 grain is a good choice. Gold Dot 124 grain+P is the choice of a lot of LE. Hornady has a nice looking round out in 135 grain. I like Golden Saber 124 grain Bonded in +P. Some of the older tech needs the extra (+P) velocity to perform on the other end properly. Lots of great rounds out there, and all these are 9MM. They come in other caliber, but since 9 is the flavor of the month, I use that as an example.

 

[gwpercle]

Buy whatever you can find ... ammo is in short supply and expensive ...
...Beggars can't be choosers ... try to find some range ammo not special boutique ammo that uses expensive magic bullets .
If I knew what caliber and gun you were shooting I could be of more help .
Not having information limits the answer I can give ... but I understand if you don't want to divulge any details that may come back to haunt you .
Gary

 

[Babbalou1956]

Here's one source of info on choosing carry ammo. I shoot cheap stuff at the range but I shoot enough carry ammo to make sure it functions before I carry it. Handgun Self-Defense Ammunition - Ballistic Testing Data

 

[yellowtr]

I have had good results with American Eagle for my 9MM. Federal and CCI work best in my 22 semi. I have Hornady hollow points for my 380 but use whatever I can get for practice. My 22 revolver shoots anything. But lately, as mentioned above, ammo is in short supply.

 

[Higgy Baby]

Assuming your new gun is a handgun and its an auto:

One thing for sure- label all your mags. I etch all mine with either a 1-2-3 or a-b-c. I bought an electric etcher at Walmart for about $12 I think? When ever you have a malfunction-pull that mag out and ID it. You want to know - if you are having issues- BECAUSE you can think you are having issues with say "Remington" ammo on occasion... but actually it may only be when mag #2 is in the gun.
Lots of folks do not do this- but it can really help in those situations where sometimes you have sporadic malfunctions and can't seem to put your finger on it.

 

[Zahnarzt]

If it’s your first handgun, get out to the range and shoot as much as you can. If you want to shoot on a budget but still shoot decent ammo, I’d recommend CCI Blazer 115gr Brass case if we’re talking 9mm. The stuff is very reliable and relatively inexpensive.

 

[Shipwreck]

Don't buy Remington target rounds... Just a suggestion. Loaded very inconsistently. And, I see people reporting issues with their rounds for over a decade on many gun forums.

I personally only shoot three different target rounds. Winchester White box 115gr 9mm, Blazer Brass 115gr, and Blazer Aluminum 115gr. I don't buy anything else. They work great.

I never shoot steel cased ammo either.

I will use Federal JHP rounds for self defense, but prefer not to buy their target rounds. Several years ago, I'd buy the red boxed Federal target rounds at WalMart. On MANY, MANY Beretta 92s I owned at the time, I would get a jam every 200-400 rounds. It was maddening. It would keep happening across numerous guns.

We discussed it on the Beretta Forum, and it seems that I was not the only one. Someone started measuring the specs on the brass, and it seemed that many of the brass casings were out of spec in every box. Once I stopped buying Federal redbox ammo, the problem never happened again. So, I don't buy Federal FMJ unless I have no choice.

 

[Oddball13]

What length barrel does your new pistol have? The barrel length will have an impact on the self defense bullets that will work properly in your pistol.