Aguila 9mm ammo? Any good?

[babelt]

This stuff? Is it any good? Anybody have experience with it?

Ammunition To Go : 50rds - 9mm Aguila 124gr. FMJ Ammo [AMS9124] - $9.79

[Erik88]

I haven't shot the 9mm but I have shot Aguila in .380 and it worked fine. It is known to be very HOT ammo and I could definitely tell a difference.

That seems like a pretty good price, especially for 124 gr. I'm sure it would be fine for plinking ammo.

[R1100R]

I have shot from .22 to .45 ammo and have had no issues.

[Mike.357]

all of Aguila is top of the line ammo

[1gewehr]

Aguila is the former Remington ammunition plant in Mexico. I haven't had any bad Aguila ammo yet.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I had bad luck with some bricks of Aguila .22, but that was several years ago.

I still have some of it, but it is annoying to use up because it wasn't very good when new but now a few years later only about half the rounds go bang. It is too frustrating to even use them up and get em off the shelf.

Maybe Aguila is great nowadays. Awhile ago was reading the ammo reviews at Cabelas, and there were a percentage of recent reviews still fairly critical. And most reviewers seemed to agree that is is "dirty" ammo.

I don't know. Maybe it is great stuff. Just reporting my (a few years old) experience.

[babelt]

Yeah I thought it was a good price. 1000 rounds is like 212 shipped. plus if I order before the end of may I think I can get 10 buck off my order so 200 for 1000 rounds aint bad at all. That beat wally world by 30 or 40 dollars.

[Magiccarpetrides]

If you can wait sometimes you will see the RWS ammo come up for $9.99 a box and its supposed to be top notch.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Was at Academy Sports yesterday and they were selling their Monarch brand 115gr 9mm brass-cased at $10.49 per box of 50. That is maybe a buck less than I last recall paying for Wally World Federal Champion 115gr 9mm. But maybe am incorrectly recalling the wally world price.

Academy was selling steel-case cheaper than that. Maybe steel case is fine for 9mm but I'm superstitious.

I got a few boxes, haven't tried em out yet. The headstamp is PPU = Prvi Partisan. Have read pretty good reviews of Prvi Partisan in the past. Think I recall reading that it tends to be loaded pretty hot.

It would be more patriotic to keep buying the Federal or Winchester, assuming it is still made in USA I guess.

Buying in bulk mail-order and beating or equalling that price would probably save more in TN tax than is lost to shipping, assuming the mail-order store doesn't consider shipping fees as a profit center (which some stores apparently do).

It is difficult to save a whole lot because ammo is so heavy even if the store doesn't try to make profit on shipping.

USA Ammo is selling 115gr 9mm reloads for $8.45 per 50 and is reported to be good stuff. 1000 rounds, 20 boxes = $169. Add $32.59 estimated shipping to S.E. TN and the total is 201.59.

Buy 1000 of that Academy Monarch stuff at $2 more per box = $209.80. Add 9.25 percent sales tax for a total of $229.21.

At a $2 a box price differential one would expect a $40 saving rather than just a $27.62 saving.

Comparative quality of the ammo would make a diff (would have to judge which seems overall better). Made in USA could make a difference in buying decision. Some may think it more convenient to buy local and others may think it more convenient to mail order. Since it is such a small money difference, some folks might want to support a local store or pay the money on tax that does TN some good rather than pay shipping money to UPS. Lots of possible considerations.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Today I tested 100 rounds of that Academy Monarch brand brass Prvi Partisan, compared to 100 rounds of Wally World Federal Champion. Both brands 115gr 9mm.

Shot equal amounts of both brands with two pistols, Beretta 92FS and a new Stoeger Cougar. Targets side-by side. 10 rounds of one brand, then 10 rounds of the other brand, then repeat with the other pistol.

Didn't chrono them, but could not tell much difference in recoil or loudness between the two. Last time I chrono'd the wally world Federal Champion, IIRC is was somewhere in the ballpark of 1150 FPS from the 92FS. The Prvi Partisan felt and sounded neither weaker or stronger than the Federal. The point of impact seemed roughly the same at 12 yards.

I'm such a poor marksman that it is difficult to judge, but the groups from the Federal Champion appeared somewhat tighter than the Prvi Partisan groups. Perhaps random chance or perhaps not.

One observation that may have been random chance-- Maybe one day should chrono and find out-- Was shooting Caldwell Orange Peel targets that make green marks around the bullet holes. The green circles around the bullet holes had the same diameter with both ammo brands out of the 92FS 4.9" barrel.

But the Cougar 3.6" barrel made noticeable smaller green circles with the Prvi Partisan and noticeably larger green circles with the Federal. PERHAPS that could mean that the Prvi Partisan powder has burn characteristics that lose more velocity in shorter barrels. That would be assuming a higher velocity would knock more black ink off the target and make a bigger green circle. Dunno if that is a safe or even logical assumption. Perhaps LOWER velocity would make bigger green circles. Seems doubtfult that differences in the bullet shape would be a factor, otherwise the same effect would have been noticeable with the 92FS longer barrel.

After finished shooting, noticed that there were big black flakes all over my forearms. Never noticed big black flakes any time before when shooting the Federal. There wasn't any campfire smoke soot falling from the sky, and was shooting from under a shelter anyway. So maybe the big black flakes came from the Prvi Partisan.

Ain't making judgement of either ammo. Just reporting the experience.

Edited May 30, 2011 by Lester Weevils