The 9mm Luger, also called the 9x19mm Parabellum or the 9mm NATO, is the most-used handgun cartridge in the United States. Among the entire ammunition industry, only the rimfire .22 LR, a low-cost, low-recoil round, sees more use.

But for serious handgun use, including self-defense, law enforcement, military sidearms, and home protection, 9mm ammo is king.

It not only sees more use than any other handgun round, it gets the most production. It has high demand, so manufacturers create hundreds, possibly thousands, of options for 9mm shooters.

9mm Ammo Brands to Avoid: Honest Insight

Each brand has its positives and negatives. There is usually a tradeoff between overall price and quality, but it’s not a perfect scale; there are high-cost rounds that are less reliable, and low-cost rounds that have outstanding reliability. Overall, however, be cautious when purchasing ammo brands like these…

Remanufactured Ammo

Firing a 9mm pistol at the shooting range

There’s manufactured ammo, and then there’s remanufactured ammo. Remanufactured ammunition uses cases that have been fired at least once but is packed with new primers, propellants, and bullets. Essentially, manufacturers collect spent cases and load them with new components, creating a low-cost option for handgun users.

This type of ammo offers budget-friendly shooting. Manufacturers don’t have to create or purchase new cases, so their expenses are lowered and they can pass the savings on to the shooter.

There are, of course, advantages to buying remanufactured ammo. Or more specifically, there is one single advantage: price. The exact savings will vary, but you can expect to save roughly two to seven cents per round for 9mm ammo, which may seem insignificant, but that’s $20 to $70 over 1,000 rounds. If you shoot lots of rounds, the savings add up.

However, remanufactured ammo may not perform as well in your handgun. Therefore, many recommend avoiding it, especially if you have a defense weapon.

Winchester USA Forged

Overall, Winchester ammo has a great reputation, making some of the finest ammunition on the shelves. Their Power Point ammo, a line of hunting rounds loaded with soft-point bullets, is one of the most popular and reliable options for deer, elk, hog, coyote, and many other game animals. Winchester USA (not USA Forged) is often listed as one of the most trustworthy options for cycling, feeding, and ejection.

Overall, if it’s made by Winchester, it’s likely a good purchase.

But, unfortunately, USA Forged does not have the same reputation as most of their products. This ammo line, which is made exclusively for the 9mm Luger, uses a steel case that reduces the overall price of the round. Loaded with full-metal jacket bullets, the ammo is intended for low-cost, high-volume training and target shooting.

The ammo was created as an alternative to low-cost steel- cased rounds from foreign makers and ammo importers who offer some of the cheapest 9mm rounds possible. While Winchester achieved their goal of low-cost ammo, the rounds can be finicky in many handguns.

Results often depend on the firearm itself (and include factors like how often the gun is cleaned), but overall user reports are mixed. Our customer service team has fielded concerns about the ammo’s functionality, and reviews often show that the ammo did not function as well as other lines. Specifically, there are multiple reports of extraction issues.

Many reviews are positive, but there are plenty of poor reports for USA Forged. Therefore, we would recommend purchasing a small amount of ammo (perhaps a 50-round box) and trying it in your handgun. If it performs well, you can always purchase more.

Most Steel-Cased Ammo

USA Forged is a line of steel-cased ammo, which is why it’s so cheap but also considered unreliable by many.

Steel tends to have more reports of jams and ejection issues than brass. Brass is more flexible; when fired, brass expands and seals the chamber, then immediately contracts, creating reliable ejection. However, the steel cases do not have the same flexibility. Essentially, it does not expand and contract like brass; it’s more rigid. It does not expand to seal the chamber, so there is less pressure when ejecting the spent case. Steel also tends to “stick” (for lack of a better term) to the inside of the chamber, leading to extraction and feeding issues.

As conventional wisdom tells us, you get what you pay for. Steel-cased rounds are almost always the cheapest options on the market. A search of 9mm options on ammotogo.com (with over 200 choices) showed that the five cheapest rounds were bulk boxes (1000 rounds or more) of steel-cased ammo. If you buy 1,500 or 1,000 rounds of steel ammo, you can enjoy a per-round cost of only $0.20. Other FMJ rounds can go as high as $0.80 per shot.

Again, we simply recommend treading lightly. Try a smaller box, such as a 50-round box of Sterling Steel and see how it goes. If you like the results, you can stock up on a 1,500-round purchase.

Cheap Foreign Rounds

While reliability varies widely (and, again, highly depends on the handgun), most moderate-price, USA-made 9mm Luger ammo is considered trustworthy. Low-cost foreign rounds, however, do not share the same reputation.

Venom ammo is a fine example. This is a low-cost line of cartridges from Medef Defence, a Turkish manufacturer. They offer a variety of products to U.S. gun owners, including 115-grain and 124-grain FMJ rounds, commonly used for training, practice, and casual shooting.

While some tests have shown decent reliability, other results are mixed. One report showed consistent reliability in one firearm but “stovepiping” (the term for when a case jams and sticks up like a stovepipe) in another. To be fair, this was seen after the second firearm was “was run hard all day.” They theorize that this may be caused by the gun’s setup, but ammo plays a role.

Reddit reviews are not scientific evidence, but these real-world experiences help us make informed purchasing decisions. Unfortunately, we see a lot of poor reviews from gun owners on Reddit who have tried Venom ammo. One user wrote: “Took some venom 9mm 115 gr FMJ to the range today and had a BUNCH of misfeeds in my security 9. Every 4-5 rounds I ran into one.” Other people have shared similar results, while other reviews are more positive.

Overall, Venom and other cheap foreign-made rounds are not something we would recommend buying in bulk.

Cheap Self-Defense Ammo

A side by side look of cheap 9mm self-defense ammo versus better loads

So far, we have primarily discussed 9mm FMJ and range ammo. But, considering that the 9mm Luger is the most-used defense cartridge, we need to discuss carry ammo as well. So what 9mm defense ammo should you avoid? While there are many excellent choices, we’d start by avoiding cheap self-defense rounds.

We won’t dive too deeply into details, but just remember that for defense ammo, you won’t be going through hundreds of rounds like you would with training ammo. Therefore, most are happy spending a bit more (per round) on defense ammo. In the image above, you can see the difference between a 5-shot group o Federal HST (top image) versus PMC Starfire (lower image.) The Federal HST penetrated much more consistently and the expansion was just about perfect – across all five shots.

We’ve said it once already in this article, but you get what you pay for. Therefore, avoid cheap self-defense ammo and you’ll have the reliability, performance, and functionality you need during a critical situation. You can tolerate questionable ammo for target shooting; it’s not worth the risk for defense. To see our top 9mm ammo picks for self-defense, check out this article.

9mm Gets Priority

Don’t get us wrong, 9mm is a great choice for pistol shooters. It’s incredibly popular. So popular that individual manufacturers often prioritize the 9mm Luger over other rounds. If we include +P loads, Hornady lists 14 different 9mm Luger options, but has three .380 ACP choices and eight .45 ACP products. Winchester has 23 9mm Luger products (again, including +P) alongside seven .380 ACP options and 17 .45 ACP products. This same trend is repeated by nearly every manufacturer.

With so many options, the 9mm Luger runs the full range of types, quality, and pricing. There are products with excellent reputations, and rounds known for inconsistent cycling and performance.

So what 9mm ammo brands should you avoid? While we won’t tell you to never purchase certain brands, we can say that there are certain types of rounds that deserve healthy skepticism.

Conclusion: Still Useful, But Tread Lightly

While there are certain brands that require caution, you don’t have to boycott them. Instead, we’d recommend a cautious attitude. Purchase smaller amounts and see which low-cost ammo works in your 9mm firearm. If you find the right load for your weapon, you can purchase in bulk.

Since we’re discussing functionality, remember to keep your weapon clean. With regular care after every shooting session, you’ll maintain consistent performance, which is nice at the range and absolutely critical for defense.

All Types of Ammo, All Types of Needs!

Whether you settle for cheap remanufactured ammo or purchase high-quality rounds from leading manufacturers, you’ll find everything you need right here. Visit our site, place your order, and get the right cartridges for target, carry, hunting, and more