I have been working with the PSA Dagger in 9mm for a bit now and I needed a source of inexpensive and decent quality ammunition for it. To this end I did a little bit of research and decided to order from two sources for the first shots trip to my local range.
The first source was Freedom Munitions where I purchased 150 rounds of 124gr re-manufactured FMJ ammo for a total, after shipping, of$52.76. The second source was 200 rounds or Palmetto State Armory’s AAC brand 115gr FMJ for a total of $68.54. In general, I got reliable results from both.
I would class the results of the Freedom Arms ammo as excellent if it were not for two small issues. The first was a quality control issue. Out of the 3 boxes I purchased I found one defective round. The bullet on that round was set way too deep in the case, causing it to be about the size of a .380acp round. You should never attempt to fire a defective round. In this case it could cause chamber pressure that is far too high and could cause a catastrophic failure.
The second issue is more subjective. These re-manufactured rounds did not seem to have the same “zip” as the 115gr rounds from AAC. This kind of ammo is for practice and training, so it does not necessarily require the same power as defensive rounds, but it would be nice if it did as it would more closely resemble the results of equivalent weight defensive rounds. Keep in mind that this one small selection and it will not be representative of every type of ammunition that this company makes, and more testing will need to be done before I make a declarative statement on the company.
All of this said, I can report that this selection was accurate. I was able to keep rounds in the center of mass of a Silhouette target and maintained a 2-to-3-inch group on bullseyes. There was no failure to fire issues and every round chambered and fired. You should also note that I was shooting a new pistol that I am not yet used to, and larger groups are to be expected. Keep in mind also that this ammunition is meant for target shooting and training so my perception of its power may be a little skewed, especially considering the perceived “zip” of the other selection. I will have to try out some of the new manufactured and especially their X-Def brand of defensive ammunition before any real evaluation can be made of the company overall.
The AAC brand ammunition was a slightly better experience. I ordered 200 rounds of ammunition, and I found no quality control issues. It was accurate, shooting 2-inch groups with ease. There were also no failures to fire, each round feeding and ejecting with no problems.
This brand had a little more recoil than the Freedom Munitions brand and ejected more forcefully. The empty cases would routinely land behind and to the right of me and would sometimes drop an empty case on top of my hat. I found nothing negative in this small sample and the results tell me that AAC should make a viable choice for storage, defensive, and training ammunition for the prepper.
From other reviews and from my experience from my limited samples I feel that both brands are worth a look. If I were forced to make a choice, it would be the AAC product from Palmetto State Armory, but the user will be well served by both.
The post Ammunition Review: Freedom Munitions & ACC 9mm. first appeared on Ready Magazine.
