Newbies buy ammunition
By MARJ LAW
Beth and Sally are about to purchase ammunition. They are new to shooting, and both have 22s. Beth has a Sig Sauer 322 and Sally has a Ruger Mark IV. They’re both a bit uncertain as they stare at the shelves full of ammunition boxes.
“Let’s start with our 22s,” suggests Beth. “I see 22 Short and 22 LR which stands for Long Rifle. Since I have a gun with a very short barrel, I probably should get the 22 Short. That means you should get the 22 LR, because your gun is much longer than mine.”
“I don’t think that’s what you buy for your Sig,” says Sally, flipping through the pages of Beth’s manual. “No, it says here you need 22 LR, just like I do for my Ruger.”
“Wonder what gun shoots the ‘Short,’” pondered Beth. “Oh, well, we’ll both get the 22 LR ammo. Now, should we get one that says ‘hollow point?’”
“I don’t think so. Joey said ‘hollow point’ ammo is for self-defense or varmints. But we’re just using the 22s for target practice. For defense, we have our 9mm handguns.”
Beth is looking at pricing. “The pack of 22 LR Blazer Brass is half the price of the CCi, but Sam said to get CCi. He says it’s the cleanest-firing 22 ammo in his opinion. Sam said not to get fancy and look for ‘Hollow Point’ and ‘High Velocity,’ because 22 LR is all we need for target practice; not for defense.”
Sally sees the box of Blazer Brass. “Joey does say Blazer is good. But look at the box. The Blazer has 50 bullets in the box and the CCi has 100. That’s twice as much. No wonder the price of the CCi boxed ammo is that high.”
“Oh,” said Beth. “I didn’t notice that. So, is there really any difference between the 22 LR brands?”
“No, not really, so long as we stay with well-known ones.”
“Next, we’ll get ammo for your Sig Sauer 365 and my Kimber Mako. They’re both 9mm guns,” said Sally.
“Oh, no.” Beth is dismayed by all the 9mm ammo for sale. “There are a lot of boxes of 9mm. Which are we going to get?”
“Joey said we might think of getting 2 kinds: one for target practice and one for defense. He suggests buying in bulk for target practice since it’s cheaper.”
“I didn’t plan on buying so much,” complained Beth. “What’s the difference between 9mm Luger and 9mm Parabellum? And this Makarov? Are they all the same?”
“I think Joey said Luger and Parabellum are okay, but I’ve never heard of Makarov. We better cross that one off our list.”
“May I help you?” asked a salesman, noticing them studying the endcap.
“We’re looking at ammunition,” replied Sally.
“Are you wanting rimfire or centerfire ammunition?” he asked.
“We’re just looking right now. We’re not finished checking out our options.”
“But…” started Beth.
Sally grabbed her by the sleeve, starting to pull her down the aisle. Beth got the hint and scrambled along with her.
When they were out of earshot, Sally turned to Beth. “What, on earth, is rimfire? Or centerfire? We have to be the dumbest people here,” she hissed.
A kindly elderly man leaned towards them.
“I couldn’t help but hear that you both have 22s and 9mm handguns. The 22 is rimfire, and the 9 is centerfire.” He notices that both gals aren’t understanding.
“When shooting, your firing pin hits the primer, which causes a spark to set off the main propellent,” he explained. “On your 22, it is located along the back circular rim of the cartridge. According to GunDigest: ‘The spark goes to the main propellant charge which then burns and creates the gas pressure that sends the projectile out of the barrel.’ So, look at the back of the cartridge. Because the primer is on the rim, we call it a rimfire gun.”
“Look at the back of the 9mm casing,” he continued. “Notice the depression in the center? In your 9mm handgun, the primer is no longer in the rim; it is located right here in the center. When the salesperson asks if you want rimfire or centerfire, your 22s will be rimfire and your 9mm will be centerfire.”
“Thank you for explaining it to us,” said Sally, glad now that she wouldn’t sound stupid to the salesman. Each gal then purchased a box of 100 CCi 22 LR rounds, and were deciding on a box of 50 9mm Luger rounds.
“I didn’t know which 9mm box to get,” confessed Sally as they walked to the car. “One said 115 grains, one said 124 grains, and one said 147 grains. I went for the 115 because it was the cheapest. Joey said the cheapest good 9mm brand is probably the best for target shooting. He said the lighter weight might make shooting easier and give less recoil.”
“There’s so much to learn, even just about ammunition,” returned Beth, sighing.
“Sure is,” returned Sally. “Yesterday I found Sam running his hands through a box of 9mm rounds.”
“What are you doing?” I asked him. “Feeling up your ammo?”
“He said someone had given him this box, and the rounds had something slick on them, like maybe oil. He said oil can seep inside the casing. Then, you probably shouldn’t use them. You have to watch out if someone gives you ammunition.”
“Okay. So, if you don’t feel slime on them, then you can use them?” asked Beth.
“Not unless you really know what to look for. Casings could be damaged and have cracks in them. Also, 380 ammo and the 9mm rounds look so much the same, you almost have to check the back of each round to see which round it is.”
“Then too,” she added, “Joey said some people just stick rounds into a box. You won’t really know what’s in there. Someone may have picked up spent brass and reloaded them. They might have made ‘hot’ rounds that are not suitable for your gun. You have to know a lot to accept ammo from others.”
“Sounds like you’re saying: ‘Just say no’ to gifts of ammo!’” laughed Beth.
“That’s about it. It’s safer to buy locally. Then you know what you’re getting.”
“Since we have 9mm handguns for defense, can we use that +P or +P+ ammo?”
“Joey says to read your manual. Some 9s can take the stronger firepower, but others cannot. You could damage your barrel, so be sure to check the manual before you buy +P.”
“Okay. Sally, you know I haven’t looked at that manual.”
“Yikes! Then, read it tonight. Maybe it’s a good idea to find a well-trained person to take us to the range the first few times. Although we did take the ‘carry concealed’ class, there’s still so much to learn.”
“Just not from our husbands, please!” laughed Beth. “I think I’d be more comfortable with a woman. Did you notice how small the shooting stalls are at the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) range?”
“That’s all the space we need. I like the idea of shooting at the WCSO range, because a deputy is always there if we need one. They’re great for both information and safety. So, let’s go there Wednesday morning. A few shooters usually meet at the pistol range around 10:00. Let’s bring our guns and ammo and join them!”
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.