So I'm so new I haven't even bought ammo as this is my first 9mm. What am I looking for and what do I want to steer clear of?

I'm not a gun nut, yet... so please don't overwhelm me with terms I will spend all night looking up.

Best I can tell is 115 grain will work, kinda?

I own a TP9 Elite Combat..

I here +P 124 grain is best, but is there a bad, good, better, best brand? Are we talking Brass, coated?

I just don't want malfunctions as when I find time for the range I need to plan it for out.

Thanks in advance!

Caniks are designed to run 124gr NATO rounds which are heavier and hotter than the standard 115gr target round you find on shelves the most. With that, the guns have a stiffer recoil spring for running that hotter ammo and when new, many people have failures to eject running 115gr. You can contact Century Arms and request a lighter recoil spring which you probably want to do regardless. With that, if you can find Winchester white box 124gr NATO, run 4 boxes of that through the gun and the spring should loosen up a bit. If you can't find or afford that, just get what you can and run it. You might have some issues at the beginning but they should subside. Also, many will leave the gun locked open for days to work the spring.

Welcome aboard the forum.

Welcome!

So next newbie question but how can I tell which ammo is NATO? I'm mostly looking on AmmoSeek but also looking wherever I can to buy ammo.

Also just made a purchase on a Banish 45 for the Canik Com at Elite, should be in, in about 3 months through Silencer Central. They setup a Trust for FREE and send it to my front door!

It will have NATO in the name, like 124 gr NATO. If it doesn't say it, it isn't.

JG

When you can find it, Winchester Q4318 9mm NATO ammo is great for break-in and practice as it has recoil about like 124gr +p loads.

When it comes to which self-defense ammo is best, that’s a giant can of worms but Federal HST 124gr or 147gr always rates well.

Other great options:
Speer Gold Dot 124gr +p
Winchester PDX1 Defender 124gr +p

Just avoid gimmick rounds like RIP and you should be okay.

The ammo supply situation isn’t great at the moment but it is becoming more available.

Hoax wrote: ↑Wed Jan 26, 2022 2:27 pm Also just made a purchase on a Banish 45 for the Canik Com at Elite, should be in, in about 3 months through Silencer Central. They setup a Trust for FREE and send it to my front door!

They send it to your door? Never heard of that. How do they get your fingerprints and run you through NICS for the transfer?

Also, check the threads on the EC so you get the correct piston. They originally came with 13.5x1L but I think are 1/2x28 now. Easy to tell if it's left hand threaded or normal.

Own 3 Canik's: Elite, Elite SC, DA.
After running a couple hundred rounds of Nato in all of them, just to loosen the stock spring, have run (and still do) all of the following with no issues at all in all 3 guns:
Fiocchi
Speer Lawman
Armscor
Aguilla
Magtech
Sellior & Bellot

All of the above are stocked in my safe in 115gr, 124gr, 147gr. Have them all shipped to my house from places like:

Outdoorlimited
sgammo
ammosupplywarehouse
MidwayUSA
Gunbroker

Good luck!

Neil

What ammo you want depends on what you're going to use it for.

If you're going to plink at the range, well, I have bought bulk 115gr and 124gr ball (i.e. FMJ or plated bullets), sourced via AmmoSeek, and had no problems with any of it. It has come from:

2A Warehouse
LAX Ammunition
and it seems like I have gotten some from 1 or 2 other places I can't remember right now.

The only thing I avoid is steel-cased ammo (like Tula). Steel cases MAY be harder on your gun (increased wear). Brass is also no problem to reload, if you want to collect it up after you shoot.

If you're going to shoot competitions (like steel challenge, IPSC/USPSA, or IDPA), then you might want to look for 147gr FMJ or 150gr SynTec rounds, loaded light, so they just barely make over Minor Power Factor. Those will give reduced recoil, for quicker follow-up shots.

For carry ammo, I have tried some different options and settled on Underwood 9mm +P+ 90gr Xtreme Defender. But, I have not shot any of that through my Canik and my Canik is way too big for me to consider it as a carry gun. It's just a range toy.

If you want subsonic ammo to shoot with your can when you get it, well, you probably want 147gr ammo, but I have no experience with shopping for or using subsonic 9mm ammo.

As of this second, Academy has 124gr NATO in stock at $22 (limit 4).

https://www.academy.com/p/winchester-9- ... -luger-124

All 9mm ammo is hard to get right now, but you definitely want hollow points.

• Federal HST
  Speer Gold Dot
  Remington Golden Saber

anjlinastone wrote: ↑Tue Apr 05, 2022 1:32 am All 9mm ammo is hard to get right now, but you definitely want hollow points.

• Federal HST
  Speer Gold Dot
  Remington Golden Saber

I haven't had any trouble getting 9mm ammo at any point in the last 9 months. I just got another case a couple of weeks ago. It is currently running around $280 for a case of range ammo with new brass.

https://ammoseek.com/ammo/9mm-luger

I HAVE had trouble at times getting the exact self-defense ammo I wanted. But, I have never (in the last 9 months) been unable to get any good carry ammo.

Why do you think hollow points are preferable to ammo made with Lehigh Defense Xtreme Defender bullets?

As StuartV suggested, it depends on what you want to use it for.
With respect to factory ammo as opposed to reloads:
I shoot my Canik TP9sfx in bullseye matches and prefer Federal 150gr SYNTEC ammo for its low recoil and accuracy/consistency.
Next best for me is Federal 147gr flat nose, again for its lower recoil.
The 115gr are too fast and produce more felt recoil, as do a heavier bullet like 165gr in my experience.
For range plinking the cheapest ammo you can find is usually the best option, imo.
I've shot Winchester 115gr (non NATO) and have no issues with feeding, etc., but YMMV.

I've had good experiences with on line ammo purchases from Target Sports, and SG Ammo.
Both shipped very quickly and had in stock what they advertised.

As with anything, everyone is different and has different needs, wants, and opinions.
These are mine.
Good luck.