9mm Ammo Buyer’s Guide: 10 Good Deals Right Now

July 02, 2020
By Brad Fitzpatrick

Each year more and more ammo purchases are occurring online, and that’s due in large part to the low overhead cost of online shopping and the associated value that retailers can pass on to their customers. Buying ammunition online is more affordable, and it’s also easier to determine what’s in stock, when it will ship, and track your order. Additionally, during the recent pandemic and resulting quarantine purchasing ammo off stores shelves simply wasn’t a viable option since many gun shops were forced to close.

Everest.com offers one of the largest selections of ammo of any online retailer. We’ve narrowed down the 10 best 9mm ammo deals on the site right now, everything from high-high defensive loads to affordable practice ammunition. What’s more, Everest Caliber members receive free Express shipping on Caliber eligible products, notifications of closeouts and sales and discounts on selected products so now’s the time to sign up as a member for just $9.99 a month (billed annually).

Allegiance OneStrike

Allegiance’s OneStrike ammunition is a different take on 9mm self-defense ammunition. Rather than a traditional copper jacket/lead core hollow point bullet design, OneStrike ammunition utilizes a powdered metal projectile with a frangible core. When these bullets strike a target the powdered metal fragments expand rapidly, creating a massive wave that transfers energy effectively to neutralize the threat. However, the powdered design causes the bullet to break up in barriers like ½-inch sheetrock, and this, in turn, virtually eliminates the risk of overpenetration. The 70-grain powdered metal bullet reaches a velocity of 1,475 feet per second and this ensures all the energy is absorbed by the target. That makes OneStrike an excellent choice for home defense or in any situation where overpenetration is a concern.

Bullet Weight: 70 Grains

Everest price: $22.00/20

Allegiance PowerStrike

Similar in many ways to OneStrike, Allegiance’s new PowerStrike utilizes a frangible core that expands rapidly on impact and a copper jacket. When this frangible self-defense bullet strikes an attacker or an animal massive amounts of hydrostatic pressure create a shock wave that transfers energy efficiently for a fast, clean kill. This design ensures no ricochet on hard targets and no exit from soft targets, even at close range, and that makes PowerStrike a good option for personal defense and range work. Standard 9mm jacketed hollow point bullets are prone to overpenetration, and that can have deadly results in a house, apartment, or in a crowded space. Like OneStrike, PowerStrike ammunition reduces the risk of overpenetration in those situations, and that’s why it’s becoming a more popular option for home protection.

Bullet Weight: 90 Grains

Everest price: $24.34/20

Allegiance SilentStrike 130 Grain

Silent Strike bullets utilizes a compressed frangible tungsten powdered metal core, but with a muzzle velocity of just 975 feet per second this load combines the lethality of compressed powder with the quietness of a subsonic round. When the 130-grain frangible bullet strikes a target the powdered metal expands and delivers tremendous shock, but it does so with less muzzle blast and recoil than competing CQB loads. SilentStrike works well for home defense, but it’s particularly well-suited for recoil-sensitive shooters. Even in the smallest subcompact 9mms this ammo is still manageable. What’s more, Allegiance is the only frangible subsonic ammunition that is suitable for use in suppressed guns because it won’t blow up. SilentStrike is a superb all-around ammo choice because it won’t ricochet and won’t overpenetrate yet delivers massive threat-stopping force at self-defense ranges, all without the noise and muzzle flip associated with most 9mm defensive loads. It’s also quite affordable.

Bullet Weight: 130 Grains

Everest Price: $20.00/20

Allegiance SilentStrike 140 Grain

Similar in concept to the 130 grain version, Allegiance’s SilentStrike 140 grain load utilizes a frangible core. However, the 140 grain bullet uses a frangible lead core with a jacket, and the added bullet weight and velocity (the 140-grain projectile leaves the muzzle at 1,020 fps as opposed to 975 for the 130 grain load) the SilentStrike 140 is a subsonic load that hits very hard and imparts massive shock into the target. This, in turn, makes this an effective and efficient hunting and self-defense load. In 9mm it is particularly well-suited for personal protection because, like its 130-grain counterpart, it generates massive stopping power with minimal and reduced risk of overpenetration. The jacketed exterior makes it safe to shoot in suppressed guns, and doing so keeps noise to a bare minimum. For CQB self-defense situations—especially in tight areas where standard bullets could overpenetrate or ricochet off metal surfaces—SilentStrike 140s are a great option.

Bullet Weight: 140 Grains

Everest price: $27.00/20

Allegiance RangeStrike

Everest is offering RangeStrike ammo from Allegiance for just $0.38 a round, a real bargain considering how versatile this round is. Unlike other Allegiance products on this list, RangeStrike doesn’t utilize a powdered metal bullet but instead features a solid copper bullet with a hollow nose profile. Skives on the jacket ensure reliable expansion on target and retained weight is near 100% with every shot. That makes this bullet suitable for practice time at the range, even in areas where lead bullets are banned. But the bullet profile also makes it a suitable self-defense round. The copper bullet weighs in at 115 grains and with a muzzle velocity of 1,150 feet per second this round packs considerable punch without being abusive. In a time where it can be very difficult to find 9mm this versatile training/defense round is very appealing, especially at this low price.

Bullet Weight: 115 Grains

Everest Price: $19.00/50

Allegiance RangeStrike FangFace

Allegiance’s first and perhaps best-known frangible bullet is the FangFace, which combines a tungsten matrix core and a copper jacket to provide the frangible jacketed design that has made Allegiance ammo so popular. FangFace has deep skives in the jacket, and that initiates expansion when the target is struck. Massive energy transfer combined with reliable performance make this a great round for self-defense, especially in tight quarters, and as the name implies it’s also great for range time because it won’t ricochet. This bullet has even been used successfully to hunt hogs. What’s more, it’s currently available and extremely affordable. If you are a fan of FangFace ammo now’s the time to purchase all you can, for once this ammo’s gone there won’t be any more.

Bullet Weight: 124 Grains

Everest Price: $19.00/50

Grind Hard Ammo Xtreme Defense

Grind Hard Ammo’s Xtreme Defense load utilizes a CNC machined solid copper bullet that effectively passes through barriers and still transfers energy to the target effectively. The secret to this bullet’s success is the cutouts in the nose portion of the bullet. When the bullet strikes a target and continues to rotate ,these cutouts generate tremendous hydrostatic shock and transfer massive amounts of energy, neutralizing a threat immediately. What’s more, the design makes these bullets essentially “barrier blind,” and the lack of a nose cavity (which can become clogged with cloth or materials) ensures consistent straight-line penetration. These types of bullets have performed quite well on FBI protocol tests and have proven to be very effective for personal defense, making them an affordable, effective option for anyone who relies on their 9mm pistol for personal defense. With a muzzle velocity of 1,350fps these lightweight, all-copper bullets also transfer a great deal of energy.

Bullet Weight: 90 Grains

Everest Price: $29.99/20

Grind Hard Ammo FMJ

Every 9mm fan is constantly searching for affordable, high-quality target ammunition and the best deal in practice ammunition might be Grind Hard Ammo’s 115-grain 9mm FMJ load. At $0.31 a round it’s certainly a bargain, but the quality of this ammo for the price is truly outstanding. Grind Hard Ammo’s new facility includes state-of-the-art machines with laser check points to ensure consistency, and the shot-to-shot consistency is quite good. Despite their low cost these rounds use new brass and match grade boxer primers. Low-recoiling 115-grain rounds make a great choice for target practice, and this deal is made even better for Everest Caliber members since they’ll not only get the best deal on ammo but also shipping. You won’t find 9mm practice ammo of this quality available anywhere else at this price right now.

Bullet Weight: 115 Grains

Everest Price: $15.50/50

CorBon Jacketed Hollow Point

It’s hard to beat the versatility and practicality of a jacketed hollow point bullet, and CorBon has a reputation of building some of the best JHP defensive rounds on the market. Built on modern machines with exact tolerances, CorBon’s ammo produce a level of consistency serious shooters demand. These rounds use premium propellants, primers and cases and load them with lead core bullets with gilding metal jackets. CorBon’s bullets have always performed well, and it was their original JHP design that brought attention to the company back in the early 1980s. Law enforcement agencies were looking for a JHP bullet that performed well under a range of circumstances, and CorBons did just that. Now you can purchase premium CorBon JHPs at a bargain price, and that’s a win for any 9mm owner.

Bullet weight: 115 Grains

Everest Price: $24.99/20

CCI/Speer Bulk FMJ Ammo

Shooting a lot of rounds can get expensive, and in recent months the relative scarcity of 9mm has made it very difficult to find practice ammunition at any price. That’s why it’s a good idea to stock up on affordable 9mm ammunition when the opportunity presents itself, and that time is now. CCI/Speer’s bulk packs of 1,000 rounds offer a price-per-round of just $0.25, which is as good a deal as you’ll find anywhere. What’s more, at a cost of a quarter a round you’re getting premium FMJ ammunition with high-quality primers, brass, and propellants. This is a great deal for the competitive shooter or even the recreational shooter who doesn’t want to have to search for ammunition when demand is high or spend a lot of money at the range.

Bullet Weight: 115 Grains

Everest Price: $249.99/1,000