Sig Sauer Elite Performance 9mm FMJ Ammunition
Last winter (2017) I set out to do a series of reviews on Pistol Caliber Carbines. It just so happened that the shop was buying 1000 round cases of the new Sig Sauer Elite Performance 9mm FMJ Ammunition for the upcoming Black Friday sale. I couldn’t resist the price and picked up 3 cases.
Over the course of the next several months, I managed to shoot all 3000 rounds through various guns in various situations.
The Guns:
JP GMR-15 PCC
Ruger PCC 9mm Carbine
Ruger PCC 9mm Carbine modified by Taccom for competition
Primary Weapon Systems 9mm PCC Carbine
American Defense Manufacturing UIC 9mm
Smith and Wesson Shield 9mm
Atlas Gunworks Titan 9mm
Glock 34
The Situations:
Range time at Forest Lake Sportsmen’s Club
Tactical
Competition
Plinking with my kids
Hawkeye Ignite 3 Gun Matches
Lucas Oil Outdoor PCC Championship
I should tell you that I am spoiled rotten in the ammunition department. My sponsor, ORM Tech Ammunition, makes me the softest shooting 9mm I could want for competition. I run thousands of rounds of it each year competing in 3 Gun and USPSA matches across the country and have little use for full powered ammunition outside of the hollow points I prefer for carry and defensive training.
What am I looking for in range ammunition? Reliable, clean and reasonably priced is the list. I could add accuracy and velocity to the list but, if I am being honest, I don’t expect to shoot the wings off of insects from a moderately priced burner round and I haven’t chrono’ed ammunition since I started using manufactured hand loads several years ago.
How does Sig Sauer Elite Performance 9mm FMJ Ammunition perform?
Reliability: This is easy. The Sig Ammo is incredibly reliable. In 3000 rounds we only had a handful of failures. Each and every failure was easily tracked down to either a finicky PCC or a grossly extended competition magazine set-up.
Clean: I keep my guns clean dutifully but I have no love for the act of cleaning guns. All the guns above were cleaned quick and easy using Lucas Outdoor Contact Cleaner, wiped down with a clean cloth, and then lubed with Lucas Extreme Duty. This is my regular season maintenance routine and I am very familiar with what to expect. I noticed no discernible difference between the Sig Ammo and my competition loads. Even the PCCs, which are notoriously dirty after use due to the rudimentary blowback design, looked reasonably clean and free from heavy carbon build-up after 500 rounds. The ammo burns clean and leaves the guns serviceable. Great job Sig!
Price: When I buy over the counter range 9mm ammunition in 50 round boxes I expect to pay between $10-$12 per box. The Sig Sauer Elite Performance 9mm FMJ Ammunition, on the other hand, runs over $14 per box. Based on price alone, I would be hard pressed to spend the extra money.
Two out of three ain’t bad but the third category hits home. Why then, would I spend the extra money? Accurate clean burning ammunition does cost a little more to manufacture and I can make allowance for that, but what else? Probably the most compelling reason to choose Sig Sauer Elite Performance 9mm FMJ Ammunition is that the ballistics are nearly identical to their defensive ammunition. I don’t think this is enough of a reason for most people but for those that want a practice experience similar to real life this feature is priceless.
I really like this ammunition and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a clean burning, accurate, and reliable ammunition. If price is the deciding factor there are lots of options and you will have to determine for yourself whether or not the couple extra dollars is worth it for the aforementioned. I can say that if you need ammunition that approximates your defensive loads Sig offers a compelling option in the Sig Sauer Elite Performance 9mm FMJ Ammunition. Finally, if you can find it on sale BUY IT! It just so happens we are going to have door-buster prices on cases at our upcoming Anniversary Event on Saturday, October, 27th 2018. This is the perfect chance to try some for yourself.
