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Looking for quality, yet inexpensive training ammunition? Aren’t we all. The days of a 50 round box of 9mm selling for about $5 are long gone. If you watch for online deals, you can sometimes get a box for about $10 (before shipping), but prices of $12-15 are far more common.
Winchester Ammunition recently introduced a new line of ammo for high volume shooters who wanted to make their dollars stretch. Called USA Forged, this new series is available in 150 round bulk packs and is currently only made in 9mm. But, is the ammunition reliable and affordable? I decided to take a look.
Since this is a completely new line, the folks at Lucky Gunner offered to send me 600 rounds of the USA Forged ammunition for testing. Though they get the obvious benefit of a little publicity in this article, I got the distinct impression they wanted to know if this was a good product they should carry for their customers. With the understanding that this would be an honest evaluation of the product, I accepted their offer.
What is USA Forged?
USA Forged ammunition is a new line of ammo that uses steel cases to save on production costs. Winchester adds a brass-jacketed lead bullet, a non-corrosive Boxer-type primer and a clean burning powder to complete the load.
Yes, this ammunition is made in the United States of America. It is not imported.
The USA Forged ammunition is designed for practice and plinking, though I suspect it is reasonably good for competition as well. If you are competing at the top levels, you probably already have your preferred load dialed in for your guns. But for the rest of us, these round will probably work fine.
This ammo is sold in rather tall boxes of 150 rounds. A heavy cardboard box is used with plain black print. I suspect the design is purposefully created to give the impression of being affordable.
Inside the box are three styrofoam-like trays that hold 50 rounds of ammo each. Everything is packed just tight enough to keep the rounds from spilling out, but not so tight as to be difficult to slide a tray out for use.
Indoor Range Use
I know there are many ranges, mostly indoor ranges, that prohibit the use of steel cased ammo. From my conversations with range owners, I’ve heard two reasons for the steel case ban given:
- they don’t want steel cases mixed in with the brass that they are selling or reloading, and
- some of the imported steel cased ammo has a steel core bullet that can penetrate the backstop.
If the concern is about mixing steel cases into the range brass, you may be able to convince the owner to allow you to shoot the ammo if you pick it up and dispose of it separately. I use a heavy duty magnet (like this one) with a length of paracord to wave over the ground and quickly retrieve steel cases.
If the concern is about the bullets – have no fear. These are pretty typical full metal jacket bullets. Winchester uses a lead core with a brass jacket. They will not penetrate the bullet trap as a steel core might. Winchester clearly labels the boxes with the lead core information so a range owner can easily be convinced that this is ok for use on his or her lanes.
Range Time
I have the good luck to have a great indoor range close to my home. Like many indoor ranges, however, it prohibits the use of steel cased ammo. The shop owner is a good guy and agreed to let me shoot the Winchester ammo after I explained it was definitely loaded with lead core bullets.
I entered into this ammo review with generally high hopes that were tempered by past experiences with Winchester’s budget “white box” ammunition. Even though my experience with Winchester’s premium ammunition has been superb, I’ve had some pretty poor reliability out of the 9mm WWB ammo in recent years. Frankly, I was unsure if the new USA Forged would be reliable.
My fears were quickly put to rest as the new ammo was perfectly reliable.
I carried nine different handguns to the range with me for this evaluation. They represented seven different manufacturers and ranged in size from the diminutive Diamondback DB9 to the full size Smith & Wesson M&P9. Each gun got a minimum of 25 rounds through it, while the Glock 19, Glock 43 and S&W Shield got quite a bit more.
All of the guns ran the ammunition 100% reliably. I experienced no malfunctions of any kind. Every gun fed, shot and cycled as well as I could hope for.
Recoil was on par with other 115 grain practice loads. I had Blazer Brass 115 grain FMJ rounds on hand and I could not discern any difference in recoil between them.
Accuracy was good. Off hand, five shot groups were sub-3″, with many less than 2″, at 7 yards. A better shooter can definitely tighten those up.
I know Winchester states the company uses a “clean burning powder” in these rounds. I’d give that statement a mixed review. There is not a lot of smoke generated when shooting. In fact, it appears to be no more smoke than any other quality round from a US manufacturer.
However, there did appear to be more residue left in the guns than other US-made budget rounds such as the Blazer Brass and American Eagle lines. Overall, this was a very minor concern for me, but one you should be aware of.
Measured Performance
Velocity | Energy |
|
|---|---|---|
| Bersa BP9CC | 1,011 fps | 261 ft-lbs |
| CZ P-07 Duty | 1,083 fps | 299 ft-lbs |
| Diamondback AM2 | 1,069 fps | 292 ft-lbs |
| Diamondback DB9 | 1,031 fps | 271 ft-lbs |
| Glock 19 Gen4 | 1,101 fps | 309 ft-lbs |
| Glock 43 | 1,039 fps | 276 ft-lbs |
| Kahr CM9 | 984 fps | 247 ft-lbs |
| SCCY CPX-2 | 1,015 fps | 263 ft-lbs |
| Smith & Wesson M&P9 | 1,117 fps | 319 ft-lbs |
| Smith & Wesson M&P Shield | 1,019 fps | 265 ft-lbs |
Performance measured with a Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital Chronograph at an approximate distance of 9' from the muzzle of the pistol. All measurements are an average of five shots.
Final Thoughts
Typically, I do not buy steel cased ammunition for anything other than my ComBloc surplus guns. Frankly, much of the steel cased ammo on the market is imported and of a sometimes uncertain quality. So, I have tended to buy brass cased, US made stuff almost exclusively.
However, the USA Forged ammunition is a quality load that I will be buying more of and shooting. Everyday pricing on this ammo is currently less than 17¢/round, which puts it close to the sale price of some of the rounds I currently buy. It is also cheaper than some of the imported ammo. With the good pricing combined with the reliability I experienced, I will happily add this to my range bag.
One of the hurdles some people will face with the USA Forged ammo is its acceptance by ranges that typically prohibit steel cased ammo. Hopefully, as word about this new product spreads, the majority of shooting ranges will be prepared to make an exception for this ammunition.
Disclosure
As with any other ammunition review, I include a disclosure statement. The reason why I do this is I want you to be aware of any possible biases and conflicts of interests that may have colored my evaluation of this ammo.
As I mentioned above, Lucky Gunner provided the ammunition for this review. I thank them for that and happily include links back to their site. When we spoke, they did not ask for any links or other favors. Nor did they offer to pay me anything. I explained to them, as I do any manufacturer, that the reviews – good or bad – are based on the performance of the product.
I do recommend Lucky Gunner as an ammunition retailer as they have a very comprehensive web site that is easy to navigate and have always provided me with very good customer service. Also, they are a solid supporter of the Second Amendment.
Lucky Gunner is not an advertiser, nor am I in any talks with them to be one.
GunsHolstersAndGear.com is a for-profit website. I do not charge readers a dime to access the information I provide.
Some of the links on this page and site are affiliate links to companies like Amazon and Palmetto State Armory. These links take you to the products mentioned in the article. Should you decide to purchase something from one of those companies, I make a small commission.
The links do not change your purchase price. I do not get to see what any individual purchases.
Not everyone had the same experience as you did with this ammo. I have a box of 50 I plan to run through my Sig P226 the next time I hit the range and I will form my own opinion. Biggest complaint from reviews seem to be the cheap Winchester powder leaves a gun really filthy.
HI Ado,
Did you have a chance to run that Forged ammo yet? I’d appreciate hearing how it performed – good or bad – in your SIG.
-Richard
I did use that box of 50. I really couldn’t tell any difference from jacketed lead core ammo. I like the more reasonable price I paid at Wal-Mart. Good cheap target ammo.
Good to hear – thanks for the feedback!
-Richard
I have fired about 600 rounds of Winchester 9mm steel case through my Beretta 92s. the ammunition functioned perfectly.
I have ran this ammo through a taurus 709 slim with NO problems at all and yet I have seen shooters with high end relatively mid to high price guns that won’t handle this ammo well. I guess more expensive (guns) aren’t always better when using less expensive ammo.
Have fired around 500 rounds through my Sig SP2022 in 9. Some stovepiping, but generally quality ammo. No issues with my range and steel casing. Was reviewing some imported steel casing and found MARKEDLY different reviews. As such, regardless of price, I know where I will spend my ammo dollars
Hi Patrick,
Thanks for taking the time to read and sharing your experiences. Everyone benefits when there is more user feedback on an item like this Winchester ammo.
-Richard
I just recently shot 100 rounds of this ammunition out a brand new Sig P320 sub-compact and it failed to eject about 20 times. Had to manually push the spent casing back through with a screwdriver to get them out. Will not be using this ammo again.
Hi Wes,
Thanks for sharing your experiences. No doubt, some guns are finicky about steel cased ammo.
Other than that – how do you like that new P320? I know a lot of people like them and they are developing quite a fan base.
Richard
I have ran a 1,000 rounds of this ammo through my S&W Sheild with no problems. My gun does end up pretty dirty but I solve this problem by cleaning it when I’m done. I can’t attest to it accuracy because I’m not good enough to be able to say if my rounds are four inches apart because of the ammo or if because that’s were I had it pointing. Seems the same to me.
I had this strange problem of usa forged loaded in my beretta px4 magazines. I tried it in several new mags and then tried brass ammo without problems.
I’m a novice but picked up a box of these rounds for my Ruger P95. When loading my magazine I can’t get the full 15 rounds into the mag. It get stuck and jams at about 10 rounds on multiple factory magazines. Gonna call this a fail since I’ve never had this problem with any other ammo.
Hi Jason,
Thanks for your feedback. This is a problem I’ve never heard before with any SAAMI spec ammo. There may be an issue with the ammunition being manufactured out of spec. Have you called Winchester? They really need to know if they let a batch out that there is a problem with.
Best,
Richard
I just bought 150 rounds of this ammo for my wife and me to use at the range. We’re both novices. We got a mint condition 1974 Walther PPK/S and a 1974 Smith & Wesson Model 15 from my grandparents and after firing those we bought a Glock 19 and a Taurus G2C for concealed carry. I wasn’t aware these bullets were possibly problematic when I bought them from my local Walmart. The price was nice and it is a well respected brand. I don’t want to get our new guns dirty from these. We’ll be going to a new range today so hopefully they allow steel.
Hi Jonathan,
When talking to the range folks, just let them know that it is steel cased and does not have a steel core or jacket on the bullet. Many ranges ban them because a steel core/jacket can penetrate the backstop and increase the likelihood of a fire. If that is their only concern, then you should be good.
On the other hand, some ranges disallow steel cased ammo also due to recycling/reloading the brass. If that’s the case, you might be out of luck.
Have fun shooting those guns! I love revolvers and that S&W Model 15 is a great one. (So are the rest, but I’ve got a soft spot for those old wheel guns. 🙂
-Richard
I just bought my first pistol, Taurus g2c, I picked up a few boxes of this ammo just so I could go shoot my new gun. I didn’t have any feeding or jamming problems after 100 rounds. I was actually a bit confused on why people hate steel cased ammo so much.
I have the exact gun and couldn’t even shoot a full magazine out of it without it jamming, not ejecting casings, and had one or two that didn’t fire. I’ve never had problems with a brass casing at all, but I’m never buying these steel case again. I’m glad yours didn’t have a problem though. Maybe I just got a bad batch or something.
Just got back from the range and shot 1000 rounds through my Glock 17 MOS. I experienced zero malfunction while running drills. While loading mags, it did feel a little different from brass but it still got the job done. I will definitely purchase more in the feature.
Hi Matt,
Thanks for the range report. Feedback with high quantity round counts like yours are useful to a lot of people.
-Richard
This ammunition is not safe I have 3 misfires And 1 Squib load and multiple jams in my glock 19
Wow. It sounds like to got a bad lot. When you contacted Winchester, did they mention if any other squibs have been reported in this lot? Sqibs from factory ammo is pretty rare, and I imagine they were quite concerned to hear about one.
Please let us know what they said.
-Richard
My new Ruger PCC likes them. Shot 450 thru it so far.
Hi Lawrence,
Thanks for yoour feedback. I’ve got a PCC on order, and I look forward to running a lot of ammo through it! Anything I should be aware of on that new gun when I get it on the range?
-Richard
I just ran 100 rounds of this stuff through my Mech Tech CCU w/ XDM pistol frame. Outstanding results recording 3/4″ groups at 50 yards! My 4.5″ XDM hates this ammo but boy does the Mech Tech upper eat them up.
I had picked up a box of the product at Dick’s for $30. I’ve been using it to stretch the range ammo I buy by mixing it in at about a 2:5 ratio with whatever the flavor of the day is on the range. Today it happened to be 115 gr Fiocchi JHP; last week it was 124 gr Winchester FMJ. (I casually pick up my steel casings with a magnet stick and carry them out so as not to louse up the range’s brass recovery operations 😉!). Not a single reliability issue and don’t notice any recoil differences using a SW M&P Compact. Can’t pass judgement on how clean the powder burns, though, since I’m mixing and matching.
Hi Lawrence,
I’ve put over 6000 rounds through my Sig and 92 FS. I started using this product 3 years ago, and from the beginning experienced a few stovepipes with my Sig, and a several FTEs and double feeds with the 92. My fix for those issues will probably get a lot of butts up in the air, but my guns have been spitting out those steel cases without any problems since. I spent 35 years working with steel and iron and if Winchester is coating the case I can’t tell. The metal has a very dry feel. My fix? I lay all the ammo on a clean rag, take a sheet of Rem Oil Wipes and lightly run it over the ammo and then run the rag over them. The steel case is so dry it sucks up the oil like a sponge. A brown/gray residue left on the wipe indicates oxidation, imo. As for the clean powder Winchester uses, meh. It’s dirty. And even though I can reload for a couple pennies lower than Winchester’s Forged, I’ll keep using it.
Duke
Thank you so much for the thorough review and for full disclosures. I purchased this today as ammo’s hard to come by due to the pandemic for an upcoming range test, and have been a little nervous about jams in my Ruger P95. This puts me more at ease and I’m looking forward to getting some range time in with them soon! Thanks again.
I just ran about 100 through my P95 and had no problem at any rate of fire. Ran about the same number through my son’s brand new Security 9. No problem there either. Gotta love a Ruger!
I just wanted to add this important information. The Forged Winchester line is fine but DO NOT use Wolf, Tula or any other ammo that uses bimetal jacketed bullets. These are steel jacket bullets with an extremely thin copper plating. The copper is gone in the first inch of the barrel as the projectile travels down the bore. I’m including a link from Lucky Gunner about an extensive test they did. The result? After 10,000 rounds the barrels were essentially smooth bore! Bi-metal jackets bullets will destroy your barrel!
I just received my order today. Will test in next few days. Seems to be a bit larger than some other brands.
I usually avoid steel cases for one reason. Steel is harder than brass. I haven’t tried this ammo though and I thought I might get a glimpse at what others might say about it.
I’ve noticed alot of new gun owners are the ones having problems, my sr9c runs fine with them though. Was thinking maybe somehow it’s user error? I mean no offense but was just noticing a majority of the complaints are from people saying they are new or first time gun owners.