Read nearly every article on ammunition written in the past 25 years or so and they’re all pretty much the same. They talk about bullets, cartridge cases, primers and powder. They’ll dazzle you with ballistic math, FPS and SD or Standard Deviation. Rarely do they hazard a bold statement like “This is the best” or “I’d bet my life on it”. I think it’s high time for a small change.

I have been a shooter for a little over fifty years. I have shot rifles, handguns, shotguns and black powder pistols and rifles. Over the years, in civilian life, the military and in Law enforcement, I have come across a lot of ammo. I am a sometime handloader too. I own a chronograph (Oehler #35P) and I probably shoot more than most folks. I typically make it to the range for a formal session at least once a month and have for years.

I bore you with this so that you’ll better understand why I am going to tell you about ammunition without the numbers. I’m not going to tell you the meaningless velocity in FPS or how teeny the groups may be. As they say, “your mileage may vary”. Your gun is different than mine, you’re a better shot than I am (or worse) and maybe you don’t shoot through Bifocals (I do). Here’s the skinny on ammo. Black Hills Ammunition is the best I have found...period.

I know, I know... I can maybe hand load it for less money. Maybe it will perform better in my particular handgun (a custom 1911) but the REAL proof of the issue is that the target doesn’t care and won’t complain! If I can take my 1911 and alternately stack ammo types, hardball, hollow point and non-jacketed semi-wadcutter reload and have it all feed flawlessly, without a single jam, misfire or the slightest hickup, over hundreds upon hundreds of rounds...whaddya want!?

Thus far, my experience with Black Hills Ammo is limited to handgun ammunition in .45 ACP and .38 Special +P. I am beginning to think that I USED to be a handloader. I have hand-loaded thousands of rounds. Recently I began rotating stock and I’ve been shooting some I loaded 23 years ago! It all fired the same as it did in the mid-80’s except for one round where the primer backed out under recoil. That can’t happen with Black Hills ammo because like military ammunition, primers are sealed in against moisture. They use some sort of “goop” that looks a little like a mix of clear and light red nail polish. It hardens and seals around the primer to keep moisture out (and it does). Have you ever seen an article or ammo test wherein they “soak the ammo overnight in water? I haven’t, but I plan to do it. I’m pretty confident of the result too.

When I go to the range, over the last coupla years, I have taken to using one-gallon plastic milk jugs as targets. I refill them with water and a couple drops of food coloring (for excitement).
The milk jug is pretty close to a “head shot”. When a .45 hollow-point hits the jug, colored water empties pretty quickly. Then I just sorta “dance” the jug all over the ground for fun.
I have gotten to the point where I can consistently snap-shoot a jug at 25 yards, 15-yards seems like “cheatin’” and I have hit the jug at 40-yards! Remember though, it’s a VERY custom 1911 and it does have a match barrel & parts, thanks to Brownells.

I’m in the process of building a new 1911. It will be 100% stainless steel and Titanium except for the grip panels, which are Cocobolo. With this new and hyper custom 1911 and Black Hills ammo, I hope to hit a milk jug (dare I say) at 100 yards! Just a few years ago this would have been a laughable goal. Now, with better pistols and superb ammo, I think I can do it.

The new pistol is based on a frame and slide from Wilson Combat. The barrel, bushing and trigger is theirs as well as most of the components. The Titanium bits and a few other parts came from other high-end sources; it’s going to be a very special pistol. OK, with a great pistol, world-class ammo, I have a question for you. Is a 100-yard headshot on a milk jug out of reason for a 1911 .45 or for that matter, ANY handgun?

I can tell you that for the past forty years or so, most of my handgun practice has been done at distances of less than 15 yards. Under 15 yards, I’m probably not going to miss. 40 yards, it becomes a little more questionable. At 100 yards, C’mon, nobody practices with a 1911 at 100 yards! With Black Hills ammo, I‘m just crazy enough to think I can do it. Stay tuned; I’ll let ya know how it turns out. (yeah, even if I miss).

10/30/07 update: Over the past three months, I have hit a common one gallon milk jug with a hand gun five times and with four different pistols. The first two times I was using a model 1911 in .45 ACP. Then I used a friends 1911 (Black Hills ammo!) then I got brave and OK, a little crazy. I hit a milk jug at 100 yards using my S& W model 63 Kit gun (.22 Long Rifle (Remington ammo) . The jug was filled with frozen water. I wasn't even sure bullets would fly that far fired from a 4" barrel. I hit the jug! The round nose lead bullet penetrated the ice about 1/2" and I retrieved it in such good condition, it's easily reloadable IF I could reload a .22 rimfire!

Next up was a S&W Model 60 in stainless steel sporting a 2" barrel in .357 Magnum. Oops, but all I had was some Black Hills (blue box reloads) in .38 Spl. and 158 Grain SWC bullets, not exactly a target combo. Well, I'm here to tell ya. That Black Hills ammo DID hit the jug at 100 yards but I'm also the first to tell you that I think it may have just been a flat out lucky shot. To fire such a pistol at 100 yards is just plain nuts. A snub-nose .38 ain't hardly 100-yard fare. Save your ammo (especially if it's BH)

7-21-08 update This nutty shooting handguns at 100-yards sorta evolved into an informal competition.rivalry. My shooting student and Editorial Assistant Melissa Fern began hitting milk jugs at 100-yards too, so I swapped 1-gallon jugs for half-gallons...no change, she still put 'em down with regularity, then (you guessed it) I made the target a single quart container. In a sort of "in your face" demo, Melissa hit the paperboard quart as well. Well, I culdn't have that, so I added in a one pint carton. I didn't have a high degree of confience but I did hit it using my custom 1911 and Black Hills ammo. I quit! That one pint mlk carton at 100-yards is too small for an old man shooting through bifocals. She continues to goad me and we have long laughed at the thought on shooting the cap off a Tobasco bottle at 100-yards with a 1911.

Wanna build such a 1911? Visit Brownells first, then get their 1911 catalog. Ammo, your ONLY place is Black Hills