Intro
T1 Ammunition is disabled veteran-owned business that purchased an existing ammunition factory in Sarasota Florida in May of 2013. They develop ammunition for target, competition, and defense. I was sent 100 rounds of their 9 mm. 124 gr. Target, 150 rounds of 9 mm. 124 gr. Competition, and 250 rounds of .223 55 gr. FMJ. The ammo came in standard 50 round boxes that are clearly labeled –Important in my opinion – and all the rounds were in Styrofoam type ammo trays.
I also received a couple of patches and stickers and a personal note from the T1 team, which was a nice touch. On the website they state that they use new brass and everything is loaded to Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) specifications. All of the rounds I received looked like new and with close inspection I couldn’t find any noticeable issues that you find in some ammunition.
Testing
I took the 9 mm. 124 gr. Target ammo to a Sage Dynamics Advanced Vehicle Defense class to give it a whirl with some high volumes of fire and to shoot it through some everyday objects, for example, aluminum, glass, and fabrics. Not that the ammo was intentionally made for penetration of barriers, but why the hell not.
On day one we started with shooting through the windshield to see the deflection of the rounds – on a side note really cool stuff and I would suggest this class to everyone that carries for self-defense – for FMJ’s they did what was expected, first round deviated up 6-8 inches and the 2 others went point of aim. For the rest of the day I shot the Target ammo that was provided to me by T1 and it was flawless. It ran clean as well, I didn’t notice any extra felt recoil or muzzle rise that I have from others. I also shot it through 3 different barrels to see if it would stop working because of different specs, Glock stock, S3f Solutions, and a Zev barrel. It ran through all of them and the fit in each was to spec.
I also took the 9 mm. 124 gr. Competition loads to a USPSA match to see them in their intended use. I shot them through my Glock 19, with a stock barrel and an S3f barrel. They performed as expected and I had no issues with feeding or function except for one magazine issue. I didn’t notice a significant difference in the way the shoot next to the Target ammo and they did not seem under powered like some competitive ammo I have shot.
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
The .223 55 gr. FMJ was shot through my BCM 14.5 pinned AR that has around 46,000 round through it, so accuracy testing was subjective to a barrel that has been run hard and dirty. The second AR I shot it through was a new less than 500 round BCM 14.5 Pinned (Girlfriends AR). Through that I saw proper groups. The ammo shot once again as expected, even when ran hard. The felt recoil with it was no harder or softer than usual (Proper technique). Overall I enjoyed shooting it through both ARs to see the difference and was happy with the performance.
Conclusion
I was, as expected, happy to see that all the ammo provided worked well and was pleasant to shoot. I certainly would recommend it to anyone that needs practice, target, or competition ammo. T1 also offers a nice discount to first time buyers and LEO/MIL professionals. You can thank me later.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received T1 Ammo from T1 Ammo via Spotter Up. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
