Also, this is without being in a “club”.
Approximate price per round, after shipping, so I can get an idea whether I am paying too much ($.39/rnd.) (Federal Am. Eagle)
Are there better alternatives for practice? Do most of you use a cheaper manufacturer?
Discuss.
That seems to be about the going rate shipped from reputable dealers for brass cased ammo these days. I have seen some occasional sales offers on CCI, Sellier & Bellot and some other brands I’ve never heard of get into the .35c range shipped if you buy bulk and catch it before they sell out.
I also see steel case ammo in the .30c range shipped but prefer to stick to brass myself. Though many people seem to run it without any issues. May have to consider it when my pre inflation stash runs out.
The trick is to find a good price AND free shipping. I’ve managed to keep my cost down around $0.30 per round by watching for sales. That’s for Blazer Brass 9mm, 115 gr, FMJ.
I consistently find the best prices (including cost/no cost for shipping) when I take the time for performing due diligence on what is available on the day I buy.
So, no one place gives consistently low pricing in your experience?
I guess you find the quality to be acceptable then. I might consider a different brand if I see enough +1’s for a manufacturer.
Some are consistently better than others, but not always the “best.” Shipping cost is the big variable. Generally, at least one of the major sellers will offer free shipping at any given time. “Free” is tied to total value of the order most of the time. Makes my search a matter of finding the best cost/round and the lowest purchase threshold for free shipping.
Which are your go to brands? Are there brands you avoid?
I have had good luck with Target Sports, MidwayUSA, and from time to time with Norma.
I have real good luck and terrific service with Lucky Gunner and SG Ammo. I don’t know if they are the cheapest, but they are competitive price wise and ship very quickly.
Ammoman.com has free shipping on all orders over $99, but based on Blazer Brass 115gr FMJ example above still comes out to $.34/rnd.
Due diligence indeed!
SGammo
Learn to reload and start accumulating supplies, primers being the hardest (for now) to accumulate.
I am in Illinois 
, so Some places will not ship to Illinois because of dealing with the FOID card. My continued support over the years has been Palmetto’s, Midway, Primary Arms, Optics Planet.
Seems like they all still have good stock in multiple calibers.
Grab a Gun has a pretty good deal right now on some Fiocchi, $17.99 for 50 rounds which I think is about .35/round.
Lucky Gunner is great as well:
The quality of Blazer Brass has been excellent. Over 1000 rounds in several different pistols without a misfire/misfeed of any kind. It shoots pretty cleanly and groups consistently for me. I can’t ask for much more than that. YMMV
CCI Blazer Brass 5200 is my number one choice. My back-up brand is Remington Range or Remington LE/Military Training. All in 9mm, 115gr, FMJ. I will say that I’ve had good results with Blazer 124 gr as well.
I avoid anything steel cased (that could just be me), I also dislike many of the European manufacturers since they tend to be loaded a little hotter.
My preferences are Speer Lawman and Fiocchi, both in 124gr. I maintain a decent stash of both but also have a supply of Winchester white box, Remington brown box, Norma, Red Army Standard and whatever else I find at a good price (including shipping). I avoid steel and aluminum cased stuff.
Ammoseek.com is a good source to compare prices but getting on several vendors’ email list can give you a heads-up on deals that don’t show on Ammoseek.
CAUTION: some vendors sell their email lists to people wanting to assist your sex life or sell gutter guards, so keep that in mind.
UGH! Gutter guard emails are the worst! 
AMMO MART
They always have Turkish ammo (Sarsilmaz, ZSR) in good price.
I’m buying in packages of 1,000 or 2,000 rds. Shipping is about $18 - $20, no tax.
My two recent purchases from Ammo Mart - $0.279/rd delivered.
AMMO SHOP ONLINE
Best source of European ammo (GECO, NORMA) for very reasonable price. If they have 9mm on stock, it usually comes with “free shipping” if you spend more than $200.
My last purchase was last year. Most of ammo was for $0.40/rd that time. I bought 1500 rds of NORMA for $0.352/rd