Wideners has been around since 1978, selling reloading equipment and shooting supplies. In 1996 their .com fired up on the ‘net, and they’ve been selling their wares there ever since. Known largely as a great source for powder and projectiles to reload with, Wideners also offers factory ammo aplenty. To illustrate that point, they were kind enough to furnish me with a few hundred rounds of Winchester 9mm ammo for testing.
Winchester has been producing firearms and ammunition for over 150 years, starting in 1866. With iconic products such as the model 70, model 12 and model 1873, Winchester has earned a hallowed place in American history.
My products to test were both of the 9mm variety, 115gr “White Box” (WWB) and 115gr USA forged Steel Case (SC). The WWB is a brass cased, full-metal jacket (FMJ) round with an advertised velocity of 1,190 fp/s. The SC ammo is steel cased with the same FMJ projectile.
I ran them through a chronograph, both came in at a similar muzzle velocity, the SC round at 1160.8 fp/s and the WWB at 1163.2 fp/s out of my Glock 17. The SC round had a standard deviation of 10.7 and an extreme spread of 33 for the day. The WWB round had a higher deviation at 33.4 with an extreme spread of 109 fp/s.
At roughly $.25 per round, neither of these rounds are designed for match accuracy, nor extreme terminal performance. Both are budget minded target rounds, intended to give you a long day at the range without breaking the bank. I spent a couple of days shooting these boxes of ammo, testing a holster from Bravo Concealment, a CCW bag from Pantac USA, tritium sights from XS Sights and the NeoMag spare magazine pocket clip. Both rounds were reliable, with the SC having surprisingly tight groups while practicing double-taps after a speed draw from concealment. I didn’t shoot groups on paper, preferring with this type of round to shoot “minute of bad guy” targets for speed. Regularly drilling the middle of an E-type target at 20 yards was easy, even at speed.
I appreciate Wideners sending some ammo in for review. They’ve always had fast shipping when I’ve ordered from them, and their prices are consistently among the best I can find. If you reload, they’ve got what you’re looking for. If factory ammo is what you’re after, check them out. Their selection and price will be tough to top.
