Tula Ammo Review: Good Ammo for Any Budget
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Do a quick search on any internet shooting forum for “Tula Ammo” and you’ll quickly be regaled with stories of broken extractors, constant jams (failure to eject or FTE), and failure to fire (FTF) malfunctions due to bad primers.
But does Tula Ammo (also known as Tulammo) deserve this bad reputation or is it mostly overblown?
Although it might not be the most accurate or clean burning ammo on the market, in our experience Tula Ammo is an amazing choice for a weekend of plinking or stockpiling for a disaster scenario (SHTF) if you’re looking to save some cash.
But is Tula Ammo the right choice for your favorite Glock, Ruger, Beretta, Taurus, or Hi Point? In this Tulammo review, we will look at the ins and outs of the mercurial Tula cartridge and whether you should invest in some steel cased ammo or if brass ammo is a better choice for your shooting needs.
So, is Tula Ammo a good choice?
This is a hotly debated topic in the 2A community and many shooters have different opinions. If you’re looking for cheap ammo that you can train with on a regular basis and aren’t overly concerned about reloading or match-grade accuracy, then Tula Ammo is an excellent choice. This ammo is inexpensive, easy to buy in bulk, and great for plinking.
However, steel-cased ammo is notoriously hard on extractors and the inexpensive bimetal bullet used by Tula Ammo will wear out your barrel faster than traditional brass ammo especially in an AR-15.
Numerous torture tests that included thousands of rds of 223 Remington Tula Ammo have shown that continuous use of a bimetal bullet will wear out a barrel faster than traditional copper jacketed bullets. However, does a trop to the gunsmith for a barrel change warrant using cheap ammo?
In most cases, the answer is yes, as the ammo cost savings more than paid for a new barrel when accuracy degraded to the point of being unsafe. However, I’d not run Tula Ammo through my prized match-grade rifles or family heirloom handguns.
However, for all your 7.62x39 rifles, Tula Ammo is a great choice. Make sure you buy bulk 7.62x39 to get the most bang for your buck!
Where can I buy Tula Ammo?
Check out our entire selection of Tula Ammo for sale online!
Tula Ammo History and Important Information
The Tula Ammunition plant was established in 1880 by Czar Alexander II and is one of Europe’s oldest ammunition factories. The plant was contracted to deliver an impressive 210 million rounds of ammunition during its first seven years of production to meet the growing ammo needs of the Soviet Army.
Surprisingly, the Tula Ammo plant produced brass-cased ammo until the 1920’s when it switched to the more economical steel-cased ammo. Russia commands extensive iron deposits, however, it needed to repurpose its non-ferrous metal reserves towards industrial applications instead of ammunition.
Tula Ammo has since mastered the use of bimetal jacket material encapsulating the soft lead core of the bullet to produce staggering amounts of ammo that they sell to the Russian Army as well as hunters and shooters across North America and Europe.
Where is Tulammo Made?
The Tula Cartridge Works plant is located in the town of Tula, Russia approximately 100 miles south of Moscow.
Which Calibers are Available?
Tula offers a wide variety of steel-cased ammo in the following calibers:
- 380 ACP
- 9x18mm Makarov
- 9mm Luger
- 38 Special
- 357 Magnum
- 45 ACP/45 Automatic
- 5.45x18mm
- 30 Carbine
- 308 Winchester
- 7.62x39 Soviet
- 7.62x54R
- 223 Remington
- 5.6x39mm
- 5.45x39mm
- 50 BMG
- 12.7x108mm
FAQ’s
Is Tula Ammo corrosive?
No, Tulammo uses non-corrosive Berdan primers in all their current ammunition. However, older surplus Russian ammo (typically found in spam cans) typically utilized corrosive primers.
What is the downside to steel-cased ammo?
Steel cased ammo is often rough on extractors from free-floating firing pin rifles like the AR-15. Sometimes these light extracting rifles can experience failure to eject (FTE) malfunctions, while more aggressive extracting rifles like the AK-47 have no issues firing steel-cased ammo.
What are bimetal bullets?
Bimetal bullets are projectiles comprised of a soft lead core surrounded by a steel jacket that is then enclosed in a 100% copper jacket coating. Bimetal bullets are banned from some indoor ranges due to their ability to penetrate deeper than traditional full metal jacket bullets used by the United States and NATO.
What is the quality of Tula ammo?
On Tulammo’s website, they state they have strict quality controls on all their ammo products. However, in our experience Tula Ammunition burns a bit dirtier than traditional FMJ ammo from manufactures like Winchester, Remington, Federal, and PMC.
What primers does Tula Ammunition use?
Tula loads its ammo with non-corrosive Berdan primers.
Are Tula cases good for reloading?
No, steel cases can damage reloading dies and should not be used for reloading. Furthermore, Tula Ammunition uses Berdan primers, which are difficult to remove. If you reload, you should use brass cases that are Boxer primed.
Which Tula handgun ammunition works best in a Glock 17?
I found that the best Tulammo 9mm Luger for a Glock 17 is their 115 grain full metal jacket rounds with a muzzle velocity of approximately 350 – 390 m/s (1150-1280 fps).
Why does Tulammo steel cases have a polymer coating?
Steel lacks adequate surface lubricity to ensure reliable feeding and extraction. Initially, a lacquer coating was used but polymer-coated steel cases are now normal and ensure proper function for all Tula Ammunition.
Customer Reviews
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James Gang said:
TulAmmo worked like a charm all day, reliable and dependable. I recommend it, especially for the price.
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Hunter Fisherman said:
Fast delivery, clean and efficient ammo.
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CBG said:
150 rounds thru my Ruger 9e, no failures. I’ll keep using.
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Christine said:
I have a 9mm taurus g2 and these steel cased bullets jammed multiple times per clip
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PwB said:
I shoot this stuff all the time and it runs FLAWLESSLY for me. I am a re-loader but, as long as I can get 9mm at $0.18 ~ $0.21 I am going to use this. Thanks Tulammo!
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LARRY said:
Bought an order of 900 and it came in a large spam can with no tool. Took a while using a screwdriver and mallet to chisel the thing open. Also wished I knew that indoor ranges wouldn't let me shoot steel cased ammo beforehand though I was lucky to find an outdoor range nearby. On 3 different days of shooting 100 rounds each time had a single casing fail to eject from my Taurus G2C. Thought it was something wrong with my gun but everyone at the range says steel case tends to do that. Overall I enjoy using it though I will get brass case next time.
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Icky said:
the ammo itself is great. no issues. just make sure your range allows steel ammo before ordering this. any range near me wont let me use it. there are places i can use it so ill get through it eventually, but i wish id got brass stuff instead.
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Kennyg said:
I’ve purchased 3,000 rounds of this Ammo. For practicing at the range ... can’t buy better Ammo!!
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Kennyg said:
I’ve purchased 3,000 rounds of this Ammo. For practicing at the range ... can’t buy better Ammo!!
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GD92 said:
I have a remmington R51 9mm and a S7W shield 9mm they won't eject the steel case shells and they stick in the clip I won't buy any more steel case bullets
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SV said:
Ammo works just fine. Had an accidental double charge for the order which was fixed in a day or two with a single call to the ammo.com customer support.
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Sasquatch148 said:
I ordered a 1,000 round case of 9mm. I've shot about 800 rounds of it. A lot of it through my Ruger Blackhawk convertible and some through my xd . Not one single misfire and no problems of any kind. It's good stuff at a great price.
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merlin said:
I was very happy with the results as I have never used this particular ammo before. No problems with it at all. I am also very happy with the service I received from ammo.com. This was my 2nd order with them and I will be back to order more in the future. Super fast delivery and excellent customer service and terrific prices. What more could one ask for?
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thisisme said:
I've run at least 500 rounds through a Springfield XD 9 with zero issues. Cleaner than other ammo around this price. I would recommend it to a friend.
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Ed said:
good ammo for target practice.
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Vegas Mike said:
it was a fair price. However I have shot 450 rounds so far through my EAA Witness 9mm and every single magazine had at least 5 or 6 rounds jam and get hung up. I tried other types of ammo but only experienced the problem with Tul Ammo.
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Chuck said:
Easy to navigate web page, got here in timely manner
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Chuck said:
Order was easy, ammo arrived quick, ammo shoots good
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Jake said:
When I received the ammo it came in a regular box without any markings, the UPS driver asked if it was ammo due the weight. It was great to shoot with my fns 9mm, no problems at all. Later while cleaning my gun I had very little residue that I didn't need to clean it. I will guy from ammo.com again. Thanks
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fdxde2000 said:
I purchased a thousand rounds and it arrived quickly and was well packaged.
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fdxde2000 said:
I purchased a thousand rounds and it arrived quickly and was well packaged.
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OSCAR said:
Great ammo great prices
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Momma K said:
Have only used 100 rounds so far. No problems Good price
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pepper1603 said:
I have a Ruger SR9C & had no problem with the ammo. Some people said it left their guns dirty but I really didn't see much difference between it & other ammo, but I enjoy cleaning my guns anyway.
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Ozzy said:
Picked up a 1000 rounds. Quick delivery fair price. No problems cycled fine through my LC9's, Kahr and HK. Will definitely pick up more.
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Chuck said:
When I seen the sale AMMO.COM had I couldn't pass it up. I have been shooting these since I got my XDM Mod.2 without problems. Great value .
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Chuck said:
When I seen the sale AMMO.COM had I couldn't pass it up. I have been shooting these since I got my XDM Mod.2 without problems. Great value .
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Danny said:
good quality ammo
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Light-infantry said:
Firstly, if your looking for great ammo at a cheap price then this is it. Secondly, I’ve shot about 200 rounds and no misfires (might happen if you don’t clean your weapon after every session) some people have no knowledge of PCIs and maintenance. This is well comparable to the high valued rounds with none of the extra cost. Will definitely be buyin again.
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R said:
Ran it through a colt 1911 with no problem
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roxy said:
I've shot over 500 rnds and can tell you the accuracy is great. Will buy more in the future. Fast delivery at a great price. Reliable and clean burning.
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Hal said:
We're about 25 rounds through it with a brand new Springfield mil spec 1911 45 ACP good feel.. no misfires ..everything on Target and I qualified ....the delivery was excellent from the supplier price was right I definitely would recommend these and I will buy them again
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William said:
I bought 1k rounds of steel cased .223 and it arrived in less than 48 hours. I know you aren’t “supposed” to shoot steel cased out of an ar15, but after about 500 rounds I’ve experienced zero problems. It’s hard to beat 35 cents per round.
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WOLFMAN JACK said:
Nothing wrong with this ammo, shots straight, and on target. !!!!!!
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Marvelous said:
Next time I buy ammo I will return!
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Dennis the Memnace said:
It works.
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Jddogmaster6522 said:
Love tul ammo. Performs great. Great price. Only thing is steel casing. Cant beat it for the price.
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ALL ROCK said:
IS A GOOD AMMO I WENT INTO 150 ROUNDs EACH WITH MY GLOCK 23 GEN 4 .40 WITH NO PROBLEM AND I USE MY BERETTA 96 A1 WITH ANOTHER 150 WITH THE SAME AMMO, GOOD STUFF.
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Shooter 85262 said:
Jammed in both Glock 23 and S&W M&P. Failed to eject. First time this has happened in years.
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domstang1 said:
I do not have misfires with my Ruger Mini 30 and American ammo. I have fired 120 rounds of Tula so far from my Ruger Mini 30. Four (4) boxes had two (2) misfires each. Two (2) boxes had one (1) misfire each . There should not be any misfires. This ammo could cost someone their life one day.
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Jay said:
I have an AR-15 and this ammo cycled right thru the action with no issues what so ever. It is true that the powder in the tuluammo burns a little more dirty but I can cycle hundreds of rounds through the gun and have no issues the just clean the rifle. For the price you cant beat this ammo.
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Doom slayer said:
Bought this ammo a few months ago, shot about 200 rounds of it so far with no stoppages. Over all im happy with this tulammo.
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Old fat guy said:
This stuff shoots as good as anything I have tried in my M1A scout squad.
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PC said:
The ammo is priced right and had zero mis-fires so far. As expected, it's a little dirty but effective.
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Robert said:
excellent ammo for target practice
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Redflying Elk said:
This ammo has always performed well in my old war time rifl a lot of fun to shoot
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Big Jake said:
Bought 100 rounds of .357 Mags for my 686, once the cylinder rotated around to the spent cartridges it would no longer rotate past them. Once I did get the cylinder open I could not get the spent cartridges out and had to tap them out backwards from the front of the cylinder with a rod. That being said, the 4 rounds that I got fired performed well LOL.
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D said:
If you have a revolver ,,, Do NOT buy this ammo. I have a S & W 686 and every round hangs up in the cylinder!!!
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Paul said:
The product presents a good value. I'm a newbie to target shooting, but I did notice that these shells stick in my S&W 357 magnum requiring a small block or something other than my soft hand to knock them out. Brass shells don't do that. I've had a couple of duds in about 200 rounds, but they shoot the second time around. I will buy this product again.
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Bennie said:
Minor problems with jamming, but overall, it performs very well.
