Article first appeared at Shootingillustrated.

Finding ammo with which to practice isn’t terribly difficult. Once you’ve tested the various FMJ offerings to make sure there are no functional problems with your preferred firearm, buy as much as you can and store it away from the elements. Replace what you shoot and buy more whenever possible, and you’ll always have a supply of fodder.

Once you get away from punching holes in paper or plinking at informal targets and graduate to steel, though, other considerations come into play. Minimal safe distances to prevent pieces of the bullet jacket from inadvertently bouncing back are often more than most folks’ standard practice distance (for handgun calibers, it’s typically 25 yards, while most practice in the 5 to 10 yard range).

Federal Ammunition’s American Eagle Syntech 9 mm is designed with a synthetic jacket that not only prevents dangerous ricochets, but also reduces friction for longer barrel life. It’s a proprietary polymer coating over a lead core to cut down on metal-on-metal friction inside your firearm’s barrel, while reducing splashback on steel targets.

A clean-burning propellant, high-performance lead-free primer and reloadable Federal brass case come together to yield a practice and plinking round that’s safe on your firearm and safer on your range. With Syntech’s TSJ projectile, the ting of rounds on steel can occur at closer range.

MSRP: $19.99 for 50-round box.

Don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.