Target Sports Prime Ammo Club Review

Back in 2017, I learned about the Target Sports USA Prime Ammo Club.  The Prime Ammo program allows you to pay an up front membership fee of $95 for the year and purchase ammunition at a reduced price with free shipping for a 12 month period.  I was familiar with Target Sports from previous orders placed with them so this new program caught my attention.   

I'm generally reluctant to purchase memberships that require me to spend money now for the privilege of spending more money later.  The membership benefits have to be compelling and offer a significant perception of value to get serious consideration from me.  In my case, I tend to buy several bricks of 22LR ammo throughout the competition season.  I just don't have the room available to store several cases of ammo.  I also like to try a box or two of various ammo to see which performs best in a pistol or rifle I happen to be working with. I decided to take a chance on it.

Target Sports lists 4 main benefits of Prime Ammo membership on their website.  That seems like a good way to review my membership after nearly 12 months have passed.  

Buy ammunition at wholesale level...​You will be able to buy ammo at our cost all year long and save

This might be true.  I'm not sure of the exact margins in the ammunition industry so I really can't comment on if you are indeed buying at Target Sports invoice cost from the manufacturer.  What I can confirm is that with a Prime Ammo membership, you will pay 8 percent less per item versus buying the same item without a membership.  Let's walk through an example.

Federal AutoMatch 40 grain box of 325 being sold for $14.49 to any customer visiting the website will cost $13.33 for Prime Ammo members.  That's a straight 8% discount on every ammunition item.  In this specific example that's a savings of $1.16.  What I really liked was when I discovered the discount applies to ALL items.  Even the items put on special for non Prime members.  The discounts can really add up.

Free Shipping on ALL orders...​You will receive free shipping on all ammunition orders all the time

This is true.  No hidden fees or charges.  Order a box of 50 22LR it ships free.  Place an order for 5 mixed boxes of 40 S&W, 22LR, 9mm, 7.62x39, and 25 Auto and it still ships free.  I had 11 orders shipped to me during me this year without a single problem caused by improper packing or ammunition damaged in transit.  Order processing and shipping speed was a bit of a concern in the early months, but it has continued to improve over the last 12 months.  Let's look at my last order in detail.

-  Order placed Sunday 11/18 at 5pm

-  Order delivered Saturday 11/24 12:43pm

All orders placed this year were delivered by FedEx.  I think that's great because FedEx delivers on Saturdays and that might mean you can use your ammo on Sunday versus having to wait from Friday to Monday for the next delivery from UPS.  I also generally like the delivery folks and package handling care of FedEx over their competition in our area.

Exclusive ammo deals...Members only email notifications on a monthly basis for members only

I had forgotten about this member benefit until writing up this review.  I get weekly email notification from Target Sports with special sale pricing, but nothing specific for Prime Ammo members.  That said, the same sale items in the weekly email blasts are discounted an additional 8% for Prime Ammo members.  I can't really say if this is true or false, but I'm leaning toward this was a benefit that didn't get implemented in 2018.

One low annual fee... If you order ammo online three to fives times per year, the PAM pays for itself!

With so many variables involved here, I really can't tell you if this will be true or false in your specific circumstances.  Let's stick with examples and see how it works out.  Let's say we want to order 2 boxes of 22LR CCI Mini-mag Swamp People 300 count 36 grain HP.  We'll use Midway USA and Target Sports as our two competing examples.

 - Midway ammo total $46.98 + $11.49 shipping = $58.47 total delivered cost.

 - Target Sports ammo total $45.98 + Free shipping = $45.98 total delivered cost.

Single order cost savings ammo plus shipping = $12.49

How much you buy per order, from whom, and how far you live from the shipper all factor into the final delivered price you pay for ammo.  As shipping prices continue to increase, the value of the free shipping component of the Prime Ammo membership should also increase.  If you've previously ordered ammo, you should have a pretty good idea of shipping fees to your area of the country and be able to estimate how many orders you will need to place before covering your up front membership cost. 

The unexpected benefit I received about 8 months after joining was this gift package containing an assortment of ammunition in calibers I had previously ordered.  I'm sure there are occasions when packaging gets damaged in the warehouse.  It appears that Target Sports would rather give away the ammunition than try to sell it as damaged packaging or partial boxes.  Total value estimated at about $33.00 and delivered free.

As I previously mentioned, it's been almost a year since I started my Prime Ammo membership.  In the next few weeks I'll need to decide if I will continue for another year, or allow my membership to lapse.  The overall experience has been very positive for me so chances are pretty good that I'll renew again for at least another year.  Selection has been good, prices have been declining, and order processing/shipping speed continues to improve.  The only real risk I see to pre-paying for another year is if there happens to be another run on ammo and availability dries up.  That's just a risk I'll have to take and hope that doesn't happen.

I'll wrap this up with a photo of the Target Sports Team that arrived in my email just before Thanksgiving with holiday greetings and their thanks for my membership.  

Tandemkross Ultimate Trigger Kit for the Ruger 10/22

What happens when Tandemkross and Brimstone Gunsmithing collaborate on a project?  You get the Tandemkross Ultimate Trigger Kit for Ruger 10/22 rifles.  This drop-in trigger upgrade kit features components from both companies.  The kit was launched in October 2018 to coincide with Ruger 10/22 Day that is observed every year on October 22nd.  The Ultimate Trigger kit has a retail price of $134.99 and can be purchased directly from Tandemkross through their webstore.

What do you get for $134.99?  A new trigger, hammer, sear, and a trigger return spring system.  You supply a factory Ruger 10/22 trigger for the upgrade.  Converting a Ruger BX Trigger?  No problem, but you need to make sure you let Tandemkross know that when you place your order.  In my case, I also added a Volquartsen Custom Auto Bolt Release and Tandemkross Fireswitch magazine release.  These optional items have no effect on the improved trigger pull delivered by the Ultimate kit, but they do make the trigger more competition-friendly.  I plan to use the trigger for Steel and Rimfire Challenge competitions.

Factory Ruger 10/22 triggers are safe, reliable, and probably just fine for the vast majority of 10/22 owners.  This kit is targeted for someone who wants a competition-grade trigger.  Our factory trigger pull weighed in at about 3.75 to 4 pounds before we Ultimatized it.  Actually, that's a really good factory 10/22 trigger.  I've had some triggers measure in the 5 to 6 pounds range in the past.

Measuring trigger pull weight with a handheld scale is both an art and science.  Having a digital scale helps in the accuracy/science area, but you can greatly influence the measurement by where the scale hook is placed on the trigger at time of measurement.  I did my best to get the hook in the center of the trigger for both before and after measurements.

Installation of the kit was very easy.  I followed the installation video on the Tandemkross website from start to finish.  You can install the kit in 30 minutes, or less, if you follow the video.  I have nothing to add about the installation that isn't covered in the video.  Even if you really know your way around a 10/22 trigger, I'd still encourage you to watch the video before you do your upgrade.

You can't fool the scale.  After completing the upgrade, I consistently recorded pull weights between 1 pound 15 ounces and 2 pounds 1 ounce.  The kit definitely decreased the pull weight of the converted trigger by almost two pounds.  That itself is good, but there is more to a good trigger than just pull weight.

Factory Ruger 10/22 triggers have a bit of take up before they hit a wall of weight.  As you continue to press harder on the trigger it creeps rearward. Eventually it will break and release the hammer.  After the bolt cycles, the trigger is released and resets for the the next shot.

I think what makes the TK/Brimstone trigger worthy of the Ultimate name is how the trigger feels in action.  There is still a fraction of take up present and the same wall of weight as you pull the trigger.  You won't need to apply as much pressure with the Ultimate trigger.  Adjusting the included over-travel stop limits the trigger movement after the hammer is released.  Trigger reset is roughly half the distance with the Ultimate trigger versus the factory trigger.  It should be a great trigger for speed shooting as well as a much improved trigger for general target shooting.

One thing to be aware of that I feel needs to be called out.  Take a look at the trigger shape and position in the before and after photos.  The Ultimate trigger is a flat-faced design that sits forward of the factory Ruger trigger placement.  The reach distance to the trigger will increase by just over 1/4 inch with the new trigger.  This will be most noticeable with pistol-grip stocks, like the Ruger Charger featured in this review.  It's something to consider before purchasing and will be highly dependent on your stock and hand size.

The bottom line for me is the Tandemkross/Brimstone Ultimate Trigger Kit significantly improved my factory Ruger 10/22 trigger.  Not just by reducing the pull weight, but also in the quality of the trigger pull and reset.  I'm really looking forward to using the trigger in one of my competition rifles next season.