"Target ammo" and "plinking ammo" are very different things to me. Sounds like you're after low cost plinking ammo, yes?

If so, then I have had pretty good luck with Remington UMC ammo in .380, 9mm, 40sw, and .45acp, as well as for .38spcl revolvers. Usually Cabelas or gander mountain will do a sale on their 250rnd boxes a couple times a year, and I tend to buy 1,000 at a time. They're cheap enough I don't even consider reloading. I know I could do it a little cheaper, but I value my time too much. If I went back to high volume competitive pistol shooting (3 gun), I'd reload pistol rounds, but I'm not shooting 12-15,000rnds a year of it any more, so buying factory stuff works ok.

Winchester white box stuff tends to run just fine too, although I see it at higher prices these days. I don't mess with steel or aluminum cases, as I do pick up my pistol brass, saved up all I could ever need, but sell most of it to make back some costs. I used to shoot a lot of PMC revolver rounds, but they were hunting rounds, relatively cheap, but not budget plinking stuff.

To be honest, I've just never been a buyer of federal ammunition, so American Eagle isn't my go to, but I have bought it many times. Wouldn't hesitate to do so again, but I'd buy UMC in front of it.