Who is a fan of the ranger t's? I have a box of 50 on the way that I am splitting with my father and I am excited. I have seen some of the backyard ballistic testing with tnoutdoors on youtube and they look like a great pick. Its for my M&P 45c, what other types of ammo would you recommend for personal defense?

Ranger T-series are probably my favorite self defense ammo. They are a new and improved Black Talon. You get rapid expansion with razor sharp petals, a ER doctors worst nightmare. I also like Hornady Critical Defense, Glazer Safety Slugs, and Corbon DPX.

I've recently bought a few boxes of RA45TP, the 230-grain +P loading. They are accurate and have very consistent velocities - and I've heard good things about the bullets working (but have never worked on a case using this generation of Talon - the one Black Talon shooting case that I've worked on exhibited only "moderate deformation" (the OMI doc's words) in the two shots taken).

I've got some +P+ 115gr for my Sigma, will go through both sides of a Ford Aerostar van! I tested it during a tactical training weekend. They are keepers!

I use Ranger T and HST for carry ammo depending on which one I can find at the time, you should probably get more than 50 rounds though.

That reminds me: I used the RA9TA 127-gr +P+ in my Sigma (from which they do 1400 fps!).

I have them in every caliber that I use for SD. .45, .40, .38. Not that I ever had a problem with them, but they always ended up being my second or backup choice for the following reasons.

First choice in the .45 are HST's, all the tests I've seen show them to expand larger then the rest. I use .45 because of the big hole, so I figure why not use a round that is able to give the biggest hole possible.

For the .40 it's Golden Sabers only because they are the most accurate load I have used in my M&P. What I'm giving up in hole size of the .45, I'm making up with 15 rounds in the .40, so expansion be damned! I want to be able to but as many as I need right where I want.

In the .38 snub it's the Remington 158 gr. LSWHP "FBI" load because of their proven penetration and expansion. But because the Rangers are the most accurate out of the snub, I carry a speed strip full of the Rangers for a reload. If I have to reload me and or the BG are going to be behind cover, so I feel accuracy would be needed at that point.

My first choice in defensive ammo, in any caliber, by far is the Federal HST. Extreme, reliable expansion even through heavy clothing, good jacket/core integrity, adequate penetration, and good through barriers. I selected the HST for my department. Check out the ammo testing and videos here LE - Home

Bill

Thanks for all of the input. I checked out the ballistic tests on the HST and it looks second to none as far as expansion. Those will definitely be next on my list. I have the Rangers still on the way to replace my Gold Dots, then I will have HST's in my near future. Thanks again guys, now I'm off to the range!!!

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M&P9fs

There are several good self-defense/hunting bullets for the 45 ACP and many have already been mentioned. Barnes Bullets makes some excellent bullets that provide deep penetration and reliable expansion you may want to also consider.

If you don't reload there are a few companies selling these bullets loaded to standard pressure as well as +P. There's several companies such as Black Hills etc that sell these bullets loaded up & ready to go.

Here's another company that sells the 185 grain version but their price is just a little high compared to some others but they have nice pictures to show the expansion.
45 ACP SOLID DEFENSE X (SDX) Barnes 185 gr. HP +P

We are a Winchester Ranger dealer/distributor. The T's are reliable and consistent performers. The last batch of 9mm 127+p+'s that I shot were chronoing close to commercial 158 grain .357 magnum rounds. The other positive is that they are affordable enough that you can shoot them here and there as well. All in all a great round!

Hi all,

I also love the Ranger T's. However, we just authorized the HST's as an additional duty round due to logistics issues.

I really like the HST's in all three calibers I carry, 9mm, .40 and .45. I still think the Rangers are a great round, but the one thing that bothers me with the Ranger loads is how dirty they burn. It takes a good bit more cleaning to get rid of all the soot-like residue they leave behind...compared to the HST loads. My Sig P220 Combat with it's FDE anodized frame is especially hard to get clean.

Even though I love the Rangers, I'll probably be selling off the last 250 rounds of RA45TP I have left since I now get the HST for FREE!!


JMO,

Hey Brother Bill, sent you a PM. Talk to you soon.

With the exceptions of my .380 and .38 (which eat Gold Dots), all of my carry guns hold either Ranger T or Ranger Bonded. Beyond design attributes, they were simply the most accurate, if only slightly. I plan to try a couple new rounds in the .38: Ranger T 110gr +P+ and Bonded 130gr +P (or PDX1 equivalent). They seem a bit easier to find than the 135gr SB GD's I currently use.

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Fast is fine;accurate is final