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  #1  
Old 03-01-2017, 06:12 PM
bamacisa bamacisa is offline
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Has anyone here tried Ruger ARX ammo? What is are your thoughts about this line of ammo?
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Old 03-01-2017, 06:43 PM
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I would like to know also. Midway has this ammo on sale but the bullets are rather light in weight and I wonder how well they penetrate.
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Old 03-01-2017, 07:11 PM
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They have a soft recoil from my wife's M&P Bodyguard .38 Special.
Shot 3-4, forget which, milk jugs lined up and they penetrated all of them.
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Old 03-01-2017, 07:26 PM
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Ruger's ammo is just Polycase's ARX ammo. Should be plenty YouTube videos on this ammo. Seems like the ARX bullet is becoming very popular.
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Old 03-01-2017, 07:42 PM
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I have been a fan for years of the Winchester 127 grain +P+ LE Ranger SXT load in 9mm for my G-19, G-26 and G-43. I recently decided to shoot one of the Ranger loads next to a Ruger 9mm ARX through five water jugs for comparison. Both rounds penetrated through two one galloon water jugs and stopped in the third. The Ranger SXT load expanded rather nicely, as it is prone to do and it looks like I could reload the ARX round and shoot it again.

But, where the Ranger load penetrated and blew a hole through the jugs, the ARX load actually split the first jug from top to bottom all the way around. It was almost cut in two even halves save for about an inch of plastic. Very impressive. Those flutes are supposed to cause extreme hydrostatic shock in flesh and I believe it. I want to shoot some critters like groundhogs and such with it before I really jump on the bandwagon, but it does seem to have a lot of merit.

Here is a photo of the two recovered bullets...
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File Type: jpg 9mm comparison.JPG (50.4 KB, 133 views)
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Old 03-01-2017, 08:08 PM
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I don't always carry a .380, but when I do I carry Ruger ARX ammo.

I have some in .45 also, but haven't tried them yet. Hard to give up the HydraShocks.
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Old 03-01-2017, 08:37 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stykshooter View Post
I have been a fan for years of the Winchester 127 grain +P+ LE Ranger SXT load in 9mm
The winchester Ranger has always been a good load.
According to the company the flutes on the rotating bullet force the fluid away from the bullet at 2.5 X the velocity of the bullet, which is why it actually could cause hydrostatic effect, that normally would only be seen at rifle velocities 2500 fps and up. The physics seem to match up, but I still would like to see post -mortem effects, I have only seen gel testing& water jugs. I will be fun to get out and try them. Be Safe,
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Old 03-01-2017, 09:13 PM
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I've tested them in my Ruger LCP and found them very reliable and softer on my hand with the ultralight pistol. This is now my second winter that I've carried them as my winter defense round. Last summer I returned to Hydrashocks this coming summer I may chose to stick with the Ruger ammo.
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Old 03-02-2017, 10:44 AM
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I like them. Shot a few of their .40 ones. Light recoil, easy to snap your gun back on sight picture. I've seen gel testing with it, seems to expand decently. A friend of mine recently just shot himself in the butt with that stuff, the exit wound on the bottom end of his cheek looked like it was trying to expand but still had alot of speed.

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Old 03-02-2017, 12:47 PM
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Originally Posted by alexfitch225 View Post
I like them. Shot a few of their .40 ones. Light recoil, easy to snap your gun back on sight picture. I've seen gel testing with it, seems to expand decently. A friend of mine recently just shot himself in the butt with that stuff, the exit wound on the bottom end of his cheek looked like it was trying to expand but still had alot of speed.

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This post is useless without pictures.
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Old 03-02-2017, 12:54 PM
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This post is useless without pictures.
The only photos we have are post er visit. Either way that's a bit graphic to put up here. Just picture a left butt cheek with a hole in the mid of the cheek and then a wide exit hole out the bottom of it. Go figure a Mexican friend of mine mexican carrying (legally and with a holster of course) a glock 19

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Old 03-02-2017, 01:07 PM
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I stick with what's proven till a new round proves to be better. When the Ruger round has years of data and use behind it I'll consider it. Till then Gold Dots, HST, DPX and Rangers

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Old 03-02-2017, 01:12 PM
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Originally Posted by alexfitch225 View Post
The only photos we have are post er visit. Either way that's a bit graphic to put up here. Just picture a left butt cheek with a hole in the mid of the cheek and then a wide exit hole out the bottom of it. Go figure a Mexican friend of mine mexican carrying (legally and with a holster of course) a glock 19

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Understood. It was a joke but this site put the smiley at the top of the post, out of sight.
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Old 03-02-2017, 01:14 PM
alexfitch225 alexfitch225 is offline
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Understood. It was a joke but this site put the smiley at the top of the post, out of sight.
I sort of figured haha. But you know how it goes with trolls and what not.

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Old 03-02-2017, 01:31 PM
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The point I will make about it after shooting it is that the felt recoil is noticeably less than other premium defense ammo. I think it has to due with the reduced weight of the projectile itself, even though the velocity is higher. It is much easier on the hand when shooting the LCP, something to consider with people or students who are recoil sensitive with these little guns. I teach concealed carry classes and women in particular love the size of the LCP, but are usually turned off after shooting them on the range due to the recoil. The LCP II with the improved trigger may help the accuracy of some of these shooters, but doesn't reduce the recoil. The ARX seems to help in that department. I agree with Arik that a proven projectile is probably a wiser choice, due to the lack of actual experience with the new round. That said, sometimes we have to move forward and try something new. This might be one of those cases where the benefit of lower recoil for some shooters outweighs the gamble of untried technology.
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Old 03-02-2017, 02:51 PM
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I would be more concerned about over penetration as in a pass through. I seem to remember a review where this was a concern. I'll stick with jhp.
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Old 03-18-2017, 09:11 PM
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I consider this ammo as a "special situation" choice. The 38 Special version allows people that, due to age or physical limitations, have a difficult time with recoil.

Maybe a week or two ago, an elderly woman shooter came into my LGS/Range seeking advice for her snub 38 revolver. Her weakened hand strength precluded her from working the slides of most autos. Standard 38 loads really caused her pain to fire. I recommended she try a box of the ARX.

As she came out of the range, she was all smiles. The ammo transformed the gun from a painful necessity into a pleasurable experience. It also increased her accuracy. She bought two more boxes before she left.

ARX may not be the perfect bullet. IMO, it has it's place.
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Old 03-18-2017, 10:18 PM
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Their (.38 Special) recoil is similar to powder puff 148 gr wad cutter target loads.
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Old 03-20-2017, 09:02 PM
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I have run some of the .380 ARX through a Colt Mustang PlusII. That's a 56 grain bullet, at a claimed 1250 fps. It functioned well, shot to POA at defensive ranges, and had the recoil of a .22. If I were carrying a .380 I think I would use it. I want to try the 9mm in my Shield.
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Old 03-20-2017, 10:50 PM
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Here is a video of a gel test with the 38 Special ARX ammo. It looks good. He says the round appears to be "barrier blind".

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Old 03-20-2017, 11:00 PM
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Looks pretty terrible. Out of that Youtube video test, 1 out of the 5 rounds failed completely, the others barely passed minimum penetration, and the wound profile does not look impressive at all. If these rounds have the same recoil as powder puff 148 WC, than a 148 WC powder puff load would be a world superior to this. I can see how people may want these ARX bullets for easy recoil range practice, but I can't understand the big hoopla over such a backwards and inferior design.

Just watched the same channel test the 380, failed 4 out of 5 times. Looks worse every time you look at it.

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Old 03-21-2017, 04:47 AM
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Quote:
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Here is a video of a gel test with the 38 Special ARX ammo. It looks good. He says the round appears to be "barrier blind".

Polycase Ruger ARX 38 Special Ammo Gel Test and Review - YouTube
FMJ is "barrier blind" by that standard.
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  #23  
Old 06-04-2017, 05:58 PM
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I'm impressed! Very curious how it will react to bone and things other than gelatin. The bullets are supposed to be frangible so they should break apart/transfer energy if they hit something hard. If so, I'll be a fan. Also, not being hollow points, they satisfy the 'anti-gun' laws that penalize law abiding citizens who want to protect themselves (like in NJ).
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