Winchester Silver Tips

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Their website still shows it as available. It is hard to find. I prefer the Winchester Silvertip 10 mm 175 grain ammo for my Colt Delta Elites.
 
I haven't seen a box of "Silvertip" ammo, of any type, for over 15 years. It may even be longer since I have seen them available. When I was the range master for my department I bought Silvertips for the calibers allowed. These were .38 special (125 gr), 9mm (115 gr.), and .45 ACP (185 gr.). Never had a shooting with them. I felt though that we were using the best that Winchester was producing. I believe that they were the product of the best technology then available.

But, technological advances have produced better rounds now I believe. Although I think that the Silvertip ammo is still a good defensive ammo it has been surpassed by the new Winchester Ranger line of duty ammo which has the "SXT" bullet (which looks remarkably like the old "Black Talon" of years ago which is what I replaced the Silvertip with). The now used 127 +p+ SXT is what my current department uses, as well as the 230 +p .45 ACP and the .38 special 129 gr. +p.

The old Silvertip was a good round. I feel very strongly that the round suffered from very bad publicity in Law Enforcement circles in this country after the FBI shooting in Miami in 1986. Very unfortunate but the one 9mm Silvertip did its job. Unfortunately only one round was a hit.... None-the-less, the ammunition manufacturers were spurred on to produce a better round and we are seeing these now in the CCI Gold Dot. Winchester's SXT as well as the other makers. It's hard to know if anything can surpass what is now being produced. I have a few boxes left of Silvertip duty ammo. I probably should shoot it up.
 
The Winchester silver tip was great ammo back in the day
for rifles and pistols.
However todays ammo is way better in performance. if
you can find it, great but remember the Florida shot out.....

and why it was rejected by the FBI.
 
Jimmy: For all intents and purposes Silvertip is still available, it is just called another name and has a slight modification to the tip. Winchester calls it, "Defender". After the undeserved blame the FBI placed on the performance of Silvertip ammo as one of many excuses they used for training failures at the Miami Shootout, Winchester marketing felt that the change was necessary. It probably worked out in Winchester's favor because of the resulting very close examination and resulting upgrades in all Winchester pistol ammo. ....
 
I do not know if the new Silvertips are the same as the older stuff for 35 years ago. I used the older stuff to take an antelope. I used 185 grain Silvertips in 45 ACP to drop a doe. I shot her 7 times at close range and she showed little effect. Five of the 7 failed to exit the 100# animal. Those 5 expanded very well however.
 
I did track down some 10mm Silvertips recently for carry ammo. It fits nicely between watered down 10mm and all-out hot loadings.
 
Winchester does special runs of Silvertip ammo. The last time they did a run was over 2 years ago and I bought several boxes of 145gr .357 Magnum ammo. If you want Silvertip ammo go to several sites that sell it and set a email notification for when they come back into stock. This way when they do a run the sites will email you, that's how I got them a few years ago.
 
Within the last 10-15 years Winchester has modified the STHP bullets with the exception of:
9mm 115 & 147 grain bullets
38 Super+P
357 Magnum
10MM
40 S&W
 
I have fired away most of my silver-tip ammo. It was getting very expensive and hard to find. I was using the standard pressure .38 Special in my M-38. Now days I use Hornady and buy on sale. Hornady has a good reputation here in Florida for resistance to heat, humidity and recoil.
Geoff
Who is concerned about reliable functioning.
 
Silver Tips were hot stuff back in the 80s. Its still available, but more expensive than some of the newer improved brands. I still have several 20 round boxes in 10mm and 50 rounds of 9mm that I bought many moons ago.

It is not my preferred self defense ammo anymore. Actually thinking about taking to the range and punching paper with it just to burn it up.
 
I have several boxes of 225gr .45 Colt STHP's I bought some time ago. I used to carry the .45ACP back STHP back in the 80's.

Just the other day, I found a lone box of 10mm STHP's at the LGS. I wish I could find some more of that locally.
 
In the 80s I carried Silvertips in my 57. Still do on those occasions when I break it out of the safe.
 
.....Silvertips.....

Back in the early 90's my gun store owner friend advised that I carry something a little lighter than the 158 GR lead hollow points, or as you guys know the FBI load, that I had in my lightweight snubs. So I bought a box of 50, 110 GR winchester Silvertips and most are still in those guns today. Here is the kicker, retail price, $19.95 for 50 rounds!!!
 
I think for the standard velocity rounds that they were "in the day" they were very good. But they are surpassed today by better constructed bullets/powder etc. I have a bunch of leftover boxes that I bought through the years. I am giving them to friends/family for their personal/ home defense. I am using the new SXT "Ranger" now and am happy with it. Still, nostalgia-wise, I remember feeling pretty well heeled with the silver-tips!
 
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