carry ammo

R

rock n roll kid

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currently using gold dots, hydra shocks , or the american gunner in 357 or 9mm . do not carry 45 acp a lot but when i do it is the 230 gr hydra shocks .

there are so MANY new rounds/brands to consider ! oath , civil liberity , and so many others i can not recall them all . simply check u tube and you will find a wide array of newer defensive type ammo.
has anyone used this newer stuff and what are you carrying & why ?
i like the overall idea the oath ammo imparts but have not purchased any yet.
i understand there may not be one type head & shoulders above the rest , but the choices are staggering !
am managing to stick with the major brands for now . what mostly are the cops & military going with nowadays ?
hope to hear what you folks are carrying .
 
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Federal 165 gr. Hydra Shok, always in .45 acp.
 
My departmental issue duty weapon is a Sig P226 in 40sw. For several years, we were issued Federal Tactical 165gr, and then for 2-3 years we had 165gr Federal HST rounds. For the last 2 years, we've been issued Remington Golden Saber 165gr. I think that the brand change was ultimately reached due to cost and not result of finding a round that performed better.

Honestly, any hollow point/defensive round from one of the major manufacturers will compare favorably with the others that its competing against. I noticed no accuracy change from any of the rounds I've been issued over the years. They've all been very good, reliable rounds.
 
I posted my results of trying 1 x .38 Special, 2 x .38 Special +P, and 4 x .357 magnum after a shakedown cruise in my then-new 640 Pro.

Several of the brands had the gurus' approval, but my performance with them didn't live up to the stats, including GDHP 135gr hp -- it was the middle performer of the seven.

The one I shot best at 7 yards was Barnes 140gr lead-free hp .357 magnums -- great groups in slow fire and even tighter groups in rapid fire. A distant second and the easiest magnum to shoot, low and left but still lethal, came the Remington Golden Saber 125gr (I think, might have been 135gr) hp .357 magnums.

I carry the one that performs best for me. Just seems logical.
 
New York PD Reports that the Speer Gold Dot 135g. 38+P works well. They were authorized to use this ammo in their 2" and 4" Off Duty and Back Up Revolvers. If this ammo is taking care of bag guys for them on the street, that's good enough for me. I don't care too much about jello or water jugs. Since I only carry Snubs that's what I use.
 
Wife shoots Hydro Shoks in her 9mm. I carry Hydro Shoks in my 40 S & W. My 357 Sig (Glock) prefers Sigarms ammo (EDC). My 10mm gets underwood's heaviest cast lead. When I shoot 9mm, I use Hydro Shoks, also.

Whatever is the most accurate.
 
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While they may work great, I tend to shy away from some of the newer "boutique," trending loads and (like others have said) stick to old faithful a like HST, Gold Dot, Golden Saber, etc.
 
Regardless of caliber, I think it's hard to go wrong with either HST or Gold Dots. They would be my first choice if I were to get a new gun and wanted to test self-defense ammo for carry use.

Generally, I prefer medium-to-heavy weight HP bullets for self defense. They seem to offer the best balance between expansion and penetration.

I carry a 642 and my first choice load is the Speer 135gr SB-GDHP +P. My second choice would be some version of the FBI load, with my preferred version being the Buffalo Bore 158gr LSWCHP standard pressure.

I would feel comfortable carrying anything from Doc Robert's list, again with a preference toward's medium-to-heavy weight bullets.

With the exception of Buffalo Bore (and possibly CorBon), I'm more comfortable sticking with one of the major manufacturerers: Speer, Federal, Winchester, Remington. Just my preference.

Most importantly, though, is the reliability of the ammo in my gun and how well I can shoot it.
 
I would start here:

Service Caliber Handgun Duty and Self-Defense Ammo

Try some of those and determine which work best with your guns.

After a lot of testing on my own, these are the SD rounds I carry:

SIG P250 Subcompact .380: Fiocchi Extrema XTP 90g

Shield 9mm: Hornady Critical Duty 135g +P or Speer Gold Dot 124g +P

M&P .40 Compact: Winchester PDX1 180g or Federal HST 180g

SIG P320 Compact .357 SIG: Speer Gold Dot 125g

FNH FNX-T .45 ACP: Federal HST 230g +P
 
I tend to shoot the heavier loads in each caliber better 147 grain in 9mm and 180 grain in 40 S&W .. I'm using Western "Defend" in my carry ..

there are a number of rounds by different ammo makers in these calibers that shoot well in my pistols I use for carry .. I did say MY .. you have to test your own pistol to see what shoots best through yours ..

But I don't think you can go wrong using ammo from the 5 to 10 top ammo manufacturers many using the same bullets in their cartridges ..
 
Please avoid gimmick ammunition like G2 RIP, DRT, Liberty, etc. It does not perform properly.

Before asking "What ammo should I use?" you should ask "What should ammo do, what shouldn't it do, and how is it tested?" I recommend the following:
Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness from the Firearms Training Unit of the FBI
Basic Wound Ballistic Terminal Performance Facts by Dr. Roberts (DocGKR)
Ordnance gelatin test assessment for rifle and pistol calibers by Dr. Roberts (DocGKR)
What's Wrong With The Wound Ballistics Literature And Why by Dr. Fackler

For specific recommendations I start here:
Service Caliber Handgun Duty and Self-Defense Ammo by Dr. Roberts (DocGKR)
Then here (for 9mm and 380):
9mm Ammo Quest on Youtube by ShootingTheBull410
 
haywood said:
New York PD Reports that the Speer Gold Dot 135g. 38+P works well. They were authorized to use this ammo in their 2" and 4" Off Duty and Back Up Revolvers. If this ammo is taking care of bag guys for them on the street, that's good enough for me. I don't care too much about jello or water jugs. Since I only carry Snubs that's what I use.
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Hi there. I was looking to purchase the Speer Gold Dot 124g, but it said "law enforcement" on the box (50 rounds) and I wasn't sure if a ccw owner can use this ammo in their carry gun or not. It's actually on sale online and I want to be sure before purchasing. Please let me know if I can. Thanks.
 
32icon said:
Hi there. I was looking to purchase the Speer Gold Dot 124g, but it said "law enforcement" on the box (50 rounds) and I wasn't sure if a ccw owner can use this ammo in their carry gun or not. It's actually on sale online and I want to be sure before purchasing. Please let me know if I can. Thanks.
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Yes, you can purchase it. There is no requirement to be in law enforcement.

Oftentimes ammunition is sold in "law enforcement" boxes of 50 rounds as opposed to the 20 or 25 round boxes normally sold to the general public. The ammo is the same but simply in different packaging.

(As with everything else: subject to the laws of your state or municipality.)
 
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I always got great accuracy from the old Silvertips, but since they've gone the way of the dodo, I usually go with Speer GD or Remington GS. I've picked up some of the Sig ammo but haven't been able to get enough free time in daylight to test it.
 
Like I mentioned on a previous thread, the HST rounds are in my opinion the best 9mm self defense ammo available. The luckygunner lab reports show a wide variety of self defense ammo tested. This will give you a much better idea of what's good and what's not. Also it's very important to realize how certain ammo will differentiate from barrel length. One brand may have great results out a Glock 17 but fail to expand in a Shield or Glock 43. I carry a small single stack 9mm and carry the 147 grain HST.

Some will chime in and say shot placement trumps everything. Yes they are right, but why not find the best most reliable ammo to go along with that. You want every edge you can get.

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/
 
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