Personal defense ammo

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szaino

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What are people using in their carry guns for ammo?

I need 9mm for a Kahr CW9093. The prices for +p and the so called personal defense ammo seem to be so out of whack with regualr 9mm which is available for +- $15 per hundred. ie WWB or Rem UMC.
 
My G30 uses 230 gr. Hydra-Shocks and our 9's use Win. Rangers 147 gr. No +P's here. Don't spend the $$$ if you don't have it! Gas is 3$ a gal.
 
Quality defense ammo will always cost more, you are paying for a more consistent and powerful round made for protection and not just putting holes in paper. I use Speer Gold Dot .357 mag.
 
Speer Gold Dot 124 GDHP standard pressure or the same in +P
versions.

Every now and then I find it at gun shows... like $25 for 50
rounds or so, although I'm sure at this point the price has shot
way up due to overall increase in ammo prices across the
board.

Part of the reason defense ammo costs more is the QC is
generally somewhat better, it also often has sealed primers and
flash-retardant powders in it. (not to mention they're often
topped with a bullet that has a buttload of R+D invested in it!)

Stay away from "cheap" defense ammo (9 out of 10 times it's
junk). I also don't see the value in gimmick ammo, like
loads involving light bullets traveling at higher speeds, pseudo
frangible, or whatever. If it's not made by Winchester LE,
Remington, Speer/CCI, Federal, or Hornady, it's generally trash. Stick to
"normal" JHPs in normal bullet weights. In 9mm anything less
than 124 gr. is generally not going to penetrate far enough.

-Mike
 
Last edited:
Winchester SXT in the 9mm, Remington Golden Saber in the .38 and Speer Gold Dot in the .357 Sig.

Good defense ammo is always a plus, but keep in mind many many people have been killed and or put down with ball ammo. If I couldn't find what I absolutely wanted, I'd honestly have no real issue with carrying some Wal-Mart hollowpoints.

Go ahead, flame me for it.
 
I like Hydra-Shock Ammo. It feeds well in my automatics, and I like the bullet design, and also use it in my defense revolvers.

I'll sometimes use Ranger or Silvertip, and feel comfortable with them.

Right now I'm looking around for a low flash cartridge, to reduce loss of night vision if I ever fire at night. I'm pretty sure Hydra-Shock has that quality, but I want to check the rest of the market as well.

I still carry Black Talon in my 9mm, but it's replacement ammo is just as effective.
 
I've had good luck with Hornady's TAP ammo in both 9mm (147 grain) and .45 ACP (230 grain). Both JHP, no feed problems. IIRC they created these rounds specifically for tactical applications(hence the TAP monniker) and a lower muzzle flash. These are the ones i've been using for a while. Don't have any idea how much they are now, probably outrageous![frown] And Hornady's previous stuff is just as good. I've tried Remington Golden Saber in >45 ACP with good results as well. Hydra-Shok is a perennial round with lots of data available for research. Just like someone said before, try out a few different types and see what suits YOUR weapon(and wallet)! Let us Know how it goes.
 
Not all well performing defensive handgun ammo is expensive.

Remington makes some kick ass defensive loads in their mid-priced Express line, particulalry if you carry a revolver.

Remington Express 38 Special +P 158 lead semi wadcutter hollow point and 357 Magnum 125 grain and 158 grain semi-jacketed hollow points are devastating and do not cost an arm and a leg. I paid about $14 for 50 of the 38 Special and $35 for 50 of the 158 grain 357 Magnum. Those are what I carry.

When I carry a 9 mm pistol, I load up either Winchester 115 grain +P Silvertips or Speer Gold Dot standard pressure 124 grain jacketed hollow points.
 
GSG said:
Winchester SXT in the 9mm, Remington Golden Saber in the .38 and Speer Gold Dot in the .357 Sig.

Good defense ammo is always a plus, but keep in mind many many people have been killed and or put down with ball ammo. If I couldn't find what I absolutely wanted, I'd honestly have no real issue with carrying some Wal-Mart hollowpoints.

Go ahead, flame me for it.
Click to expand...

I won't flame anyone for it, that's for sure.... anything is clearly
many times better than nothing. I would do the same thing if
that was the only option I had/could afford.

-Mike
 
If you wanna be sure to knock down the bad guys, you hafta use EXTREME SHOCK ammo!! It's EXTREME!!!!

Just look at the tactical guys using it!!!!

top2rr9.jpg
 
Firetarr said:
I've tried Remington Golden Saber in >45 ACP with good results as
well.
Click to expand...

One thing I like about the rem golden sabre 230 gr load is the bullet
profile works out real well with some fussy-feeding guns. If one's
.45 ACP doesn't feed the GS 230 gr, it's broken. [smile] It also
happens to be a very good expander in numerous tests, so it's not a
crap load. The GS line overall is generally a very good product.

-Mike
 
My .40 has EFMJs and my 357Sig has corbon HPs. Though I just picked up some starfire that I'm curious about
 
Corbon DPX offers phenomenal penetration and it outperformed all other ammo in tests. It is my ammo of choice in all calibers
 
Jose said:
How about the fake black guy on the right?
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? I see guys like that all the time walking out of the tanning booths in California. [rofl]

Mr Weebles said:
If you wanna be sure to knock down the bad guys, you hafta use EXTREME SHOCK ammo!! It's EXTREME!!!!
Click to expand...

Each hollow point is filled with Mountain Dew, for maximum eXtremism.
 
Last edited:
z0mbi said:
What are you talking about? I see guys like that all the time walking out of the tanning booths in California. [rofl]



Each hollow point is filled with Mountain Dew, for maximum eXtremism.
Click to expand...

Ooops, my bad. You're right, he should go back to the salon for a refund..... [rofl]
 
szaino said:
What are people using in their carry guns for ammo?

I need 9mm for a Kahr CW9093. The prices for +p and the so called personal defense ammo seem to be so out of whack with regualr 9mm which is available for +- $15 per hundred. ie WWB or Rem UMC.
Click to expand...

I use Speer's 124gr +P Gold Dots. They feed well in my Kahr K9s. It's considerably cheaper if you buy it in boxes of 50 rather than 20.
 
GSG said:
Winchester SXT in the 9mm, Remington Golden Saber in the .38 and Speer Gold Dot in the .357 Sig.

Good defense ammo is always a plus, but keep in mind many many people have been killed and or put down with ball ammo. If I couldn't find what I absolutely wanted, I'd honestly have no real issue with carrying some Wal-Mart hollowpoints.

Go ahead, flame me for it.
Click to expand...


I certainly won't flame you. I am perfectly happy carrying my 1911 with 230gr ball ammo.
 
GSG said:
Winchester SXT in the 9mm, Remington Golden Saber in the .38 and Speer Gold Dot in the .357 Sig.

Good defense ammo is always a plus, but keep in mind many many people have been killed and or put down with ball ammo. If I couldn't find what I absolutely wanted, I'd honestly have no real issue with carrying some Wal-Mart hollowpoints.

Go ahead, flame me for it.
Click to expand...

I think this point bears repetition and expansion.

There is no bright line dichotomy between "personal defense ammunition" and all other rounds. The variables in target composition and reaction, round performance, shot placement, and shooter skill and reaction are infinite. This means that in the universe of historical and possible situations, there are cases where plain old ball or lead solid will do the job superbly and cases were a half a magazine of the best "personal defense ammo" will leave the BG with just a change of facial expression.

If this is so -- and let there be no doubt that it is -- then the best "personal defense ammunition" is that round that both you and your gun are happy and familiar with and handle well.

For example, for a lot of years I carried a short-barreled K-frame .357. After a lot of experimentation, I concluded that full house .357 rounds (I carry only factory on the street) generate too much recoil and flash for a real life close quarters combat situation. I finally settled on a Remington load, a 95-gr. serrated jacketed hollow-point .38 Spl. +P load. Since recoil is a function of the first order of bullet velocity, while bullet energy is a function of velocity squared, this round yields a better energy:recoil ratio than any other. It was easy to control for multiple shots, and I developed a good deal of confidence with the round.

Now, if I were heading into the woods, concerned about predator animals, and told a .357 was all I could carry, it wouldn't be loaded with 95-gr. hollow-points. On the street, it would be.
 
Everyone has to decide what their threshold of recoil vs controllability is.

Out of a 40 oz service size revolver, double taps using 158 grain 357s are a piece of cake for me. My split times are faster with 38 specials in the same weight, but not enough to offset the penetration and energy dump deficit.
 
I wasn't honestly expecting to get flamed for saying that, just being cute.

There's no such thing as a healthy gunshot wound. If you carry a .22 derringer loaded with snakeshot and shoot somebody with it, it'll do more damage than if you didn't shoot them with anything. Ball ammo, extreme shock, hollowpoints, soft nose, whatever you carry, if you can park your rounds accurately and repeatedly into that stupid sorry mo-fo he'll be having a very bad day. Ideally you'd shoot him with 12 guage slugs from a Streetsweeper, but chances are you won't have one on hand. If a snubby .38 or a .25 pocket gun is all you can carry, I say go for it. Load it with ammo that works and that you're comfortable with, treat the gun better than you treat your woman and then forget you're carrying it and enjoy life a little.

Practice with it enough to keep you safe and happy, but don't kill yourself over which expansion pattern creates more ballistic trauma and stopping power blah blah blah wound channel blah blah tactical shooting. A gun is a gun.

That being said, I carry what I think are the best damn hollowpoints in the biggest damn gun with the most damn ammo I can hide on me every day.
 

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