Self Defense Ammo question for the LEO's

[DrenalinJunkie]

F....I wouldn't sweat the flavor. I'm a fan of the Ranger's but there are so many good defense rounds out there, it wouldn't bother me to chamber any of the others mentioned. The main thing is to let your gun pick which one it likes.

Testing defense rounds can get really expensive but you have to make sure these various hp's run through the pistol as they are a bit more picky than ball ammo.

Very true, I had an old 45 that killed my wallet trying to find a HP it liked. That is why I am trying to narrow it down a bit this time

[Artos]

Just to be clear... when using the definition "self defense rounds" we're talking about rounds that wont go (or will slow down tremendously) through walls and kill the neighbors/kids.. correct?

cannot say that defensive rounds will not penetrate walls amigo...we are talking about rounds that expand rapidly and designed for stopping an assault as quickly as possible and causing as much tissue damage as possible.

Kinda like FMJ bullets vs a hunting round.

[DrenalinJunkie]

Just to be clear... when using the definition "self defense rounds" we're talking about rounds that wont go (or will slow down tremendously) through walls and kill the neighbors/kids.. correct?

Yes, I want a round that if I put a center mass shot on a bad guy there is no doubt in their mind they have been shot. Or if in a close quarters situation (by this I mean, they have their hands on me), and I put a round or few into the lower abdomen, pelvic area, they are out of the fight.

As far as penetrating a wall, well if I am in the house....... I more than likely am not grabbing my pistol first.

[Leftridge]

Gold Dot 165 GDHP in my smoke wagon

[DorothyNotKeegan]

We're issued Winchester Ranger ammo. It's good ammo just not a good gun. I'd rather have a new Glock!

[tvc184]

yall making me question my hydrashoks...whats wrong with 'em? i have killed 3 pigs with them. 2 pigs made it about 20yards. the other one we suprised each other in tall grass at 10 feet, he didnt flee, turned and faced me and started slapping his choppers so i stuck him with 3 quick taps. all purdy dead.

oh yea, 2 more that we trapped, 70 pounders, both dead with hydrashoks.

There is nothing wrong with Hyrashoks. Rounds either go deeper with less expansion or better expansion with less penetration. Given the option, most of the time deeper is better than shallow in my opinion to get to the vital areas such as the deep arteries. That was the problem with old Silvertips from the mid-80's. They had huge expansion but only penetrated about 7" or so. You could hit a person where it might have been a fatal wound with a deeper penetrating round but then the round expands quick but fails to reach the vitals, it won't stop the fight.

I watched my partner shoot and kill a guy about 10 feet in front of me. The .40 Hydrashok expanded to about .58 caliber but went into the left side of his chest, through the left lung, the heart, right lung and then turned and went through his liver. He fell without ever making another move. I don't see how any of the other "modern" rounds could have done that or how many could expand to almost .60 caliber and still go that deep.

They have some very good rounds now like the Speer Gold Dot and Federal HST (same company) that get decent penetration and still get good expansion but won't penetrate like the "old" Hydrashoks. It still comes down to a decision to give up a little expansion for deeper penetration or give up some penetration for a little better expansion. If a person is worried about a round over exiting the target then the Gold Dot, HST, Winchester SXT and similar rounds might be a better option but don't sell the Hydrashoks short. I can guarantee that you don't want to be on the receiving end of one.

There is nothing wrong with much of the newer ammo but Hydrashoks didn't stop killing because newer rounds hit the store shelves.

[LFD2037]

Federal HST(FBI uses/used it) or Speer GD. In that order. The HST's are wicked!

[Z7_Matt]

Federal HST(FBI uses/used it) or Speer GD. In that order. The HST's are wicked!

Just watched a YouTube video on the federal hst vs win pdx1. Wow! The federal was impressive.

[billfromtx]

I use Hornandy Critical Defense in my carrie guns

[Bearkills]

After sending a head in of two rabid coyotes to ATX I decided to do some ammo tests on the carcasses.

Hornady TAP I felt like was the better out of the four 40's that we tried.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/318010/hornady-tap-personal-defense-ammunition-40-s-and-w-155-grain-jacketed-hollow-point-box-of-20

[Pistol]

Speer Gold Dot has the best, most consistent performance I have seen. And I have seen...
those who know me, know what I am referring to...just saying

[bboswell]

Speer Gold Dot has the best, most consistent performance I have seen. And I have seen...
those who know me, know what I am referring to...just saying

I knew I shouldn't read this. Went to get ammo today with Gold Dot #1 on my list, out of stock so I got Critical Defense instead, like $120 worth of Critical Defense and now I see the vast majority of pros's pick Gold Dot...

[vortech347]

http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Self_Defense_Ammo_FAQ/index.htm

Just pick one on the list in your caliber.

Hornady Critical Defense is not on there for a reason. It's not consistent enough. Same for Hydrashocks.

And whoever mentioned hydrostatic shock when referring to handguns. It doesn't work. The temporary cavity with handgun rounds does not cause any permanent damage. You need a minimum of 2000 fps at impact for hydrostatic shock to come into play. It does work with rifle rounds and is a big part of why rifles are so much more effective than handguns.

Handgun rounds only rely on the mount of tissue damage they do by penetration and the permanent wound channel they cause. You want a round that will reliably expand and penetrate to the minimum depth as laid out by the FBI standards.

And any round that meets those specs will penetrate walls so you better be sure of your backstop if you are ever in a situation where you have to use a gun to defend yourself.

[Pistol]

I knew I shouldn't read this. Went to get ammo today with Gold Dot #1 on my list, out of stock so I got Critical Defense instead, like $120 worth of Critical Defense and now I see the vast majority of pros's pick Gold Dot...

That's ok - they still shoot! Get the gold dots for self defense

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[txlawdog]

As stated before, whatever works when you pull the trigger. The most expensive high tech round means nothing if you can't rely on it. There are a bunch of good rounds. Have fun testing them.