Preferred carry ammo

I carry FEDERAL HST ammo in all my 9m.m. and .40 S&W pistols. I go with the 124 grain HST in my 9m.m. BERETTA and SIG pistols and the 180 grain HST load in my BERETTA and STOEGER .40 calibers (this was my former duty load before switching to the 9m.m.).

In all my .357 magnums, I use a 110 grain jhp, usually REMINGTON because I have had trouble with WINCHESTER ammo not firing in my S&W revolvers and FEDERAL is harder to get.

In my GLOCK 42, I carry WINCHESTER Train & Defend jhp.

Jim+

scotchlouis said:

I forgot to mention that I’ve been carrying Precision One 90gr XTP JHP in my LCP:

Click to expand...

I really like how these guys evaluate ammo in unreal ways. Who wears four pares of jeans? So why shoot through four layers of denham.
I’m lucky in the fact that I get to see what happens to bullets that people are shot with. I’ve seen many different hollow point bullets that preform great in gel test but failed to expand in a human body. I have also seen mixed results from good ammo. This is due to the fact that every person’s body is not the same. Fat, skinny, muscular body types with have an effect on bullet performance. And don’t forget bone structure too.
The bullets that I have seen that preform the best are. Fed. HST, Speer Gold Dot, Hornady Critical Defense and Rem. (Bonded) Golden Saber.
There are a lot of factors that can alter the performance of ammo. I remember, about two years ago, the Firearms Examiners at the State Lab conducted a bullet test as part of their ongoing training. They bought a pig carcass from a butcher shop and shot several rounds into it from different guns. They used denham and other things to shoot through. I was surprised to see that Remington JSP 38 Spl, out preformed Remington standard JHP.
If you’re one of those guys that like to test the ammo you carry, I recommend that you find someone that hunts hogs and get them to donate a hog for your bullet test.

..

I haven't carried a .357 in a long time. If I recall correctly the last time I did I was in the woods & had it loaded with 158 grain jacketed soft points.

I usually carry .40 Remington Golden Saber 165 grain bonded JHP ammunition in a M&P 2.0 40 Compact.

My gun for when I can't carry a gun is a Kahr CM9 loaded with Federal HST 150 grain micro ammunition.

For my Model 69, it's loaded with 44 Special Underwood 125 grain Xtreme Defenders lately instead of wadcutters. the speed strips have Underwood 190 grain semi-wadcutter hollow points. if I go up in the mountains I load it with magnums. I just bought a Kimber K6S that has the Federal 130 grain HST Micro 38's in it for now.

For 380 ACP, 90 to 100 grain FMJ works for me.

I do not feel hollow point bullets expand reliably in the 380 ACP so, I prefer penetration.

For 45 ACP, 230 FMJ works for me.

I'm in the slow moving, lots of momentum camp here.

For large caliber revolvers, 44 Special and 45 Colt, 240 to 255 grain semi-wadcutter bullets would do just fine.

9mm: 124-grain +P Gold Dots, or 147-grain Gold Dots. This is what I could easily buy, in 50-round boxes, when I transitioned to 9mm Glocks, for duty and much personal carry. I know my Glocks like it. Never assume any weapon likes anything; I had a G22 .40 that was a drama queen, and a different G22 that liked 165-grain ammo, but would lock-open, with live rounds in the mag, with 180-grain ammo. (The cure was a new slide stop, as the original reached too far.)

I do not currently use any compact or short-barreled 9mm pistols. My hands are not aging well. If a grip does not reach the “heel bone” of my right hand, it is less stable, and will cause damage. Muzzle flip is my enemy, even if I shoot lefty, with my right hand being the support hand. I sold my G26, traded one G19, and my remaining G19 pair are niche/loaner/reserve pistols.

.357 Magnum: 125-grain, full-velocity, in my 4” full-lug GP100, or heavier revolvers.

.357 Magnum, in revolvers lighter than 4” full-lug GP100, regardless of barrel length: Short Barrel Gold Dot 135-grain. This can be seen as a glorified .38 Special, but I don’t want to further wreck my aging hands.

My SP101 five-guns are a special case. I still load them with Short Barrel .357 Gold Dots, when I can find enough of them. Otherwise, I have some Buffalo Bore full wadcutters, which are .38 Special, at the upper end of standard pressure.

.38 Special, J-Snubs: 148-grain wadcutters, because alloy-framed J-Frames hurt my hands. I do not have any all-steel J-frames

.38 Special, K-Snub: I am not picky. Any good controlled-expansion JHP, that is available when I re-stock.

.45 ACP: 230-grain Gold Dots, 230-grain Federal HST Tactical, or 230-grain Federal Hydra-Shok. I have tested these, and they work in my 1911 pistols.

.45 Colt: I am vetting some new choices. I have not really been carrying .45 Colt for antipersonnel purposes, anyway, though this is subject to change, in the near future.

I am still vetting my Glock G42, so have not established a .380 load preference. Anecdotally, the G42 seems to prefer heavier bullets.

.32 ACP, for Seecamp LWS-32: Gold Dots, for quite some time, as they have been more-available than the other recommended loads. This is a niche weapon, for me, and, I do not expect expansion, from such a short barrel, so ammo choice is simply about what feeds reliably. There is no room in the Seecamp magazine for normal round-nosed bullets, and the mag feeds so directly into the chamber, any flat-point or JHP feeds well, if the OAL is within spec.

I carry ARX 77 grain ammo in the 357/38 Spcl revolvers - ARX 65 grain in the 9mm - ARX 56 grain in the .380 . I'm sold on its attributes and benefits.

I was a Gold Dot or nothing kind of person but over the last few years I've swapped over to HST's and I am happy

I use gold dots in my 9MM and 380. In 40 I use federal hst. Wife uses critical defense in her 380

I EDC either a Glock 26 or Glock 42..for both, I use G9 or Lehigh/Underwood Xtreme Defender..Pricy but blind to barriers(like lotsa clothes), good penetration and wound channel..Short barrel..'might' have problems with expanson for JHP..

GunnyUSMC said:

The bullets that I have seen that preform the best are. Fed. HST, Speer Gold Dot, Hornady Critical Defense and Rem. (Bonded) Golden Saber.

Click to expand...

So are the unbonded Golden Sabers substancially less effective than the bonded? I've never heard anybody actually confirm this.

Hartkopf said:

So are the unbonded Golden Sabers substancially less effective than the bonded? I've never heard anybody actually confirm this.

Click to expand...

The non bonded bullets tend to have less controlled expansion and tend to come apart.

Gunny,

My agency used to issue the unbonded GOLDEN SABRE in 9m.m. before we went to the .40 S&W. It had a good record. I am not sure that a bullet coming apart is a negative thing as long as it expands.

Jim

9mm Federal HST 124grain
380 Hornady XTP 90 grain for warm weather pocket carry

9mm 147 HST.

Not that I think it’s the best or better, but it’s what I have and I feel that it will be effective.

When I carry .45, it has 230 grain HST

I tend to be a ‘speed kills’ kind of guy and have had good, reliable performance with Federal, Speer, and Remington +P loads in 9mmP, typically the 115 or 124gr.

In .40 S&W I prefer the lighter 155gr loads from the same 3 manufacturers.

Winchester has been disappointing me in the ammo department since about 1992, so I avoid them.

BSW

briansmithwins said:

I tend to be a ‘speed kills’ kind of guy and have had good, reliable performance with Federal, Speer, and Remington +P loads in 9mmP, typically the 115 or 124gr.

In .40 S&W I prefer the lighter 155gr loads from the same 3 manufacturers.

Winchester has been disappointing me in the ammo department since about 1992, so I avoid them.

BSW

Click to expand...

I gel tested some Winchester Ranger T in 40s&w and it would never expand through 2 layers of denim. Everything else I tested (GD,GS,HST) expander reliably through denim.

.38 Special said:

I agree that the subject is overthought.

Click to expand...

I agree it is overthought in calibers like 357 mag, 9mm, .40 etc.

In calibers like .380 and .38 Spcl, I don't think it is because they often don't reach expansion threshold, and when you pay a premium for a hollow point, it is still for all intents and purposes an fmj.
I use both calibers and shoot Hornady Critical Defense, because those have been shown to expand as advertised.

My LCP has Underwood 100 grain Hard cast in it. They advertise 1150 FPS with it.

Hartkopf said:

So are the unbonded Golden Sabers substancially less effective than the bonded? I've never heard anybody actually confirm this.

Click to expand...

There are plenty of videos on YT of non bonded Golden Saber having jacket separation. This is where the copper jacket and lead alloy core separate once it hits whatever sold object you are shooting at.

147 gr HST for 9MM
180 gr HST for .40 cal
230 gr Gold Dot for .45 ACP
180 gr XTP handloads for 10MM
135 gr Gold Dots handloads over Unique for Taurus 617 .357 Mag (load developed using Speers short barrel data)

I like the performance results HST and Gold Dots had in gelatin tests over the years.

9mm 124gr Speer gold dot LE
38 spl 110gr Hornady Critical Defense +p

both seemed to perform well in the Lucky Gunner tests.

I replaced 175 grain Silvertips with175 grain Critical Duty cartridges in my Glock 29. I have 130 grain Winchester "Defender" .38 +p in my K6s. I've tried several .357 loads which it handles fine but due to the short ejector occasionally has .357 length cases stick in the cylinder.