aaahhhhh, Cor-Bon........

[Bobarino]

about once per year, i shoot a bunch of SD loads and pick a new one or stick with my current one. i started using Cor-Bon 135gr. .40's. then i let myself get influenced by Marhsal and Sannow ( i know, i know, stupid) and switched to 155gr hydra-Shok's because they were at the top of the list at the time.

i went to the range a few days ago and fired a bunch more SD rounds including the usual suspects. Gold Dots, Golden Sabres, Hydra-Shoks, Cor-Bons, and some FMJ's.

this all lead me to remember why i picked Cor-Bon's in the first place. they have that very satifying, snappy, and extra loud BANG! the others didn't feel much different than the practice ammo i use with the exception of the Golden Sabres with a big muzzle flash. it gives me the warm and fuzzies to have my magazines full of the mighty Cor-Bon's again. i like to feel that there's a little extra power in my carry loads as compared to practice ammo.

it probably won't make much difference in a real "situation", but it makes me feel better.

Bobby

 

[Spackler]

I like to carry a lighter, high velocity projectile also. In my 9mm.

I could never see the point in stepping up to a .40S&W, and then stepping all the way down to the 135gr bullet. In testing, they gained a reputation for under-penetration. Not sure how they fare in real-life street shootings.
I tried a box of the weakling Federal Personal Defense 135gr ammo once. I gotta think the Cor-Bon would be a huge improvement over that stuff, but I still like the 180gr or 165gr Gold Dot.

 

[mec]

Funny you should mention it but I ran some checks on the entire line of CorBon .45 acp a while back First was the 230 grain weight:
230 JHP Average Velocity 975
230 JHP Energy 486
230 JHP Extreme Spread 44 feet per second
230 JHP Standard Deviation 13

Then I got a sample of the rest of it and it went like this. The Ruger Velocigties are from a 9.5" custom convertible.


165 Grain CorBon JHP Velocity/Energy/Extreme Spread

1911: 1261 583 40

Ruger: 1390 708 62

185 Grain CorBon Velocity/Energy/Extreme Spread

1911: 1162 555 14

Ruger: 1229 621 53


200 Grain CorBon Velocity/Energy/Extreme Spread

1911: 1085 523 33

Ruger: 1150 587 45


PowRball 165 Velocity Energy/Extreme/Spread

1911: 1265 586 45

Ruger: 1343 660 55


The 1911 within reach right now is loaded with 230 gr Corbon. Over a period of years, we've checked out the velocity of the .40 135 grains in a SIG 229 several times. It always comes in just a few feet per second faster than advertised.

Performance in stacks of grocery store brisket inside of a canvas bag is uniformaly good.

230 and 200 grain bullets tend to stay in one well expanded piece while the 165 and 180 keep a substantial core but throw fragments.

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

I like their 200gr +p's in my .45acp.

 

[El Tejon]

Bo, how was the flash when you fired them at night?

The last CorBoom I shot, fired an enormous fireball that stuck all on the line blind for a few minutes. Would not carry that stuff if you gave it to me. I know it depends on the batch.

 

[10-Ring]

I haven't switched SD ammo in a while. I'm totally happy w/ the feel & performance of the Hydra Shoks. If you've found a round that works for you, stick with it.

 

[glockten]

I carry Cor-Bon 135s and 150s in my 10mms. As for muzzle flash, I've tried nearly all the factory 10mm loads and the worst offender by far is the Hornady XTP. Truly excessive!

 

[faustulus]

I too carry the Cor bons. 115 gr in 9mm Super .38 and .358 Sig.
Something about 1500 fps in the sig that just makes me smile.

Speed kills

 

[clubsoda22]

I use 65 grain (Aluminum alloy) Aguila IQ 9mm's that fly at around 1600fps. They fragment in soft targets, but penetrate and won't loose mass through hard targets like bulletproof glass. On their websight they have a picture of one fired through 3/4" bulleproof glass and 12" of gelatin. These things scream out of the barrel.

 

[Hal]

the others didn't feel much different than the practice ammo i use

You say that like it's a bad thing!?!?!

 

[Bobarino]

Hal,

i understand your point, but i like my carry ammo to be hotter than my practice ammo. just a personal preference. i practice with my carry ammo enough to be sure that i can shoot it just as well as the American Eagle stuff i practice with. i actually seem to be more accurate with the Cor-Bon stuff than the cheap stuff.

Bobby

 

[Jim March]

The Cor-Bon 230 is a great choice - from a 5" barrel. Ditto the 230 Gold Dot as long as it's loaded hot enough - Georgia Arms is particularly good about that.

BUT as the barrels get shorter, the 230s can't get up enough head of steam. At 4" you're probably still OK although I'd personally switch, but down to 3" or so, no way. That's what the lighter rounds are for.

The Pow'R'Ball in particular is a GREAT concept. The lighter Gold Dots like the 185 aren't bad either; when driven "too fast", they don't fragment like the Cor-Bon or most anything else. In all cases where you're driving a round past it's "designed speed specs", esp. in a carbine or something, Gold Dots are THE answer.

 

[Newton]

Corbon's 135 grain is a real stopper, Terry Murbach of Corbon tells of a recent civilian self defence shooting with this round that dropped the perp in his tracks, he was DRT. I know that anecdotes are just that, anecdotes, but there are no known reports of ANYONE getting up after being hit with a 135 grain Corbon.

I use their 110 grain load in my .38 4 inch, for an advertized velocity of 1250 fps which is monstrous, and shooting this load reminds me why it's the #1 self defence round in .38Spl, it's now ahead of the FBI load.

In .40S&W however, I find the Corbon to be a little too much, it affects my accuracy and I develop flinch. I take the opposite view of an earlier poster in that I use the mild shooting Federal 135 grain Hydrashock, I know I can hit better with that load, and testing has shown it to be a very reliable and effective performer with 10 inches of penetration and vigorous expansion which is fine for me.

Newton

 

[Sean Smith]

I like Pro Load's 180gr and 155gr Gold Dot loads for .40 caliber myself... especially when they are driven to 1,200 or 1,350 ft/sec from a 5" 10mm gun.



Funny thing about Cor-Bon is that they load their 10mm self-defense loads not so hot, and load their 10mm hunting loads radically hot.