Best type ammo for self defense?

[John Joseph]

I settled on .44 Mag "Keith" type. If it was good enough for Elmer....

 

[ReggiesFree]

Monolithic, copper. Looks like a Phillips screw driver.

I could see how that would prove problematic for anything on the receiving end.

 

[WisBorn]

I would look for one load to carry all the time.

Something that you will practice with. At least at the end of your range sessions.

With bears/cats and their denser skin, muscle, and bones go with a heavier bullet. Stay away from FMJ'S (target ammo) just a piece of legal advice.
I carry 158 grain semi jacketed flat nose in my 357. They are available and reasonably priced. Sure 180 grain hardcast or the copper solids would be great, but you can't find them. And the cost is so high that you will not practice the them.

When you find your choice get several 100 rounds. If you haven't noticed specialty ammo is harder to find than range ammo. Both are still hard to get in regular quantities of the same load.

 

[murf]

Sure 180 grain hardcast

try these guys: https://www.bearcreeksupplybullets.com/price-sheet

murf

 

[golden]

TARDEVIL,

When I worked up in CANADA, a guide showed me his photo book which had a skin of an estimated 600 pound black bear. That was in CANADA and they can grow a lot larger there without encroaching on people.
It was impressive, but still small compared to the GRIZZLY'S.

Jim

 

[brickeyee]

Do I smell burning toast?

More likely burning popcorn.

 

[Thomasss]

In this day and age with ammo in short supply, I recommend the big ones that go "BANG". Cabela's seems to have some self defensive ammo on the shelves. You want something you can handle quickly and effectively.

 

[defjon]

I would look for one load to carry all the time.

Something that you will practice with. At least at the end of your range sessions.

With bears/cats and their denser skin, muscle, and bones go with a heavier bullet. Stay away from FMJ'S (target ammo) just a piece of legal advice.
I carry 158 grain semi jacketed flat nose in my 357. They are available and reasonably priced. Sure 180 grain hardcast or the copper solids would be great, but you can't find them. And the cost is so high that you will not practice the them.

When you find your choice get several 100 rounds. If you haven't noticed specialty ammo is harder to find than range ammo. Both are still hard to get in regular quantities of the same load.

I have a box or two of the specialty hardcast plus p stuff. It's nice for revolvers, a cylinder or two and you know you can set off the primers and where they'll hit. You settled on a good (semi available) factory round that does a number of things pretty well. I happened into about 6 boxes of that load recently, at 30/50 which is about what 357 has gone for the last decade.

Plenty enough to get familiar , have a load that may flatten a bit, will surely penetrate enough. The 158 gr semi jacketed flat nose is a good magnum round I think. In my 2 inch I'll load 2 hornady critical defense 38s that expand well from a 2 inch barrel, and 3 of the 158 gr semi jacketed flat nose 357 rounds. Controllable recoil even in the small frame and a pretty versatile "load out" for woods walking in my area.

I've only ever come across big cats twice and a very large wolf once. Never needed to fire, but in the big cat instances I only had a walking stick.

I banged it on a tree and it sure sounded like a rifle crack. At least the cat thought so, dropped down out of his tree about 30 yards uptrail and took off down a holler.

(might've had him beat actually, in how fast I got out of there and back to the jeep..)