Cor Bon ammunition...looking for insight

[Nantucketeer]

So I recently did up a spreadsheet for the best defensive 9mm, .40S&W and .45 ACP rounds (attached), including Remington, Federal, Winchester and Cor Bon. I did what I could to combine civilian and LE rounds to ultimately see which one I would prefer to have chambered, just in case...

In every case, Cor Bon came out on top. But I am left to wonder, not having shot Cor Bon before, with the extra pressure built up within the round, can I be expected to handle "that" much greater kick from my pistol to the point of accurate, fast paced shooting? Mind you, while I am am 6', I have a smaller frame...

I'm doing this because I am researching my next pistel purchase and am eyeing a few Sig's (229 and 220 Carry). I would love to be able to shoot a lighter, faster .45ACP (i.e. 165 grain) from the P220 than that of a less pwerful 9mm, but will the kick be so great that I would simply be dreaming to think I could get a quick, and accurate, follow-up shot with a .45ACP +P 165 grain bullet traveling 1250 fps on average? Not to mention a Cor Bon +P in a Sig aluminum frame...

So I am looking for first hand advice here. Any insight from those with Cor Bon experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[rcmodel]

IMO: Much too much head-scratching & hand-wringing is done by folks worrying about that extra 50 FPS, or 25 ft-lb energy, or that elusive "Magic Bullet".

For the cost of Cor-Bon, you could shoot 2 - 3 times more of a less expensive JHP ammo in practice.

And end up 2- 3 times more likely to end a fight with the first couple of shots of the more anemic & cheaper ammo.

As for 165 grain bullets in a .45 ACP?

If I wanted .40 S&W bullet weight, I would use a .40 S&W.

rc

 

[Walkalong]

Big ditto!

 

[saltydog452]

In a pistol, its gotta be reliable...through the magazine and out the ejection port.

Published statistics are not going to tell you that.

salty

 

[jjohnson]

RC's my Hero!

Oh, man, he nailed it when he said:

If I wanted .40 S&W bullet weight, I would use a .40 S&W.

Eloquent.... simple, succinct. Nothing to add but a +1!

 

[ar10]

How's the cor-bon brass. I've got a bunch of it from the range. I can't afford their bullets but I can afford picking up their brass.

 

[Chief-7700]

RC is a reloading GOD!
Chief

 

[Nantucketeer]

Oh, I fully agree as far as practice rounds are concerned. But the fact is I like the Sig P220 better than the P229, and the P220 is .45ACP only.

But when it comes to the first few shots in a defensive situation, I would want every ounce of foot pounds working for me. I can afford a box of Cor Bon to practice after I break in a pistol with lesser rounds, but I would want the best round possible in a clip nearby.

Has anyone shot Cor Bon here? Is there a huge difference "kick" wise with their +P rounds in general?

Thanks!

 

[rfwobbly]

There is a great analysis of defensive ammo on another forum RIGHT HERE complete with analysis on cadavers. In that CorBon is pretty well debunked.

One round that came out as very good was the Barnes pistol hunting ammo, which is not usually found in the usual self defense pistol ammo analysis articles.

 

[Nantucketeer]

RF, excellent article. I'm looking at a 3.9" barrel in the Sig's carry models, so its really a toss up. What I have heard time and time again is, as far as 9mm's are cocnerned, is to STAY AWAY from the 147gr bullets. 9mm pistol mags and feeding mechanics just weren't made for that length, espeically in faster firing mode.

Again, thank you for the article!

 

[rcmodel]

STAY AWAY from the 147gr bullets. 9mm pistol mags and feeding mechanics just weren't made for that length

Well, thats not the case at all.

Seeing as how 147 grain bullets are always loaded to, or shorter then, the SAAMI 1.169" Max OAL length.

They fit in any 9mm gun or magazine just perfectly fine.

rc

 

[rfwobbly]

Nantucketer -
RC has it right. All factory made bullets are loaded within an industry range of accepted lengths. These lengths are set by SAAMI. So the REAL lesson here is simply not to use any ammo for self defense that you haven't fired a BUNCH of in your particular pistol. Each gun is going to feed differently because each has a different mechanism design, each is sprung differently, and each set of mag lips is slightly different.

Bottom line: There's no one single optimal bullet for all guns.

 

[Guns and more]

All things being equal, I never thought there was much of a difference between .45 and 9mm. in regards to recoil, They feel different, I think the 9mm actually has more muzzle flip, but neither wants to jump out of my hand. Personally, if both guns were the same size and weight, I'm pick the .45 for knock down power, and less over penetration.

 

[Shoney]

This site has a lot of information that I found usefull in selecting PD bullets

http://www.firearmstactical.com/ammo_data/ammodata.htm