Magsafe Inc.

[Pyro]

So I bought a pack out of curiosity (38 Special "Defender").
First let me say their quality control leaves much more to be desired, each round was unique in jacket serrations and epoxy core level (the package admits that there will be a varied amount of epoxy core level because each round is handmade).
I also heard that they use #2 and #3 shot (bigger) instead of the #6 and #12 Glaser Slugs use. I dropped a #6 shot pellet into the hollow point and found it to be much larger in comparison of the shot embedded in the epoxy core (the package also admits that shot size will vary per batch which will also give the shooter slight variations in bullet weight).

I plan to test the two bullets I found to have the most physical variation in the blister pack.
The first one in accordance to the test on the packaging (which is to tape a can of corned beef to a water jug, should be fun).
The second one will be a wetpack test with heavy clothing barrier to see if it will clog (the package says it will not). If it penetrates less than 5.5 inches, Glaser Silver wins.
Anybody have any actual experience with this stuff? Not talking exactly a self defense situation, but just the ammo in general.

 

[Loosedhorse]

I bought the ammo directly from Joe Zambone, before he died in 2000 (may he rest). He and Kay were great to talk to and deal with, and I noticed zero quality control problems from them. Everything was meticulously crafted.

Joe sold the company before his death, and I haven't kept track of the product since then.

 

[Pyro]

Yes I have heard who Joe Zambone (RIP) was and his company. Sounded like a really great guy.
The jacket serration deviance doesn't look like it will impact performance, I just expected more with how much this ammo costs.

 

[moxie]

Glaser is definitely the quality alternative.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Joe made some hot ammo in the day. Much hotter than glasers. I've never had a problem with his ammo, but glasers are a different story.

 

[moxie]

I've personally used Glasers (Blue) for over 20 years in .38 Spl., .357 Mag, .44 Spl., and .45ACP in a variety of weapons. Never a failure of any kind. Very accurate.

 

[Pyro]

Corbon has great quality control with their Glaser line.
I've got some in Silver, wouldn't mind getting some in blue though.
The 38 Special +P Silver failed to fully expand fully twice in Brass Fetcher's test.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

I was acquainted with Joe Zambone in the late 80's/early 90's. He certainly was an interesting character. I visited his home based ammo "factory" in Olympia, WA. (I still have a 2-hour VHS video of him performing comparison testing of MagSafe against other bullets in ordnance gelatin.)

I tested his .40 S&W "kevlar defeating" ("armor piercing") MagSafe Agent at the US Army Wound Ballistics Laboratory. The test consisted of placing a Second Chance FeatherLite Level IIA kevlar test panel against a 10x10x20" block of ordnance gelatin. The kevlar stopped it and there was zero damage to the gelatin. When I reported the test results to him he became angry and accused me of trying to make his ammo look bad. He absolutely hated me after that. Unfortunately his test method produced unrealistic results.

The method suggested by MagSafe to test the ammo by shooting a can of corned beef, as you describe, will produce visually spectacular but unrealistic results. The can will burst explosively simply because of the temporary cavity. (Hint: people aren't small cans of meat.)

For more info I suggest you read: "MagSafe Ammunition Demonstrates Inadequate Terminal Performance for General-Purpose Personal Defense Use". See - http://www.firearmstactical.com/tacticalbriefs/volume4/number3/article432.htm