Self Defence Ammunition

[coda323]

So my Wilson CQB should be dropping by my FFL very soon (then the 10 day wait begins). I've been reading that the Federal HST is a solid product, and my local police dept. logged some pretty nice lab results with it as well. Another plus I see is that I can buy it for approximately 50 cents a round versus the civilian Hydrashock for a buck a round. Is this price difference due to LE pricing and is the HST the way to go considering that I don't want to cut any corners on self defense ammunition? Any other brands to consider?

 

[IdahoLT1]

Double TAP. They make some awesome rounds. Most of their HP ammo uses Speer Gold Dot bullets. They just have a far better powder pushing it to get some great numbers. Their 45ACP 230gr. bullets travel ~1010fps.

 

[EHL]

HST is great stuff, much better than the old Hydra shoks. Ranger T's are also a safe bet. THe only other round I'd recommend is the Taurus Hex Copper bullets. All of these bullets do their job quite nicely and you will not be disappointed.

 

[Shadow1198]

Corbon Pow'RBall and DPX is excellent, high quality stuff. The Pow'RBall feeds very well due to the round nose profile from the polymer cap.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Any high quality Self-defence ammunition by any of the known manufacturers will do the job and you probably will not notice any or little difference from one to another...

I use a lot of Hornady XTP in most of my carry ammunition...

 

[wnycollector]

+1 on doubletap. ALL of my pistols (.38, .357, .40 and .45) are loaded with their products.

 

[coda323]

can double tap correctly be labeled as P+? What are the pros and cons of the different weights of the rounds?

 

[wnycollector]

I believe that their .38, 9mm and .45 colt are +P, all of the other common SD cals are just shy of a +P rating.

 

[coda323]

are higher pressures okay for my wilson?

 

[hotpig]

Try a few hundred rounds of several loads. Keep the one that the Wilson will feed reliably.

 

[NG VI]

If your pistol likes the HST, and it were my carry pistol, I would use the 230 +P HST. it has wicked expansion and 960 FPS sounds great to me. if it doesn't feed well or prints all over (I don't know that either one of these is an issue with HST, but all guns are subjective in ammo choices) then I'd find something else, probably not hydra-shock, but if it works up to par in your gun then I would definitely use the HST.

 

[mtngunr]

Call me recidivist, hopelessly out of touch, Luddite, whatever, but have always found 230gr ball reliable and effective....it does have, after all, 63% more frontal area than FMJ 9mm....it's why I shoot .45 Colt and .45ACP, since the bullet approaches 1/2" in diameter without any expansion whatsoever.....I live in a rural area of a conservative state, so I'm not going to play Ayoobisms about over-penetration, lawsuits, etc., and also use handloads for that reason....your area might require different ammo.....but a double-tap in the chest with ball works most times....which is about all that can be said of 99% of calibers and bullets out of handguns....

 

[coda323]

thanks for the suggestions everyone and on a side note, unfortunately I don't live in a conservative state and so have to protect myself legally as well

 

[21H40]

Absolutely try several different brands, and then go with what functions best - regardless of price.

I recently tried the powerball rounds with the polymer ball in a JHP. It is supposed to be a good way to get around some locations exceptions to hollow point ammo - check with a real lawyer first, of course.

My Kimber hated it. She's worked great with lots of SD ammo, like Gold dots and hydrashoks, but this stuff was at the wrong velocity for my pistol.

Your wilson may be less picky because its better tuned.

 

[janobles14]

im a huge gold dot fan

 

[meef]

im a huge gold dot fan

Have you tried dieting?

 

[IdahoLT1]

can double tap correctly be labeled as P+? What are the pros and cons of the different weights of the rounds?

I believe their 45ACP is just shy of +P ratings. Almost any firearm should be able to sustain a certain amount of +P ammo. I wouldnt shoot 500 or 1000 rounds of +P through any of my pistols, but after a a box of no malfunctions, i feel pretty safe keeping them loaded with it. My Kahr and Beretta 92 are loaded with their +P ammo. My 10mm is loaded with their 200gr. ammo when im back packing, camping or hunting.

As far as pros and cons of different bullet weights, it really opens up Pandoras Box to some people. My understanding is that if you use 2 different weights of hollow point ammo, the lighter one will usually create more energy upon impact(possibly breaking apart and causing more tissue damage) where the heavier one will move slower but penetrate deeper and possible retain alot of it original weight. If they are both FMJ rounds, the opposite can be true.

 

[Deus Machina]

Gold Dot fan here, too. I'm very interested in CorBon DPX, but I can get Gold Dots cheap enough to run a couple practice mags through.

If your piece doesn't like hollow points or you have to move away for whatever restrictions, check on Pow'R'Ball or Safety Slug, which would by my choice for FMJ-shaped round.

But, like it's been said, test it. Keep a magazine full of what feeds every time, weather it's middle-ground Gold Dot, $5-a-round Magsafe, or just dime-a-dozen ball if need be. Then just match it for weight and power in Bill's Big-Box Budget Ball or what have you, when you practice.