Self Defensive Ammo

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Onward Allusion

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Something happen a few weeks back that made me realize that while I have a goodly amount of ammo, much of it is of the target/plinking variety (i.e. WWB, Remington, Federal, Fiocchi, Seller & Bellot ...FMJ stuff). My SD ammo is about a couple of hundred rounds in each caliber (38, 357, 9, 40, & 45).

A dozen loaded mags later and I was down to zero SD 9mm in boxes. I have started picking up a box of SD here and there. It's a shame that we're still in a tight market. Otherwise, I could pick up a case of SD at a reasonable price.

Am I overthinking it?
 
Not in the least, in my opinion. I have some myself, SD ammo, but not like I'd like to have either, and I have bullets to reload, but getting the pieces all together, buying wise at this time.... I know the feeling. Hopefully in the next very short while, things will start to open up again, don't think the hoarders have completely drained the shelves on these commodities. Keep ones fingers crossed, maybe things will turn around.
 
I hear you. I was down to 200 rounds of JHP 9mm, and it was with a heavy heart and gritted teeth that I took half that to the range today to try out and proof a newly-acquired handgun. The gun, a Ruger P95, was purchased used, so it had already been "broken in", but I needed to proof it for myself. Though I would have liked to use more ammo (I did include 50 rounds of FMJ range stuff in the test), the gun performed well flawlessly, and I did better with it than I thought I would have.
 
It doesn't make any sense at all to rely on untested ammo for SD. In short, we would be crazy not to buy enough SD ammo to test how well it works and enough to practice with it at least once in a while. For the most part I practice with target ammo but I do like to shoot some HD ammo once in a while to make sure I can hit what I'm shooting at with it.

The really tough part of buying ammo is testing to see what works well in a particular gun. I will do research first and see what others are saying they like then I will buy up enough of the ammo people say they are using to test it in my particular gun. I generally end up buying at least a dozen different brands and types of ammo to find what I really think is the best. I've seen the time when I bought way more than that. Then I have to stock up on what works well in my gun. Ammo is not cheap. It wasn't even cheap before the panic. Now I'm not buying any new guns because I can't find the ammo to test them correctly. I just buy up whatever ammo I can find for practice as long as I know it works well in my gun. Yes I test practice ammo too. There can be a huge difference in one brand over another in a particular gun. I want ammo that not only works well but also shoots about the same as my HD ammo. It has to be about as powerful and hit about at the same spot.

Ammo is by far the most expensive part of shooting. That's just a fact.
 
My question would be at what distance are you practicing to "proof" your ammo? Seeing as how most engagements take place at 12 feet or less I have found VERY few target rounds that post groups outside of 1-2 inches at 10 yards (30 feet). These are self defense guns not 1,000 yd competition guns. If you buy decent ammo, your gun should cycle and group it well. If an SD gun is that finicky about the ammo it takes, I'd be finding a different SD gun.

Personally, my SD gun is an XD45 with 2, 13 rd mags loaded with Winchester PDX1. My practice ammo is just plain old UMC 250 round ball packs. Not trying to get or turn this thread into a "which is best" debate. My point is I have a good gun, with good ammo and decent practice ammo (albeit dirty practice ammo). And I have complete confidence that whether I'm shooting 10 ft, or 10 yds, I WILL hit my intended target where I want to.
And I don't have to spend a ton of money trying to find the "most accurate" round. It's a SHTF situation anyways. If you can shoot 3 rounds into a 4" group at 10 feet when your under extreme duress and your life is on the line....my hats off to you.
 
Not sure how it happened, but I got down to very few commercial SD rounds.
Then I went shooting with a friend and accidentally fired my standby SD mag.
I was able to find 1 box of speer HP bullets and loaded them up with what I believe to be a firm but not stout load of powder. Testing them would be beneficial, but also a waste. So....

I just started casting HP's in 9mm, and all be damned, that's what I'll also pack until I can find some corebond again someday.

Sorry BG's, it's gonna be homegrown.
 
.45 SD ammo has gotten so scarce lately that I am down to just barely enough to load 2 magazines for carry in my XD.
 
BigBore44 writes:

My question would be at what distance are you practicing to "proof" your ammo? Seeing as how most engagements take place at 12 feet or less I have found VERY few target rounds that post groups outside of 1-2 inches at 10 yards (30 feet).
Click to expand...

I agree. For me, SD ammo, when being proofed with a particular gun, is fired at 7 and 15 yards, typically at an indoor range. With that ammo, it is indeed more about functionality over precision, including such variables as string-fire (two or more rounds fired in rapid succession) and one-handed fire. These are things one usually doesn't do when going "out to 1000 yards." Once proven with that gun, the "games" can begin.
 
I have about 150 147-gr. 9mm HSTs right now and still need to run three test mags through my G19. Already tested in my Shield. I wish I had 500, but it is what it is...
 
All I shoot in a 9mm is FMJ ammo. I have never been involved with a James Bond type shoot out. But I have had two people try to run me down in a car. I want ammo that will bust through a windshield or car door. I prepare for things that are likely to happen to me, not James Bond.
 
Onward Allusion said:
Something happen a few weeks back that made me realize that while I have a goodly amount of ammo, much of it is of the target/plinking variety (i.e. WWB, Remington, Federal, Fiocchi, Seller & Bellot ...FMJ stuff). My SD ammo is about a couple of hundred rounds in each caliber (38, 357, 9, 40, & 45).

A dozen loaded mags later and I was down to zero SD 9mm in boxes. I have started picking up a box of SD here and there. It's a shame that we're still in a tight market. Otherwise, I could pick up a case of SD at a reasonable price.

Am I overthinking it?
Click to expand...
If you're over thinking it, I am too..I noticed the same thing about my stash the other day. It's just hard to fork over such and such dollars for 20 or 25 rounds when the same money will get you 50 of another brand/type. I guess it really doesn't matter but I wonder what a good FMJ to JHP ratio should be sometimes. I find it a little more fun to practice with better ammo-if i can keep myself from thinking about prices anyway.

I'd like to be at 35-40% SD but I bet I'm not
 
I was able to find 1 box of speer HP bullets and loaded them up with what I believe to be a firm but not stout load of powder. Testing them would be beneficial, but also a waste. So....
Click to expand...

The generally accepted rule is to not use reloads for SD but I'm sure I'll hear from a dozen people that differ on that. Still I've seen lots of supposed to be experts say not to trust reloads. And I certainly wouldn't trust anything someone else loaded unless you have a track record with them. I don't really use a lot of carry ammo for practice but you just never know when a dirty gun can prevent HP's from cycling without any advanced warning. It's bad enough when you are practicing. But counting on HP's without regularly testing them in your gun is a risk I don't want to take. I'm not talking about making your gun not fire when you pull the trigger. But sometimes just a little bit more crud can make a HP not feed well. Going bang when you pull the trigger is the biggest job a pistol does. I want to be as near to being positive as I can be that my gun will fire not just once but several times with the carry ammo I use.

The main thing about practicing with SD ammo is to test functionality and to make sure nothing is going to put your bullets out of the center mass of the bad guys. I disagree that practicing accuracy is a waste of time too. There might well be a time when you need that extra accuracy that comes from practice. If a bad guy pops his head up from behind a car door to fire at me I want to be able to hit him in the head with a round. Which brings me around to penetration. I carry a .40 because of the Critical Duty ammo that will not only penetrate car door steel but it will also penetrate windshields even though you aren't shooting straight in to the glass. That's the story anyway. I know they penetrate extremely well. That's the main reason I switched from a .45 to a .40. That and all the extra rounds that can be stuffed into a .40 magazine. There are situations where I would still rather be carrying a .45. They pack a lot of punch especially with really good ammo. I use the short barrel Gold Dot for my carry .45. That stuff is accurate and really expands well compared to even other Gold Dot. Ammo has come a long way in the past two decades. I'm not giving up those advantages for FMJ reliability and penetration. I think there is a lot of reliable ammo in the JHP world these days and it penetrates well too.
 
Lots of guys put heavy emphasis on shooting practice and put lots of worry into trying to eliminate malfunctions. However, I rarely hear of guys doing malfunction drills....Part of my duty bi-annual training include malfunction drills, plus injury drills.
 
herrwalther said:
.45 SD ammo has gotten so scarce lately that I am down to just barely enough to load 2 magazines for carry in my XD.
Click to expand...
I like Ranger Talon in my 45. TDS frequently has the stuff. They're out right now but if you get on their list they let you know about anything that they've got coming in.
They're not the cheapest for sure, but they can usually get what you need from them.
Here's the link:

http://www.tds-us.com/
 
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I typically shoot FMJ WWB in 230 gr .45 acp and 115 gr 9mm.

My SD ammunition is Gold Dot in 230 gr .45 and 115 gr 9mm. They're the same velocity as my target ammunition. They function reliably in my guns and, as far as I've been able to tell, have the same ballistics as my target ammunition.

Obviously, the advantage here is I can target shoot WWB all day and carry my Gold Dot SD ammo when carrying concealed without any detrimental effects in accuracy.

Which means a box of Gold Dot lasts me a good, long while.
 
I dont see a real need to keep a large amount of $1/round SD ammo hanging around, I dont live in a war zone where I gotta shoot a few boxes of it a day to make it home safe. I keep a couple full 8 rounders of hydrashoks for my 1911, a couple six round mags of hydra for my tcp, I do have ~120 rounds of 125gr XTP's loaded in front of a healthy charge of h110 stuffed in a 357 case as well as 50 or so generic bulk remington SJHP with h110. I keep 1 or 2k of lesser shot target ammo of each on hand and 3-4k of my range fodder. worse comes to worst, I doubt the zombie hoard would be able to tell the difference if Im hitting them with a hydrashok or a 3.5 cent 235gr cast truncated cone 45.

that being said, I dont load a mag, stuff it in the bottom and let the gun sit, I shoot a mag or cylinder of sd ammo every few months and buy an expensive new box every 6 months. once it gets colder, the tcp is going to get a diet change to 105gr cast lead and im going to try to get my hand on a hundred or two 45 xtp bullets. Id much rather rely on my own loads- and I do for the most part, just gotta switch over for 45. Ive had a much better track record with my own loads(100%) than factory. Ive seen a factory winchester 38 round with two anvils in the primer, this blocked the flash hole and mashed out the primer. I can bet you that whoever shot that had his revolver tied up for a bit of time...
 
I am fortunate to have stocked up on every flavor of hollow point my arsenal requires before the circus came to town. I prefer not to shoot it all up, so the ritual is to empty the mags of JHP into my back pocket upon arriving at the range, and refill the mags with standard ball for plinking.

Granted most self defense situations will not require 15 rounds, but I would rather believe that particular bullet will have more impact in a close quarters situation, and I would rather a single ball of lead not errantly hurt an unintended target.
 
Few hundred round of SD ammo per caliber should be plenty. The reason why we have high cost of ammo and limited supply can be blamed for gun owners themselves. The simple question is why would those making, distributing, selling ammo charge lower prices where demand outstrips the supply? If I owned FNMAG I would want crates of ammo in my garage and basement too. Why? That is because if I remember correctly cyclic rate of that weapon is about 800rpm, but otherwise why would I want to go to extra expense in terms of cost and taken up space?
 
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