What Do You Carry For Defense Ammo?

Federal HST in the CZ75, and LSWC's in the revolvers.

 

115 gr. 9mm Gold Dot or 230 gr. .45 ACP Gold Dot.

Why?

They're the same mass and velocity as the WWB that I routinely shoot for target practice. I've run a few boxes through my Beretta and Colt to verify reliability and have also found them to shoot at the same point of aim as my target ammo.

 

Hornady Critical Defense/Duty depending on barrel length of the day.

 

Fiocchi Extrema 9mm 124gr (Hornady XTP JHP bullets) have been my go-to for years, and Golden Saber 124gr to a lesser extent. No particular reason other than reliability, availability and (usually) price. A couple of local shops used to be able to keep reasonably-priced Fiocchi ammo in stock at times when other brands were nowhere to be found, so I ended buying Fiocchi for both defensive and practice purposes. I bought a few different flavors of Golden Saber when doing a group buy with some co-workers, and find that I shoot the 124gr best. I tend to use +P in my bigger/heavier handguns, namely those with steel or allow frames. Just how things worked out.

The only time I've used FMJ for carry ammo is in a .380, since people far more knowledgeable than me routinely criticize .380's lack of penetration from a JHP. However, the only reason we have a .380 in the first place is because my wife wanted a S&W Bodyguard and inherited an old Beretta 70S. Personally, I'm a 9mm guy 100% of the time, and carry JHP only.

 

I use Remington Golden Saber in my LCP and my HD 9mm. They seem to work well.

 

i was issued ball ammo in 1972 and i have stayed with it since then. i shoot what i practice with and i practice with ball ammo, so my ccw in 32acp, 380acp and 38sp is all loaded with ball/fmj. except when i ccw a bond arms derringer, then 45lc hornady 185gr ftx on a speedstrip with two winchester pdx1 410s in the pipes, or if ccw a ruger lcr 22lr, then remington yellow jackets.

 

Federal HST 180 gr for .40 Glock 23 Gen 4
Federal HST 124 +p for 9mm Glock 19 Gen 4
Also Federal Hydrashok 180 gr Glock 23 Gen 3
Winchester Ranger Bonded Glock 22
Federal Hydrashok .380 Ruger LCP

No FMJ for carry for obvious reasons and no boutique ammo as it's not always reliable. I stick with good, proven performers. I prefer Federal all around, but Winchester and Speer Gold Dots are very good as well. Although Speer and Federal are owned by the same parent company ATK, I have found Federal to be better overall quality. I generally stay away from bonded except in my Glock 22 I keep Winchester Ranger Bonded just in case. But the better barrier penetration is not normally needed for self defense and there will be less expansion. Hydrashok is not the newest out there but it's ultra reliable, accurate and what I feel is the best performing in .380.

 

I was carrying Critical defense, but switched to Wilson ammo in my Wilson. Why? They guarantee it will function in their/my gun.

 

125 grain Buffalo Bore .357 in my Model 60. 1500 FPS. Snappy little round.

 

.......

 

+1... On the Gold Dots and Federal Fusion MSR.

One addition is a Mossy 500 with 00 buck.

Edmo

 

I carry 9mm Luger and use Federal 115-gr. "Hi-Shok" standard pressure JHP, popularly known by its stocking number, 9BP. It may be "old-fashioned," but is accurate, always functions and doesn't have any horror stories about "failures to stop." A hollow-point is always preferable, in any caliber, to FMJ, 9mm in particular. Its high velocity and relatively pointed nose give it a tendency to punch holes smaller than its diameter and exit a body unless stopped by bone, the opposite of what you want.

 

Went from 124g +p gold dot to 124g standard pressure GD, to 115g GD (once my 200rd order arrives). The former 2 due to performance and availability, the latter due to a great price (under .50 per rd) and excellent performance plus it's been a few years, time to rotate carry ammo.

 

115 gr Corbon 9mm followed by 124 gr Gold Dot after round three.

I figure that if a gunfight goes a few rounds people will be behind cover and the Gold Dot penetrates well.

 

Winchester PDX1 38+P 130 grain Bonded JHP.

 

Hornady Critical Defense 9mm
Buffalo Bore 95 gr JHP .380 +P
Federal Hydra Shok or Speer Gold Dot 100grn .327

 

S&W Sd9 : Gold dot 9mm 124gr. Glock 21sf : Gold dot 45acp 230gr. Mossberg 500 20ga : Federal personal protection ( red box) buckshot. S&W M&P Sport gen 2 : Federal Fusion msr 62gr.

 

FMJ in handguns, buckshot #4 for HD

 

TRP - 230gr Golden Sabre
Glock 19/43 - 115gr XTP handloads. But switching to 124gr Gold Dot hand loads
Glock 20 - 180gr XTP handloads

 

XTP's and Gold Dots in my handloads for all the .32acp/.32H&Rmag. Sierras & XTP's in .327.

Berry's HP's in handloads for.38 and .357. FMJ handloads in Makarovs and .380's.

 

230gr Winchester PDX1 in my XD45. 27rounds=2 mags.
240gr Hornady XTP's in my 44 Redhawk. 12rounds=Full cylinder and one speed loader.

I'll never "need" that much in terms of firepower. But that really isn't the point.

 

230 grain .45 ACP Federal HST
200 grain .45 ACP Hornady XTP
124 grain 9mm Federal HST

 

I carry Winchester White Box JHP's in my .40 and .45, because it has proven reliable and accurate in my guns, and it is cheap enough that I can practice non-stop with what I carry. I trust what I am "combat-proficient enough" with for shot placement, over the latest state-of-the-art 300% expansion, penetrates-any-cover-but-stops-in-BG bullets they try to sell. That being said, I won two boxes of Hornady Critical Defense .45's in Springfield Armory's sweepstakes last year, and loaded two of my 1911 magazines with them for winter carry, just because they are designed not to clog the hollow point with thick layered clothing. But, I wouldn't have paid the extra money for them, myself. I feel confident that WWB will meet my needs, if I ever HAVE need (and I pray that I don't).

 

You act as though putting a round with a better, more reliably expanding bullet in your gun will make it less accurate or something.

I hope you tested that new round in the gun(s) it would be carried/used in, before loading it for possible defense.

BTW, Hornady ammo (forget how each specific one does) has not performed the best in tests, is sometimes recommended against, and isn't a big player in the LE world the way something like Federal HST or Speer Gold Dot or Winchester Ranger is