My understanding, which may well be incomplete, was that the FBI wanted a bonded JHP, and Winchester decided to submit a new bonded version of their latest Ranger-T design rather than Ranger Bonded, which at the time was of a different basic design. What Winchester came up with won the competition and became the new FBI load, product code Q4369, which was apparently tuned to the FBI's preferences (as the test results seem to bear out). Originally the cases were plain brass, the primers had a red sealant on them, and the ammo came in plain white boxes, apparently to reduce cost. Some additional loads were developed, and the new basic design became the civilian PDX1, which had (and has) nickel-plated cases and clear sealant. The latter features were soon applied to Q4369, making the FBI load physically identical to the 180 grain .40 S&W PDX1 load, except that it still comes in plain white boxes of 50 instead of fancy boxes of 20.
By the way, apparently there was at least one other product code, Q4355, that was associated with the FBI's current load while it was being developed; Q4369 came later. There were also constant changes being made to the design and manufacturing process as batches were sent to the FBI for testing. It looks as though they rushed the process because a number of production lots did not meet quality standards, and were apparently sold at discount prices on the consumer market--this happens with nearly every government order from every manufacturer, but there were a lot more rounds involved than normal here because of the size of this particular order.
I also might have mixed up which type of cartridge case went with which sealant (either that or more variations existed than I realized). Here are a couple of examples:
That happens to be identical to the FBI's alternative 9mm duty load for agents who prefer that caliber, by the way.
Sigh, I got this from another forum from somebody who sure sounded like he knew for sure (like I often do, unintentionally), but based on another discussion on this forum, it seems that most agents have to use .40 S&W, and that the 9mm rounds may be for other DOJ agencies, even though it was selected by, tested by, and possibly ordered through the FBI.
Yes, but they do not burn completely in the barrel resulting in huge muzzle flash.
For what it's worth, the .40 S&W loads are fairly hot (for factory ammo), too, but I don't notice much flash (a lot less than I get with target ammo), which probably means that the flash suppressants used in their low-flash powders are effective.
I was under the impression that all 147 grainers have limited expansion.
That used to be the general case, but most of the premium JHP series have addressed that issue. For some reason, it was last on Gold Dot's list to get updated (probably because most police departments had given up on 147 grain bullets), and I'm not sure whether it has been yet. Gold Dot works great in most every other load, though. HST works great with 147 grain loads, and so does PDX1 (in fact, it's the latter's 124 grain +P load that doesn't work consistently yet, which is probably why there is still a 127 grain Ranger-T +P+ load for LE).
If you really need reliable expansion without worrying about the individual load, then Federal HST is probably the best way to go because they seem to have a full set of reliable loads. I bet that Hornady's Critical Defense is just as reliable, but it's not much good regarding barrier penetration, which is why it is only marketed to consumers (I think). HST does better overall, which is why many LE agencies use it, but more traditional designs such as Gold Dot and PDX1 (as Ranger Bonded or Ranger-T) are more likely to kill you after they've penetrated a barrier, which is probably why PDX1 scored so high with the FBI (i.e. the occasional failure to expand was not as negative as the occasional failure to punch all the way through bad guys). There are always tradeoffs to be made in both design and selection.
I think they have discontinued their .40 165 grain load, maybe it just didn't work out.
I think they did at one point, but I see it on their website again with decent specs at least. I'd have to go hunting for reliable and up-to-date terminal ballistics tests in order to recommend it, though.
supreme elite PDX1- went through 100s of rounds 147 gr. Single shots, double taps, triple taps, rapid fire.. loading it in my conceal carry weapon Bersa Thunder 9 HC, 17+1. But the olny thing I hate is the boxes I have buying lately the jacket on the ammo have had dark dirt stains & won't come off. New ammo is suppose to be clean & shiney!
According to other discussions, there have been quality control issues with 9mm PDX1 of late.
That happens sometimes, too. For instance, I have a couple of boxes of Speer Lawman, which is normally one of my favorites for practice, in which the cartridges are filthy!
Not that this is an excuse, but perhaps manufacturers are sometimes skipping certain procedures in order to produce ammo more quickly. I recently shot one of the boxes of dirty ammo, and the rounds functioned just fine, though. Be sure to inspect all of your ammo before shooting it (it's a chore, but I for one prefer that drudgery to getting my hands blown off and having to feed myself with my feet
).
