Pistol Ammo

What are you guys carrying civilian-wise?

I've been carrying Winchester Ranger hollow points mostly because I got a deal on them when I purchased my pistol years ago.

Has anyone looked at the all copper or brass machined rounds yet? They look very interesting. I first got a look at this new round that promises miracles by G2Rammo. Haven't found any reputable independent reviews yet, but there are some youtube vids here: Youtube Guns

I guess there is a more established company called Lehight Defense LLC that is along the same vein with all copper ammo.

What do you guys think? They are expensive. Do you think they'd be worth it?

It can also depend on what state you reside in. I believe hollow points are illegal in NJ unless you are a Police officer.

Down in the great state of North Carolina, if I ever do carry (a 1911 openly), it would be a standard round. Nothing special. Really no preference on brand either...have only had stove pipe jams or any other types of jams with my Glock 19, which prefers Winchester.

I live in MD, so yeah, no EDC here. However, I do keep progressive loads in my PA-63. 7 round mag is loaded with: 4 JHPs follwed up with 2 FMJs and one surplus steel-core AP-FMJ

Second mag is all FMJ. I figure if the first four don't penetrate (heavy clothing/whatever) the last three will. If I have to dump more than one mag, then I'm in a gun battle and FMJs are going to do what I need them to do.

It's a holdover from my old 1911 days when I loaded two mags progressively with 2 Glaser Safety rounds followed by 2 JHP+P rounds and then 3 FMJ+P rounds. Glasers can be defeated by several layers (or winter coats in some instances) so there was a need to escalate penetrating power after the first two shots in each mag.

I carry Speer Gold Dots or Hydrashocks in my M&P 40 and Speers in my 1911. At work it's 9mm ball.

Hornady Critical Defense or Critical Duty.

We don't have much choice here, supply is limited.

The thing is pistol rounds are pathetic. None of them have enough energy. You can't cheat physics. A fragmenting round works quite well in a rifle because of the energy in the hits. The temporary wound channel gets torn up by the fragments and gets turned into a permanent wound. The pistols simply don't have the energy to use this.

The petals peel off in the first 5 inches, which isn't deep enough to do real damage. They make minute puncture wounds which won't incapacitate anyone. The whole round weighs in at 95 grains and then splits into 9 pieces? Retained bullet weight is the king to pistol "power".

Thinking outside the box is good. Not know where the box is, or what it is for is bad.

The "cuts like a buzzsaw" claim is also BS.

Get a quality HP from guys like Winchester, Hornady, Speer or a couple of other manufacturers and you're golden. If you are FORCED to use non HP-ammo, you can look into some brands like the CorBon Pow'R ball, Magsafe Q or Hornady HS2.

If you MUST have copper HVHP ammo, get Corbon DPX.

KBK

Eville wrote: ...Hydrashocks in my M&P 40

This.

I'm doing the same. I'm in the process of saving my shiny pennies for a M&P Shield, since its much easier to carry then the full frame is, but as far as ammo goes, I love the Hydrashocks.

I have Hyrdashock in both .45 for my 1911 and in 9 for my LC9.

Federal HST at work, and Winchester Ranger when I'm off the clock. I prefer a hollow point over a full metal jacket, but, as stated, shot placement is more important than ammo selection.

Kayback wrote: The "cuts like a buzzsaw" claim is also BS.

Agreed. I don't think the bullet would be spinning that fast by the time it hit the target, much less sit there spinning and cutting through and then proceeding on.

StormyKnight wrote: evillepaintball wrote: I don't carry HP for stopping power.  I carry them to limit over-penetration.   This. When my buddy had to shoot a guy in the line of duty, the Department (and may still, not sure) issued 9mm Sig Sauer 226 pistols using Federal Hydra-shok ammo. Hey Mods, if I didn't get specifically descriptive, would it be ok to give a general idea what the bullets did after they hit the above mentioned criminal?

Call it professional curiosity- but go ahead.