Underwood Ammo

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  • BehindBlueI's

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    29   0   0
    Oct 3, 2012
    25,890
    113
    No major QC issues, but lots of offerings that are marketing over substance. Driving expanding bullets too fast, which makes impressive ME numbers and clear gel photos but actually reduces effectiveness. Lots of snake oil offerings relying on BS about fluid dynamics and the shape of the bullet. My opinion is they charge a premium and justify it with junk science to prey on those impressed by their marketing.

    What they *do* make pretty well is deep penetration cartridges with their "Xtreme Penetrator", although the notion that the permanent wound cavity is larger due to the shape of the bullet is, again, complete BS. If I wanted several feet of penetration from a non-expanding ammo, particularly in a gun that wouldn't feed hardcast wadcutters, I'd consider Underwood. For hollowpoints, I'd avoid them. I'd avoid any fragmenting handgun rounds, period, other than training ammo.
     

    Sagamore - One

    Marksman
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Aug 31, 2012
    155
    18
    Near Bippus
    I have actual hands on over the chronograph experience with Underwood ammo in 9mm , 40 S&W, 357 Mag, and 357 Sig. Ammo is well assembled. Quality control is excellent. Actual velocity meets and sometimes exceeds advertised velocity. Overall excellent stuff!. I clocked the 40 S&W 135 gr load at 1350 fps average through a 3 inch auto. The original 357 Sig load clocked 1550 fps out of a Glock 32. The current 357 Sig load is regulated at 1475 fps to alleviate over pressure issues in the Sig Sauer line . Still 100 to 150 fps faster than Gold Dots depending on which variety of Gold Dots.
    Only thing I do NOT like is their ammo is NOT sealed at either end to prevent moisture or oil contamination. I simply seal it myself .
    Good product . Good customer service
     

    AmmoManAaron

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    37   0   0
    Feb 20, 2015
    3,334
    83
    I-get-around
    No major QC issues, but lots of offerings that are marketing over substance. Driving expanding bullets too fast, which makes impressive ME numbers and clear gel photos but actually reduces effectiveness. Lots of snake oil offerings relying on BS about fluid dynamics and the shape of the bullet. My opinion is they charge a premium and justify it with junk science to prey on those impressed by their marketing.

    What they *do* make pretty well is deep penetration cartridges with their "Xtreme Penetrator", although the notion that the permanent wound cavity is larger due to the shape of the bullet is, again, complete BS. If I wanted several feet of penetration from a non-expanding ammo, particularly in a gun that wouldn't feed hardcast wadcutters, I'd consider Underwood. For hollowpoints, I'd avoid them. I'd avoid any fragmenting handgun rounds, period, other than training ammo.

    ^^^What BBI said^^^

    The super fast stuff is good on varmints if you don't reload and you want to make a mess of them, but pretty expensive just for killing things of that nature.

    As you might have gathered from some of the other responses, their hot 10mm loads are pretty much what put them on the map. Many people choose their heavy bullet FMJ or hard cast lead options for 10mm carry in bear country - not a bad choice for the lower 48 considering the power and capacity balance. Personally, if going to Alaska, I'm carrying 44 Mag at a minimum and 454 Casull most likely, capacity taking a back seat in that instance. There is a big difference between Black Bear and Grizzly Bear.
     

    Mustang1911

    Marksman
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Oct 19, 2015
    172
    18
    Westfield
    Only ammo I’ve gotten or used from Underwood is 10mm. It’s good hot full power plus 10mm ammo. Not cheap, but no decent 10mm is cheap. Whenever I finally get the chance to play with some 357 Sig I’ll get some Underwood for that too since everything else is watered down, just like 10mm. I’ve heard too many bad things about Double Tap to trust them, and Buffalo Bore seems to be even more expensive that Underwood. Haven’t really looked too much into anything else they load besides 10mm. My 10mm 1911 is currently loaded and sitting beside my home defense shotgun in my bedroom with Underwood 200 grain hollow points if that tells you anything.
     

    Brad69

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 16, 2016
    5,104
    77
    Perry county
    I was interested in the normal ammo Underwood loads the Speer bullets as well as the gimmick stuff.
    They give a 10% LEO/MIL discount which is always nice.

    Here is what I am using now feel free to give suggestions!
    Main EDC S&W M&P 2.0 compact 9mm
    Hornady critical duty +p 135 grain

    BUG/Lightweight carry S&W Shield same as above

    BBQ / Woods pistol S&W M19 4in Nickel
    Hornady critical duty 135 grain

    Because it’s a work of art
    DW Valor Commander
    .45
    Federal 230 grain bonded +p tactical

    Considering the Underwood 115 +p+ ?

    I like the way the Corbon DPX copper look in + p 185 ?

    Not much of a gear guy am I ok ?
     

    boosteds13cc

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    24   0   0
    Mar 5, 2011
    666
    12
    Lowell
    Watched quite a few reviews on youtube of the ammo and people seem real happy with it. Clean and high quality. I have yet to personally pick some up.
     

    BehindBlueI's

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    29   0   0
    Oct 3, 2012
    25,890
    113
    I was interested in the normal ammo Underwood loads the Speer bullets as well as the gimmick stuff.
    They give a 10% LEO/MIL discount which is always nice.

    Here is what I am using now feel free to give suggestions!
    Main EDC S&W M&P 2.0 compact 9mm
    Hornady critical duty +p 135 grain

    BUG/Lightweight carry S&W Shield same as above

    BBQ / Woods pistol S&W M19 4in Nickel
    Hornady critical duty 135 grain

    Because it’s a work of art
    DW Valor Commander
    .45
    Federal 230 grain bonded +p tactical

    Considering the Underwood 115 +p+ ?

    I like the way the Corbon DPX copper look in + p 185 ?

    Not much of a gear guy am I ok ?


    If you make the switch from Critical Duty 135 to over driven 115gr (and it appears Underwood overdrives it by about 300fps vs what the manufacturer designed it for) you're paying more money for reduced effectiveness. "+P+" is not an actual SAAMI term and simply means the bullet is outside recommended manufacturer Specs. S&W says the Shield will tolerate +P+ but recommends against them, you'll reduce the service life of your firearm. If you do forge ahead with this, accelerate your maintenance schedule for recoil spring assembly swaps, etc. CD works well, if it's accurate from your pistol stick with it. If not, 147gr HST is a solid performer, and does well from any barrel length.

    DPX copper bullets are good bullets, but if you drive them too fast the petals can sheer off and what you've got is a lighter wadcutter. The .45 Autos that pass all of the FBI battery are consistently 220-230gr weight in either standard pressure or +P. Copper can be a lighter recoil alternative, but you are giving up some performance on bone strikes and expansion after barriers (and remember barriers can include forearms). HST, Critical Duty, and Gold Dots are all proven options.

    Honestly, I would take ball or wadcutter ammo over an over-driven expandable round. They make messy but shallow wounds, do not do well on bone strikes, and fail to penetrate sufficiently in many instances due to early excessive expansion and/or fragmentation. If you want to blow up crows or something, fine, but if your goal is people I'd stick to ammo passing ALL of the FBI specs when possible. Failing that, sufficient penetration (12-18") first, then how it deals with bone, then expansion.
     

    BE Mike

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    18   0   0
    Jul 23, 2008
    7,536
    113
    New Albany
    Barrier blind and good penetration (not over-penetration) are the reasons I went with Underwood Xtreme Defender. Having shot deer with both 125 gr. JHP .357 Mag and Lee Jurras Super Vel 137 gr. JSP in the same caliber, I'm convinced that penetration trumps expansion. Underwood ammo is extremely (no pun intended) well assembled, consistent and is worth the money, IMHO. I haven't seen any statistical proof that it is "gimmick" ammo.
     

    Brad69

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 16, 2016
    5,104
    77
    Perry county
    Well I will stick with the Critical Duty for the 9 mm and .357 they seem to be very high quality.
    No issues feeding and it’s very accurate I like the sealed primer and crimping.

    The federal 230 grain +p bonded LE is a hot round out of a Commander and I am just about out of it.
    I am going to try some of the Underwood 230 grain+p bonded and a box of the DPX +p185


    The underwood defender IMO looks like it might be a good choice for a .32 or .380 ?


    I think INGO does not have enough good discussions on ammo choices.
    We have some invaluable resources on real world results of different ammo and calibers on the fourm.
     

    BehindBlueI's

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    29   0   0
    Oct 3, 2012
    25,890
    113
    I think INGO does not have enough good discussions on ammo choices.

    The easy answer is: Pick something of DocGKR's list, verify it feeds well and is accurate, stop worrying about it because marginal differences in terminal ballistics are largely irrelevant in who prevails in a gun fight.

    You get a lot of discussion from the "I believe in physics" crowd, who really mean they don't understand wounding. In their argument, the body is basically a bucket of water. Put more and bigger holes in it, it drains faster. Nothing is elastic, the fluid isn't under pressure and is even distributed, nothing is pushed out of the way, nothing causes the bullet to fragment, etc, so all that matters is "energy transfer". Energy is transmitted to remote locations because of "hydrostatic shock".

    All of that ignores the reality of how handgun bullets wound. No analogy is perfect, but the simplest one that retains some accuracy is imagine the body as a rubber ball containing a bunch of sponge, and in that sponge is a network of rubber hydraulic lines of various sizes and under various pressures. You can do a lot of damage to the ball and to the sponge and not get much leakage or degradation of ability. Damaging hoses (or the pump) is what causes significant leaks, it's why you can do surgery without wading in blood and why tourniquets work. The pressurized hoses are the key to significant leaks, and leaks degrade the ability to fight, and eventually cause death. Absent a CNS hit, that's how you cause physical incapacitation. (And, of course, breaking bones can degrade use of the limb, but again, simplified analogy)

    The reason Underwood and others overdrive bullets is because it makes impressive energy numbers, looks good blowing up milk jugs of water, and caters to the "I believe in physics" crowd. They can still be effective, but not as effective as they could be and at the cost of more recoil, a higher purchase price, and accelerating wear on your pistol. If I marketed you something by saying "this is more expensive, wears your gun faster, but offers somewhat reduced capabilities!" would you buy it? No. So you market it based on ME numbers, else you have no market because HSTs and Gold Dots eat your lunch.

    There's not much else to it. A .380 is the smallest caliber I've seen reliably break an adult's femur. I wouldn't go any smaller if I could avoid it, and you gain by stepping up to a more common duty caliber. For people stopping, the common duty calibers work. If you want to get into boutique cartridges, at least verify the bullet is being driven in the speed envelope the bullet manufacturer intended it to.
     
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