Another carry ammo question

[sully]

Ok, a few of the INGO Veterans have put me in the right direction of posting a few questions here instead of in my welcome. Here it goes.

1.) What's the ammunition you trust your family's life with? Why? (such as does your local LE use it or ballistics, expansion, reduced muzzle jump/flash)

2.) How often do you fire off your carry ammo, or just replace it? Why or what facts do you have for your reason?

Here's the rest of my post as to why I'm wondering; yes I did copy and paste, .
It's a crazy winter now, it was 50 degrees this morning and probably be below freezing tonight. . I keep a magazine in my car door and that weather fluctuation has me a bit worried about how long I should keep that ammo as a reliable option for my family. I also run in and out from a warm house to wet and cold outside(if only the dog could use the toilet!!) I would sincerely appreciate your opinions. I don't mean to sound demanding or rude, I just am not afraid to ask questions. I feel if you have a professional opinion or answer to these questions then they could help alot of people.

I would like to find people around here to shoot with. I haven't posted enough comments to comment on people's profiles or send a private message so feel free to contact me.

Be Safe and God Bless,

Doug

 

[turnerdye1]

Honestly your gonna get tons of differant answers but the only good answer is try try out a few brands and see what your gun likes. Not all the ammo is the same and not all guns like certain types of ammo. Stay with the unfortunatly high priced good HP ammo and youll be fine. Buy 2 boxes. Shoot one box and if the gun likes it load the other box up. Then stock up on that ammo. I would go with Hornady Critical Defense, Speer Gold Dot, Federal HST, or Remington Golden Sabre.

I keep my mags loaded for 6 months and then shoot it and load it up again. And as far as the weather goes i dont really think it matters. Mine go from indoors to outdoors all day and night and i dont really worry about it. I leave ammo in my car also in the freezing winter and hot summers and it always goes bang with i shoot it.

When you find the ammo your gun likes stick with it and stock up. But remember...this ammo is going to be something you trust your life too so dont buy the cheap stuff. You cant go wrong with the 4 i mentioned above

 

[sully]

Thank you for your input turnerdye1 (hope I got it right). I carry the Hornady Critical Defense in my daily carry. I've only shot a couple of them considering they're a buck a piece, but my family's life is worth more than the few dollars in ammo it could take to defend it.

I was hoping for lots of replies, specifically for the why reasons of what they carry and any technical data I could get from this. I love the Critical Defense ammo, it's also not very loud when shot. I do practice with the same bullet weight when I can (165gr) but I'm hoping to find the Critical Defense in 180gr. My point of aim and point of impact is almost dead on with the 180gr as to 165gr but I like the ballistics of the 165 better. (.40 caliber, guess I could have threw that in there)

Anyone else have any opinions or facts or personal preferances? I really would like to hear them.

Be Safe and God Bless

 

[MrsGungho]

hornady critical defense

 

[Phase2]

Turnerdye1 gave some very solid advice. Most people won't be able to quote ballistics details, though you can certainly check the vendors sites. The four brands he noted all have good reputations and have been widely tested and documented in various penetration/expansion tests. I use Federal HST, but wouldn't object to any of the others after testing in my firearms.

You will find huge debates on the best gun, ammo, caliber, holster,etc. here and around the web. There often isn't a single answer. Find a good answer that works for you.

I would recommend testing a full box (20-25) of your Hornady ammo to verify that it feeds, fires, ejects, and is accurate with your mags and firearm. The cost is unpleasant, but very worthwhile to make sure you can rely on it.

 

[geronimojoe85]

Yeah, you really can't go wrong with any of the brand name stuff.
As long as it cycles in your gun

I've used federal hydra-shock, Winchester PDX, and Speer Gold Dot with no problems function wise, how they work when they hit something soft and fleashy is something I have yet to experience (hope I never find out). But I do know that all the above are used by LEO.
Good 'nuff for them, good 'nuff for me.

I usually rotate the ammo in summer and winter, sometimes more. That being said I keep loaded guns loaded and don't mess around with it much. There is a concern of bullet set back if you load and unload a lot. See video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6PAmKLUcbc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[XtremeVel]

Speer's Gold Dot's and Federals HST's have always functioned well for me.

I will watch " Ammunition to go " and when they offer either in the LE packaged 50 round boxes I buy it. It is usually just a few bucks more for a box of 50, rather than a measly box of 20. It will allow you to practice more and freshen up your carry mags more often.

They don't have any Gold Dots or HST's right now, but here is the link. Maybe they will have something else you'd prefer. Check weekly, when they do get it, it doesn't always last long !

Click here: HOLLOW POINT Ammo : Ammunition To Go

 

[pocketpistolpete]

I carry speer gold dot....it runs thru my system well and has good ballistics. +1 up top, whatever fits best for you is going to give you the most comfort if a life v death situation would ever arise

 

[U.S. Patriot]

I take the round that has been chambered and it goes to the bottom of the mag. Once I all my rounds have been chambered once, or a certain amount of time has passed, I shoot what ammo was in the mag and replace it. Bullet set back can be dangerous.

 

[NIFT]

1.) What's the ammunition you trust your family's life with? Why? (such as does your local LE use it or ballistics, expansion, reduced muzzle jump/flash)

2.) How often do you fire off your carry ammo, or just replace it? Why or what facts do you have for your reason?

Doug

1) The following pass FBI terminal ballistic protocols used by the Letterman Army Institute of Research (LAIR), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), reputable ammunition manufacturers (Winchester and Fedreral for examples), and, of course, the FBI.

Source: Dr. Gary K. Roberts, LAIR, Thoughts on Service Pistols, along with Duty and Self-Defense Ammo Recommendations - M4Carbine.net Forums

The following loads all demonstrate outstanding terminal performance and can be considered acceptable for duty/self-defense use:

9 mm:
Barnes XPB 115 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Federal Tactical 124 gr JHP (LE9T1)
Federal HST 124 gr +P JHP (P9HST3)
Remington Golden Saber 124 gr +P JHP bonded (GSB9MMD)
Speer Gold Dot 124 gr +P JHP
Winchester Partition Gold 124 gr JHP (RA91P)
Winchester Ranger-T 124 gr +P JHP (RA9124TP)
Winchester Ranger-T 127 gr +P+ JHP (RA9TA)
Federal Tactical 135 gr +P JHP (LE9T5)
Federal HST 147 gr JHP (P9HST2)
Remington Golden Saber 147 gr JHP (GS9MMC)
Speer Gold Dot 147 gr JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 147 gr JHP (RA9T)
Winchester 147 gr bonded JHP (RA9B/Q4364)

.40 S&W:
Barnes XPB 155 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Speer Gold Dot 155 gr JHP
Federal Tactical 165 gr JHP (LE40T3)
Winchester Ranger-T 165 gr JHP (RA40TA)
Winchester Partition Gold 165 gr JHP (RA401P)
Federal HST 180 gr JHP (P40HST1)
Federal Tactical 180 gr JHP (LE40T1)
Remington Golden Saber 180 gr JHP (GS40SWB)
Speer Gold Dot 180 gr JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 180 gr JHP (RA40T)
Winchester 180 gr bonded JHP (RA40B/Q4355/S40SWPDB1)

.45 ACP:
Barnes XPB 185 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Federal HST 230 gr JHP (P45HST2)
Federal HST 230 gr +P JHP (P45HST1)
Federal Tactical 230 gr JHP (LE45T1)
Speer Gold Dot 230 gr JHP
Speer Gold Dot 230 gr +P JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 230 gr JHP (RA45T)
Winchester Ranger-T 230 gr +P JHP (RA45TP)


2) I function test all my guns and all magazines with both practice ammunition and carry ammunition (factory only). I rarely replace carry ammunition unless there is evidence of bullet setback or damage to the extractor groove and-or edge. Ammunition, in general, has very long shelf life.