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Probotmenace
New MemberPosts: 6 New Member
New to concealed carry
Probotmenace
New MemberPosts: 6 New Member
So I'm in the process of getting my CPL in Michigan.My carry pistol is going to be a .40 XDM.I've been looking in to what ammo to carry with it.One gunshop salesman recommended DRT frangible HP's.Passed on those....seemed kind of over hyped.I've also heard "If it's good enough for LE, it's good enough for the armed citizen".So many opinions,which way to go.Anybody with thoughts or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Replies
That said, I'm partial to Speer Gold Dots, or the old standard, Federal Hydra-Shok. That's what my 9mm EDC rig carries.
My bedside rig, in .357 Mag, is stuffed full of Glaser Safety Slugs.
Mike
edit: I meant to say "my bedside rig which is right beside my 12 ga."
N454casull
Do not rely on handgun ammo to work miracles. Put the rounds where they need to go and put them there until the threat goes away.
I prefer the former over the latter always, like a titanium firing pin reduces lockup time and increases accuracy in some firearms.
I prefer lighter recoil and faster recovery time and greater overall accuracy.
I normally use Hornady TAPS...
Good on you for avoiding the trick, go-fast ammo...
I use the same ammo in 9mm, things come full circle as many return to 9mm chamberings.
1. As was said, ANY major brand of self defense hollow-point ammo will do the job. Specific brands have been tested and debated endlessly but bottom line is that shot placement is more important than the specific brand of ammo.
2. And, of course it makes perfect sense, use the ammo that your pistol "digests" without any jams or misfeeds (assuming it's properly lubed and not defective, etc).
3. If you read this forum and others a while, you'll find that there's a general debate regarding the two general categories of self defense ammo, 1) heavier bullet, lower velocity vs 2) lighter bullet, higher velocity. If you "do the math" you'll see that the faster & lighter bullet usually has the most foot-pounds of force, simply because it's velocity squared times mass, so velocity is the "controlling" factor. However, in the "real world" of actual self defense, heavier/slower vs lighter/faster bullets don't really have much difference in stopping the attacker. I suppose that mathematically, the faster bullet has a teeny advantage but that hasn't been borne out in real world "shoots" to any great degree. Placement is the major controlling factor, so please feel free to choose the self defense ammo that is best suited to your pistol and your "feel" when shooting it, lighter/faster or heavier/slower, makes no nevermind.
4. That being said, a personal preference, and I'll tell you exactly why... I've switched over to CorBon "PowrBall" ammo for all my self defense pistols. Yes this is of the lighter/faster category but that's not the reason I now use PowrBall. It's because of the rounded hollow tip, created by CorBon putting a small hollow plastic sphere into the cavity created by the hollow point round.
Now you might read "experts" who say that this little hollow plastic sphere causes a "shaped charge" effect but that is so much BS. The plastic sphere is way too thin to have any real effect upon impact -- it disintegrates immediately. And I suppose that the rounded tip is slightly more aerodynamic than a regular hollow point bullet but you'd probably need a computer to measure the difference.
The SOLE reason I'm using the rounded tip CorBon "PowrBall" is that with the rounded tip, it feeds smoothly up the feed ramp of my pistols. This is especially helpful if the pistol is a compact model and maybe the feed ramp that leads into the chamber is particularly steep. And if the particular hollow point bullet is somewhat deep-cut, it might (I say might) snag or get sideways a bit during feed. And the rounded plastic nose of the PowrBall ammo is therefore a plus. And of course, the ammo itself is major brand, totally reliable, and excellent for self defense (as with many other brands).
So, IF your choice of self defense ammo feeds fine and you're happy with it, great. But you might just want to give the CorBon PowrBall type a try as well. Can't hurt, eh?
Keep us all informed and welcome to the forum, and let us know what ammo you choose.
Over the years I've tested quite a few different 40S&W loads into wet newsprint, YES, I know wet newsprint isn't tissue, HOWEVER it is a repeatable, cheap medium to compare bullet "x" to bullet "y"
I'll be back momentarily with some pics.
135 Fed HST, 180gr Gold Dot Short Barrel (from full sized Glock22)
!55 Gold Dot, Win 165 Ranger SXT
180gr Win White box, from sub compact Kahr PM40 and Full sized Glock 22
Hornady 180 XTP and180 Win SXT
Win 165 Ranget SXT and Horn 165 Critical Defense (shot through a pillow into the newsprint to simulate a heavy "fluffy" coat
FYI, the Hornady Z-Max "Zombie" ammo is nothing but green polymer in their Critical Defense bullet, and they don't bother using nickled cases for it.
Depends entirely on where you spend the bulk of your time and the likely threats you may face.
Most any of them will "work" if you put them in the right place.
Personally, I carry the HSTs in my full sized G22 and the Win Ranger T 165gr in my PM40
:that:
Just reading in in a book does not make those things true, bullets are no exception.