Hornady Critical Defense!!! Link Removed Do some research and see what you find is best thats just what i like.
What do you guys think is the best load for personal defense? I know there are tons of options if you can tell me caliber and brand I would greatly appreciate it.
Ny carry ammo is Winchester Bonded PDX-1, 180 gr .40 cal. If it's good enough to be the duty ammo for the FBI, it's good enough for me.
You can keep with trusting the 'brand name' with your life all you want.
Me, I'm going to actually TEST defense loads in my particular guns and use the one that shoots with the best accuracy with no failures to feed or eject.
As for research, it depends on what you are looking for. I'm willing to bet that Federal's Hydra-Shok and Winchester's Silvertip lines of ammunition have been involved in far more actual shootings than Hornady's new attempt to get into the self defense market. If you do your research on what is proven and has been tested in the field, either one of those will prove superior to the Hornady.
Very true! I will say the last one took a FMJ .380 to the chest. Entered the front of the lung, nicked the heart, out the back of the lung, and stopped when it shattered a rib. The victim took two to three steps before collapsing.
On a side note, in the early 1900s, the US Military facing a drugged up foe (sound like something you might face?), detemined a .45 was required to stop them.
I'd have to say that the 110 gr +P Cor-Bon would be an excellent choice when using .38 spl. This string generated a nicely diversified set of opinions on the subject of self defense loads.
I wanted to readdress something I said earlier, which was that lighter and faster has had better results. I should have gone on further to explain why that is. For one, it takes less energy to push a lighter bullet to greater speeds. Second and more importantly, hollow point cavities require pressure to begin and complete the expansion process. The speed of the projectile has a positive and direct coloration with the pressure exerted within the cavity. To demonstrate this effect I often ask the audience to picture a parachute. If the wind speed into the parachute is low, the parachute will inflate slowly. If the wind speed is fast, the parachute will inflate quickly and violently. While lead is not nylon, the effect is the same. Higher speed translates into higher pressure within the cavity thus causing a hollow point bullet to expand rapidly and completely early in the process of penetrating the target. Now, just as it requires energy to give motion to a projectile, energy is required to bring the same projectile to a stop. A fast moving and lighter projectile has a distinct advantage here when compared to a slower moving and heavier projectile. The lighter projectile can be stopped in a lesser distance than a heavy projectile when both are subjected to the same material or tissue. Where the heavy and slow projectile may often travel further within the tissue than the lighter projectile that was at one time moving faster. This is where energy transference comes into effect, with the ultimate goal being that the projectile comes to a stop within the tissue rather than totally penetrating the target. This is referred to as maximum energy transfer. Additionally, the faster a projectile is moving, the greater the diameter of the temporary cavity created. For this I often ask audience members to picture moving a finger through a pool of still water. Move the finger slowly and you will generate a small wake. Move the finger rapidly and you will generate a violent wake. Wakes are pressure waves. The more violent the pressure wave, the greater the destruction to tissue within the target. A bullet traveling through tissue creates a pressure wave. Tests using ballistic gelatin provide an excellent visuals of those pressure waves. Unfortunately, ballistic gelatin tests usually fail to provide the viewer with a distinction between the permanent and temporary cavities. The permanent cavity is the path of total and complete destruction. The permanent cavity the size of the projectile. The temporary cavity is the path of less than complete destruction caused by the pressure wave.
Now, having said all this I cannot stress enough how proper training and weapon proficiency can effect your survival in a gun fight. You can carry the finest weapons and ammunition available, yet if you are incapable, or unwilling to put them to proper use, they are worthless. It is also worth mentioning as another poster already has stated, that any ammunition you use must be of superior quality, and must function properly at all times with the chosen weapon.
I apologize if some might consider this post lengthy. I just wanted to provide you with a clear understanding of the physics involved. I hope the information is helpful. For those that are curious as to what my credentials might be, I was once a weapons technician and close combat instructor in the U.S.M.C., and then later police officer, and range officer for a law enforcement agency near Atlanta Georgia.
I like the 9mm federal hydra-shock. The reason is... I can fire multiple shots accurately out of Smith and Wesson 9mm compact in the time it takes me to fire one to two out of a 40 or a 45. I feel comfortable in that the hydra-shock probably will not hurt more than one person.
I really am starting to like 12ga with 00 buckshot; just wish I could carry it concealed without getting whistles from all the ladies.
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