Your CCW and Ammo Preference w/regards to Self Defense


First choice is Kimber CDP Ultra with Speer 45ACP+P 200gr. Second choice is a Sig 239 with Winchester 40 S&W 180 gr. PDX1.
 

At work a Glock 23 and a Glock 27. Both loaded with 135gr Corbon +P. Days off a Glock 30sf loaded with 200 gr Corbon +P. However I would prefer to have some 185gr Corbon in the Glock 30sf 45 because it’s a little faster than the 200gr.

I guess I have always been a Corbon fan. 115gr for the 9mm. 135gr for the .40. And 185gr for the 45. I like the f.p.s. it offers.
 
bursa thunder9pro ultra compact 13+1 magnatech gold 124 gr. in winter time, better penatration through heavy cloths than the D.R.T:biggrin:
 
Glock 23 Speer Gold Dot 180gr. JHP 13+1 with 1 or 2 extra magazines.
Taurus 856 6 shot. 38spl with Crimson Trace grips Hornady personal protection 158gr. JHP
 
Kimber CDP 3" with Speer 230 gr Gold Dot "Short Barrel" or the 5" CDP with Standard 230 Gr Gold Dots in "Jacket Weather". My Back up is a Smith and Wesson Model 342 Airlite Titanium with Speer Gold Dot 135gr Short Barrel loads. The Gold Dot's have pretty much been proven around the country as an excellent service performer. I like the quality and consistency I've had in my guns with them.
 
Springfield XD-40 Service with 10+1 Mag of Hornady TAP JHP 155Gr ammo, with extra mag in my pocket. I keep the lighter 155gr TAP ammo, it has great expansion with less chance of pass through. Because of where I live there is always a chance there is someone in the next room.
I would get a 45 ACP if your worried about a round over penetrating a barrier like sheet rock.The 9mm even with hollowpoint ammo did penetrate more with light 115 grain ammo.The 40 S&W 155 grain would also over penetrate.The 45 ACP in the 230 grain hollowpoint penetrated the least and found to be the best round.Your best round would be a Magsafe or Glaser frangible in that scenario.To be honest I would get the Glock 23 because it is more reliable than the Springfield XD-40.Texas DPS had many issues with the Sig 220 45 ACP 230 grain Winchester and 200 grain Winchester when the troopers were shooting through barriers car doors windshields sheet metal.However I would just use the Glock 21 45ACP for home and carry concealed a 10mm Glock 20 loaded with 135 grain Double Tap .
 
Usp 45

My choice is a HK USP 45 and any good quality JHP ammo same as is carried by local or state law enforcement. They have already done all the ballistic testing and you will be in good shape prosicution-wise if you need to stop a threat. You did not use too much bullet or gun in the eyes of the court or the Cops could not carry the same combo either!
 
My first choice as a avid follower of Jeff Coopers philosophy that big bore auto loaders are fight stoppers, I preferr a 1911a1 in .45acp using a 230 grain JHP.However I have also heard very good things about several of 185 grain high velocity loads that are out there but have no personnal exsperience with them.
 
Everyday carry is a Bersa Thunder .380 double stack. It is light, low recoil, and holds 16 rounds because it is harder to hit a target that is shooting back than it is to hit the paper ones at the range. I keep it loaded with hollow points and keep the spare magazine loaded with hard ball.
 
I've been carrying concealed for almost 20 years now and have used everything from a 5" N-frame to a .32ACP derringer and most things in between. These are what I've found are the most comforting to me on a daily basis. One of the following 3 is on my person when I leave the door, depending on the weather and what I'm wearing.

Para-Ordnance P-13 .45 loaded with 14 (13+1) Corbon 200gr+P+ JHP's (gotta love them Speer Flying Ashtrays)

Rossi 720 DAO .44Special (5 shooter) loaded with Federal 200gr LSWCHP's

Beretta 3032 Tomcat loaded with 60gr Winchester Silvertips

All semi autos are carried with at at least 1 spare mag and any wheel gun is carried with at least 2 speedloaders (and normally 3). I can't find in myself to trust 1 magazine's functioning when I need it to and 5 or 6 from a wheel gun may be enough but I'd rather have some extra left over.
 
Glock 19 9mm loaded with Winchester SXT 124 grain +P.Easy to conceal under a shirt with a inside the pants holster from DeSantis that is suede.Any +P 9mm is good for self defense.The Gold Dot has a good record on the mean streets of NYC.
 
Stay away from the 147 grain subsonics.Poor expansion if you are going to use that type round it must be a 5 inch barrel gun.Corbon made +P 147 grain that was ok to use in the Glock 9mm.The 45 ACP is also another caliber that needs the correct weight for optimal bullet performance.The 230 grain Hydra Shok is a very good stopper with the 1911 or S&W 5inch guns.Texas DPS had many failures to stop with issued Sig 220 45 ACP loaded with Winchester SXT 230 & 200 grain loads.The Sigs barrels were 4.3 inches long and realized even with the 5 inch barrel gun the round is not effective on barriers like windshields and doors.The 357 Sig is now there carry round and has a proven track record.I would get a set of nite sights because most shootings occur in the dark.
 
Stay away from the 147 grain subsonics.Poor expansion if you are going to use that type round it must be a 5 inch barrel gun.Corbon made +P 147 grain that was ok to use in the Glock 9mm.The 45 ACP is also another caliber that needs the correct weight for optimal bullet performance.The 230 grain Hydra Shok is a very good stopper with the 1911 or S&W 5inch guns.Texas DPS had many failures to stop with issued Sig 220 45 ACP loaded with Winchester SXT 230 & 200 grain loads.The Sigs barrels were 4.3 inches long and realized even with the 5 inch barrel gun the round is not effective on barriers like windshields and doors.The 357 Sig is now there carry round and has a proven track record.I would get a set of nite sights because most shootings occur in the dark.

Both the 9mm and .45ACP issues are caused by low velocity. Most hollow points need a velocity of around 1000fps to work reliably. The 147gr Subsonic 9mm round was already only going 1000-1100fps (the speed of sound is 1140fps). Cut half an inch or more off the barrel and that small operating window slams shut. The same holds true for the 230gr .45 ACP rounds. The traditional .45ACP gold standard load, 230gr Ball, only goes 850-875 fps from a 5 inch gun. A 230gr +P is gonna be running between 1000 and 1100fps from a 5" barrel. Cut 3/4 of an inch or more off it and you can get 900-1000fps or even less very easily. (The rule of thumb in reloading is 1 inch = 50-150fps of velocity, depending on the powder used.)

Once you get down to under 4 inches, the velocity really starts dropping fast. I discovered this when doing load development for the Rossi 720 in .44 Special I mentioned in my first post. Even with a 200gr bullet and a maximum powder charge, the velocity maxes out at around 700fps because it has a 3 inch barrel. Since I can't trust jacketed hollow points to work reliably at that velocity range, I just stopped using jacketed ammunition in the gun and found a factory made non-jacketed hollow point made with either pure lead or a very soft alloy to use instead.

Just going to a +P version of a load isn't going to help in every situation. There isn't a 230gr .45ACP load out there that's going to get over 1000fps out of a 3" Officer's Model. To put it bluntly, there just ain't enough barrel there for the powder to burn long enough to give that kind of velocity with that heavy a bullet. Jacking up the powder charge just dirties up the gun more and increases the flash exponentially.

If you are going to shoot a compact or a sub compact, go to a lighter bullet weight. In .45ACP, I only shoot 230gr defense loads in guns with 5 inches or more barrel. Commander length guns (4 1/4"+/-) use 200gr loads and Officer length guns (3") use 185gr loads. Most of the time, I go ahead and go with the +P load if it is available because I realize that .45's are marginal on velocity to begin with.
 

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