What Ammunition to Carry?

[deserth3]

This has been in the back of my mind for quite awhile. It comes from an incident some of our fellow Hummer owners came upon a few years back in Moab. Luckily the guy didn't pull a weapon out of his trunk.

So there you are out in the middle of nowhere with somefriends and you come upon someone on the side of the road. You stop to ask ifthey need any help. They pull out a gun. So you duck for cover and grab your 9.

What ammunition wouldyou want in your primary magazine and what would you carry in your spare mag.

In my primary I carry 147gr HP.

When offroading I usualy carry 124gr FMJ NATO in my spare. Figure if the above hasn't taken care of things I need better penitration.
I'm also considering 147gr TCMC. But am torn between the lighter weight supersonic round or the subsonic heavy round.

Opinions...

 

[3Hummers]

Only carry a 9mm every now and then. I still carry Black Talon in mine. Still have some from my ammo whole selling days. I usually carry 230 grain JHP in my .45s.

 

[deserth3]

Guess I should add. Due to old injuries firing a 45 is not the best choice for me. Some days shooting the XD9 makes look for the Tylenol bottle afterwards.

 

[alrock]

Bigunit showed me this ammo and I like it: Hornaday Critical Defense. http://www.hornady.com/store/critical_defense

Their selling point is the "flextip" insert in the hollow of the bullet tip. Not sure of the material - maybe silicone? It's supposed to help the tip spread like it's supposed too, whether you're shooting slower or faster rounds.

I really like this option for my backup .380 as it is a light round and needs all of the help it can get.

And of course it comes in zombie flavor too.

http://www.hornady.com/ammunition/zombiemax

 

[Scarsman]

Bigunit showed me this ammo and I like it: Hornaday Critical Defense. http://www.hornady.com/store/critical_defense

Their selling point is the "flextip" insert in the hollow of the bullet tip. Not sure of the material - maybe silicone? It's supposed to help the tip spread like it's supposed too, whether you're shooting slower or faster rounds.

I really like this option for my backup .380 as it is a light round and needs all of the help it can get.

And of course it comes in zombie flavor too.

http://www.hornady.com/ammunition/zombiemax

That is some really good ammo. However, I prefer FMJ in something like a .380. It is such a weak round that you want all the penetration you can get out of it.

 

[twinmill28]

If you were carrying a Desert Eagle .50 cal, would it matter what ammunition you're using? :whaa:

 

[DJinCO]

Off-road, I carry a 44mag with 300gr CORBON Hunter FPPN. My concern is the 1) Mountain Lion and 2) the errant biped. My backup is my wife w/357mag.
The other "nice to have" in the HUMMER is a 45 Colt lever action model 94. That works nicely for the errant biped.

In town, well, let's just say that it isn't a 9mm.

No offense to the folk who carry a 9. A "9 is fine." I have a lot of favorites. So hard to pick just one. So I don't!

 

[deserth3]

No offense to the folk who carry a 9. A "9 is fine." I have a lot of favorites. So hard to pick just one. So I don't!

No offense taken. I recently tried the XDs 45. With the old injuries that didn't work out too well. Since I had 45 ammo left over I tried the XD 45. I did alot better but knew on a bad day it would be painful.
One thing I did notice. I could put 3 well placed rounds of 9mm down range for every 2 shots of 45. So there I think it's a wash.

I always tell people who ask me. Carry the largest caliber you can comfortably and reliably shoot. If it's only 22 LR. Then practice alot. Because if leads being thrown at you what would you rather it be? 20 rounds of well placed 22LR or one round of pourly placed 45.

 

[deserth3]

If you were carrying a Desert Eagle .50 cal, would it matter what ammunition you're using? :whaa:

I hear those at the range every now and then. Very rarley do I hear more than one round in less than 5 minutes time going down range. Those people are kind of funny to watch. Walk up with the cannon. Fire. Walk back to the reaload table, pick up their 22 and plink away. After a few minutes rest. Boom.
I'll stick with the my XD9sc.

 

[deserth3]

I really like this option for my backup .380 as it is a light round and needs all of the help it can get.

And of course it comes in zombie flavor too.

http://www.hornady.com/ammunition/zombiemax

Thanks I'll have to check those out. I recently picked up a S&W .380 bodyguard. Not sure I'm going to keep it. Every pull of the trigger is double action. Which makes it hard to keep on target. Also makes the built in laser pretty much worthless. IMO. The only thing nice I can say about it is it does hide well in a pocket.
Next time you pass through here, let me know and we can do lunch and the range.

 

[alrock]

John, try the Sig P238. Single action only, nicely built though pricey for such a small gun.

 

[3Hummers]

I have been looking at the 238 and 938( I think that is the number ) Sig pistols. Similiar is the Colt Mustang. I think any of the Plus P ammo will do the deal for you. Maybe even alternate the FMJ and HP rounds in your stack

 

[ReconH3]

For any defense use, always use hollow points. FMJ is strictly for matches and military where they have to comply with Geneva convention. To "stop" someone with FMJ it requires many more shots. In a legal perspective that's never good. It makes you look like you were out of control. Especially if there are innocent bystanders that could get caught in the crossfire. In a tactical standpoint it's also worse because it gives the guy a second chance to cause you harm, and you to waste ammo you may need if his buddies show up. This becomes worse if he's under the influence of drugs. The situation is even worse with 9mm or smaller calipers. Nothing beats stopping an aggressor on the first or second shot. Especially in front of a judge in a court of law.

 

[tomp]

For any defense use, always use hollow points. FMJ is strictly for matches and military where they have to comply with Geneva convention. To "stop" someone with FMJ it requires many more shots. In a legal perspective that's never good. It makes you look like you were out of control. Especially if there are innocent bystanders that could get caught in the crossfire. In a tactical standpoint it's also worse because it gives the guy a second chance to cause you harm, and you to waste ammo you may need if his buddies show up. This becomes worse if he's under the influence of drugs. The situation is even worse with 9mm or smaller calipers. Nothing beats stopping an aggressor on the first or second shot. Especially in front of a judge in a court of law.

^x2

 

[3Hummers]

Agree with the above in most cases. If you are looking for penetration because the guy is using something for cover ( door, wall, etc ) you may need more penetration than a HP will deliver. That said, all of my self defense / carry pistols are loaded with HP.

 

[kflips]

I just tow a 155mm behind the T -- if I get the quadrant and elevation figured out it's a breeze.

 

[machineguneddie]

180 grain JHP WWB in my .40 and 124 grain FMJ in my MD-65 riding in the back

 

[supersapper-rpm]

I still carry Ranger SXT 9mm 147 GR.

 

[deserth3]

The P238 and 938 look real nice. I've read Springfield Armory is supposed to come out with the XDs in 9mm. I'll wait until that comes out until I make a decision. I have to admit I am somewhat particial to the 2 XD's I already own.

 

[3Hummers]

In one of my more recent American Rifleman magazines they did a comparison of different brands of ammo. They tested 24 different iterations of 9mm ammo. The best three, based on penetration and expansion factor were:
Double Tap 124 gr bonded JHP 15" penetration and an EF of 1.97
Speer 124 gr +P Gold Dot HP 13.5" penetration and an EF of 2.00
Remington Golden Saber +P 15" penetration and an EF of 1.80

 

[H32NV]

I carry the Speer Gold-Dot GDHP(JHP), .45ACP, 230 grain. A good friend of mine is a Federal Air-Marshal, and Gold-Dot is what he carries. I love my S&W M&P .45, I got the 5-inch barrel, two mags, did a 3lb trigger mod, and Trijicon night sights. Feels really good in the hands, carries 10 in the stack. Stays fairly well balanced with a full clip and also with two shots left.

 

[deserth3]

Thought this was interesting... But for some reason he didn't touch on kflips 155mm.:huh:
http://www.wnd.com/wnd_video/for-self-defense-22-beats-45/#ooid=oyeDRqNDrFKPGmOLhjdibttWn2uk21w4

And this is the study...
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7866

 

[RuggedH2]

John,

In 9mm, it's hard to beat Corbon DPX. Solid copper Barnes bullet... Consistent expansion, the +P numbers are impressive.

If recoil is the issue, the personal defense line by Corbon is dependable.

The DPX is expensive... and worth every cent if you ever need it. Obviously, you won't want to practice with it.

 

[3Hummers]

According to the chart in the article the Corbon DPX had penetration of 16" and an EF of 1.41. That was in the 115gr projectile.

 

[RuggedH2]

According to the chart in the article the Corbon DPX had penetration of 16" and an EF of 1.41. That was in the 115gr projectile.

Which article David?

I've done the ballistics gelatin testing myself. We brought our own ammunition to testing done by a leading ammunition manufacturer. They demonstrated their ammunition against their primary competition. After all the demonstration testing was completed, we were allowed to shoot any ammo we wanted. I brought the CorBon.

It excelled. The market rep smiled at me and said, yeah but look how expensive it is. :emb:

I said, yep, it is.