Defensive Ammunition: What Do You Load and Why?

[CyberJCM]

Lets have this thread serve as a reference thread for those looking to purchase and load defensive ammunition for personal or home defense.

There are many choices across many calibers, and it can be confusing as well as expensive to choose one type. There are many opinions and personal preferences as well as ballistic facts and hyperbole which can make this even more difficult. In the hopes of giving our members some narrowed down choices, please share which defensive ammo you trust yours and those you loves lives to should an unfortunate situation ever occur.

A few points in posting:

• In sharing your chosen defensive ammunition, please share brand, type, any stats/facts/ballistics about it which led you to choose it.

• Lets not get hung up in debate over most/least effective caliber, as a case for almost any can be made, and we can all agree that "a .22 in hand is better than a .45 in the safe". But please share your chosen caliber, and why, as reference to others perhaps new to a defensive firearm.

• Self defense and firearm laws are different eveywhere and may not apply in everyones situation. Lets keep this thread as much of a reference to defensive ammunition as possible while refraining from sharing defensive situational advice.

I would like to keep an updated list going of popular choices with whatever facts can be shown about them to give a quick reference method. If anyone else thinks this is a good idea, or a bad one, let me know, and if possible work with me to keep it updated.
Thank you all for sharing and I hope this thread can be of valuable use to others!

 

[CyberJCM]

I'll start with what I currently have. Part of my plan for this thread was to get a better idea of any better options I may want to buy.

I have Remington UMC 180gr. JHP's in .40S&W.
One test I saw rated them at:
Velocity: 964fps
Expansion: 0.642"
Penetration: 14.25"
Impact Energy: 371ft/lbs.

I can say from shooting them, that they shot well and accurate. No difference in feel than shooting FMJ Rem UMC. My cost was $33 for a 50ct. box. When I asked the guy at the gun store if they were any good, he said, "Yea, I mean, they're Remington. They makes a good round". From what I've read, these are usually considered the economy choice.

My personal thought is that penetration spec worries me some as I am very concerned about over penetration and collateral damage. I have 4 kids and, I have a neighbors home about 10 ft. away across the fence.

 

[Wishoot]

I carry either a LCR .38spl or an LC9.

The LC9 is loaded with either 124 gr HST or Gold Dots. Normally I prefer +p in 9mm, but in this little gun I find standard pressure to be a bit more manageable and follow up shots are more accurate. I choose these brands because my friends in law enforcement use them and swear by them.

The LCR is loaded with 135 gr +p Gold Dot's. Again, a proven round that's used by a few if my law enforcement friends. It's pretty stout out of such a light weight revolver, but the stock grips really tame recoil quite well.

Once in a blue moon I'll carry a CZ82, but I load that with Silver Bear or Brown Bear FMJ.

 

[Acmemfg]

Hornady has in my opinion the lock on the best defensive rounds available. I'll let them load mine.

Zombie Max
TAP-FPD
Critical Duty

...any of these will acquit itself well in a bad situation

 

[Devilpup]

I have a 9mm Walther PPS.

My primary
Speer Golddot 9mm+p Short Barrel
-124 gr
- 1150 ft per sec at the muzzle
-364 foot pound of energy at the muzzle
-I chose these because they've had 100% reliability, and they're formulated for use in a short barrel (faster burning powder for less flash and noise while retaining high speeds out of a short barrel).

Backup
Hornady critical Defense 9mm
-115 gr
-1140 feet per sec
-332 foot pounds of energy
-I picked them because of the reliable expansion through barriers and 100% reliability.

backup backup
buffalo bore 9mm+p JHP
-124 grain
-1225 ft per second
-413 foot pounds of energy
-I picked there up as a backup as I cannot find GD or HCD locally anymore. They've have good expansion and I've only had one misfire out of around 200rds (I was torture testing and after a month running dry and 600 rounds I had one FTF when the slide didnt return to battery, a small tap and everything went back to normal).

 

[malocchio]

Hornady critical defense....

 

[shavefreak]

yeah Hornady critical for me also in 9mm in my Glock and Diamond Back 9mm. I don't want rounds going through walls or passing through a BG if I ever get in that situation that is my main reason.

 

[gooser]

Hornady critical defense here also .... 9mm in my Glocks & .380 in my Bersa
they shoot accurate , expand well , and like in a previous post , i also like the idea of not to much over penetration holding me responsible for the injury of another while defending my self .. plus i shoot a lot of 9mm 115g and my Hornadys are also 115g

 

[FlatFork]

Winchester Ranger T series (its what my federal LE agency carrys also) and because it's basically a new legal version of the black talon ammo that was taken off the market years ago. This stuff is nasty looking when it expands. I make up homemade ballistic gel and test all my carry ammo out with it just to look at wound channel, and expansion results. I've had some not so good results with the hornady critical defense that's not to say its not gonna get the job done I just didn't like the results I got. Winchester PDX1 Defender is my second choice and it's what I carry in my 38 Special. YouTube is full of ballistic results on just about every type of ammo on the market. Whatever you carry is gonna be better than nothing if you really need it one day.

 

[prophetic_joe]

I carry Winchester 9mm Ranger T at 147 grains
Rated at 990 FPS
Through 4 layers of Denim it is tested to retain 98% of it's weight and penetrate to 14.5 inches with .66inch expansion.
It also just looks mean.

 

[stobes21]

Cor-Bon DPX 115 gr. +p in my 9mm. The most consistent performer through every barrier test. Honestly though I'd feel very comfortable with any modern JHP. Right now my .45 acp is loaded with ball, but only because I haven't been able to find enough .45 JHPs to function test it and feel comfortable it will load them. I'm sure it will, but I'll take certain loading of ball (especially in .45) over uncertain function any day.

 

[Kabong30]

I run Hornady Z-Max in my .45, Hydrashocks in my .40 and Remington HD 12 gauge in my 870.

 

[Wid]

Hydra Shok 147 grain 9mm in my xdsc and cz 75b.

 

[CyberJCM]

Ok guys, here is the list I've put together of all the suggestions thus far in alphabetical order. It gives a quick snapshot of the ammo and links to the info or recommendation from the member/s who suggested it. Not all of the info is complete, so if you see a ? you can fix, please do and repost the table. I'll try and keep it updated as new suggestions come in, but if they get duplicated alot, no need to add.
Hope you guys dig this!

Defensive Ammo Member Recommendations:

BRAND	CALIBER	GRAIN	WEAPON	MEMBER POST:
Buffalo Bore	9mm+p	124	Walther PPS	See Here
Cor-Bon DPX	9mm+p	115	?	See Here
Federal HST	9mm	124	Ruger LC9	See Here
Federal HydraShok	9mm/.40	147/?	XDSC / CZ75b	See Here
Hornady Critical Defense	9mm/.380	115	PPS/Glock/D-Back/Bersa	See Here, Here, Here
Hornady Zombie Max	.45	?	?	See Here
Remington HD	12ga.	?	Remington 870	See Here
Remington UMC	.40S&W	180	Glock 23	See Here
Speer Gold Dot	9mm/.38spl+p	124/135	PPS/LC9/LCR	See Here, Here
Winchester Ranger-T	9mm	147	?	See Here
Win. PDX1 Defender	.38spl	?	?	See Here

 

[OkieStubble]

Winchester Ranger SXT LE



EDIT: .40 S&W 180 GR, 1200 fps, 640 ft lbs at the muzzle. Glock 23

 

[Wishoot]

Ok guys, here is the list I've put together of all the suggestions thus far in alphabetical order. It gives a quick snapshot of the ammo and links to the info or recommendation from the member/s who suggested it. Not all of the info is complete, so if you see a ? you can fix, please do and repost the table. I'll try and keep it updated as new suggestions come in, but if they get duplicated alot, no need to add.
Hope you guys dig this!

Defensive Ammo Member Recommendations:

Digging it. Thanks!

 

[prophetic_joe]

Defensive Ammo Member Recommendations:

BRAND	CALIBER	GRAIN	WEAPON	MEMBER POST:
Buffalo Bore	9mm+p	124	Walther PPS	See Here
Cor-Bon DPX	9mm+p	115	?	See Here
Federal HST	9mm	124	Ruger LC9	See Here
Federal HydraShok	9mm/.40	147/?	XDSC / CZ75b	See Here
Hornady Critical Defense	9mm/.380	115	PPS/Glock/D-Back/Bersa	See Here, Here, Here
Hornady Zombie Max	.45	?	?	See Here
Remington HD	12ga.	?	Remington 870	See Here
Remington UMC	.40S&W	180	Glock 23	See Here
Speer Gold Dot	9mm/.38spl+p	124/135	PPS/LC9/LCR	See Here, Here
Winchester Ranger-T	9mm	147	Springfield XDm	See Here
Win. PDX1 Defender	.38spl	?	?	See Here

 

[CyberJCM]

Thanks Joe for the update!

I've been watching tons of test vids and weighing out my options thanks to you guys suggestions. I couldn't help but be wowed by the sheer nastiness and destruction caused by the Winchester Ranger-T! I thought, damn, thats the one I want! But in looking for it, it is available here and there but we're looking at $200+ per box of 100. Theres the whole how much is your life worth argument, but thats moot when I can get great results at a reasonable price.

So, I think I'm going to grab a box of the Hornady Critical Defense or Zombie Max (same thing minus nickel plated brass, a green instead of red insert, and its kinda cool) stock permitting. In all the vids I've watched of the .40S&W testing I've come to two conclusions that work for me. 1. I want 165gr. for the somewhat reduced penetration over 180, but also for the increased stability over anything less. 2. I do not want anything in a bonded bullet. Penetration is increased significantly with these. As you can tell, over penetration is a big concern for me because as I've said before, I have a family and in some places very close neighbors. The .40 seems to hit pretty fast and pretty hard, a little slower than the 9mm but alot faster than the .45 with slightly less punch than the .45 but more than 9mm. Neat all rounder SD round IMO!

That said, I still feel like I want a 9mm at some point. Its an easier shooter and it'll get the job done. Somewhere along the way in life, I was told that 9mm was dangerous as an SD round because it over penetrates. I'm glad to see that was mistaken!

Some of you have stated already, but whats your rational for the caliber/SD ammo you've chosen?

 

[Devilpup]

Thanks Joe for the update!

I've been watching tons of test vids and weighing out my options thanks to you guys suggestions. I couldn't help but be wowed by the sheer nastiness and destruction caused by the Winchester Ranger-T! I thought, damn, thats the one I want! But in looking for it, it is available here and there but we're looking at $200+ per box of 100. Theres the whole how much is your life worth argument, but thats moot when I can get great results at a reasonable price.

So, I think I'm going to grab a box of the Hornady Critical Defense or Zombie Max (same thing minus nickel plated brass, a green instead of red insert, and its kinda cool) stock permitting. In all the vids I've watched of the .40S&W testing I've come to two conclusions that work for me. 1. I want 165gr. for the somewhat reduced penetration over 180, but also for the increased stability over anything less. 2. I do not want anything in a bonded bullet. Penetration is increased significantly with these. As you can tell, over penetration is a big concern for me because as I've said before, I have a family and in some places very close neighbors. The .40 seems to hit pretty fast and pretty hard, a little slower than the 9mm but alot faster than the .45 with slightly less punch than the .45 but more than 9mm. Neat all rounder SD round IMO!

That said, I still feel like I want a 9mm at some point. Its an easier shooter and it'll get the job done. Somewhere along the way in life, I was told that 9mm was dangerous as an SD round because it over penetrates. I'm glad to see that was mistaken!

Some of you have stated already, but whats your rational for the caliber/SD ammo you've chosen?

I chose the 9mm because of the weapon I wanted. I'm pretty small, 6' tall but only 135lbs, and needed something thin to carry without sacrificing much power. The PPS is available in .40 but I've heard a few reports that because of the size and weight fallow up shots can be slow. So I opted for a little less power in for more control. My next purchases will be a .40 S&W Sig 229. I prefer the .40 for SD for the knockdown power and find it to be a good compromise between speed and bullet weight.

 

[OkieStubble]

Some of you have stated already, but whats your rational for the caliber/SD ammo you've chosen?

As you said, the .40 is the best. It has the speed of the 9mm and the punch of the .45. However, it has been my experience to use what you have at the time of the fight. Many CCW carriers have the option of owning several guns and calibers. And depending on the situation, weather, and individual application of carry needed, all will work just fine for self defense carry. Is self defense ever anything over a few yards? Think about it.

So with that being said, at arms length, a magazine full of modern designed .380 hollowpoint can be quite effective. While a 9mm, .40 or .45 all are effective at hallway distances. In both practical applications, It really will be all about shot placement.

Beware of the man with just one gun, no matter the caliber. He probably knows how to use it.