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Question of the Day: What Self-Defense Ammo Do You Carry?

Robert Farago - comments No comments

“Ideal bullet performance is [delivered by] a round that stops a threat by expanding to a large diameter to cause the maximum amount of tissue damage and penetrates deep enough to reach vital organs.” That’s the word from Larry Head, Federa Premium’s director and chief engineer of handgun ammunition, singing the praises of their new Hydra-Shok Deep Heat. (Click here for the full press release.) I rely on IMI’s 115 gr Di-Cut 9mm ammo to stop goblins. What’s in your EDC?

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Robert Farago

Robert Farago is the former publisher of The Truth About Guns (TTAG). He started the site to explore the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns.

0 thoughts on “Question of the Day: What Self-Defense Ammo Do You Carry?”

  1. Well damn! I better get rid of that copy of Patton I got and stop playing WOT and WOWS. I didn’t realize that those items made me a Nazi. Better toss out all those Civil War movies and books too just to be safe! Oh and all my military collectibles too!
    #ForTheChildren #DoSomething #MeToo

    THE ABOVE PORTION OF THIS POSTED IS PURELY SARCASTIC AND I WILL DO NO SUCH THING I WILL HOWEVER CONTINUE TO EXPAND MY COLLECTIONS OF HISTORICAL BOOKS AND ITEMS FROM MILITARY HISTORY.

    Reply
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    Reply
  3. Federal’s 124gr HSTs. Very consistent, very proven. 18″ of penetration, .60-.62″ expansion, 365 ft-lbs at the muzzle, etc. (according to LuckyGunner’s tests).

    I love that round to the point of being a fan boy.

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  4. I use Sig Sauer 124gr. Vcrown. IMI does NOT chamber in my lowly Taurus 709. I guess I’ll eventually shoot it out of my other 9mm at the range…

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  5. I’m partial to the Federal PDX1 for mine. I’ve got them in .357, 9mm, and .45.

    I usually carry a 9, either my VP9 or Glock 17, and both with two spare mags. One mag is more of the PDX and the second is that Fort Scott copper. My thought is if I somehow end up in a situation where 30-35 rounds of hollow points won’t do it over penetration can probably be worried about later.

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    • I carry Winchester’s Ranger Bonded series which are the same exact bullets in brass cases instead of nickel plated cases — and half the cost!

      Specifically I carry Winchester Ranger Bonded .40 S&W 180 grain hollowpoints.

      Reply
  6. 124+P Gold dots. Since Corbon can’t get their stuff straightened out, and nobody makes a bonded 115+P, I run those. Since people like to run over people with cars, I grabbed some bonded to just keep some mass through windows.

    All of those above singing praises of HST:
    I love the bullet, but federal needs to crimp or set better, because those cartridges have a massive problem with set back.

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  7. 357 Sig Underwood 65gr Xtreme defender. Bc the below stats are awesome, and I love the 357 sig.
    Muzzle Velocity: 2100 fps
    Muzzle Energy: 636 ft. lbs.
    Penetration: 17.5 inches

    Reply
    • agree 357 SIG is my favorite cartridge. Everyone likes to poopoo it because it isn’t so mass produced to the point where it is super cheap. does it all….long range flat shooting, crazy ballistics and energy dump, penetrates better than most others due to relatively small caliber and high velocity, and inherently reliable due to it’s bottleneck design. Pain in the ass to reload I have found, as I ruin more than the usual amount of brass…but for carry ammo I buy new anyway. downsides I suppose are noise, muzzleflash, and fudds who think if a cartridge was not designed using a slide rule or in the US it is not to be trusted. Seems the perfect police or military carry round to me…since vehicle penetration is a major consideration.

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  8. Jesus, what a *shithole*! 898 carjackings with 51 clearances? You have to be kidding. I wouldn’t drive through the place with *your* car.

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  9. – Federal HST, or HydraShocks
    – Hornady Critical Defense
    – Speer Gold Dots
    – Remington GoldenSabers
    – (38 spl +p only) Lead Semi Wad Cutter Hollow Point, 158 grain

    Did I miss anyone? That’s my carry 40/38/357s.

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  10. Whatever I happen to have in my gun when trouble arises. That’s not happened yet. Given a preference, I like Hornady Critical Defense in .380, 9mm (or is it .9mm?), .45 ACP, .38 SPL, or .44 SPL. I like the Ruger ARX ammo, but haven’t tried it.

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  11. Remington Golden Saber 124gr +P 9mm for my carry gun.
    Fiocchi Extrema (XTP) 124gr 9mm for my wife’s carry gun.
    Magtech First Defense 230gr .45 for the “house gun” but thinking of switching to Sig Sauer 200gr for that one.

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  12. Double Tap 158gr SJHP. 1300+fps from the 3″, 1500+fps from the 6″.

    Federal 125gr. HP in the .30-30.

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  13. I’ve seen the rotating head problem in a beretta 391. Closing the bolt slowly and quietly you have to nudge it closed or it won’t be in battery. Haven’t see this problem on my benelli or stoeger.

    It’s most likely going to be a very expensive solution for only a few models. I think I’ll just nudge the bolt forward when hunting.

    Reply
    • The Benelli won’t go into battery if you very slowly ease the bolt home. Some talk about the infamous Benelli click when this happens. As you said it can happen to any gun with a rotating bolt. I have never found it to be a problem and my chukar gun is a Benelli Cordoba. Chukar guns get banged around a lot hunting and I have never had it go out of battery due to a hit. I have even tried countless times bouncing the gun on the butt. If the jolt is enough to make the bolt go out it is enough to force to let go back in. That has been my experience anyway. Of course it is possible for it to happen. It is just very unlikely.

      Still if a person is a road hunter that wants to be quiet chambering a shell, a Benelli isn’t the gun for him. There is no way I can figure out how to chamber a round without making a racket.

      Reply
  14. Does this design run afoul of rules on silencers? If you can modify it or change the configuration from original that the stamp is based on is that legal?

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  15. The only thing I saw was the picture and said, “lol, armslist.”
    If I want to be scammed, that’s where I would go, too.

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  16. In fairness, having serial numbers and running traces could be used to help a stolen firearm get back to its rightful owner.

    Somehow, however, I don’t think that’s uppermost in their minds … nor a high priority for most law enforcement agencies.

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  17. Wanted: One prop blaster reported missing from the set of Star Wars: the Force Awakens.
    Reward offered in dollars, power converters, or Republic Credits.
    ????

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  18. KTW Teflon in .357
    GECO Blitz Action Trauma (BAT) in .45 ACP

    Actually, I tend to Hornady Critical Defense or Underwood Extreme Defender, in either .45 or 9mm., and in my new 10mm TRP when it arrives.

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  19. HST 124 for 9mm, HST 180 for 40, Gold Dot 185 for the carry .45, CriticalDefense for the bedside .45. All damned good rounds, each chosen for hitting point of aim at 5 yards. Gold Dots, for instance, shoot low out of the G23, HST are right on.

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  20. I’m a former high-crime-area Police Detective and have seen the results of birdshot and OOB on human targets (none fired by me).

    Case #1: Bad Guy wearing thin shirt was sitting in the driver seat of car with door open and feet on the sidewalk pavement facing shooter. Shooter shot him 3x with full size 20 ga pump loaded with birdshot (can’t remember what size shot but holes looked very small like # 7 1/2). First two shots knocked Bad Guy down on seat but he got right back up. 3rd shot did the same but this time subject stayed down. All 3 shots fired from 10y and all centered on chest. Bad Guy survived.

    Case #2: Stake-out cop shot armed robber from 10y with 20″ 12ga loaded with OOB. Bad Guy was turning towards cop with pistol in hand and OOB impacted his upper right arm between elbow and shoulder, the OOB pellets penetrated arm and entered upper chest, none exited body. Robber staggered several steps sideways, tripped over liquor display and fell. He died about 2 minutes later as I was lifting up his mask to see who he was.

    My conclusion: Subjet hit with birdshot could have returned fire for sure after shot #1 if he had gun already in hand and maybe even after shot #2. The subject hit with OOB was instantly disabled and was unable to return fire even though he had pistol in hand.

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  21. I view serial numbers on guns like a car’s VIN number minus the ability to get a full history from the internet. It can tell me what I’m looking at exactly, where it was made (in the case of some older guns), and when it was made. Using websites like hotguns or some of the other stolen gun databases we have access to is a hit or miss proposition, some guns aren’t reported stolen till after the fact and some never make it into that database.

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  22. Does the number of guns one owns matter?
    It depends on whos’s doing the “mattering”
    If it’s the gun store, you don’t own enough, if its an Anti gun person, no matter how many you own is too many, if it’s the district attorney, the one you used to commit the alleged crime is too many.
    And last but not least……..If it’s you wife doing the “mattering”, What ever you can sneak into the house and into your safe doesn’t count.

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  23. Yeah right. I have two or three friends who had an idea or a passion and went out and made it happen. They did it without begging friends and family and even worse complete strangers for money to make it happen. You want ttag readers to pay you to do reviews that we can get elsewhere. And to make matters worse you try to make the case that you and ttag is the only credible source for reviews of everything firearms related which is unmitigated arrogant bullshit. Poor baby can’t make the rent. You’re pathetic.

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  24. I have seen numerous stories from Brazil about criminals stealing open carriers’ [security or cop] firearms. They stalk the open carrier and ambush them with multiple attackers.

    Brazilian criminals are more daring than American criminals, but American criminals are very willing to attack people who they think are not cops. If you look like a detective by wearing certain clothes, holster, hair cut and have that alert/cop demeanor, criminals are going to assume you are a major threat. If you look like some college kid, or some elderly NRA member, the chances are much higher you will be targeted for your firearm.

    People who carry openly need a proper setup, train in firearm retention, have a lot of physical strength and endurance. If you can’t win a physical fight against a large man or two men, it’s probably best you carry concealed.

    You are less likely to get attacked when open carrying, but when you do it’s likely going to be worse. That constant stress can be too much for most people. You are essentially flaunting an object that criminals consider very desirable.

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  25. HST/Underwood EP/Hornady Custom/COR-BON Hunter/ depends on the mood or environment I will be in.
    Summer usually lighter caliber than winter cuz layers.

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  26. To make a general statement that open carry is “stupid” is… well, a stupid statement. Police, security guards, armored car drivers, etc. open carry as a matter of policy.

    I live in Illinois so I don’t have the option. Concealed is the law. And sometimes it’s a royal pain, depending on weather, clothing, etc. It’s wintertime so a jacket fulfills the role of concealment, until I stop for lunch and want to take the jacket off in a public restaurant. Then I need to figure out a way to stay incognito.

    But for the love of all that is holy, if you’re going to open carry then get an honest-to-God level II retention holster. To open carry without one would be… an unnecessary risk, bordering on stupid.

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  27. Man. You know, there hasn’t been a good open carry vs conceal carry dust up here in awhile. I forgot how much noise this topic causes.

    The Conceal carrier side often sounds a lot like the gun grabbers (no pun intended) in this argument though. I support open carry for the exact reason why Open Carry Texas did what they did to bring open carry to the state. It normalizes guns, yes, in the EXACT same way the gay community normalized openly gay relationships. Open carry is a political tactic. And a good, successful one.

    To rail against it and demand it be banned is shooting yourself in the foot. If you don’t want to kiss a man, then don’t. If you don’t want to open carry then don’t. Don’t hide behind your shame or being a gun owner in public. Come out of the gun closet.

    This is how we win the war. Using the same tactics the left used. Open carry does deter crime, essiecially in numbers. But if you open carry, be sure to do it in a good holster, dress professionally, act appropriately, and have situational awareness. When you open carry you are by default an ambassador for gun rights. You have more responsibility than a conceal carrier.

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  28. If you plan on open carrying, it’s not a bad idea to have a buddy of yours test you on whether you can retain your firearm in a confrontation.

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  29. This GAO “study” proves diddly squat & the following quote tells why-
    “Specifically, private sellers on Surface Web gun forums and in classified ads were unwilling to sell a firearm to our agents that SELF-IDENTIFIED AS BEING PROHIBITED from possessing a firearm.” [emphasis added]
    It’s like saying our under-age drinking laws work great because the liquor store clerk refused to sell you booze after you told him you were only 17. WTF?
    What a waste of time & money.
    It would be far more valuable to know how easy it is to buy a gun by meeting a non-FFL Armslist.com seller in person & pay him cash without volunteering *any* information to the seller. Is this common? Rare? Does anybody know?

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  30. “…they may have been in situ for some time…” As the old saying goes that is so apropos here, “No shit, Sherlock.”

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  31. I seriously doubt that any of those guns saw the light of day since the Vietnam war before they were dug up by the “Serious Crime Directorate”. LOL

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  32. According to the article guns are stolen from concealed carriers about as often as from open carriers. Concealed carry mist therefore be as equally as stupid as open carry. Whether you choose concealed carry or open carry, a holster with good retention is will have more of an impact on how easily your gun is stolen then the method of carry does. From a tactical standpoint if open carriers should conceal a backup gun when and where it is legal to prevent a gun thief like this from killing their next victim.

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  33. I stopped going to the cinema years ago, and staying out of mass public areas with problematic exits. Not because of shooters, but because people in general irritate me, and the more I see the more irritated I get. Old people are not grumpy, they’ve just seen too many sh!theads. In fact, my cynicism is so honed and exteme at this point, I’d say if you’re in these places and get your ass handed to you mankind is better off. Try stay at home and read a book, and keep yer god damn music down…and stay off my lawn…Korea…running errands with my Garand…stacking bodies high…Eastwood rules…

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  34. Properly testing flash/weapons lights is going to get goddamn expensive really, really fast.

    Properly measuring the the light output of a flashlight is not a cheap or easy thing to do.

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  35. It’s nice that the government has so much power now that they can just show up and shoot you for no reason, with no consequences.

    Death penalty for the swatter.

    Reply
  36. Hiking? No.

    Conserve energy.

    A person is a fool for standing when sitting is possible, for sitting when lying down is possible.

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  37. Project much LADY?!? You hate actual men so you fantasize about killing them. You shouldn’t even have a gun gurl…????????????

    Reply
  38. In my .380 EDC (Sig Sauer P238), I load either Hornady Critical Defense or Sig V-Crown. Ballistics tests I’ve read put them at almost a toss-up for expansion and penetration. Both meet the FBI standard for penetration, and both expand well with a short-barrel .380 (they are made for that specific purpose). And both are easily obtainable hereabouts.

    Each time I shoot at the range (using FMJ “ball” ammo), I also run one clip of whichever defensive round I’m carrying, just to make sure they are cycling well. (Although I have yet to find ANY .380 round that my P238 doesn’t like.) Looking at the Hornady and Sig rounds, you’d think that they’d be less accurate than FMJ ammo for aerodynamic reasons. Surprisingly, both are noticeably MORE accurate than the FMJs.

    Reply

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