Favorite FACTORY Self Defense Ammo

E

EdInk

New member
I was just wondering what eveyone's favorite factory self defense ammo. I know alot of people use their handloads, that's fine but does not appeal to me.

List what's in your favorite handguns.

For me it varies by caliber.

.380 Hornady Critical Defense
.38spcl Federal HydraShock (but I'm think about switch to Speer's Gold Dot for snubbies.)
9x19mm I like Remington Golden Sabers.
 
I don't think you can go too far wrong with any premium factory SD loads.
That said: my favorite loads generally incorporate the Barnes DPX (solid copper) bullet (as loaded by several manufacturers).
I have them for .380, 9mm, 45acp and 45LC. They are available for other calibers as well.
I also carry the Winchester Ranger 9mm+p+ and 45 acp+p.
I have read good things about the HST and look forward to trying it in 9mm and 45acp.
 
The DPX and the Speer Gold Dots are the two best projectiles available for personal defense, across all calibers.

The Gold Dots are available loaded a fair piece hotter in some calibers. They also tend to be a bit heavier. Hornady's Critical Defense does make a lot of sense in 380 and 38Spl standard velocity. In 38+P the big 158 plain lead hollowpoints work well despite being very low tech.
 
I really like the Winchester PDX1 Bonded JHP in my 9mm. Its a 124gr +P that is the new choice of the FBI. However, in my sub compact XD it packs a good punch that makes double taps a little slower than I would like so I am currently carrying the Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115gr FTX.
 
Jim March: correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't Gold Dots and Golden Sabers very similar? From my reading, I seem to recall Dots expanded a bit more, but Sabers penetrated better? Old information at this point of course, haven't looked into it lately.
 
golden sabers are a brass jacketed and gold dots are copper jacketed.

My favs are gold dots 38+p, winchester white box 230gr jhp 45acp, and remington 158gr jsp 357mag
 
In my .38 it's winchester's personal defense load (125 gr. JHP +P), because I spend alot of time in the great outdoors I always carry a couple CCI shotshells as well.
In the .40 it's Federal 155 gr. Hydra-shok.
These are my two "working" defensive handguns.
 
EdInk:

For me it varies by caliber.

.380 Hornady Critical Defense
.38spcl Federal HydraShock (but I'm think about switch to Speer's Gold Dot for snubbies.)
9x19mm I like Remington Golden Sabers.
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Based on what?

Accuracy, quality, prettiness, or best one stop shot percentage's?

I like what ever Walmart has!

Not really, but if that's all I could get I wouldn't lose sleep in a peep!
 
Right now I am still using HST in everything except my 9mm which has the Winchester PDX1 124gr bonded. Not because the FBI uses it but it is all I can find around here and it does sound like a good round. I do not jump on board with the FBI loads, meaning no disrespect, but the bureau has gotten it wrong before. I usually like a load that has some established real world street data behind it.
 
This will sound strange, but what I prefer depends on which caliber gun I am using. For my 9mm's, I like federal Hydrashok ammo. (My wife uses that in her pistol too). For my 45's, I use either Wal Mart Winchester hard ball ammo or Remington Golden Saber ammo. The GS ammo opens up like those old Jiffy Pop popcorn foil packs you'd heat on the stove. Kind of like a flower. But most of the time, I have ball ammo in my carry 45. I think the few times I put the Golden Saber in were when I knew I'd be in a high risk area and couldn't avoid being there.

My younger brother has some old black talons given to him by his father in law (a retired Georgia State Trooper). His father in law says that the Winchester Ranger SXT ammo is black talon ammo without the color. I am tempted to get some of that but you have to buy that stuff from online auction houses because Winchester will only sell those to LEO (not the law - just their policy). I have heard a lot of good things about that ranger ammo and will probably get some if the opportunity presents itself - the round opens up into a NASTY looking claw with talons radiating in all directions (hence the old name it had).
 
I prefer Hornady Critical defense in everything except my .45's i use it in my .380 and 9mm bugs.
I also would like Corbon DPX from the tests ive seen,but its a hard find but just as good as the Hornady.
My .45's use Corbon 230gr +p and Hornady Tap 230gr +P
I do know id like to buy some CD in .45 since its a non +p and 185gr with less recoil wich would be perfect in my sub compact PT745.

I personally dont like Golddots,at least not in the .380 round.The lead is too soft and will get misshapen after a few chamberings and start closing up the hollow point and make it like like a flatnose and also make it hard to feed reliably.
 
Federal HST 124 gr 9mm in my Glock 26, and my Smith and Wesson M&P.
Speer Gold Dot in my 1911 and my Sig P238 (When I get it)

I personally think Federal HST is some of the best defensive ammo on the market. It really sucs that Federal has decided to restrict it sale to LE only.

I keep looking for a source for some, but to no avial. I will most likely switch to 124 gr Speer Gold Dot 9mm when my HST drys up.
 
Ditto. I also like the Winchester SXT +P 130g for .38 spl.
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Yeah, it's a damned respectable load. I strongly suspect the Speer 135 38+P is better but not by a lot. The Winnie 130 is a load I'd use if I couldn't find the 135s.

Jim March: correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't Gold Dots and Golden Sabers very similar? From my reading, I seem to recall Dots expanded a bit more, but Sabers penetrated better?
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No, they're different tech.

The Golden Saber is a "Facklerite" load...the brass jacket delays the expansion and does allow a deep punch, at the expense of wound channel width. The jacket isn't all THAT tightly bonded to the lead core so if it's "overdriven" it can separate.

The Gold Dot is a copper jacket electroplated to the lead. It's VERY tightly bound to the lead and strongly resists jacket/lead separation. That lets the jacket "petals" cling to the lead and hold them all together. They respond very well to being "overdriven" past their design specs and are one of the only three expanding handgun projectiles I'd trust to hold together out of a carbine or rifle. I'd also trust the DPX of course...it certainly won't separate from lead either as it ain't got no lead, and the Hornady XTP is a good high-speed choice too.

Speer varies the hollowpoint cavity size and shape for the expected speed range. The 125gr 357mag high speed variant slug is technically a "hollowpoint" but it's little more than a dimple at the nose. Doesn't matter, it'll still work at any speed past 1,300-1,350ish. Speer loads them to 1,450ish at the muzzle, Buffalo Bore a LOT more for full size guns.

Anyways. Buffalo Bore and Doubletap run Gold Dot slugs at crazy velocities knowing they'll still hold up. Well...Buffalo Bore does, Doubletap have been experimenting with other slugs and failing bigtime of late in some calibers including 357mag.

The downside to the DPX is that being less dense than lead for the weight class, you get less case capacity therefore less pressure and velocity. The upside is that you get more bearing surface (bullet rubbing on barrel innards) and hence accuracy goes up for the weight class. A 125gr DPX has the bearing surface of a 140gr or more conventional JHP.

But Cor-Bon only loads the 125gr 357mag DPX to about 1,250fps. I'd much rather have Buffalo Bore or Doubletap Gold Dots doing almost 1,600fps for damn near double the energy, because I carry a BIG 357 gun (42oz) therefore I can control big power. But in, say, my friend's classic S&W 66 3" barrel, the DPX would start to look REAL nice...damn near perfect. Won't tear the gun up, controllable, very accurate. What's not to like?
 
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