Hydra Shoks Feed?

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NeverAgain26

New member
I searched the forums for Hydra Shok's reliability to feed in semi-automatics and didn't come up with much (which is strange because I do recall seeing some threads on this in the past).

My questions is this:

I see a lot of people extolling the virtues of Hydra Shoks. I bought some and am reserving them for a rainy day. I have no experience with using them so I do not know how they feed/cycle in my guns.

I just finished reading "The Semi-Automatic Pistol in Police Service and Self-Defense" by Massad Ayoob. In it, he recommends JHP's for stopping power and their tendency not to over penetrate. However, he cautions that they may not feed properly in some guns.

He also recommends that one run 200 rounds of the ammo you want to use through the gun you want to use without any FT Feeds to determine reliability. At the current price of Hydra Shoks, this is a pretty pricey proposition.

Has anyone here done this? Have you experienced any problems with cycling or feeding them in your guns? I have them in 9mm for my Beretta 9000 and 45 for my Kimber CE II so if anyone has those guns, I would especially like to hear of our experience.

Thanks in advance for your help.

NA26
 
I have a 9mm Hi-Power and a .45 Springfield 1911A1. Hydra-Shoks go through each of them like corn through a goose. (In other words, no feeding problems.)

As far as expense goes, 200 rounds is 10 boxes, and with each box at $13-15, that's $130-$150 to see if they function reliably in your gun. That's pretty cheap life insurance, as far as I'm concerned.
 
Since each gun is an entity unto itself, other people's experience with Hydra-Shok in their handguns is not of much use to you. You will have to test it yourself. I could have the exact same models that you have and the fact that my guns feed a particular factory load doesn't tell you much about your guns.
 
I use hydra shoks exclusively in my carry guns. Never had any feeding problems with them. I use the 230gr .45acp. Cheaper Than Dirt has these in 50 round boxes for $17. Sure beats 20 rounds for $14. :)
 
Neveragain26,

Now is not the time to get cheap!

The cost of 10 boxes of expensive defense ammo is nothing compared to the value of the lives you want to protect with your pistols.

Borrow money if you have to! You can spend the rest of your long life paying it back. If the gun and the ammo does what it is supposed to do, you will have that long life to pay it back.
 
Reliability is part of the key to success for Hydra Shock Ammo

Hydra Shocks in .45 ACP have a great reputation for stopping for two reasons: (1) They have a tremendous following from LEOs due largely to their reliability and (2) They really do perform very well.

I do not own nor know of a .45 ACP that will reliably feed FMJ ammo but will not feed the Hydra Shocks. I know there are probably some out there but I have yet to shoot one. That said, my newest Kimber has only fed 15 rounds of Hydra Shock but I suspect it will digest another couple hundred rounds without a hitch--knock on wood.
Jack
 
This has been covered before. Some folks believe that 200 rounds must be fired to prove reliability, but none have answered my question as to whether they would buy another 200 rounds if the gun they were testing choked on round 199.:rolleyes: They also haven't told me just how they came up with the magic number of 200. I've seen that number in print, but also no reason for it.


I have found that if my guns are reliable with 50 rounds, the other 150 rounds is just turning money into noise. I don't get kickbacks from ammo companies like the gun rag hacks do, so I won't try to make you poorer and them richer.
 
Hmm.

So, if the gun is reliable with 5 rounds, does that also meant the other 195 (or 45 in your case) is just turning money into noise?

At issue is a question of statistics. How many rounds, fed without fault, does it take until you are confident, 99.99999999999999%, that the gun will function properly when you need it? Its a question of sample size. You think 50 is fine, everyone else likes 200. I have no idea where the 'proper' cutoff should be, but the bigger the sample the better.

If you fire 198, the gun chokes on 199, and fires 200-400 without a hitch, it means (basically) that when you pull the trigger 99.75% of the time the next round will chamber.

Roughly. Very roughly.

Mike

[Removed 99% of the whole 9 yards of 9's so this post doesn't run off the screen.]
 
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It seems that I read somewhere that the .380 Hydrashoks wouldn't feed reliably in the Beretta tipup barrel .380. That's the only adverse info on Hydrashok reliability I've heard. (Actually, it probably relates more to the gun than the ammo.)
 
That 200 rounds is no cut and dried number, just a pretty good rule of thumb. And I don't think anyone is suggesting 200 of your carry ammo. Good firearms just seem to smooth out after a couple hundred rounds and minor feed problems will often just go away.

No one can tell you how a particular round will feed in your gun. They can only tell you how it feeds in their's. Hydra Shocks have a good reputation for feeding well and that's about all anyone can tell you until you shoot some through your firearm. Good luck. I bet they work fine. :)
 
FWIW, I don't even consider firing premium ammo through a new gun until it can digest FMJ without any problems for at least a couple hundred rounds. That also gives the gun time to have whatever break-in it might need, though I've never experienced significant problems with a gun that was solved simply by shooting.
 
I have fired around a thousand 230g Hydra-Shocks through my 1911A1 and have never had a malfunction. I trust it and them with my life. I would like to add that any 1911 owners should have the feed ramp polished and barrel throated. It helps with any type of round.
In short, They're the cats patootie for me!
 
So, Mike,

Do you buy 200 rounds of every premium hollowpoint that you can get to see which bullet your gun prefers? I doubt it.:rolleyes:



I put 3-500 rounds of ball through every new gun to check its reliability. Once past the break-in with ball, I'll buy a 20-round box of Hydra-Shok's, Gold Dot's and SXT's to find out which round the gun prefers if it will be carried. After that I'll buy another box or two of the prefered load and shoot most of that, then I'll keep enough on hand to keep the gun and a spare magazine full. I generally shoot that up once a year or so and replace it with fresh stock.
 
I will probably get flame from this:

A few years ago Federal decided to round off the tip of the Hydra-Shok bullet to help it feed better in semi-autos, but unfortunatly this also reduced the bullets ability to expand properly after passing through cloathing. If you don't believe me then check this. http://www.ammolab.com
 
ASSUME NOTHING

Read that again.

Just because it works in some OTHER gun DOES NOT MEAN it will work in yours.
Just because your MACHINE worked the last time you used it DOES NOT GUARANTEE it will work the next time (you need it).

That said, HIGHLY RECOMMEND AT LEAST 50 rds of test ammo of the lot you intend to carry.
No less, prefer (thousands) more.

Federal Hydra-Shok is one of the premier defense loads, but it does NOT work in every gun.

If you stick XYZ ammo into your social-use gun you better know if it works..........................



All guns are always different.
Trust me.
 
That's why I like this place. You guys give me perspective. I am buying 200 rounds of each caliber and am going to see for myself.

Thanks for the help.

NA26
 
I have bought hundreds of Hydra-Shoks for the various guns I have. (That is expensive!) They have all worked wonderfully! Highly recommended.
 
I've fired at least 100 rounds of my carry ammo in each gun that I carry. Is it expensive? Yup. But in the unlikely event that I ever need my carry gun, I'll NEED IT REALLY BADLY! That would be a bad time to find out that my gun won't feed that particular brand of ammo.

In general, I've had good luck with Hydrashoks feeding. But guns can be finicky. A fellow that I know who lives in LA was carrying his Highpower during the riots, with new carry ammo. A week or two after the riots, he went to the range and fired that ammo for the first time. Or, rather, he tried to -- his Highpower would feed it worth a darn.

M1911
 
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