HydraShoks vs. Golden Sabers
- Thread starter shamster
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In my Ruger, I'm sure ANYTHING would be more accurate than the Hydra-shoks that I used. For that reason, I choose the Remington GS. Also look at Pro-load, Cor-Bon, Winchester, Hornaday, and Black-Hills, and Triton.
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Ben
"Gun Control Is Being Able To Hit Your Target"
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Ben
"Gun Control Is Being Able To Hit Your Target"
In .40, I've found HydraShoks lacking a bit in the accuracy department (in my pistols). Between that and their exorbitant cost, I've skipped them in favor of Golden Sabre's, which are accurate and have a good reputation/test well.
In the wife's .380, the HydraShoks are accurate (again, in my limited testing).
I'm planning to try some Gold Dots soon in .380, 9mm, and .40, both from Speer and from Pro Load.
In the wife's .380, the HydraShoks are accurate (again, in my limited testing).
I'm planning to try some Gold Dots soon in .380, 9mm, and .40, both from Speer and from Pro Load.
George Hill
Staff Alumnus
Hmmm... Strange.
I found that Hydras are VERY ACCURATE, and the Golden Sabers were getting about an inch or MORE in group size in comparison.
I have fired way more Hydras than any man should have to pay for... And plenty of Sabers too. 3-7-15-25 yards... Slow Fire, Rapid Fire... And I have always found Hydras to be the most accurate of the jacketed hollow points... EVERY TIME.
As for which bullet is the MAGIC BULLET?
A: The one that hits the target...
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"America is a melting pot, the people at the bottom get burned while all the scum floats to the top."
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
The Critic formerly known as Kodiac
I found that Hydras are VERY ACCURATE, and the Golden Sabers were getting about an inch or MORE in group size in comparison.
I have fired way more Hydras than any man should have to pay for... And plenty of Sabers too. 3-7-15-25 yards... Slow Fire, Rapid Fire... And I have always found Hydras to be the most accurate of the jacketed hollow points... EVERY TIME.
As for which bullet is the MAGIC BULLET?
A: The one that hits the target...
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"America is a melting pot, the people at the bottom get burned while all the scum floats to the top."
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
The Critic formerly known as Kodiac
Pick 'em. Both are great rounds. Being in
law enforcement, I have seen prep's shot
with both. In my department, more one shot
kill's were obtained with the hydra-shok
design; not that we killed all that many
prep's, but when one needed to be disposed
of the Federal round was exceptional. To
add fuel to the fire; we were issused the
Winchester infamous BLACK TALONS, as duty
ammunition.
law enforcement, I have seen prep's shot
with both. In my department, more one shot
kill's were obtained with the hydra-shok
design; not that we killed all that many
prep's, but when one needed to be disposed
of the Federal round was exceptional. To
add fuel to the fire; we were issused the
Winchester infamous BLACK TALONS, as duty
ammunition.
Adamantium
New member
Wow, weird how Hydra-Shocks came up today, because I just tested a box of them today up in the hills. They were the 130 grain .357 magnum load. and the results were quite a let down also.
I heard that wet yellowpages/books can be used to minic balistic gelitin, so thats what I tested the bullets on. The books were shot from about 15 feet with a gun with a 4 inch barrel. I also wraped the books in 2 of my t-shirt, as it is unlikely to be involved in shooting naked people. Out of the 20 bullets in the box, I used 2 to check the sights on my gun, 3 to shoot at a bird who was off in the distance, and the last 15 for the test. Out of the last 15, 2 left the wet books through either the top or the side so I haven't a clue how those turned out. 5 simply broke up inside the books. I found lots of bits of thier jackets and lead, but nothing past about 8 inches of penitration. Of the 8 that I did find in one piece, 1 had mushroomed perfectly. It was appox. 7/10th of an inch, it looked just like to one on thier webpage except he post had been squished back in to the bullet. None of the last 7 expanded more than 1/2 and inch. Most were just barely bigger than the bullets origonal diamiter! They had all stopped expanding at the bullets part when the bullet is crimped to the brass(I think its called a cannelure, but may be wrong). Also, non of the bullets went through more than 15 inches of book. Ther all stopped around 9-11 inches of penitration. Which for me would be a bare minimun.
I might of just had a really crappy box of ammo. Because 1 out of 13 sucks IMO. But I don't have the money to go buy another box.
Sincerely,
Adam
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Self improvement is a hobby of mine
I heard that wet yellowpages/books can be used to minic balistic gelitin, so thats what I tested the bullets on. The books were shot from about 15 feet with a gun with a 4 inch barrel. I also wraped the books in 2 of my t-shirt, as it is unlikely to be involved in shooting naked people. Out of the 20 bullets in the box, I used 2 to check the sights on my gun, 3 to shoot at a bird who was off in the distance, and the last 15 for the test. Out of the last 15, 2 left the wet books through either the top or the side so I haven't a clue how those turned out. 5 simply broke up inside the books. I found lots of bits of thier jackets and lead, but nothing past about 8 inches of penitration. Of the 8 that I did find in one piece, 1 had mushroomed perfectly. It was appox. 7/10th of an inch, it looked just like to one on thier webpage except he post had been squished back in to the bullet. None of the last 7 expanded more than 1/2 and inch. Most were just barely bigger than the bullets origonal diamiter! They had all stopped expanding at the bullets part when the bullet is crimped to the brass(I think its called a cannelure, but may be wrong). Also, non of the bullets went through more than 15 inches of book. Ther all stopped around 9-11 inches of penitration. Which for me would be a bare minimun.
I might of just had a really crappy box of ammo. Because 1 out of 13 sucks IMO. But I don't have the money to go buy another box.
Sincerely,
Adam
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Self improvement is a hobby of mine
George Hill
Staff Alumnus
Let me clairify - my Hydra shooting was done in .45 caliber. 230 grains in fact. Perhaps it is a perticularity of the .45's dynamics... the 230 version is the best bullet I have found for the .45. In other calibers I prefer CorBons or Tritons...
I have not bothered with the .40 hydras or the Federal's Personal Defense types. Thats a different ball game.
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"America is a melting pot, the people at the bottom get burned while all the scum floats to the top."
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
The Critic formerly known as Kodiac
I have not bothered with the .40 hydras or the Federal's Personal Defense types. Thats a different ball game.
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"America is a melting pot, the people at the bottom get burned while all the scum floats to the top."
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
The Critic formerly known as Kodiac
Adamantium
New member
Oh Jeez!, Man do I feel stupid, I forgot to read the .45 part, I figured by the other posts that it was hydra-shok's in general. Woops.
ad....,(thats a long name)
i've tried shooting wet telephone books and you just don't get very good results capturing bullets. the paper matter fills the hollow point and turns it into full paper jacket.
try shooting freezer bags of water in a wooden box, this seems to work.
in 45auto i use hydra-shoks as they seem the most accurate.(230 grain)i have also used golden sabers and they are very accurate also.
i just like the federal design so will stick with that.
in 9mm i use corbon or triton (115plus p)
i've tried shooting wet telephone books and you just don't get very good results capturing bullets. the paper matter fills the hollow point and turns it into full paper jacket.
try shooting freezer bags of water in a wooden box, this seems to work.
in 45auto i use hydra-shoks as they seem the most accurate.(230 grain)i have also used golden sabers and they are very accurate also.
i just like the federal design so will stick with that.
in 9mm i use corbon or triton (115plus p)
BrokenArrow
New member
Better meaning what?
In the FBI test series the GS has a larger avg recovered diameter and pentrates deeper, though the HS seems to do a little better in glass. The Gold Dot even better yet.
Adam Ant: Your 130 Mag HS did exactly as designed. They wanted rapid expansion/fragmentation and pen in gelatin from 10-12 inches. Sounds like they hit it right on the money? If you want deeper, try the Rem GS.
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>>>>---->
In the FBI test series the GS has a larger avg recovered diameter and pentrates deeper, though the HS seems to do a little better in glass. The Gold Dot even better yet.
Adam Ant: Your 130 Mag HS did exactly as designed. They wanted rapid expansion/fragmentation and pen in gelatin from 10-12 inches. Sounds like they hit it right on the money? If you want deeper, try the Rem GS.
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>>>>---->
Keith Rogan
New member
In most calibers (including .45 acp), the hydra-shock is the most lethal of the standard handgun bullets available.
Only the expensive frangible bullets like the Glaser outperform these rounds. You can see the actual results of thousands of police shootings with various rounds at the following web site: http://www.evanmarshall.com/towert/
Look at the results and go with the top round for your caliber.
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Keith
The Bears and Bear Maulings Page: members.xoom.com/keithrogan
[This message has been edited by Keith Rogan (edited August 26, 1999).]
[This message has been edited by Keith Rogan (edited August 26, 1999).]
Only the expensive frangible bullets like the Glaser outperform these rounds. You can see the actual results of thousands of police shootings with various rounds at the following web site: http://www.evanmarshall.com/towert/
Look at the results and go with the top round for your caliber.
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Keith
The Bears and Bear Maulings Page: members.xoom.com/keithrogan
[This message has been edited by Keith Rogan (edited August 26, 1999).]
[This message has been edited by Keith Rogan (edited August 26, 1999).]
Adamantium
New member
Oh, well, guess that changes that. Still, fragmentation isn't exactly what 'm looking for. I'll have to give GS's a chance. I've also heard some good things about Pro-Load. Anyone have any comments on them?
Sincerely,
Adam
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Self improvement is a hobby of mine
Sincerely,
Adam
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Self improvement is a hobby of mine
LightningLink
New member
This is a great writeup on defensive ammunition: http://www.recguns.com/VG1.html
To quote for your caliber:
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>.45 ACP (occassionally called "11.43x23mm" by some silly Europeans)
The .45 ACP is a recognized manstopper, and there are many
excellent loads in this caliber. Some of the best:
- Federal 230 grain Hydrashok JHP (P45HS1): a great load, and my #1
choice. It gives the most stopping power in this potent caliber.
- Federal 185 grain JHP (45C) another top-notch load from Federal. I
would choose this round for a compact, short-barrelled .45 like the Colt
Officer's ACP or the S&W 4516. It has lighter recoil than the Hydrashok
or CCI 200 JHP, and its higher velocity makes it more likely to expand
out of a short 3.5" barrel.
- Cor-Bon 185 grain Sierra JHP
- CCI Lawman 200 gr. JHP (3965). a.k.a. the "Inspector" or "Flying Ashtray."
- CCI Blazer 200 gr. JHP (3568). The "Flying Ashtray" in an economical
aluminum case.
[/quote]
LL
To quote for your caliber:
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>.45 ACP (occassionally called "11.43x23mm" by some silly Europeans)
The .45 ACP is a recognized manstopper, and there are many
excellent loads in this caliber. Some of the best:
- Federal 230 grain Hydrashok JHP (P45HS1): a great load, and my #1
choice. It gives the most stopping power in this potent caliber.
- Federal 185 grain JHP (45C) another top-notch load from Federal. I
would choose this round for a compact, short-barrelled .45 like the Colt
Officer's ACP or the S&W 4516. It has lighter recoil than the Hydrashok
or CCI 200 JHP, and its higher velocity makes it more likely to expand
out of a short 3.5" barrel.
- Cor-Bon 185 grain Sierra JHP
- CCI Lawman 200 gr. JHP (3965). a.k.a. the "Inspector" or "Flying Ashtray."
- CCI Blazer 200 gr. JHP (3568). The "Flying Ashtray" in an economical
aluminum case.
[/quote]
LL
Shamster,
Accuracy can't be judged in general. Without knowing the type gun I can't be specific. For my gun(Ruger P97)45ACP, The test done in Shooting magazine showed that the Gold. Saber 185+P JHP was the most accurate of all tested. Hydra 230's were of the bunch. As far as lethality, the top brands of JHP (Fed, Win, Rem) all have good reutations. I was using Hydra's in mine but will soon switch to Golden Sabers.
They are cheaper, better tested, and more accurate in my gun.
To me, if a group of bullets have simmialar stopping powers, accuracy becomes my deciding point. Even if it is slightly less lethal then the others.
Every inch of accuracy counts when the heat is on and a deadly bullet that hits the perps arm does me no good.
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"It is easier to get out of jail then it is a morgue"
Live long and defend yourself!
John 3:16
[This message has been edited by leedesert (edited August 26, 1999).]
Accuracy can't be judged in general. Without knowing the type gun I can't be specific. For my gun(Ruger P97)45ACP, The test done in Shooting magazine showed that the Gold. Saber 185+P JHP was the most accurate of all tested. Hydra 230's were of the bunch. As far as lethality, the top brands of JHP (Fed, Win, Rem) all have good reutations. I was using Hydra's in mine but will soon switch to Golden Sabers.
They are cheaper, better tested, and more accurate in my gun.
To me, if a group of bullets have simmialar stopping powers, accuracy becomes my deciding point. Even if it is slightly less lethal then the others.
Every inch of accuracy counts when the heat is on and a deadly bullet that hits the perps arm does me no good.
------------------
"It is easier to get out of jail then it is a morgue"
Live long and defend yourself!
John 3:16
[This message has been edited by leedesert (edited August 26, 1999).]
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