Your Choice For Self-Defense Ammo

T

taco

New member
What are your personal preferences for self-defense ammo (not LEO, Military or SHTF) in handguns?

Here are my personal choices for my handguns:

22lr - CCI MiniMag Solids
38 Special - Federal 125gr Nyclad JHP
38 Special +P - Winchester 158gr LSWCHP +P
9mm - Federal 115gr JHP (9BP)
9mm +P - Remington 115gr JHP +P (maybe Corbon 115gr JHP)
357mag - Federal 125gr JHP
45ACP - Federal 230gr Hydrashok (for full size pistol)
45ACP - Remington 185gr Golden Saber (for compact pistols)
45ACP +P - Remington 185gr +P Golden Saber

What are your choices?
 
Hello, Taco.

Well, here goes:

.38 Special 2":

Remington 158 gr LSWCHP +P
Federal 125 gr std pressure HP

9x19mm:

Triton 125 gr +P Hi Vel JHP
Federal 124 gr Nyclad HP
Federal 115 gr JHP

.357 Magnum:

Federal 125 gr JHP
Remingtn 125 gr SJHP
Winchester 145 gr STHP

.44 Special:

Triton 165 gr +P QuikShok

.45 ACP:

In guns that will feed it:
Corbon 200 gr +P JHP (This load's no longer produced and uses the older Speer 200 gr JHP that predates the Gold Dots. It was commonly referred to as the "flying ashtray.")

Federal 230 gr Classic JHP

Corbon +P 165 gr PowRball

Best.
 
corbon 125gr +P in 9mm

S&B 95gr in .380 because I don't think my PPK/S's short barrel can build enough speed for hollowpoints to be effective

whatever reliable ball ammo in .45 because I rarely carry that
 
I'm kinda partial to Speer Gold Dots.

My reasons have no basis in rational thought whatsoever, but here they are:

I just like the name more than the other major brands.

I like the looks of them better.

I like how they look when they expand.



I know these are hardly reasons to choose anything, much less SD ammo, but I HAVE done research, and the Gold Dots are as good as, if not better than, Fed. Hydra-shoks, which are wildly popular.

I've read that the Gold Dots are actually slightly better than the Feds.

Besides, any of the JHP made by any of the major manufacturers will suit civilian needs just fine.
 
I'm new to this site so I thought I might as well jump in here with my 2 cents worth.

9mm I like the 115gr CorBons. My Hi-Power likes them also.
I tried several brands and weights but these seemed
to function the best "in my pistol" and shoots to point
of aim with no adjustments.

.45 Anything as long as it's a 230gr FMJ. It works, it
doesn't need to expand and, it works. :)

.38
.357 Win. 38 special 125gr JHP +P Because they were
on sale and they work in my SP101

I shy away from cartridges that are "coated" for "serious social occasions" because I've seen them foul the actions of other weapons and whatever brand, type,weight, bullet you choose, you MUST have TOTAL reliability.
 
9mm: 124gr +p Speer Gold Dots, Winchester 115gr JHP

357mag: Federal 125gr JHP, Winchester 110gr JHP, and Winchester 145STHP

45acp: Remington 230gr Golden Saber, Winchester 230gr JHP and Corbon 165gr+p Pow " R Ball
 
9mm- Remington 115gr +P JHP, readily available in my area.

357- Federal 125gr JHP

45 ACP- Federal 230gr HydraShok
 
The truth is I am confused with the different advertisement of a particular bullet.

Firstly, I am fond of buying the newest bullet in the market but later on I realized that the most important is your bullet will fire and you can hit the intended target whenever the FA will be used.

As of now, I am keeping Corbon +P, Hornady +P, (hollow point) and some few rounds of Armor Piercing bullets which I have bought from a gun show. But it always come to my mind that the best bullet for me is a 230gr. FMJ, which I believe it is more reliable and accurate for a 1911 platform.

Thanks
 
My always gun is an sp101 in 357.

Everyday carry is 125gr. golden sabers.

Woods carry it goes to BUG status (backup to either my 44mag SRH or 357 redhawk) loaded with 158 gr hydrashocks.
 
.380 ..... Federal Hydrashocks 90 gr
.38 ..... Federal Hydrashocks 129 gr
.357 ..... Federal JSP 158 gr
9mm ..... Speer +P 124 gr
9X18 Makarov ... Hornady XTP reloads 93 gr
40 S&W .... Black Hills HP Blue Box 180 gr
45 ACP .. Speer +P 200 gr

30 Carbine ... Federal Soft Points 110 gr
.223 AR-15 ... Win Q3131A 55 gr
Garand 30-06 .. PMC 150 gr

Benelli Nova 12 Gauge ... Win #1 Buck
 
Snubby .38 gets the 110-gr Federal 'Personal Defense Load', not the "+P" stuff

Vaquero .357 holds the Speer 158-Gr 'Gold Dot'

Ruger KP-90 .45ACP is fed the Rem 230-Gr 'Golden Sabre'

These are what work the best in each particular weapon.
 
Except for the .22's, I formally used Federal Hydra-Shok or Gold Dots in everything. Now, everything gets RBCD's. It's hard to argue with a .40 caliber that has stats like: 2100FPS/754FtLbs.

KR
 
Why do you carry what you carry?
What made you decide that what you decided to carry is what you should carry?

I mean, having a list of what everyone puts in their guns may be interesting, but I think it'd be more useful if there were more explanations as to the thought processes that went into ammo selection. That way others could read the posts and evaluate their choices with a little more understanding.
 
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