Good SD ammo & range ammo?

[JAYjohnson]

Waiting for my G19, so I'm looking into ammo. Just wanted to probably beat a dead horse and ask, what is your preferred SD ammo and your preferred range/practice ammo? I would like to buy at least 500 rounds of range ammo.

[naimad]

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[j1133s]

Waiting for my G19, so I'm looking into ammo. Just wanted to probably beat a dead horse and ask, what is your preferred SD ammo and your preferred range/practice ammo? I would like to buy at least 500 rounds of range ammo.

For SD, just get the cheapest +p major brand SD ammo. Remember to run a couple of boxes thru your gun to verify function.

For practice, I use the cheapest factory ammo except wolf-type steel cased ammo. This right now means Blazer AL. If you reload, then maybe something else.

[tacticalcity]

There are two main schools of thought on this. Full Metal Jackets or Hollow Points.

I used to be in the Hollow Point camp. They spread open and cause lots of damage right? Well it turns out it depends. They lose a lot of their energy as the hit and start to spread, so much so that they do not penatrate very well. Bone usually stops them just fine, thus they could just hit the chest plate and expand and not do any real damage. So the guy keeps coming.

Upon hearing this from an instructor, and reading up on it, I switched to full metal jackets (the same stuff I was using as my range ammo). They are a lot more likely punch through bone and actually damage a vital organ. And while it is true there is a greater likelihood of a through and through, which the body can handle without shock setting in, that is why we shoot controlled pairs and practice non-standard response drills come to play. Even if every hit was a through and through (which is unlikely) the chance that shock will set in and the body shutting down with two hits becomes probably, and increases with every hit there after.

We are taught to shoot center mass. There is a lot of bone center mass. Making deeper penatration a priority for me over mushrooming out.

The unexpected benifit is that full metal jacket ammo tends to be less expensive than hollow point ammo.

Avoid cheaply made ammo like Wolf. Avoid reloaded ammo. I've personally witnessed guns explode on people as a result of both. I would rather spend a few more cents per round than be permanently disfigured. If you loaded the ammo yourself, and you really know what you are doing, that is one thing. Trusting some radnom stranger to have done it right? No thank you. Trusting yourself if you are not an expert? No thank you.

Some guns won't cycle or feed certain brands reliably. Price, quality, brand have nothing to do with whether or not your gun will like it. It is hit and miss. So when you find a batch your gun handles well, buy a bunch of it. If at all possible, and it not always is, get the same batch number on every box and stock up. Sometimes a brand that runs just fine for years, suddenly stops feeding reliably. Time to buy a bunch of boxes of different brands and find a new one to put your trust in.

I am personally running Magtech FMJ in my Glock 19. Don't remember the grain off the top of my head. So far so good. I've also had good luck with PMC and Winchester ammo. While I do not grab the most expensive stuff on the shelf, it is far from the cheapest either. I buy what is reliable.

It is not smart to shoot one thing while you train and something different for self defense. We all have done it, but it is a bad idea. Train with what you will use when its time to save your life. The last thing you need is any extra surprises when fighting for your life. Some ammo has more recoil than others. Some are snappy and cause your gun to react differently. As I stated above, some simply do not cycle or feed reliably. Better to have whatever is going to happen with your particular choice of ammo already be compensated for by your training and muscle muscle memory rather than something new and unexpected when you are fighting to stay alive.

If you cannot afford to train with that really fancy expensive round, then don't use it for self defense either. Use what you have mastered through training, not some luxury round you haven't. That really expensive fancy round isn't going to do you any good if you can't put it where you need it, when you need it, as many times as needed, and as fast as needed. No matter how cool it is, if you haven't trained with it, you're going to be much faster and more accurate with the ammo you have trained with and already know is reliable.

Just my $0.02 cents.

[DaveFJ80]

Besides the reloading option, I like buying new factory Federal ammo.

SD/HD ammo being Federal HST JHP 147gr ammo or Federal HST JHP 124gr ammo. Cost is around $25 - $30 per box of 50.

Range ammo being Federal FMJ 115gr ammo. Cost is around $9 - $10 per box of 50.

This all for my Glock 19. Zero FTF's or FTE's to date.

[Ding126]

For practice ammo I prefer Amer. Eagle, Win WB, UMC in that order. For premium self defense ammo I like Federal HST, Winchester Ranger T, Speer Gold Dot, Remington Golder Saber, Corbon, Hornady

Make sure what ever you choose for SD ammo that you try a box / several mags to make sure your pistol likes the diet. Since your getting a Glock, I'm sure it will eat most anything.

Good Luck and Congrat's

[Ding126]

Also for SD ammo try to use 147gr or 124gr at a minimum. Most practice ammo is 115gr so your pistol may shoot a little different with a heavier grain

[jak77]

I disagree with the FMJ argument, especially for a 9mm handgun. That bullet is moving way too fast to use FMJ for HD/SD, for practice fine, use whatevers cheepest and feeds reliably in your handgun. But for HD, dont cripple yourself with FMJ like our military does (and only because of the Hague Convention). Theres a reason that every single law enforcement agency uses hollowpoint rounds, becuase they are damn effective.

You can practice till your hands bleed, but you cant truly prepare for a firefight. Your adrenaline will be pumping and your nerves racing. Even if you can shoot controlled pairs in training, you might not get them off in an actual firefight. Thats why every shot needs to count and be as devastating as possible to neutralize the threat. FMJ might be a little better than poking someone with a stick.

Not only that, you have to worry about over penetration. When your shooting at someone in your home, you dont want that bullet to go through the perp, your walls, a family member, and into the street to strike an innocent bystander.

Do research and find a good hollowpoint round and test them for reliability in your handgun. Good brands include Federal HST, Speer Gold Dot, Winchester Ranger (if you can find them), Winchester Bonded PDX1, Remington Golden Sabre, and Hornady TAP. There are many more as well, these are just some that I knew off the top of my head. Almost all with pass the 12in test in ballistic gelatin, which will tell you the performance of the round when fired into a person cross-body through the arm (worst case scenario).

Anyone who tells you to carry FMJ as a defensive round hasn't done much research on the matter OR seen many folks who have been shot by FMJ. It's the expansion and the ability to move a great deal of tissue that makes the hollowpoint shine. Don't cripple your defensive capabilities with a FMJ round.

Find the hollopoints that are reliable in you handgun, then practice with ammo of the same weight.

My .02 cents, take it how you will .

Good luck.

[Jimmy310]

I agree with jak77, please dont use fmj rounds for home/self defense....unless SHTF.

I for HP ammo i like speer golddot +p 124gr hollowpoints. They have good velocity 1220/fps and muzzle energy 420 ft. lbs

[retired]

Good brands include Federal HST, Federal Hydra Shok...,

Jak, I agree with what you said except for the bolded part. Federal Hydra Shok ammo doesn't belong in that group. It is an older and outdated ammo per Dr. Gary Roberts. Tests done by Roberts, a ballistics expert (he is an admin. on tacticalforums.com) show that clothing tends to clog the hollow point, not allowing proper expansion.

He recommends pretty much any of the more robust ammo that you mentioned. Winchester Silvertip is another older one to stay away from.

Personally, I use the ammo my former dept. has used for years: Winchester LE Ranger SXT. I have shot it enough over the last 2 decades, that I'm comfortable when switching from 115gr. FMJ WWB to the 147gr. Ranger.

[jak77]

Jak, I agree with what you said except for the bolded part. Federal Hydra Shok ammo doesn't belong in that group. It is an older and outdated ammo per Dr. Gary Roberts. Tests done by Roberts, a ballistics expert (he is an admin. on tacticalforums.com) show that clothing tends to clog the hollow point, not allowing proper expansion.

He recommends pretty much any of the more robust ammo that you mentioned. Winchester Silvertip is another older one to stay away from.

Personally, I use the ammo my former dept. has used for years: Winchester LE Ranger SXT. I have shot it enough over the last 2 decades, that I'm comfortable when switching from 115gr. FMJ WWB to the 147gr. Ranger.

I stand corrected, thank you retired, I will stay away from Hdyra Shoks as well now. Post fixed

[robert101]

With the 9MM and Glock 19 I would agree that a HP would be fine. Especially considering that the gun will feed the ammo properly. That of course should be range verified.

I do see the point of view with FMJ (round nose) that a prior post stated. In some calibers (such as the 45 and 380) expansion can be an issue. Still, I do load HP's in my SD 45 ACP. The only handgun in my arsenal to have FMJ round nose bullets is my Browning 380 DBA. I feel I need more penetration with that light caliber.

[9mmepiphany]

my choice for carry would be the Ranger 127gr +P+ SXT, but i wouldn't feel underguned with the 124gr +P Gold Dot.

for practice, i'm still working my way through my cache of PMP 115gr FMJ, but i've been replacing it with Blazer 115gr or 124gr (whichever is on sale) FMJ...i find it cleaner than the WWB

[JAYjohnson]

For practice, I use the cheapest factory ammo except wolf-type steel cased ammo. This right now means Blazer AL. If you reload, then maybe something else.

So no negatives about the Blazer aluminum cases?

[trickyvic]

Range- cheapest FMJ
SD- GD or Ranger-T, both in 124gr +P