Post by Chaindriven on Oct 22, 2009 14:50:50 GMT -6
The point is not to wound or kill the adversary: it is to stop him in his tracks and make him cease attacking you. "Stopping power" (sometimes called "knock-down power") refers to a particular bullet's ability to incapacitate an attacker - the greater that ability, the less chance that your attacker will be able to continue shooting, stabbing, or beating you after you have shot him.
One should carry only hollowpoint ammunition in a defensive handgun. Hollowpoint ammunition has much better stopping power than full metal jacket or round-nose lead, and stopping power is what you need when being assaulted.
There are several exotic ammunition designs on the market today, Thunderzaps, Omni-Shocks, Terminators, Annihilators, Kaswer Law Grabbers, and other such marginalia in gun shops. If you want to gamble, go to an Indian reservation. Don't gamble with your life, or the lives of others. Glasers and GECO 9mm BATs are the only proven exotics. Generally speaking, I recommend that you avoid them. Exotic ammunition is expensive, inaccurate, and often unreliable. These rounds cost so much ($2-$4 each) that you will never practice with them and thus will not be certain of their reliability and accuracy in your gun. This is a big mistake: you should not carry a particular type of ammunition until you have fired at least 150 rounds through your semi-automatic gun to ensure reliable feeding (this doesn't really apply to revolvers, but you should still fire the ammunition you intend to carry to assure yourself of its accuracy).
.45 Automatic Colt Pistol:
The .45 Automatic Colt Pistol cartridge relies upon frontal mass and caliber for effectiveness, not velocity and bullet expansion. The standard .45 auto load is a 230 grain jacketed round nosed bullet at about 850 fps. If you plan to practice and shoot hotter loads a heavy recoil spring and shock buffer should be used to limit excess wear and battering. The standard Colt recoil spring is 16-18 pounds. A Hot load demands a 22 pound spring. If a stronger load is desired without having to convert the pistol. I recommend the +P .45 load. A 185 grain jacketed hollow point load. The round develops about 1,130 to 1,150 fps in a five inch barreled .45 auto. Cor-Bon or Remington both manufacture a +P loads in .45ACP.
9mm Ammunition:
9mm ammunition is available in two pressure levels: standard and "+P." The latter should only be used in newer guns (made since 1985 or so), and is best used sparingly. I will deal here with only commercially available ammunition: there are specialized loads available only to law enforcement personnel. Civilians should not worry, as there are commercial loads as good or better than anything restricted to law enforcement usage.
I will now tell you the best 9mm Luger load for self-defense: it is the Cor-Bon 9mm 115 grain +P Jacketed Hollowpoint. This is the most powerful and street-proven manstopper available in this caliber. It is a high velocity (1340 fps) and high pressure round, and more effective than any load restricted to law enforcement use (such as the Federal 9BPLE).
Unfortunately, it is also likely to jam many older guns. Modern hollowpoints may jam some older guns. The best standard pressure 9mm load is the Federal 115 grain JHP. Its effectiveness and accuracy make it the world standard. Buy several boxes. Other excellent standard pressure 9mm loads are the Winchester Silvertip 115 grain, and Federal 124 grain Hydra-shok.
NEVER use 147 grain ammo in a 9mm pistol! I don't care what you've heard: never use any 9mm hollowpoint heavier than 125 grains. 147 grain hollowpoints often jam in many popular 9mm guns like the Browning Hi-Power, SIG, Beretta 92, S&W and Glock. Ignore the gun magazine hype and stick to what works. If you want to gamble, go to Reno. Don't gamble with your life. 147 grain ammo sucks.
9mm Loads to avoid (and certainly NEVER carry).
Federal Gold Medal 9mm 147 grain JHP
Federal Hydra-Shok 9mm 147 grain JHP
Winchester 147 grain 9mm Silvertip Subsonic JHP
Winchester 147 grain 9mm Super-X Subsonic
Remington 147 grain 9mm JHP
Remington 147 grain 9mm Golden Saber JHP
Remington 140 grain 9mm JHP
Remington 88 grain 9mm JHP (This bullet is far too light.)
CCI Lawman 147 grain 9mm PHP "Plated Hollow Point"
.308 Win:
This is an excellent rifle cartridge, perhaps the best. Over-penetration is the biggest problem. Use fast opening bullets of 150 grains or less. The Nosler Ballistic Tip, Hornady V-Max, and Remington Accu-Tip are examples of quick-opening bullets that are available in several brands of factory loaded ammunition.
.223 (5.56x45mm NATO):
This is the standard NATO rifle round and one of the best choices for a self-defense rifle. All .223 hollowpoints are good stoppers. I really like the Federal 40 grain high-velocity hollowpoint.
Also a good choice are 55-69 grain hollowpoint from a big name manufacturer (I like Federal). Softpoints offer even greater penetration, probably more than you'll ever need.
7.62x39mm
Some prefer this cartridge to the .223 for defense use. It is an excellent round. Use any 123-125 grain softpoint from Cor-Bon, Federal, Winchester, or Remington. PMC makes a good low-priced 125 grain softpoint.
12 Gauge
If you simply want to know the best defense load, go out and buy: 12 gauge 2 3/4" shell 00 buckshot. You shall live happily ever after, as this is the most effective man-stopping firearm cartridge yet devised by man. I recommend the Federal "Classic" , Winchester Super-X or Remington Buckshot as the best double-ought buckshot defense rounds. One of these rounds is virtually equal to a nine-round burst from a submachine gun, with every round hitting.
Effective shotgun technique, of course, requires that one hits with each shot. Don't think that you can merely point the shotgun in the general direction of your attacker and let fly. Advanced Combat Shotgun training on good shotgun skills is recommended and then practice, practice, practice.
Many experienced shooters prefer #4 or #1 buckshot to 00. I really cannot argue, but l am on record as stating that 00 is superior, both in penetration and stopping power. However, if you have a #4 or #1 buckshot, fine. Stay away from 2 3/4" Magnum or 3" Magnum loads, however - the brutal kick of these rounds makes them a bad choice, and you gain nothing in stopping power over the 2 3/4" standard loads. Controllability is important, and standard 12 gauge shells have quite enough kick as it is.
One should carry only hollowpoint ammunition in a defensive handgun. Hollowpoint ammunition has much better stopping power than full metal jacket or round-nose lead, and stopping power is what you need when being assaulted.
There are several exotic ammunition designs on the market today, Thunderzaps, Omni-Shocks, Terminators, Annihilators, Kaswer Law Grabbers, and other such marginalia in gun shops. If you want to gamble, go to an Indian reservation. Don't gamble with your life, or the lives of others. Glasers and GECO 9mm BATs are the only proven exotics. Generally speaking, I recommend that you avoid them. Exotic ammunition is expensive, inaccurate, and often unreliable. These rounds cost so much ($2-$4 each) that you will never practice with them and thus will not be certain of their reliability and accuracy in your gun. This is a big mistake: you should not carry a particular type of ammunition until you have fired at least 150 rounds through your semi-automatic gun to ensure reliable feeding (this doesn't really apply to revolvers, but you should still fire the ammunition you intend to carry to assure yourself of its accuracy).
.45 Automatic Colt Pistol:
The .45 Automatic Colt Pistol cartridge relies upon frontal mass and caliber for effectiveness, not velocity and bullet expansion. The standard .45 auto load is a 230 grain jacketed round nosed bullet at about 850 fps. If you plan to practice and shoot hotter loads a heavy recoil spring and shock buffer should be used to limit excess wear and battering. The standard Colt recoil spring is 16-18 pounds. A Hot load demands a 22 pound spring. If a stronger load is desired without having to convert the pistol. I recommend the +P .45 load. A 185 grain jacketed hollow point load. The round develops about 1,130 to 1,150 fps in a five inch barreled .45 auto. Cor-Bon or Remington both manufacture a +P loads in .45ACP.
9mm Ammunition:
9mm ammunition is available in two pressure levels: standard and "+P." The latter should only be used in newer guns (made since 1985 or so), and is best used sparingly. I will deal here with only commercially available ammunition: there are specialized loads available only to law enforcement personnel. Civilians should not worry, as there are commercial loads as good or better than anything restricted to law enforcement usage.
I will now tell you the best 9mm Luger load for self-defense: it is the Cor-Bon 9mm 115 grain +P Jacketed Hollowpoint. This is the most powerful and street-proven manstopper available in this caliber. It is a high velocity (1340 fps) and high pressure round, and more effective than any load restricted to law enforcement use (such as the Federal 9BPLE).
Unfortunately, it is also likely to jam many older guns. Modern hollowpoints may jam some older guns. The best standard pressure 9mm load is the Federal 115 grain JHP. Its effectiveness and accuracy make it the world standard. Buy several boxes. Other excellent standard pressure 9mm loads are the Winchester Silvertip 115 grain, and Federal 124 grain Hydra-shok.
NEVER use 147 grain ammo in a 9mm pistol! I don't care what you've heard: never use any 9mm hollowpoint heavier than 125 grains. 147 grain hollowpoints often jam in many popular 9mm guns like the Browning Hi-Power, SIG, Beretta 92, S&W and Glock. Ignore the gun magazine hype and stick to what works. If you want to gamble, go to Reno. Don't gamble with your life. 147 grain ammo sucks.
9mm Loads to avoid (and certainly NEVER carry).
Federal Gold Medal 9mm 147 grain JHP
Federal Hydra-Shok 9mm 147 grain JHP
Winchester 147 grain 9mm Silvertip Subsonic JHP
Winchester 147 grain 9mm Super-X Subsonic
Remington 147 grain 9mm JHP
Remington 147 grain 9mm Golden Saber JHP
Remington 140 grain 9mm JHP
Remington 88 grain 9mm JHP (This bullet is far too light.)
CCI Lawman 147 grain 9mm PHP "Plated Hollow Point"
.308 Win:
This is an excellent rifle cartridge, perhaps the best. Over-penetration is the biggest problem. Use fast opening bullets of 150 grains or less. The Nosler Ballistic Tip, Hornady V-Max, and Remington Accu-Tip are examples of quick-opening bullets that are available in several brands of factory loaded ammunition.
.223 (5.56x45mm NATO):
This is the standard NATO rifle round and one of the best choices for a self-defense rifle. All .223 hollowpoints are good stoppers. I really like the Federal 40 grain high-velocity hollowpoint.
Also a good choice are 55-69 grain hollowpoint from a big name manufacturer (I like Federal). Softpoints offer even greater penetration, probably more than you'll ever need.
7.62x39mm
Some prefer this cartridge to the .223 for defense use. It is an excellent round. Use any 123-125 grain softpoint from Cor-Bon, Federal, Winchester, or Remington. PMC makes a good low-priced 125 grain softpoint.
12 Gauge
If you simply want to know the best defense load, go out and buy: 12 gauge 2 3/4" shell 00 buckshot. You shall live happily ever after, as this is the most effective man-stopping firearm cartridge yet devised by man. I recommend the Federal "Classic" , Winchester Super-X or Remington Buckshot as the best double-ought buckshot defense rounds. One of these rounds is virtually equal to a nine-round burst from a submachine gun, with every round hitting.
Effective shotgun technique, of course, requires that one hits with each shot. Don't think that you can merely point the shotgun in the general direction of your attacker and let fly. Advanced Combat Shotgun training on good shotgun skills is recommended and then practice, practice, practice.
Many experienced shooters prefer #4 or #1 buckshot to 00. I really cannot argue, but l am on record as stating that 00 is superior, both in penetration and stopping power. However, if you have a #4 or #1 buckshot, fine. Stay away from 2 3/4" Magnum or 3" Magnum loads, however - the brutal kick of these rounds makes them a bad choice, and you gain nothing in stopping power over the 2 3/4" standard loads. Controllability is important, and standard 12 gauge shells have quite enough kick as it is.