Hydra-Shok ammo

Full Metal Jacket · December 9, 2004, 05:29 PM

I am consideirng buying some Federal HS loads for my .357 magnum revolver

, and was wondeirng if any of u guys know the main advantage to this? I know alredy it supposedly adds muzzle velocity, but is it really good for home self-defense reasons, and is it a good "stopper" bullet? Any other info I need to know?
THX

mete · December 9, 2004, 09:32 PM

Any premium ammo like the Hydra-shok will perform very well.It doesn't add muzzle velocity. My experience with .40S&W 155 gr on woodchucks and feral dogs is excellent.

E505 · December 9, 2004, 09:42 PM

Right now I have both of my Wilson Combat CQB .45’s loaded with Federal Hydra-Shok 230 gr. JHP.

I went with this round for two reasons; one was that Wilson Combat recommended it for the CQB.

Two, at the muzzle it will give me 850fps with 370 foot pounds of energy, at 100 yards I’m now down to 770fps and 305 foot pounds of energy. Not a very big loss of velocity or energy over a very large distance for a handgun.

Most Federal ammo is a very reasonable price and readily available at most sporting stores.

mvpel · December 10, 2004, 09:44 AM

I carried .45ACP Hydra-Shok in my Glock 30 for about a year, but switched to Speer Gold Dot a couple of months ago since that's what my local police use.

I found that in my FEG brand HiPower 9mm, Hydra-Shok's didn't feed very well, so I switched to Remington law-enforcement ammo.

Smith66 · December 10, 2004, 11:28 PM

I used to carry 130 Hydra Shoks in my .357 magnum for CCW, but I've since switched to 145gr. Silvertips. Hydra Shoks are a great personal defense round, IMHO. They designed to shoot large holes in soft targets. Federal says they make 1300 FPS and 490 ft. lbs at the muzzle, but I never cronographed them. They felt plenty hot out of my 2 1/2 K frame. I actually find that the Silvertips are cheaper in my area, so I've gone with them, and they are also a great round.

Good Shooting

Cazach · December 13, 2004, 04:31 PM

The best "stopper" bullet for HD is 00buck. Beyond that, the Hydra Shok has many years of history as a good defensive round. The Sabers, Gold Dots, Rangers, etc. are all supposed to be as effective and it really comes down to two things:

1. What works best in your particular weapon

2. Ford vs. Chevy.

WillBrayjr · December 13, 2004, 05:21 PM

The Federal Hydra-Shok is very potent, but so are other premium hollowpoints. I suggest picking up a few different brands of topself rounds and test them for accuracy. Your firearm may throw a curveball with them. My grandfather's Ruger 96/44 carbine did, put the Hydra-Shok everywhere except the bullseye at 50 meters.

BillCA · December 20, 2004, 12:33 PM

The Hydrashok 230gr .45ACP rounds are very accurate in my Springfield Champion. They also seem to do pretty well out of a 2" S&W M649 .357.

The "big deal" with the Hydrashok is that most of their hollowpoint ammo has a center post to assist with the expansion of the HP. From all I've seen it works pretty well.

I agree with WillJr -- test a box of each premium brand of ammo with your gun and go with the ones that are the most accurate and allow you a fast, controlled follow-up shot. This can be a little bit expensive but when you need the accuracy it's worth the investment.

AUG · December 22, 2004, 02:15 AM

Pretty much any middleweight 357 mag. HP is about as good as it gets for handgun stopping power when using a 4" bbl or longer.

The Remington 125 grain SJHP is still the king on two legged predators in my book.

December 9, 2004, 05:29 PM	#1
Full Metal Jacket Senior Member Join Date: December 8, 2004 Posts: 260	Hydra-Shok ammo I am consideirng buying some Federal HS loads for my .357 magnum revolver , and was wondeirng if any of u guys know the main advantage to this? I know alredy it supposedly adds muzzle velocity, but is it really good for home self-defense reasons, and is it a good "stopper" bullet? Any other info I need to know? THX

December 9, 2004, 09:42 PM	#3
E505 Senior Member Join Date: June 13, 2001 Posts: 276	Right now I have both of my Wilson Combat CQB .45’s loaded with Federal Hydra-Shok 230 gr. JHP. I went with this round for two reasons; one was that Wilson Combat recommended it for the CQB. Two, at the muzzle it will give me 850fps with 370 foot pounds of energy, at 100 yards I’m now down to 770fps and 305 foot pounds of energy. Not a very big loss of velocity or energy over a very large distance for a handgun. Most Federal ammo is a very reasonable price and readily available at most sporting stores. __________________ "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." - Prime Minister Winston Churchill

December 10, 2004, 09:44 AM	#4
mvpel Senior Member Join Date: May 18, 2000 Location: Hooksett, NH Posts: 1,847	I carried .45ACP Hydra-Shok in my Glock 30 for about a year, but switched to Speer Gold Dot a couple of months ago since that's what my local police use. I found that in my FEG brand HiPower 9mm, Hydra-Shok's didn't feed very well, so I switched to Remington law-enforcement ammo. __________________ Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, "Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!" 1 Samuel 13:19 Last edited by mvpel; December 10, 2004 at 12:05 PM.

December 20, 2004, 12:33 PM	#8
BillCA Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2004 Location: Silicon Valley, Ca Posts: 7,117	The Hydrashok 230gr .45ACP rounds are very accurate in my Springfield Champion. They also seem to do pretty well out of a 2" S&W M649 .357. The "big deal" with the Hydrashok is that most of their hollowpoint ammo has a center post to assist with the expansion of the HP. From all I've seen it works pretty well. I agree with WillJr -- test a box of each premium brand of ammo with your gun and go with the ones that are the most accurate and allow you a fast, controlled follow-up shot. This can be a little bit expensive but when you need the accuracy it's worth the investment. __________________ BillCA in CA (Unfortunately)

December 9, 2004, 09:32 PM	#2
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	Any premium ammo like the Hydra-shok will perform very well.It doesn't add muzzle velocity. My experience with .40S&W 155 gr on woodchucks and feral dogs is excellent.

December 10, 2004, 11:28 PM	#5
Smith66 Senior Member Join Date: May 23, 2004 Location: South Dakota Posts: 189	I used to carry 130 Hydra Shoks in my .357 magnum for CCW, but I've since switched to 145gr. Silvertips. Hydra Shoks are a great personal defense round, IMHO. They designed to shoot large holes in soft targets. Federal says they make 1300 FPS and 490 ft. lbs at the muzzle, but I never cronographed them. They felt plenty hot out of my 2 1/2 K frame. I actually find that the Silvertips are cheaper in my area, so I've gone with them, and they are also a great round. Good Shooting

December 13, 2004, 04:31 PM	#6
Cazach Member Join Date: December 9, 2004 Posts: 58	The best "stopper" bullet for HD is 00buck. Beyond that, the Hydra Shok has many years of history as a good defensive round. The Sabers, Gold Dots, Rangers, etc. are all supposed to be as effective and it really comes down to two things: 1. What works best in your particular weapon 2. Ford vs. Chevy.

December 13, 2004, 05:21 PM	#7
WillBrayjr Junior member Join Date: September 26, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 1,881	The Federal Hydra-Shok is very potent, but so are other premium hollowpoints. I suggest picking up a few different brands of topself rounds and test them for accuracy. Your firearm may throw a curveball with them. My grandfather's Ruger 96/44 carbine did, put the Hydra-Shok everywhere except the bullseye at 50 meters.

December 22, 2004, 02:15 AM	#9
AUG Senior Member Join Date: March 3, 2000 Location: East TN Posts: 434	Pretty much any middleweight 357 mag. HP is about as good as it gets for handgun stopping power when using a 4" bbl or longer. The Remington 125 grain SJHP is still the king on two legged predators in my book.