Good JHPs?

[scorpion_tyr]

I need a good name brand JHP to load in all my HD/SD guns. Right now I'm using a mixture of Hydra-shoks, Winchester Ranger SXT's and Speer Gold Dots. For some reason I can only find one or two calibers from each brand. I'd like them all to be the same brand and type just to keep things simple. Does anyone make a good reliable JHP that can easily be found somewhere in all of the following calibers?

.380 ACP
9mm Luger
.38 Special*
.357 Magnum*
.40 S&W
.45 ACP
.44 Magnum*

* I don't have a firearm in these calibers yet, but I will within the next 3-6 months .

If possible I'd like to stay away from stuff marked "Law Enforcement", but I'm willing to go for it if it's the only way.

[goodspeed(TPF)]

Cor-Bon. Talk to Peter. Google is your friend.

[golfnutrlv]

Alright, here goes.
This is a search link from Winchester's website:Winchester Ammo Search

This finds a matching round for all but .357, and .44 Mag

This one adds .357, but no .44 mag:Winchester Ammo Search 2

Then there is this one, the .44 does not come up in the second search, but a specific search brings this up: Winchester ammo Search 3

These are all good JHP's as far as I know. I have shot a lot of winchester over the years, never had problems that I can recall. They have been making them long enough after all.

Note that some of the searches have slightly different bullets types, but this should help.

Take Care!

[Keltyke]

From what I've read, Corbon is the most reliable in expansion. Their ballistics are good, too. I like the Corbon DPX. In my snubbie, I carry Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel +p. I'm looking at the new Hornady Critical Defense round. 110 gr. at 1270 fps from a .38 will hurt ya! I believe Corbon covers all the calibers you mention, if you want to stay with one brand.

All that being said, most of the modern JHP rounds will reliably do the job. It comes down to personal preference. Check the ballistics and tests like the ones "Golden Loki" does.

[skoro]

Remington Golden Sabers are good, reliable performers and they cover all of your bases except 44mag.

[Sevens]

I have two answers... first answer is to punch up Double Tap. There you will find a slew of VERY high performance factory defense ammo. And because it all sells by the 50 round box as opposed to all the fancy regular factory ammo selections, you end up truly getting more bang for the buck. On the website they'll show approx muzzle velocities and give you the resulting muzzle energy of each round.

Second answer: Doesn't make good sense to pick one brand and use THAT ammo specifically across all your handguns. What makes sense is to try some ammo that sounds appealing, test it for function, test it for accuracy/point of aim, then buy a few boxes of it and practice with it. This is enough work and expense in just one handgun, but there's no real shortcuts by simply sticking to the same color box for a bunch of different handguns, as each gun may perform differently and show a clear preference for a particular ammo.

Well, hell, I guess I have three answers...
The easy answer: Just pick one, dammit! Most current, modern defensive handgun ammo is quite good and it's a good bet that any of them is a fairly decent choice in the rare event you need to use it on an attacker.

[Elvishead]

The best are Google.com

[garryc]

For SD I like the Sabers or the Gold Dots. With all those pistols your target and hunting it loads should be..............A reloading press.

[#18indycolts]

Federal HST and Winchester Ranger-T series.
http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Self_De..._FAQ/index.htm

[#18indycolts]

quote:If possible I'd like to stay away from stuff marked "Law Enforcement", but I'm willing to go for it if it's the only way.


Sorry, didn't read that before I posted, HST and Ranger-T's are both LE. Just curious, why do you want to stay away from them? Its not illegal to have them and they are way above any civilian rounds.

[scorpion_tyr]

Just curious, why do you want to stay away from them? Its not illegal to have them and they are way above any civilian rounds.

I'd like to avoid any legal issues that may come up if it's not perfectly clear that I acted in self defense if I have to use the ammo. I know it's not illegal, I have some old Black Talons and a few other LE rounds. I just don't want to try and explain to the jury why I had ammo marked "Law Enforcement" when I am not. It's not that big of a concern really, just hoping I can avoid it and get meet my other goals.

[Keltyke]

I'd like to avoid any legal issues that may come up

Actually, it could work the other way. Ayoob recommends calibers and cartridges that local LE agencies use. That could bring up the question in court, "Too much gun? Tell me, Officer, what gun and ammo do YOU carry?" If you use similar stuff to what they use, you can't be accused of "over-gunning" or "loading to kill". Don't laugh, that's a common prosecution ploy.

[BillCA]

Scorpion,

Let's get this out of the way first...

DA: Why do you have "law enforcement" ammo when you're not a member of any agency? Are you a cop-wannabe? Do you think it's your job to punish people?

Reply: I bought that ammunition because it is what many police agencies issue to their officers, and reviews say it is reliable, accurate and effective. And it is more cost effective than some other brands.

Most brands are going to be have reliable ignition and once checked for feeding issues, should be reliable enough for SD use. The next important item is accuracy. Test firing will tell you if the round is accurate out of your gun, and if there is too much recoil or flash.

If you look at the performance of modern JHP ammo and all the brands, you'll find that some perform a little better than others but today's premium ammo is far superior to that which we used 15-20 years ago.

Pick the brand that is most accurate in each gun and go with it. Worrying about the difference of 3/4" of penetration or .08" of expansion between your round and a "better" one is not worth worrying about.

[Flyover Country]

+1 to Keltyke and BillCA. I'm no mall ninja, and certainly can't carry in Illinois, but Ayoob is exceptionally knowledgeable when it comes to righteous shootings and the aftermath. YMMV depending on your local prosecutor, but a zealot out to make a name for himself might very well try the "over-gunned" argument. Having an "issue" type of ammunition is more likely to be a help, provided you acquired it legally and have proof of such.

Plus, I've personally seen those Ranger T's when they're expanded, and I gotta tell you...if I ever needed to fire on a bad guy, I'd want those little demons as my first choice. They are absolutely nasty looking, and from what I've heard, accurate as all get out, in addition to being reliable and relatively inexpensive for such a premium round.

My admittedly feeble $.02

[btolliverjr]

+1 to skoro

[bikerbill]

An issue with me is function ... It might be nice to carry the same ammo brand in all guns but .... I carry DPX in my revolvers, but my winter carry gun, a Kimber Ultra Carry II, hates the stuff and routinely jams with it .. that's why it's loaded with Golden Saber, which has never failed to feed, fire and eject ... you HAVE to try your choice of ammo in the gun you'll be using it in, not just blindly pick one brand and assume it will work across the board ...

[Keltyke]

you HAVE to try your choice of ammo in the gun you'll be using it in,

I'll agree 100%. Shoot AT LEAST a box (or two) through your weapon at the range before carrying it.