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Choosing The Right Self-Defense Bullet

Talyn

Talyn

SAINT
Founding Member

How Self-Defense Bullets Work—And Why It Matters​

There’s ample data to demonstrate that bullet performance isn’t simply a matter of bore diameter and kinetic energy. Bullet construction is crucial because it is effects penetration, but how do you know which defensive bullet is best for you?

Choosing The Right Self-Defense Bullet

SP_0000_golddotcarrygun9mm_2square-1200x500.jpg
 
too many articles about this.

i buy Federal HST...done deal.

i ain't going wacky with self defense ammo.

this article was basically an advertisement for Speer...and only Speer, so it really isn't/wasn't a valid article, as no other self defensive ammo was mentioned.

purely advertisement

There’s no need to pour over all the ballistic data and gel test results every time you buy a self-defense load.
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why not..??? it's an ad for Speer, that's why....

If you’re carrying a pistol with a short barrel, consider a round designed for compact pistols. Good options with proven track records include and Speer Gold Dot Carry Gun and Gold Dot Short Barrel.
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Old_Me said:
i buy Federal HST...done deal.

i ain't going wacky with self defense ammo.
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What do you think Federal HST is?

Federal and Speer are owned by the same parent company. Speer Gold Dot and Federal Fusion bullets are made at Speer's plant in Lewiston, ID, whereas HST bullets are made in Anoka, MN.

No matter which ammo type/caliber you choose the article offers info that helps a person to decide what may meet their needs.
 
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I really can't call this an article, it is an advertisement for Speer Gold Dots. It's not a bad advertisement but it is an advertisement.

I'm pretty sure I told the story before (I'm pretty sure I've told most of my stories before) but I'm not a ballistics expert. I don't understand it so I asked somebody whose opinion I trust.

There is a trainer/author/ recognized SME named Kathy Jackson who has a really good reputation. I sent her an email and I asked her to recommend a self-defense round. She recommended 124G Speer Gold Dots +P. So that's what I bought.

She also sent me a link to an article written by Dr. Gary Roberts, who is apparently the leading subject matter expert on wound ballistics. He's the guy that tells the FBI what to buy.

According to Kathy Jackson and Dr. Roberts (who is an Oral Surgeon by the way which is not a profession you would think of when you think of wound ballistics expert) anything on the list that he compiles would be adequate for self-defense in a handgun.

I may have misunderstood this but I have a friend who during his police career was the guy that bought the ammunition for his department.

From what he said, if his Department needed 10,000 rounds of a given ammunition he couldn't just put in an order with Speer and get 10,000 rounds sent to him. Because they don't have that much production capacity.

So if he needs 10,000 rounds for his Police Department he puts in a thousand round order with Speer and a thousand round order with Winchester Ranger and a thousand round order with Federal and so on until he gets his 10,000 rounds (10,000 is a number I pulled out of my butt).

Bottom line, anything on Dr Robert's list will perform adequately for self-defense so the guy just gets his 10,000 rounds from off the list.

Link to the list

Service Caliber Handgun Duty and Self-Defense Ammo

6/1/16 When comparing well designed duty handgun ammunition, there are minimal differences in penetration depths and temporary cavity effects, as noted below in the gel shots by Doug Carr: http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq319/DocGKR/Handgun_gel_comparison.jpg As...
pistol-forum.com
 
Talyn said:
What do you think Federal HST is?

Federal and Speer are owned by the same parent company. Speer Gold Dot and Federal Fusion bullets are made at Speer's plant in Lewiston, ID, whereas HST bullets are made in Anoka, MN.
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yes, but do i care who owns who..??

a resounding NO...the article you posted was not an in depth one, as to which particular ammo is good for one situation or another....it was only a sales ad for Speer ammo..

let's call a spade a spade.
 
The Night Rider said:
I really can't call this an article, it is an advertisement for Speer Gold Dots. It's not a bad advertisement but it is an advertisement.

I'm pretty sure I told the story before (I'm pretty sure I've told most of my stories before) but I'm not a ballistics expert. I don't understand it so I asked somebody whose opinion I trust.

There is a trainer/author/ recognized SME named Kathy Jackson who has a really good reputation. I sent her an email and I asked her to recommend a self-defense round. She recommended 124G Speer Gold Dots +P. So that's what I bought.

She also sent me a link to an article written by Dr. Gary Roberts, who is apparently the leading subject matter expert on wound ballistics. He's the guy that tells the FBI what to buy.

According to Kathy Jackson and Dr. Roberts (who is an Oral Surgeon by the way which is not a profession you would think of when you think of wound ballistics expert) anything on the list that he compiles would be adequate for self-defense in a handgun.

I may have misunderstood this but I have a friend who during his police career was the guy that bought the ammunition for his department.

From what he said, if his Department needed 10,000 rounds of a given ammunition he couldn't just put in an order with Speer and get 10,000 rounds sent to him. Because they don't have that much production capacity.

So if he needs 10,000 rounds for his Police Department he puts in a thousand round order with Speer and a thousand round order with Winchester Ranger and a thousand round order with Federal and so on until he gets his 10,000 rounds (10,000 is a number I pulled out of my butt).

Bottom line, anything on Dr Robert's list will perform adequately for self-defense so the guy just gets his 10,000 rounds from off the list.

Link to the list

Service Caliber Handgun Duty and Self-Defense Ammo

6/1/16 When comparing well designed duty handgun ammunition, there are minimal differences in penetration depths and temporary cavity effects, as noted below in the gel shots by Doug Carr: http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq319/DocGKR/Handgun_gel_comparison.jpg As...
pistol-forum.com
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Um.

I can go to a number of online retailers (SGAmmo, Lucky Gunner…et al) and buy 10k rounds of Gold Dot. That’s only 10 cases…I guarantee you, 10k rounds is small potatoes to a major manufacturer like Speer.

I’ve seen actual pallets of HST—probably 100k rounds on each—being delivered to large gun shops.
 
HansGruber said:
Um.

I can go to a number of online retailers (SGAmmo, Lucky Gunner…et al) and buy 10k rounds of Gold Dot. That’s only 10 cases…I guarantee you, 10k rounds is small potatoes to a major manufacturer like Speer.

I’ve seen actual pallets of HST—probably 100k rounds on each—being delivered to large gun shops.
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Like I said, 10,000 was a number I pulled out of my ass.

I very well may have misunderstood the guy but the impression that I got was that he couldn't always meet his department's needs from just one manufacturer. Not that he never could just said he sometimes couldn't.

More importantly, the overall point I was trying to make was that more than one brand of SD ammunition is adequate for self-defense.
 
Since there are folks new to owning firearms here, and ask questions regularly about ammo choices, the article can help them understand ammunition types/choices/options.

While the experienced pistoleros here may find the article lacking I'm sure they've already made their choices on ammo types & brands.

My .02
 
OkiePewPew said:
Still my fav source
www.luckygunner.com

Handgun Self-Defense Ammunition - Ballistic Testing Data

Lucky Gunner tests more than 110 different 9mm, 45 ACP, 40 S&W and 380 ACP handgun self-defense ammunition loads in ballistic gel with analysis and video.
www.luckygunner.com www.luckygunner.com
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a much better and comprehensive run down on all the ammo available for self defense, rather than an add "buy ours", that new shooters will not have the full information about.
 
Talyn said:
Since there are folks new to owning firearms here, and ask questions regularly about ammo choices, the article can help them understand ammunition types/choices/options.

While the experienced pistoleros here may find the article lacking I'm sure they've already made their choices on ammo types & brands.

My .02
Click to expand...
Sometimes we forget that there are likely a lot of new shooters here. Good point!
 
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