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P R O D U
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AMMUNITION FOR THE SELF-DEFENSE
FIREARM |
Opinion by
Anonymous
Thomas Pugh
Exxcess Quality Products
I decided to reproduce this
rather long piece here partly
because it is clearly the
author's desire that it be
widely disseminated. Another
part is that it makes
interesting reading, and I enjoy
a good read as much as anyone.
Although the author has some
strong opinions, they are
informed opinions, and worthy of
careful consideration. Actually,
I have an idea about the
identity of "Anonymous," which
is another reason this piece
appears here, but it is the
author's desire to remain
anonymous, and in any case I
could be wrong, so I have made
no attempt to confirm my
suspicion. Enjoy Ammunition For
The Self-Defense Firearm
INTRODUCTION
This is a guide to help you
select the best ammunition for
your defensive firearm. Most of
these opinions are based upon
the work of Massad Ayoob, Evan
Marshall and Ed Sanow, police
officers who have extensively
studied the issue of firearms,
ammunition and stopping power. I
refer all interested parties to
the excellent series by Ayoob
('In the Gravest
Extreme,''Stressfire,' 'The
Semi-Automatic Pistol in Police
Service and Self-Defense', 'Stressfire
II: Advanced Combat Shotgun')
and the comprehensive book
'Stopping Power' by Marshall and
Sanow.
In particular, it cannot be
stressed too heavily that all
gun owners should own a copy of
'In the Gravest Extreme' and
re-read it periodically. Once
you have read it you will
understand why. Buy it. (The
Ayoob titles - and other items
like Cor-Bon ammunition and
Spyderco 'Clipit' folding knives
- are available mail order
($9.95@ and $3.95 shipping and
handling) from "Police
Bookshelf," P.O. Box 122,
Concord NH 03302; telephone #
1-800-624-9049. American
Express, VISA, Mastercard, and
Discover cards gladly accepted.
Order today - you will be
grateful.)
These three policemen are the
world's foremost authorities on
choosing ammunition for
real-world defensive use. Their
views are based on exhaustive
review of thousands of police
and civilian shooting incidents,
autopsies, and ballistic tests.
Some other authorities rely
entirely on the latter (e.g. Dr.
Martin Fackler, the FBI Wound
Ballistics Lab, the National
Institute of Justice Ballistic
Research Laboratory) which is
insufficient to make reliable
predictions. Human beings react
differently to being shot than
gelatin, goats, or other test
media, and bullets that perform
spectacular feats in the
laboratory sometimes give
mediocre results on the street.
A perfect example of this are
the silly 1989-90 FBI tests
which resulted in the FBI
choosing the mediocre 10mm S&W
Model 1076 and the 180 grain JHP
round. For this reason, I have
chosen to rely on Ayoob,
Marshall, and Sanow when it
comes to selecting my ammunition
and strongly advise you do the
same. What follows is
essentially a distillation of
their opinions. I urge you to
research the sources listed for
a more detailed discussion than
is possible here.
I cannot stress too heavily that
the primary determinant of
stopping power is BULLET
PLACEMENT. A cool, deliberate
marksman with a little .32
Walther PPK will beat a panicky,
inaccurate man with a .357
Magnum or $1200 customized .45
auto every time. Whatever
firearm and caliber you select,
you must practice firing
hundreds - thousands - of rounds
in realistic defensive scenarios
until you can confidently make
disabling hits on your target.
Tactics and marksmanship win
gunfights - not having the
latest 'wonder bullet' in your
gun.
Unfortunately, I cannot teach
you tactics in this short essay,
only recommend proven
ammunition. You MUST seek out
competent training in tactics
and marksmanship from a
qualified instructor in your
area. In the meanwhile, studying
Ayoob's great book 'Stressfire'
will get you off to an excellent
start.
Self Defense Ammunition
Generally
American ammunition is the best
in the world. Stick to Federal,
Cor-Bon, Remington, Winchester
or CCI (the Big Five)
ammunition. Some foreign stuff
is pretty good (PMC, IMI-Samson,
Fiocci), some foreign stuff is
great (Dynamit-Nobel, Norma,
GECO), some foreign stuff is
practice-only junk (e.g. CDM -
Mexico, military surplus), but
no foreign stuff is anywhere
near as good as domestic
ammunition when it comes to
vanquishing hostile attackers.
Buy American.
Never use hand-loaded or
re-loaded ammunition for
self-defense! You may encounter
some joker who says he can
hand-load ammunition so powerful
it will knock anything on two
legs down for the count, but
don't buy it. This junk will
either misfire or ruin your gun.
Use only fresh factory-loaded
cartridges, period. There are NO
EXCEPTIONS to this rule: use
factory-loaded cartridges only.
Handguns
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.
The point is not to wound or
kill the adversary: the point 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.
Handguns are not death-rays;
despite what you see in the
movies, the vast majority of
people shot with handguns
survive (over 80%). Handguns are
weak compared to rifles and
shotguns, and thus you want
every edge you can get. Great
ammunition is no more expensive
than mediocre ammunition, so
carry the best. Rifles and
shotguns have stopping power to
spare; handguns do not. Thus you
must select your handgun load
very carefully, and the detail
of the handgun ammunition
section reflects this.
Hollowpoint ammunition is NOT
more lethal than ball (full
metal jacket) ammunition. You
may have seen media hype about
"killer dum-dum bullets" but
this is nonsense. Hollowpoint
bullets usually expand and stop
in the human body, and thus the
attacker absorbs much more of
the bullet's kinetic energy than
if the bullet had merely zipped
through him and left two small
holes. Hollowpoint ammunition is
also safer for all parties
concerned.
* You are safer because your
attacker is more likely to be
incapacitated after one or two
shots and thus unable to fire
back, stab you, or whatever. The
decreased likelihood of your
attacker dying from hollowpoint
bullets saves you the moral and
legal complications and expense
you will experience from killing
a man.
* Innocent bystanders are safer
because hollowpoint bullets are
less likely to exit the
attacker's body and go on to
injure anyone else. The ricochet
danger is also much lower than
that of ball ammunition, and
hollowpoint bullets are less
likely to penetrate walls or
doors and strike uninvolved
third parties. Furthermore, if
your foe is incapacitated
quickly he won't be spraying
wild bullets around, endangering
uninvolved third parties.
* Lastly, your attacker is safer
because he is far less likely to
die from one or two hollowpoint
bullets than the five or six
round-nose slugs you would have
had to fire to put him down.
Most gunshot deaths occur from
shock and loss of blood, and
ball rounds tend to make entry
and exit wounds, whereas
hollowpoints go in and stay put.
An attacker shot twice with ball
ammo will probably have four
holes in him rather than two,
and is thus in far greater
danger of death from blood loss.
If you can avoid killing your
attacker you should, for both
moral and legal reasons.
There are some exceptions to the
"carry only hollowpoints in a
handgun" rule. Some older or
cheaper automatic pistols, will
jam with hollowpoint rounds.
With these guns one must use
ball rounds (or "full metal
jacket" rounds - the terms are
synonymous), and I specify
"reliable with ball only" models
by caliber. It is crucial for
you to test your pistol to make
certain it is reliable with
specific loads - don't rely on
my advice. My life will never
depend on the reliability of
your handgun. Your life may.
Rifles
Generally speaking, hollowpoint
bullets are the best choice for
rifles. Some soft-point designs
are recommended, and these will
be specified.
Shotguns
Use buckshot. Slugs and birdshot
are useful in some limited and
uncommon situations.
A Note On Exotic Ammunition
There are several exotic
ammunition designs on the market
today, such as the Glaser Safety
Slug, Mag-Safe, GECO BAT 9mm,
Thunderzap, et cetera. 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).
'Glaser Safety Slugs' are one
exotic round I can fully
recommend, but only for
revolvers in a few scenarios.
The Glaser is a proven
man-stopper and has very good
quality control, but may not
feed or cycle reliably in your
automatic pistol. Because you
cannot afford to fire enough
Glasers to establish that it
feeds reliably in your pistol
(i.e. 100 test-fire rounds will
cost $300), I cannot recommend
them for pistol owners (if you
insist on Glasers, carry one in
the chamber and load the
magazine with a proven
hollowpoint. Be aware, however,
that the Glaser may not have the
power to cycle your slide, and
thus you may be carrying a
single-shot gun. You can always
cycle the slide manually, of
course, but this takes time and
both hands; two things you may
not be able to spare when
fighting for your life. The
Walther PPK, H&K P7 series and
SIG P230 are notorious for this
failure-to-cycle problem with
Glaser Safety Slugs).
With revolvers feeding is not an
issue, of course, but there are
other factors to consider. The
Glaser is designed for easy
break-up and minimal
penetration, which is great for
cutting down ricochet and
over-penetration dangers but
drastically limits its ability
to penetrate light cover between
you and your foe. A car window,
hollow-core door, or even thick
winter clothing between you and
your assailant can cause the
Glaser to disintegrate and leave
him unharmed. Bad news for
you....great news for him.
There are some situations where
the Glaser is a good choice,
however. I keep my bedside .357
revolver loaded with .38
Special+P Glasers because I live
in a thin-walled apartment
building and want to be able to
put down an intruder rapidly
without worrying about injuring
my neighbors. I chose .38 over
.357 Magnums because I am likely
to be in a just-awakened daze
and would rather not be blinded
and disoriented by the flash,
kick and blast of firing a .357
Magnum in a (probably darkened)
room. You may have a similar
situation (e.g. retail store
defense) where injury to third
parties is of concern, and
you'll likely be facing an
assailant at extremely close
range where the Glaser's
inaccuracy and inability to
penetrate cover will not be
drawbacks. In these narrowly
defined scenarios, the Glaser is
a good choice, but keep a couple
of speedloaders of hollowpoints
handy, just in case. I do.
Glaser Safety Slugs are
available in "Blue" or "Silver"
versions. The latter are a
little heavier for better
penetration, but performance is
similar. I would be happy with
either, but Sanow prefers the
Silver. It's up to you.
Mag-Safes are imitations of
Glasers, and I cannot recommend
them due to poor quality
control. Reliability is the
number one requirement of a
self-defense handgun, and Mag-Safes
don't make the grade.
GECO "Blitz Action Trauma" or
BAT 9mm rounds from Germany are
a proven design. Called the "GECO
Action Safety" in Europe, this
is a high velocity (1400 feet
per second) lightweight (86
grain) hollow bullet that has
proven itself to be very
reliable and successful on the
street. I recommend them, but
they are very tough to find.
Save yourself the trouble and
use a good American-made
hollowpoint.
Thunderzaps are
ultra-lightweight bullets made
of aluminum. They are made in
.38 Special caliber only, as of
this writing, and have not yet
been proven on the street.
Other exotics are best avoided.
You may occasionally encounter
"Omni-Shocks," "Terminators,"
"Annihilators," "Kaswer Law
Grabbers," and other such
marginalia in gun shops. Stay
away. 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.
Terminology
I have tried to keep specialized
technical jargon to a minimum,
but it will be helpful for you
to understand a few terms and
acronyms:
- 'Ball' is round-nosed metal
jacketed ammunition. It is used
for self-loading firearms like
pistols. All military pistol and
rifle ammunition uses full metal
jacket bullets. Synonyms for
ball include FMJ ("full metal
jacket"), MC ("metal case") and
TMJ ("totally metal jacketed," a
term used only by the ammunition
maker CCI). Ball rounds do not
expand and are always the worst
choice in a defensive round. The
military uses ball because it
feeds well (i.e. rarely jams),
penetrates far, and the military
is required to use ball under
the Geneva Convention.
Fortunately, you are free to
choose better ammunition, and
should use ball for practice
only.
- 'Wadcutters' and 'semi-wadcutters'
are sharp-shouldered revolver
bullets with an odd cylindrical
appearance. True wadcutters are
very weak rounds used for target
shooting only. Unless you own a
.38 or .357 revolver, forget
about these.
- 'Jacketed soft-points' are
jacketed bullets with exposed
lead at the tip. These make poor
defensive rounds for handguns
but may be effective for rifles,
due to the latter's high
velocity. Never use JSP rounds
in a handgun for self-defense.
Never.
- 'Jacketed hollowpoints' are
the best choice for handguns and
most rifles. JHP rounds have a
hollow cavity in the nose and
usually expand (and stop) in the
body of your attacker,
transferring all their kinetic
energy for maximum stopping
power. They are the safest and
best bullets available. JHP
bullets are always best for
self-defense.
-'Round-nose lead' (or RNL) are
generally revolver bullets
without any metal jacket around
the bullet. These are worthless
for self-defense, and I don't
even use them at the range. If
you come upon a bargain lot of
RNL ammo, feel free to buy it
for target practice. You will be
scrubbing out your barel until
the wee hours, however, as
all-lead bullets scum up barrels
something fierce. Use 'Flitz'
metal polish to scour out the
grimy residue.
HANDGUN AMMUNITION BY CALIBER
(Note: for an excellent and
comprehensive look at the best
handgun rounds by caliber, see
the article 'What Are The Best
Loads For Defense?' by Ed Sanow
in the July, 1995 issue of
Petersen's 'HANDGUNS' magazine)
.22 Long Rifle
You should really be using
something bigger than a .22 for
self-defense, but even a .22
beats nothing. There are some
really nice .22 pocket autos,
and they make a lot of sense for
women reluctant to tote a bigger
gun around. Choose any Federal,
Remington, Winchester or CCI
metal-plated 37 grain (or
lighter) high velocity
hollowpoint round. I recommend
CCI "Stinger" 32-gr. or
Remington "Yellow Jacket" 33-gr.
hollowpoints, as they have been
very reliable in my Beretta 21A
and Walther TPH pistols.
Shoot a lot of rounds through
your self-defense .22, the ammo
is cheap and you want to be sure
to pick a reliable round. If
high-velocity solids don't cycle
reliably try standard-velocity.
There is little difference in
power but it may improve your
gun's reliability (e.g. Jennings
J-22 pistols are more reliable
with standard-velocity solids).
Marksmanship is crucial with
such a tiny gun, so practice
drawing your .22 and firing it
rapidly into a melon at ten feet
or so. Also keep your .22
autoloader meticulously clean -
these tiny guns cannot function
reliably with much gunk in them.
If you carry your .22 in a
pocket, purse or ankle holster
inspect it daily and brush off
any dust or grit with an old
toothbrush. Lubricate it
properly, too. This is very
important.
.25 ACP (6.35mm)
The best .25 load is the Hornady
35-gr. XTP-HP round. If it jams,
use any Federal, Remington, or
Winchester 50 grain ball round.
Winchester has an odd 45 gr.
"Expanding Point" round that
should be OK if it is reliable
in your gun (it seems to work
fine in Beretta 950 pistols, for
example), but don't expect any
improvement in performance over
the 50 grain ball rounds. The
excellent Walther TPH .25 should
be loaded with ball.
The Hornady 35 grain JHP should
be considered only if it is 100%
reliable in your pistol - fire
200 rounds through your gun to
see. Ed Sanow recommends the
MagSafe 22 grain "Defender" and
Glaser 40 grain Safety Slug.
.32 ACP (7.65 mm Browning,
7.65x17mm)
Use the Winchester 60 gr.
Silvertip Jacketed Hollow Point
(X32ASHP) if it is reliable in
your gun. I personally would
only carry Silvertips in a
Seecamp LWS .32. Most of the
common .32 autos on the market
are only reliable with 71 grain
ball: Llama, Walther PP and PPK,
Czech CZ-24 and CZ-70, Davis
P-32, Colt Pocket Model, Mauser
HSc, etc.
.32 Smith & Wesson Long
The best defense load for this
obsolescent revolver caliber is
the Federal 98 gr. lead
wadcutter (32LA). Shoot
carefully.
.32 H&R Magnum
Federal 85 gr. Jacketed Hollow
Point (32HRB). Stock up; this
ammunition won't be available
for long. Federal will drop it
soon due to lack of demand.
7.62x25mm (a.k.a. 7.63mm Mauser)
If you're using this obsolescent
communist caliber I can only
assume that you have an old
CZ-52 or Chinese Tokarev. Only
87 gr. ball ammo is available,
so leave the cheap Chinese
military stuff for practice and
carry Fiocchi 7.63 Mauser ball
in your gun.
.380 ACP (9mm Short, 9x17mm, 9mm
Kurz)
Now we're getting into some
decent stopping power. The three
or four best .380 JHP rounds
have better stopping power than
ANY bullet fired out of 2"
barrel .38 Special snub-nose.
All of the Big Five make good
hollowpoints for this caliber.
The Remington 88 grain JHP is
the most reliably-feeding
hollowpoint but slightly less
effective than the Hydra-shok or
Cor-Bon. Reliability is crucial,
and thus you must test the
rounds before carrying.
I recommend the following two
cartridges above all others:
-Federal 90 gr. Hydra-shok
(P380HS1) - the best
standard-pressure .380 JHP load,
period.
-Cor-Bon 90 gr. JHP - the most
powerful .380 hollowpoint, bar
none.
These are the two best .380
loads, and I recommend them for
these guns:
SIG/Sauer P230, Beretta 84/85,
Browning BDA, CZ-83, H&K P7K3,
Walther PPK and PPK/s. The
Russian, East German, Chinese
and Bulgarian Makarov pistols
are apparently perfectly
reliable with the hot Cor-Bon,
and the strong all-steel
construction of these guns
should stand up to an infinite
amount of these potent rounds. I
have heard that the Colt does
also well with the hot Cor-Bon
JHP, which you should definitely
look into if you own a Colt
.380. You have better stopping
power than any .38 snub-nose
revolver (the long-time favorite
concealment sidearm) when you
load your .380 with these two
rounds.
Other good .380 ACP jacketed
hollowpoints:
- Remington 102 gr. Golden Saber
BJHP (GS380M) - Another
excellent .380 load (the BJHP
stands for "Brass Jacketed
Hollow Point"), the heaviest one
available. I prefer the Cor-Bon
and Hydra-shok, but many
(including Sanow) like this new
Remington round for its deeper
penetration. I'll stick with the
Cor-Bon and Hydra-shok, but the
choice is yours.
- CCI-Speer 90 gr. Gold Dot JHP
A good all-around hollowpoint.
- Remington 88 gr. JHP (R380AI):
A good high-velocity hollowpoint
that feeds well in: Colt
Government Model .380, H&K HK4,
Taurus PT-58, older PP and PPK,
Bersa .380, Beretta 70s, Makarov
and Hungarian FEG. These are all
good guns that might choke on
other hollowpoints but they will
probably feed the Remington
fine. This hollowpoint was
redesigned in 1993 and gives
excellent performance while
retaining its rounded shape for
positive feeding. If your .380
chokes on other JHP loads, try
fifty rounds of the Remington 88
gr. through your gun and see if
it improves.
.380 ACP hollowpoints to avoid:
-Winchester 85 gr Silvertip
(X380ASHP) I really cannot
recommend this weak and
jam-prone round. It works
reliably in a few modern
European guns (e.g. SIG 230,
Beretta 84F), but every load
named above offers better
performance. The Silvertip will
likely jam in any American-made
.380 automatic. Russian .380
Makarovs and PPK series guns may
jam with the Silvertip, as well.
The .380 Silvertip was once
state-of-the-art, but has since
been superceded by superior
designs. It is also quite
expensive. Look elsewhere.
- PMC-Eldorado Starfire 95 gr.
JHP This round is similarly weak
and jam-prone.
- Federal 90 gr. JHP (380BP)
(see below)
- Hornady 90 gr. XTP-HP (9010)
Both the Federal 380BP and the
Hornady XTP-HP never expand and
may jam many guns due to their
truncated-cone bullet nose
profiles. Pass by these two.
95 gr ball:
Davis P-380, Accu-Tek, EAA .380,
Tanarmi, AMT/OMC/TDE "Back-Up,"
Heritage, FIE, Jennings, Bryco,
Lorcin, Llama, or "other."
Hollowpoints should never be
used in these low-priced guns.
9mm Makarov (9x18mm)
Cor-Bon makes the only 9mm Mak
hollowpoint on the market, an
excellent 95 grain JHP that is
totally reliable in all East
Bloc pistols. Go buy it. If you
cannot find it, order it by
mail. Use ball only as a last
resort, or for practice.
.38 Special
Loads for Full-Sized .38
Revolvers With 4" or Longer
Barrels: The Numero Uno .38
Special defense load for your 4"
barrel revolver is the Cor-Bon
.38 Special+P 115 grain JHP. It
is very high-pressure load and
should be used only in modern
six-shot revolvers. It has less
felt recoil and muzzle flip than
the #2 choice, which follows.
When I carry a 4" .38, I want it
loaded with this cartridge.
The second-best choice is the
.38 Special+P 158 grain lead
semi-wadcutter hollowpoint (LSWCHP)
available from Federal, CCI,
Winchester and Remington. Ayoob
has found the latter to have the
greatest expansion, so I would
choose Remington (catalog
#R38S12). This unjacketed
all-lead round (often called the
"FBI load" or "Chicago load") is
a proven manstopper, about on
par with .45 ball, when fired
from a 4" barrel. Your
fixed-sight .38 revolver it will
shoot to point-of-aim with this
load: lighter bullets will shoot
low (some very low). All
fixed-sight .38s are regulated
at the factory to shoot
accurately with 158 grain
bullets, as this was the weight
of the long-time standard
American and Canadian police
load.
* Federal makes the FBI load in
their Nyclad line covered with a
thin Nylon jacket (#P38G). I
don't know why you would want
this over their all-lead version
(#38G), but if you like it,
fine. It works as well as the
all-lead round, and you won't
have to worry about airborne
lead particles clogging up your
lungs, or whatever.
* CCI offers the famous FBI load
in their economical
aluminum-cased Blazer line
(#3523). This is a bargain. What
I really recommend, however, is
that for practice you use the
CCI Blazer 158 grain JACKETED
hollowpoint (#3526) because it
duplicates the ballistics and
recoil of the FBI load without
fouling your barrel with
hard-to-scrub-out lead deposits.
These are a bitch to clean (I
use 'Flitz' metal polish with
good results. It will also
remove unsightly "burn rings"
from the cylinder face of your
stainless-steel revolver).
Note: .38 Special ammunition is
loaded to two pressure levels:
standard pressure and +P.
Standard pressure loads may be
used in any .38 Special
revolver, but +P loads should be
fired extensively only in
steel-frame .38 Special
revolvers. Firing a few (under
fifty) +P loads in your
aluminum-framed .38 Special
revolver will not destroy it or
cause it to explode, but will
damage your aluminum-framed
revolver if you fire more than a
hundred rounds. If I carried an
aluminum-framed .38 Special
revolver for protection, I would
not hesitate to carry +P .38
Special loads yet use mostly
standard pressure loads for
practice. The main problem with
carrying +P .38 Special loads in
an aluminum-framed .38 Special
revolver is that the kick is
nasty and slows repeat shots.
Thus I recommend standard
pressure ammunition for
aluminum-framed .38 Special
revolvers, as it is much easier
to score fast hits.
Other .38 Special Loads for Your
4" Barrel Revolver:
IMI-Samson also offers a
lightweight, very high pressure
load, the 110 gr. +P+ JHP. This
is said to be a ballistic
duplicate of the
law-enforcement-only "Treasury"
load that T-men used to carry.
Who cares? The Cor-Bon 115 gr.
+P load is superior. And never
use any 147 grain bullet in any
caliber. They are cursed.
All major manufacturers catalog
light .38+P hollowpoints, from
95-129 grains. None of these are
as successful as the Cor-Bon .38
Special +P 115 grain JHP or 158
grain +P LSWCHP, so why carry
them? Light +P loads only make
sense in a 2" barrel snub (more
on this later). The Federal
Hydra-shok and Winchester
Silvertip may look cool, but the
boring-looking Cor-Bon and FBI
loads do the job in a 4"
revolver. Stick with them.
PMC makes a bizarre 66 grain
tubular hollow bullet load. Some
enthusiastic gun-shop salesman
may try to sell it to you.
Refuse politely. Stay the hell
away from the weird and idiotic
Remington "Multi-Ball" (R38SMB)
- I have no idea what they were
thinking when they created this
worthless load. Also avoid the
Remington 95 grain +P SJHP
(R38S1) due to inadequate
penetration.
The Glaser Safety Slug is a good
choice for self-defense in a .38
revolver of any barrel length
(see caveats under "exotic
ammunition," above). It is
crucial to keep the chambers and
frame interior absolutely free
of oil or solvents when carrying
Glasers, as you don't want any
Breakfree CLP or Hoppe's #9
solvent seeping into the primer
pocket and deactivating the
round. This is important for all
rounds, of course, but the
Glaser isn't known for
particularly good sealing
against such mishaps. You may
also want to consider carrying
two Glasers as the first rounds
to be fired, and JHP loads for
the rest. This gives you a bit
of insurance if your assailant
tucks himself behind a sheet
rock wall or doorway or some
other flimsy cover that JHP
rounds can blast through.
A Special Note on Snub-Nose .38
Revolvers With 2" or 3" Barrels:
The Cor-Bon .38 Special+P 115
grain JHP and 158 grain LSWCHP
FBI load are not the best choice
for 2" or 3" barrel revolvers.
The short barrel does not
provide enough velocity to
ensure reliable expansion with
these load, and the unpleasant
and hard-to-control recoil hurts
snub-nose accuracy (as well as
your hand). Controllability is
crucial, and I recommend lighter
+P loads, or even non +P
standard pressure loads, for the
.38 snub-nose.
Good +P choices for a
steel-frame 2" .38 snub-nose
revolver are:
* Federal 125 grain +P Nyclad
LSWHP (P38N) - my preferred .38
2" barrel snub-nose revolver
load (a.k.a. the "Chief's
Special Load").
* Federal 129 grain +P Hydra-shok
JHP (P38HS1)
* Remington 125 grain +P Golden
Saber HPJ (GS38SB)
* Cor-Bon 115 grain +P JHP - I
would recommend this
ultra-high-pressure load only
for the sturdy (and heavy) Ruger
SP101 snub-nose .38 or .357
Magnum revolver.
Standard Pressure (non +P)
Loads.
If you carry an aluminum-frame
snub nose .38 (e.g. S&W Model 38
Bodyguard, 642, 442, 37, or Colt
Cobra) I urge you to carry a
standard pressure (non +P) .38
round. Firing a few +P rounds
won't ruin your gun, but
extended +P use will cause some
damage (say, over 100 rounds).
Lightweight snubbies kick like a
mule with the FBI load or other
+P rounds, and more controllable
standard loads will enable you
to get more hits in rapid fire
(remember - only hits count).
The best standard pressure .38
load is the Federal 125 grain
Nyclad lead hollowpoint (P38M).
This P38M hollowpoint - known as
the "Chief's Special load" - was
specifically designed to expand
at lower velocities and is the
industry leader in standard
pressure .38 rounds. I
particularly recommend this
round for women who carry .38
snubs (steel- or
aluminum-framed), as women tend
to be weaker and more sensitive
to blast and kick. This may seem
sexist, but it's also true.
Another acceptable standard
pressure .38 load is the
Winchester Silvertip 110 grain
JHP (X38S9HP), but I strongly
prefer the Federal Nyclad P38M
.38 Special.
Note well: if you have a J-frame
Smith & Wesson snub-nose .38
(i.e. the five-shot Model 36/37
Chief's Special, Model 38/49/649
Bodyguard, the 640/642/442/940
Centennial) you can greatly
improve the controllability of
your gun by installing Uncle
Mike's "Boot Grip." This is a
$14 godsend. The skinny little
wooden grips that come on these
guns are worthless. Installing
good grips does wonders for your
ability to control your .38
snub-nose revolver in rapid fire
for more hits.
9mm Parabellum (9mm
Luger,9x19mm, 9mm NATO, or
simply "9mm")
This is unquestionably the
world's most popular pistol
round. For this reason it has
been the subject of a lot of
experimentation, because 9mm
ball - used by every army in the
Western world - is a mediocre
manstopper. Jacketed
hollowpoints are a must if one
wishes to rely on the 9mm as a
defense round. Use ball ammo for
practice only.
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. For this
reason I add a table at the end
of the 9mm section discussing
round suitability for different
guns. Modern hollowpoints may
either (a) jam, or (b) be too
powerful for some older guns.
This load is suitable only for
First Class pistols (see table).
The best standard pressure 9mm
load is the Federal 115 grain
JHP (9BP). Its effectiveness and
accuracy make it the world
standard. Buy several boxes.
Other excellent standard
pressure 9mm loads are the
Winchester Silvertip 115 grain
(X9MMSHP), Federal 124 grain
Hydra-shok (P9HS1) and Federal
Nyclad 124 grain (P9BP) JHP. The
Nyclad may feed better (than the
metal-jacketed 9BP) in some
older guns - such as Browning
Hi-Powers - which is good enough
reason to use it in your older
pistol. It is nearly equal to
the excellence of the 9BP in
terminal performance.
For guns that may jam with the
Cor-Bon or Federal 115 grain
hollow-points, the Remington 115
grain +P JHP is a good choice
(R9MM6). For older guns I would
use the Remington standard
pressure 115 gr. JHP (R9MM1).
Now it is time to impart some
crucial information: NEVER use
147 grain ammo in a 9mm pistol!
There was a stupid fad for 147
grain hollowpoints a few years
ago, and many were suckered into
buying these weak, worthless and
malfunction-prone rounds. 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.
German GECO "Blitz Action
Trauma" or BAT 9mm rounds are a
proven man-stopping design.
Called the "GECO Action Safety"
in Europe, this is a high
velocity (1400 feet per second)
lightweight (86 grain) hollow
bullet that has proven itself to
be reliable and successful on
the street. I recommend them,
but they are very tough to find.
Save yourself the trouble and
use good 115 grain hollowpoints
like the Cor-Bon or Remington +P
or Federal 9BP.
Bad 9mm Loads to avoid (and
certainly NEVER carry). Numbers
given:
Federal Gold Medal 9mm 147 grain
JHP (9MS)
Federal Hydra-Shok 9mm 147 grain
JHP (P9HS2)
Winchester 147 grain 9mm
Silvertip Subsonic JHP
(X9MMST147)
Winchester 147 grain 9mm Black
Talon JHP (S9MM)
Winchester 147 grain 9mm Super-X
Subsonic (XSUB9MM)
Remington 147 grain 9mm JHP
(R9MM8)
Remington 147 grain 9mm Golden
Saber JHP (GS9MMC)
Remington 140 grain 9mm JHP
(R9MM7)
Remington 88 grain 9mm JHP
(R9MM5) This bullet is far too
light.
CCI Lawman 147 grain 9mm PHP
"Plated Hollow Point" (3619)
Table Of 9mm Pistols.
(Note: just because your pistol
appears in Class 3, say, doesn't
mean it is unreliable: it may
indeed feed hollowpoints. But
you must fire at least 200
rounds of your chosen JHP carry
load to determine if your pistol
will feed them properly. I have
placed pistols in each category
according to reputation and
experience. These are only meant
as guidelines - your pistol may
feed JHP rounds better - or
worse - than this table
indicates)
First Class pistols are
ultra-reliable and high-quality
new guns than can feed any
hollowpoint and tolerate +P
loads with no problems:
SIG/Sauer P220 series. Czech
CZ75 and CZ85. Walther P5, P5C,
and P88. Heckler and Koch USP
and P7 series. All Glocks. All
Ruger 9mm pistols. Taurus PT-99,
PT-92 and PT-92C. Steyr GB.
Beretta 92 series. Browning BDM
and Hi-Power (if it says
"Portugal" on the slide). All
Smith & Wessons with a
four-digit model number (e.g.
5906, 3913, 6904, 5903) and the
Smith & Wesson 900 series. Star
M28, M30, M31, and all Firestars,
Megastars, and Ultrastars.
Second Class pistols are high
quality guns that may not feed
all hollowpoints reliably.
Remington 115 gr. hollowpoints
are recommended for these guns:
Smith & Wessons with two or
three digit model numbers (e.g.
659, 39-2, 469, 59, 39). Heckler
and Koch VP70 and P9S. Beretta
"Brigadier" M1951 and the
Egyptian copy, the Interarms "Helwan."
Colt M2000 "All-American" (now
discontinued, for good reason),
Colt Series 70 Government Model,
Series 70 Commander. Astra A-70,
A-75 and A-100. AMT "On Duty."
Daewoo. Bersa 'Thunder 9'. EAA
Witness, and all other CZ-75
copies (e.g. Tanfoglio, Tanarmi,
Springfield Armory P9). Taurus
PT-908. Walther P4. Star BK, BKM,
Model B and 'Super.' Browning
Hi-Powers without the word
"Portugal" on the slide. Llama
Model 82. IMI "Jericho" and "Kareen."
Third Class pistols should
generally be loaded with ball
for best reliability -
experiment with your gun
extensively before carrying JHP:
Walther P38, P4 or P1. Luger.
Llama. Maverick. MKS Model JS.
Intratec CAT-9, DC-9, KG-9, etc.
SWD Cobray Model 11/9 and
similar models. Scarab Scorpion.
Kimel AP-9. Bryco Jennings Model
59. All KBI Hungarian pistols
(e.g. GKK, PJ9C, P9HK and other
"FEG" products). "Norinco" or "Sportarms"
Chinese Tokarev pistols. Lahti.
Radom. MAB P15 and Model 1950.
.38 Super
Cor-Bon, Winchester and
Remington all make good jacketed
hollow-points in .38 Super. I
like the Cor-Bon 115 and 124
grain hollowpoints the best. The
Remington will feed more
smoothly in many guns, however,
especially Colts and Colt
M1911A1 copies like the
Springfield Armory and
Auto-Ordnance. The Llama .38
Super tends to jam with anything
except ball.
.357 Magnum
The most effective handgun round
on the market - regardless of
caliber - is the Federal .357
Magnum 125 grain jacketed
hollowpoint (357B). This load
has more stopping power than any
other handgun bullet (and this
includes more powerful rounds
like the .41 and .44 Magnums). I
advise all experienced revolver
men to carry the legendary
Federal 357B in a .357 revolver,
or the equally good Remington
full-power 125 grain
semi-jacketed hollowpoint
(R357M1).
There is one caveat, however.
The 357B and other full-power
.357 Magnums have a lot of blast
and kick. If you are not
comfortable with the buck and
roar of full-house .357 Magnums,
I would strongly suggest that
you use a lower-recoil round.
Controllability is important,
and you will be able to fire
lower-recoil rounds more rapidly
and accurately. All of these
.357 loads have excellent
stopping power, so don't worry
that you are giving up too much.
In descending order of severity
of recoil (i.e. the Silvertip
kicks the most) I recommend the
Winchester Silvertip 145 grain
JHP (X357SHP), The Remington
Golden Saber 125 grain JHP
(GS357MA), Federal 110 gr. JHP
(357D), Remington Medium
Velocity 125 grain Semi-Jacketed
Hollowpoint (R357M11) and the
Cor-Bon 115 grain JHP. The
latter two are excellent rounds
I strongly recommend for .357
Magnum 2.5" and 3" barrel
snub-nose revolvers like the S&W
Models 66, 19, 65, 13, the Colt
King Cobra, the Ruger GP100 and
especially the small-frame Ruger
SP101. If you still find that
your .357 kicks too much, carry
the Cor-Bon .38 Special+P 115
grain JHP discussed above. Two
or three hits with good .38+P
slugs beat any number of misses
with .357 slugs.
Note well: if you are using the
factory wood stocks on your S&W
or Taurus .357 revolver, you are
a fool. Ruger and Colt .357
Magnums come factory-equipped
with recoil-absorbing
ergodynamic rubber grips, and I
have no idea why S&W and Taurus
continue to put wood grips on
their .357 revolvers. The
difference in control is
enormous. Get some good, compact
rubber grips from Uncle Mike's
or Pachmayr and slap them onto
your .357 revolver ASAP. I used
to cringe every time I fired a
full-power load in my .357
Magnum snub-nose. Once I put
some compact Pachmayr grips on
it, however, I had no problem
firing the 357B accurately and
rapidly. These grips only cost
twenty bucks. Buy some.)
Other good .357 Magnum loads.
The 125 grain jacketed
hollowpoints by Cor-Bon,
Winchester, and CCI are all good
stoppers. The CCI Blazer 125
grain jacketed hollow-point is a
very good buy, both for practice
and self-defense use. The 110
grain jacketed hollowpoints by
Winchester, CCI and Remington
are all good for use in
snub-nose revolvers, or for
those sensitive to recoil. You
never go wrong with a 110-125
grain .357 jacketed hollowpoint
from the Big Five. All are great
stoppers.
Crappy .357 Magnum loads you
should not carry for
self-defense.
Never carry soft-points, semi-wadcutters,
or any of the 158 grain or 180
grain jacketed hollowpoints -
these are solely for hunting or
target use. Stick to jacketed
hollowpoints under 150 grains in
weight. The heavier bullets kick
heavily and will shoot high and
confuse you. All-lead bullets
are okay for practice but you
will have to spend twice as long
cleaning your gun. And stay the
hell away from the bizarre and
idiotic Remington "Multi-Ball"
(R357MB) - I have no idea what
they were thinking when they
created this worthless gimmick
load.
.357 SIG
There is only one .357 SIG JHP
available, the Federal 125 grain
jacketed hollowpoint, so use it.
I am unsure what advantage this
caliber is supposed to have over
the .40 S&W, but it should prove
to be a good stopper on the
streets. .357 SIG ballistics are
quite impressive.
.40 Smith & Wesson
This caliber is establishing an
excellent track record on the
street. Smith & Wesson and
Winchester really did their
research when they invented the
.40 S&W. Your choice comes down
to either the 180 grain jacketed
hollowpoints or the 135-155
grain jacketed hollowpoints by
Cor-Bon, Winchester, Federal,
CCI or Remington. All are good
stoppers, but the lighter weight
bullets have the best stopping
power records on the streets.
The real-world shooting database
is small, but clearly favors the
lighter 135-155 gr. JHP loads. I
personally would carry the
potent Cor-Bon 135 or 150 grain
jacketed hollowpoint or the
Winchester Silvertip 155 grain
jacketed hollowpoint
(X40SWSTHP). The 135-155 grain
JHP kicks less and has higher
kinetic energy and stopping
power than the 180 gr. JHP
loads. The 135 gr. JHP appears
to be a real stopper.
In short, you cannot go wrong
with the .40 S&W - unless you
carry ball. Choose a good
hollowpoint and stick with it.
Leave the ball for practice (the
CCI Blazer 180 grain TMJ is a
good inexpensive practice
round).
10mm Auto
The 10mm is not living up to
expectations. It was thought to
be the ne plus ultra of pistol
rounds when introduced in the
late 1980's, but hasn't turned
out to be superior to the better
9mm, .40 S&W or .45 ACP jacketed
hollowpoints. This isn't to say
that the 10mm Auto sucks - it is
a fine stopper. It's just that
we hoped for so much more.
<>10mm Auto ammunition is
available in two power levels,
"full-house" and "medium
velocity," as used by the FBI
(sometimes called "10mm Lite").
The "full-house" loads should be
left for hunting use: they kick
heavily, blow right through
assailants, and are very hard on
your gun. Stick to the medium
velocity ammo. I would pick the
Cor-Bon 135 grain Nosler JHP,
Federal 155 grain JHP (10E), or
Federal Hydra-shok 155 gr. JHP
(P40HS2). The "FBI load" is the
180 grain subsonic JHP, and
Federal, Winchester, and
Remington all produce good ones.
Take your pick, but you are
silly to ignore the superior
real-world performance of the
lighter 135-155 grain jacketed
hollowpoints.
The potent Winchester Silvertip
175 grain JHP (X10MMSTHP) is
close in power to the
"full-house" loads, and may be a
good choice for an experienced
shooter who is used to heavy
recoil. I personally would only
carry the Silvertip or
"full-house" loads in the field,
where I might have to shoot big,
cranky animals that seem
interested in munching on my
bodily parts. In this role the
10mm auto excels.
.41 Magnum
The best defense choice for this
hard-kicking caliber is the
Winchester Silvertip 175 grain
JHP (X41MSTHP2). The Remington
170 grain Semi-Jacketed
Hollowpoint (R41MG3) is also a
good round.
.44 Special
By far the best choice for your
.44 Special revolver is the Cor-Bon
180 grain JHP. Glasers or the
Winchester Silvertip 200 grain
JHP (X44STHPS2) are also good
rounds, particularly for any
5-shot .44 revolver.
.44 Magnum
The blast and kick of this
powerful caliber make it less
than optimum for defense use,
despite what you have seen in
the movies. Cor-Bon's 180 grain
or Federal's 180 grain (44B)
medium-velocity JHP are the
hands-down choices in this
caliber. Glasers, the Winchester
Silvertip 210 grain JHP
(X44MSTHP2) or the Federal 240
grain Hydra-shok (P44HS1) are
also acceptable choices.
.45 ACP (occassionally called
"11.43x23mm" by some silly
Europeans)
The .45 ACP is a recognized
manstopper, and there are many
excellent loads in this caliber.
Some of the best:
- Federal 230 grain Hydrashok
JHP (P45HS1): a great load, and
my #1 choice. It gives the most
stopping power in this potent
caliber.
- Federal 185 grain JHP (45C)
another top-notch load from
Federal. I would choose this
round for a compact, short-barrelled
.45 like the Colt Officer's ACP
or the S&W 4516. It has lighter
recoil than the Hydrashok or CCI
200 JHP, and its higher velocity
makes it more likely to expand
out of a short 3.5" barrel.
- Cor-Bon 185 grain Sierra JHP
- CCI Lawman 200 gr. JHP (3965).
a.k.a. the "Inspector" or
"Flying Ashtray."
- CCI Blazer 200 gr. JHP (3568).
The "Flying Ashtray" in an
economical aluminum case. Both
of these CCI loads use a
wide-mouth hollowpoint bullet
that may jam some guns. It is
100% reliable in newer guns like
the current production
"enhanced" Colt 1911A1, the
SIG/Sauer P220, Star M45
Firestar and Megastar, and all
Smith & Wesson, Para-Ordnance,
and Ruger .45 automatics and the
Smith & Wesson Model 625
revolver. (Note well: if you are
one of those knuckleheads who
install light springs in your
gun to get a lighter trigger
pull you are asking for trouble.
Never use CCI ammo in such a
gun, as CCI uses especially hard
primers and your hammer might
not be able to detonate the
round reliably, now that you
have monkeyed with it.)
- Remington 185 grain JHP
(R45AP2). This is the best
choice for older guns that may
jam with other hollow-points. I
would select this load for the
Heckler and Koch P9S, Browning
BDA, Springfield Armory, AMT and
Thompson M1911A1, Llama, Star
PD, etc.
- Cor-Bon and Remington .45+P
185 grain JHP (R45AP6). These
are very powerful and
hard-kicking rounds best left to
the experienced shooter. They
are pretty hard on your gun,
especially an aluminum-framed
pistol like the SIG/Sauer P220
or Colt Lightweight Commander.
If you are sufficiently expert
to confidently carry the .45+P
you certainly don't need my
advice on load selection. That
being said, these +P rounds are
second only to the famed Hydra-shok
in stopping power. They really
sledgehammer the bad guys down.
Other good .45 ACP loads.
The Winchester Silvertip 185
grain JHP (X45ASHP2), CCI Gold
Dot and Remington Golden Saber
(GS45APB) are all good choices.
If you like them, fine, but they
have no edge over loads
mentioned above. I say stick to
the tried and true.
Ball.
The .45 ACP "hardball" load (the
standard military 230 grain full
metal jacket) is a pretty good
stopper, the only FMJ round I
would feel comfortable relying
on for defense. Save the ball
for practice, but if you must
carry it (because your gun jams
with hollowpoints) feel
confident that you will put any
assailant down rapidly with one
or two well-placed hits. The
Llama, Federal Ordnance, AMT,
and Auto-Ordnance M1911A1 copies
often jam with anything except
230 grain ball. Never compromise
when it comes to reliability: if
your gun only feeds ball, then
ball is what you carry.
.45 Colt
I hope your self-defense .45
Colt is a good double-action
design like the Smith & Wesson
Model 25 and not some
single-action hunting gun. Load
your revolver with the Cor-Bon
200 grain JHP. The Federal 225
gr. Lead Semi-Wadcutter
Hollowpoint (45LCA) or
Winchester 225 gr. Silvertip JHP
(X45CSHP2) are also good.
SHOTGUN AMMUNITION BY CALIBER
(Gauge)
The shotgun is the ne plus ultra
of manstoppers. No other weapon
will put a man down as reliably
as a shotgun, and no other
weapon is as likely to hit your
opponent as a shotgun filled
with buckshot. No doubt you have
heard a lot of nonsense about
the lethality of "assault
rifles" and "Uzi sub-machine
guns" and the like. The fact is
that the shotgun is by far the
deadliest and most effective
firearm for short-range personal
defense. For example: an Uzi or
Heckler & Koch sub-machine gun
has about 340 ft-lbs. of impact
energy - a 12 gauge shotgun has
2500 to 3100 ft-lbs. of impact
energy, and it is a heck of a
lot easier to hit your target
with a shotgun than a
sub-machine gun.
The shotgun is not a magic
weapon that will slay all foes,
but it is simply the most
effective man-stopping firearm
yet devised. I invoke the
Ascended Master, Massad Ayoob:
"It is perhaps the most
efficient close-range killing
machine in the world's arsenal
of small arms." For a discussion
of the shotgun's strengths and
weaknesses I refer all
interested parties to Ayoob's
excellent and comprehensive book
'The Truth About
Self-Protection' (truly the best
$8.95 investment you'll ever
make), which discusses every
element of self-defense from
locks, chemical sprays and
alarms to defensive driving,
firearms and defending yourself
against dogs. A more in-depth
treatment of the issue may be
found in Ayoob's book-length
volume on shotgun technique, 'Stressfire
II: Advanced Combat Shotgun'.
A Note On Terminology
Shotgun ammunition falls into
three general categories:
BUCKSHOT - shell loaded with
large-diameter lead balls (.24"
and up) used for big game
hunting and self-defense. The
number of pellets in 12 gauge
buck-shot varies from eight .36"
balls in "000 buck" to 27 .24"
pellets in "#4 buck". Buckshot
ratings are archaic and hard to
understand (as are shotgun
specifications and ammunition in
general), but thankfully there
isn't much you need to learn.
Simply write down the
recommended loads, walk into
your local gunshop and announce
your desired ammunition (note
that "00" is pronounced "double
ought" and "000" is pronounced
"triple ought." Don't say "zero
zero" or "oh-oh-oh buckshot" in
front of gunshop employees -
they will snicker and mock you
cruelly behind your back). Then
practice with both your selected
defense load and low-cost
birdshot to fully familiarize
yourself with the operation of
your gun and its terminal
performance (e.g. patterns at
various distances, the startling
effects of buckshot on ballistic
melons).
BIRDSHOT- small-diameter pellets
used for bird hunting. Its
stopping power is poor, except
when used at very close range -
out to 20-30 feet. For that
reason it is not generally
recommended, except for home
defense use.
SLUGS are solid lead bullets for
shotgun use. These are big,
heavy, fat hunks of soft lead
that have enormous stopping
power (e.g. a typical 12 gauge
slug is .73" caliber and weighs
438 grains - a 9mm bullet is
.355" and 115 grains). Use of
slugs ruins the shotgun's main
advantage - superior hit
probability - as slugs must be
carefully aimed to be effective.
It is important to remember,
however, that shotguns must be
aimed with shot, too - do not
for a minute think that you can
simply point your shot-loaded
shotgun at the foe and let
loose. Shotguns must be
skillfully aimed and fired just
like hand-guns and rifles. The
shotgun is simply more likely to
hit the attacker.
.410 Gauge
None of the above really applies
in this weak caliber. The .410
is only a half-way decent
manstopper with slugs. Choose
the Federal Classic (F412RS) or
Winchester Super-X (X41RS5) 1/5
ounce (88 grain) hollowpoint
slug. Never use birdshot.
American Derringer Corp. has
produced an odd buckshot load
for the .410 (withthree 000
pellets), and I advise you to
ignore it. Lose the .410 and buy
a 20 gauge pump shotgun.
20 Gauge
The 20 is an excellent
self-defense caliber,
particularly for those who
dislike the recoil of the 12
gauge. I recommend the 20 gauge
over the more popular 12 for
home defense. Choose the 20
gauge 3" shell Federal "Classic"
#2 buckshot (F207-2-5PK) with 18
pellets, or the Winchester
"Double XX" Magnum #3 with 24
pellets (X203C3B). If your gun
cannot accept 3" shells choose
the Remington #3 with 20 pellets
(SP20BK5PK-3). All of these
loads provide definitive
short-range stopping power.
I specifically recommend the 20
gauge for women and
recoil-sensitive men who dislike
the blast and recoil of the 12
gauge. "Delivering roughly the
ballistic force of two .44
Magnum rounds at once," comments
the knowledgeable Ayoob, the 20
"delivers 75% of the lead for
only 50-60% of the recoil". Many
police departments have found
their officers shoot much more
accurately in realistic training
exercises with the
lighter-kicking but still potent
20 gauge.
If you are new to shotgunning
and considering getting one for
self-defense I strongly urge you
to buy the reliable and
reasonably-priced "Mossberg 500
Special Purpose" 18.5" barrel 20
gauge pump shotgun (catalog
#50451). This tried-and-true
workhorse is the standard
shotgun of the U.S. Armed Forces
and costs a little over $200.
You'll be much happier with the
lighter-kicking 20 gauge than
the 12 gauge version used by the
military, and - most importantly
- you'll shoot the 20 more
accurately and rapidly.
For an in-depth look at the
20-versus-12 gauge issue I
recommend all shotgun owners
(and potential shotgun owners)
read 'Stressfire II: Advanced
Combat Shotgun' by Massad Ayoob.
Perhaps I am beginning to sound
like a broken record on the
theme of Ayoob's books, but once
you've read them you'll
understand why I recommend them
so highly (and repeatedly).
Note: Ayoob dislikes the 20
gauge Remington 870 pump shotgun
and recommends you choose the
Mossberg 500 in 20 gauge for
general self-defense and
home-defense use. So do I.
For ultra-close range home
defense birdshot will do the
trick. Choose any #4, BB or
larger high brass lead hunting
load, and have the balance of
the magazine filled with #3 buck
in case the birdshot doesn't put
them down fast enough.
Avoid slug use in 20 gauge; you
are better off defending
yourself with buckshot. If you
must use slugs, pick the Dynamit/Nobel
or Federal "Classic" (F203-RS)
rifled slugs. Using slugs
requires careful aiming and
rifle sights: few 20 gauge
shotguns have the latter.
16 Gauge
The 16 has slipped in popularity
with Americans. As a result, no
shotguns made specifically for
defense are available in 16. If
you have a sporting 16, however,
it can do double duty as a great
defense gun. Choose the Federal
"Classic" #1 (F164-1) or the
Remington #1 (SP16BK-5PK)
buckshot load.
12 Gauge
If you have a 12 gauge shotgun
you own the most effective and
devastating short-range firearm
ever created. 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" (F127-00),
Winchester Super-X (X12RB5) or
Remington Buckshot
(SP12BK-5PK00) 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. Read
Ayoob's book 'Stressfire II:
Advanced Combat Shotgun' for the
low-down on good shotgun skills
and then practice, practice,
practice.
Many experienced shooters prefer
#4 or #1 buckshot to 00. I
really cannot argue, but Lt.
Marshall is on record as stating
that 00 is superior, both in
penetration and stopping power.
Good enough for me, but if you
have a #4 or #1 buckshot jones,
go ahead (Ayoob favors #1). 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.
A note on shotgun spread: firing
your shotgun does not create a
diabolical cone of doom
destroying all in its path. If
you have a typical defense or
"riot" gun with an 18"-20"
open-choked "cylinder" barrel,
the pellets will spread out
about 1" for every yard of
range. This means that the
spread of pellets fired across a
large room (18') will be 6" or
so, a circle the size of a
coffee cup saucer. At 50 feet,
the spread will be the size of a
large pizza (16"). Test-fire
your shotgun at various ranges,
using big white butcher paper
targets to get an idea of the
pattern you can expect. It is a
common misconception that
blasting at foes ten feet away
will take out two or three of
them. The spread at that range
is just three inches, so you can
see that I meant it when I said
that the shotgun must be
skillfully aimed and fired just
like handguns and rifles. The
shotgun is simply more likely to
hit - and stop - the attacker.
Slugs are potent manstoppers,
but have limited application for
self-defense. Slug use loses the
one big advantage of the shotgun
- its high hit probability.
Slugs have ferocious recoil and
often over-penetrate. There are
special situations where slugs
might be preferred over buckshot
(e.g. road-blocks, barricaded
foes), but if you are interested
in such esoterica I again direct
you to Ayoob's masterful tome 'Stressfire
II: Advanced Combat Shotgun'.
This guide is for general
civilian readers; policemen,
soldiers, and gun enthusiasts
should rely on Ayoob's in-depth
expertise.
Don't be a knucklehead. Stay
away from weirdo rounds like
rubber buckshot or neoprene
slugs. These are riot-control
rounds designed for massed
police use against violent mobs.
Don't rely on such marginalia to
save your life.
Two things to keep in mind about
birdshot. The first is that
birdshot is as lethal as
buckshot at close range. Don't
believe for a second that you
can just wound someone with
birdshot and he'll go on to live
another day. If you aren't
justified in killing a man, you
aren't justified in wounding
him, either. Never "shoot to
wound." I once again direct you
to read Ayoob's 'In the Gravest
Extreme' and learn the truth.
The second thing is that
birdshot makes a lot of sense
for home defense. I keep my
home-defense 12 gauge loaded
with two #4 birdshot rounds
followed by 00 buck. Birdshot is
much less likely to penetrate
thin interior walls and kill
innocent people on the other
side, and has lower recoil than
buckshot for faster follow-up
shots (I live in a thin-walled
apartment house, however - if I
lived in a solid house with a
lot of land around, I would
definitely choose buckshot
instead). The stopping power of
birdshot should not be
under-estimated: at ranges out
to thirty feet or so, birdshot
is virtually a solid column of
lead (imagine an angry swarm of
bees chasing Elmer Fudd and
you'll get the idea). Choose any
#4 or BB high brass lead hunting
load. I like the Federal
"Classic Lead Hi-Brass" #4
birdshot (HI26-4) and Winchester
"Super-X" #4 high brass birdshot
(X12-4), but there is little
difference between the various
choices. Buy whichever you
please. If you're a bird hunter,
use your favorite hunting shells
as long as they are #6 or
larger.
10 Gauge
Yow. Load your 10 gauge with
whatever the hell you want.
RIFLE AMMUNITION BY CALIBER
Rifles aren't a great choice for
most self-defense applications.
Quoth Ayoob: "The rifle is not
well suited to the sudden,
close-quarters deployment and
maneuvering that is required of
a defensive firearm. On the
battlefield, yes. In civilian
close combat, no way." Ayoob
adds that "the rifle is too
bulky for maneuvering through
doors and hallways, too long to
quickly and surreptitiously pick
up when the attacker drops his
guard, and too easy for the
criminal to take away if the
homeowner's attention is
diverted."
That being said, if all you have
is a rifle then a rifle is what
you use. Some liberal-infested
cities ban handgun ownership
(Chicago, New York, Detroit), so
you are stuck using shotguns and
rifles for home defense. Take
some comfort from the fact that
rifles have better stopping
power, are a strong visual
deterrent, and are much easier
to hit with than any handgun.
Never use ball (FMJ) for
self-defense in a rifle.
.22 Long Rifle
A good semi-auto .22 rifle like
the Ruger 10/22 or Marlin Model
60 can do the job when nothing
else is available. Use any
high-velocity round (I like the
CCI "Stinger" or CCI "SGB"
hunting load, #0058) and fire
repeatedly. Multiple hits are
crucial with a .22: shoot and
shoot and shoot some more. Stay
away from the after-market
large-capacity magazines made by
Ram-Line, Eagle, Hot Lips, etc:
these plastic nightmares are
unreliable, jam-prone and easily
breakable. Use factory magazines
only for self-defense, and keep
a few spare loaded magazines
handy.
.22 Magnum (.22 WMR)
Any jacketed hollowpoint. Try
the CCI 'Maxi-Mag' 40 grain
hollow-point (0024), or whatever
you prefer.
.223 Remington (5.56x45mm NATO)
This is the standard NATO rifle
round and the best choice for a
self-defense rifle. Many
top-notch rifles are (or were)
available in this caliber: the
Colt AR-15, Ruger Mini-14, Steyr
AUG, FN FNC, et cetera. All good
.223 defense rifles have been
banned as "assault rifles" -
Thank you, Democrats - but you
may already own one. If so,
lucky you.
All .223 hollowpoints are good
stoppers. I really like the
Federal 40 grain P223V
high-velocity hollowpoint
(formerly called the "Blitz"
round). Marshall says this is
the #1 urban defense load. It is
lighter than other .223 bullets,
however, so you'll need to
adjust your sights if you carry
the P223V (it shoots lower than
all other .223 loads).
If you want better penetration
than the P223V offers, choose
any good 55-69 grain hollowpoint
from a big name manufacturer (I
like Federal). Softpoints offer
even greater penetration,
probably more than you need.
Note: older .223 guns with a 1
in 12" rifling twist shoot more
accurately with 55 grain bullets
(as they were designed for the
old U.S. Army M193 ball round).
Newer rifles with a faster 1 in
7" twist (this includes the
AR-15A2 and nearly all European
models) prefer the heavier 60-70
grain bullets (like the
M855/SS109 ball round). Ruger
Mini-14 rifles have a 1 in 10"
twist and do well with either
bullet weight. This is only
important at longer ranges. Save
the cheapo ball rounds for
practice.
7.62x39mm Soviet(7.62 mm Russian
Short, 7.62 mm M43 Combloc)
Some prefer this East Bloc
cartridge to the .223 for
defense use. It is an excellent
round, most commonly used in SKS
and AK-47 derived rifles, as
well as the Ruger Mini-30. Use
any 123-125 grain softpoint from
Cor-Bon, Federal, Winchester, or
Remington. PMC makes a good
low-priced 125 grain softpoint
(PMC762B) you might like if you
have a lot of magazines to fill.
Russian hollowpoints have been
imported recently, but I know
little of them.
.30 M1 Carbine
Never use ball in your M1 for
defense! .30 Carbine ball sucks,
but .30 Carbine hollowpoints
work very well. Buy the
Winchester 110 grain Hollow Soft
Point (X30M1) and forsake all
others. I mean it.
.30-30 Winchester
This hoary old round has
survived so long for a simple
reason: it works. Load your
Winchester or Marlin .30-30
lever-action rifle with any
hollowpoint - I recommend the
Federal 125 grain (3030C). Leave
the soft-points for hunting and
practice.
.308 Winchester (7.62x51mm NATO)
An excellent rifle cartridge,
perhaps the best. The best .308
round in the world is the
Federal Gold Medal 168 grain
Boat-Tail Hollowpoint Match
(GM308M).
Other boat-tail hollowpoints are
good, too. This is an excellent
rifle caliber, the world
standard.
9mm Parabellum
Generally the same as for
pistols, above. The neat and
handy Marlin Camp Carbine is
totally reliable with Remington
115 grain jacketed hollow-points
(R9MM1), so use them. Heckler &
Koch, Uzi and Colt 9mm carbines
will feed anything, so I
recommend the Cor-Bon 115 or 124
grain +P JHP. Any reliable
hollowpoint is a good choice in
a 9mm carbine, and the long
barrel makes for high velocity
and effectiveness.
.30-06 Springfield
This excellent and time-proven
cartridge has too many top-notch
loads to list. Knowledgeable men
like the Federal Gold Medal 168
grain boat-tail hollowpoint
(GM3006M), using the superlative
bullet that made the .308
Federal Gold Medal a
world-beater.
.357 Magnum
Follow the guidelines for
revolvers, above. The .357 makes
an excellent carbine round for
urban self-defense in a Marlin
lever-action or (my favorite) an
Action Arms/Israeli Military
Industries "Timber Wolf" .357
pump-action carbine.
.44 Magnum
Pick any good hollowpoint, using
the guidelines for revolvers
(above). Don't be tempted to use
softpoints - these hunting
rounds will blow right through
your foe.
.45 ACP
Select your hollowpoint
according to its reliability in
your gun, using the guidelines
for auto pistols, above. The
neat and handy Marlin Model 45
Sport Carbine is totally
reliable with Remington 185
grain jacketed hollow-points, so
use them. The long barrel gives
you +P velocities without the
damaging effects of +P pressure
loads (which should NOT be used
in a Marlin). Auto-Ordnance
Thompson semi-autos are only
reliable with 230 grain ball.
THE END
Full permission to reproduce and
disseminate is hereby granted to
any and all persons. No
copyright is claimed or applies.
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