which ammo is the right choice?

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Hi all. This is my first thread, been lurking here for a while and posted a couple of times.

First some background info: I regularly travel along the I-94 beltline between EC and Kenosha.

I've been an avid shooter for years but have never OC'd outside of the deep woods. Recently a few events have me thinking otherwise.

Two weeks ago I was returning from the Kenosha area at night. I stopped to gas up the ol' jalopie about an hour north of Milwaukee. It was after 10pm, and I prepaid the cashier as was required.

My trusty .45 was in its case on the passenger seat, unloaded, and my serpa holster was right next to it. I didn't feel the need to holster up and snap in a magazine because I thought "hey, I'm only stopping for gas, I'll be outta here in 5 minutes."

As I was fueling my car an old Crown VIc pulled up and a few Hispanics emerged wearing gang apparel. They stared me down fiercely and I continued gassing up my car. All the while I was thinking "Jesus, my gun is right on the seat, why am I not holstered and wearing it?

When I'm in Kenosha I always carry my heater in a bag so I can protect my GF. When I travel back home I've been slacking off because it's only me, not my loved one.

this recent happening made me think otherwise, but I am wondering: what ammo should I carry?

A .45 will knock down and administer deadly force to any party, regardless of what's loaded in the pipe and magazine. I do NOT WANT to have to shoot anyone in my life. But should I be faced with a situation which I cannot back out of, in which I have to make a terrible choice, should I load hollow points or slugs?

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Federal EFMJ, the best of both worlds.

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I personally carry hollow points, but Doug recommended a good round.

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I carry FMJ but should carry hollow points.

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Hornady +P Hollowpoints. They're pricey @ 25per Box of 20, but hell, you've only got to fill two mags anyway right? Worth the price IMHO.

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My .45 gets Glaser Powerballs at 165gr.for winter. I use standard Corbon 165 JHP when it is warm out. Winter coats can give a JHP problems...

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hollow points are a bit more expensive, but if i only put 10rounds per mag, then a box will fill 5mags. the average person only carries 2-3 mags, and i sure hope that nobody ever has to use, let alone switch mags. so if you look at it that way, then they're not that expensive.

otherwise i use FMJ for practicing.

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Thanks for all the advice folks. I'm not concerned about cartridge price, nor stopping power, I'm more concerned about what the DA and courts would say should a law abiding, working class family man faced with a no win situation have to fire on a BG.

One LGS owner whom I have good rapport with said "look, you're carrying a .45 which will spin just about anyone around no matter where they're hit. Shoot slugs and stay away from hollow points or +p stuff."

I'm not looking to be Rambo or ever have to shoot anyone, but if I'm ever faced with that shitty situation where I have the choice of defending myself and especially my loved ones ****** (I have a newborn son, too)************ I need to consider what the DA and the crazy court system would say regarding what ammo was in the gun.

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bluehighways wrote:

Thanks for all the advice folks. I'm not concerned about cartridge price, nor stopping power, I'm more concerned about what the DA and courts would say should a law abiding, working class family man faced with a no win situation have to fire on a BG.

One LGS owner whom I have good rapport with said "look, you're carrying a .45 which will spin just about anyone around no matter where they're hit. Shoot slugs and stay away from hollow points or +p stuff."

I'm not looking to be Rambo or ever have to shoot anyone, but if I'm ever faced with that @#$%ty situation where I have the choice of defending myself and especially my loved ones ****** (I have a newborn son, too)************ I need to consider what the DA and the crazy court system would say regarding what ammo was in the gun.

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Don't be overly concerned with "take down power" because no round is going to spin you around, knock you on your butt, etc, etc. Hallow points are meant to mushroom, which will open the round up, tearing more of the body up, but also far less likely to over penetrate and hit something behind your target. .45 generally will not over penetrate because it fairly slow and is big, so it gets caught on more things. Not sure what slugs are, unless you are carrying a shotgun.

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bluehighways wrote:

Thanks for all the advice folks. I'm not concerned about cartridge price, nor stopping power, I'm more concerned about what the DA and courts would say should a law abiding, working class family man faced with a no win situation have to fire on a BG.

One LGS owner whom I have good rapport with said "look, you're carrying a .45 which will spin just about anyone around no matter where they're hit. Shoot slugs and stay away from hollow points or +p stuff."

I'm not looking to be Rambo or ever have to shoot anyone, but if I'm ever faced with that @#$%ty situation where I have the choice of defending myself and especially my loved ones ****** (I have a newborn son, too)************ I need to consider what the DA and the crazy court system would say regarding what ammo was in the gun.

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I hope to go through life without ever having to use my weapon against another human being; but if my family or myself are ever faced with imminent great bodily harm or death, I will shoot and keep shooting until the threat is stopped. I practice regularly and use HP ammo. Hollow points are the best threat stopper; they transfer maximum energy and don't over penetrate to possibly injure a non-threat. That is why law enforcement uses them.

I could never forgive myself if I hesitated because of what the courts would think and the threat was not stopped or stopped too late.

Dave

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Its all good, shoot what your gun likes best and you can shoot the most accurately. If your gun is more reliable with hardball than it is with SWC or HP don't worry about it, it is still a ,45 cal hole going in and 230 grains moving fast enough to break bones and ruin somebody's day. If your gun will shoot gee whiz supersonic expand to dinner plate size and whistle the star spangled banner bullets and that tickles your giggle then go ahead and shoot it. Don't feel bad if you are only shooting hardball, you are not under gunned.

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Old Grump wrote:

  If your gun will shoot gee whiz supersonic expand to dinner plate size and whistle the star spangled banner bullets and that tickles your giggle then go ahead and shoot it.  

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do you know if they make this in a 9x18makarov size, or a manufacturer website so i could ask them??? :lol::lol::lol::lol:

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I use. Federal 115grain +P Hollow points. But any Hollow point will work just fine.

little hole going in, BIG fist size hole coming out.

you just don't want over penetration, goes through bad guy, then through wall , across the street into another house, kills sleeping child, that's BAD.

Hollow points , prevent this by Expanding when it hits solid mass, then stopping inside the bad guy, causing the energy of the bullet to blow out what stopped it << ( Bones, Muscle, etc. )

FMJ ( jacketed ball ammo ) pokes a little hole going in & travels through the target and keeps going until it hits something solid (( that's bad )), no expansion, no damage cavity.No stopping power.

I carry 1 - 17 round magazine in my Glock & I have 1 - 17 round back up magazine..all loaded with the above 115 grain +P ammo.

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Magazine in the gun = jacketed HP's

Spare mag = ball

Don't know why - just like the fact I've got the best of both worlds.

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Honestly don't worry about what the DA will have to say. In the end of the event, the BG is dead, and your still living. HP's are better for stopping a threat bar none. FMJ's tend to overpenetrate the target and as Glock34 stated, we don't want any children killed while they're sleeping :lol:. IMHO, any ammo is better than none, but Just stray away from the snakeshot, I had a buddy who swore up and down that SS was the pistol equivalent of 00 buckshot,:banghead:deffinitly not the case for personal protection. Not quite sure about the DRT ammo tho, I've never shot it in a .45, but I have shot it thru my AR-15, needless to say, I'm less than impressed given the price per box...

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Landose_theghost wrote:

  Just stray away from the snakeshot, I had a buddy who swore up and down that SS was the pistol equivalent of 00 buckshot,:banghead: deffinitly not the case for personal protection.

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but those tiny little baby size shotgun shells are so cute. i even showed them to my wife. and they're see-through. that's even cooler. that so makes them worth the money. you can see what's inside them. how is that not the coolest thing ever???

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scorpio_vette wrote:

Landose_theghost wrote:

Just stray away from the snakeshot, I had a buddy who swore up and down that SS was the pistol equivalent of 00 buckshot,:banghead:deffinitly not the case for personal protection.

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but those tiny little baby size shotgun shells are so cute. i even showed them to my wife. and they're see-through. that's even cooler. that so makes them worth the money. you can see what's inside them. how is that not the coolest thing ever???

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Cute yes...Deadly, not so much.:lol:

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Hey all. I'm a proud Taurus PT1911 owner and have a question about ammo. My manual says that I'm not supposed to use +P rounds. I'm assuming this is because of the increase in chamber pressure associated with these loads. My question is this: Is the danger that my barrel will wear out more quickly or will the darn thing explode in my face if I try to shoot +P?

I'd really like to have +P rounds loaded when I carry, but not if it's going to be more of a danger to me than to the bad guy.

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scorpio_vette wrote:

Landose_theghost wrote:

Just stray away from the snakeshot, I had a buddy who swore up and down that SS was the pistol equivalent of 00 buckshot,:banghead:deffinitly not the case for personal protection.

Click to expand...

but those tiny little baby size shotgun shells are so cute. i even showed them to my wife. and they're see-through. that's even cooler. that so makes them worth the money. you can see what's inside them. how is that not the coolest thing ever???

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I agree, I just wish they made them in more colors than blue... perhaps a variety pack or something, I'd like the options of color coding my ammo to my outfit. Another thing Im hoping for in the near future is LED accent lighting inside the tips for some added flair at night. Until then I'll stick withthe 230grain Federal Hydra-Shok in my .45's.

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Over pressure, not wear.