imported post
deepdiver wrote:
Dreamer wrote:
Now I'm carrying 230gr Winchester PDX1 Extremes. Haven't shot any yet, but they are rated very highly.
:shock: How do you know they will feed reliably in your sidearm if you need them? Or if they have the POI as your other ammo?
I measured them with a micrometer, and they are actually "rounder" than the Speers and Hydras, so I figured they would feed as well or better.
But to update my last post, I went to the range this weekend, and shot a few "short" magazines (my mags hold 13 rounds--for this test, I loaded each mag with 5 rounds) of these new carry rounds. They ded, fired, and ejected flawlessly and are every bit as accurate as the other brands I've tried....
But I suppose you are right. I SHOULD have test-fired them before committing to them as a carry round. I USUALLY follow that procedure, but in this one instance, I was just assuming that scientifically measuring the bullet's profile was OK. I won't be so lazy in the future. You make some good points, and I will stick to my usual routine in the future before committing to new carry rounds.
All that said, I think the POI issue is a little overblown in a self-defense situation, ESPECIALLY if you are using high-quality factory ammo. Most SD shootings occur at ranges less than 7 meters. If a round is so radically different than most other factory rounds at these distances, they shouldn't even be making it out of the factory.
With a hunting rifle (or a sniper or battle rifle), where you're talking about distances of hundreds of feet (or even hundreds of meters), tiny variations in bullet performance and accuracy can make a HUGE difference at the point of impact. But at SD distances, with a handgun, if a particular round is so deviant from the factory norms that you think you need to adjust for it, I'd suggest getting a different brand, NOT figuring out what the difference is and then compensating for it. Or maybe you need to take your firearm to a qualified gunsmith and have it checked out for accuracy and reliability...
I shoot all sorts of rounds through my Para--from the cheap "yellow box PMCs" to Remington FMJs to the cheap Winchester White Boxs, to Federal Hydra Shoks, Speers, CorBons, and Winchester PDX's, and I have not seen much variance in POI at 3,5, and 7 yard distances. In my experience, most brand name factory ammo hits in about the same spot every time. The main difference is that the cheaper "range rounds" tend to have a slightly wider pattern of grouping, and I'm talking REALLY slight.
I mean, like 2" groups instead of 1" groups at 7 yards firing quickly--even less "spread" at closer distances, or when firing slowly. And I haven't noticed much difference in actual POI either--from brand to brand or on the price scale. Most brand name ammo that I've tried hits where I point--well within the 9 ring (and mostly in the X-ring) on a standard B-27 target. I don't see much variance up or down, or left to right from brand to brand, with a few glaring exceptions (in my firearm, steel-cartridge ammo like Wolf tends to shoot high and to the left in the 8 or 7 ring for some reason, and Winchester non-jacketed semi-wadcutters tend to shoot low and to the right by about 2")...
Of course, every firearm (and every shooter) is different, so YMMV. I can only speak from my own experience. And it's been my experience that with regards to 230gr, 45acp ammo fired from my Para Ordnance S-14.45, just about anything I put through it tends to go where I point.
But like I said, YMMV...
