Ammo type for Self Defense

[flechero]

Am I losing much by just running the same weight and type of bullet in guns with different barrel lengths?

I don't think so. As long as you have proven that ammo choice in your own guns. Most ammo will perform fine from most guns... does that leave some gaps? Sure, but as long as the ammo runs in your gun, that solves 95% of the problem. Is it possible to get slightly better performance out of each gun by tailoring the choice for each? Maybe, but that's a LOT of time, money and effort.

In the discussion above, we're splitting hairs on a particular round in .40 cal... because it's a slow day.


Grundy- look up DIY ballistic gelatin (with knox gelatin). There are a few ways to make it- a couple get close enough to calibrate. And after you shoot it up and recover your rounds, you can remelt it and use it again.

[Pawpaw]

Identifying Critical Duty from Critical Defense is easy.

Critical Duty has an "H" embossed in the flex tip. There are other differences, but that one alone makes ID simple.

[strogg]

Am I the only one here who tries to use the same round for all guns? I use HST for all my semi-auto's. 147gr for 9mm and 230gr for .45.

I rotate through several different carry guns, and having a different load for short vs long barrels would confuse the heck out of me. Not to mention that I like to unload the round from the chamber before a gun goes in the safe (the mag stays loaded). I just put the loose round on the top shelf. I don't think I could tell the difference between a 9mm 147gr round and a 115gr round if they were both HST, and I would probably just end up mixing them up anyway.

The .45's include everything from a Shield to full size 1911's, and the 9mm's include everything from a P938 to a full size PPQ. Am I losing much by just running the same weight and type of bullet in guns with different barrel lengths?

You're not the only one with the idea. Every single one of my defense guns is running Gold Dot ammo except for the 5.7 ammo which doesn't have a gold dot version. That one is running SS198LF. All of my 9mm ammo is 115 grain, 10mm is 180 grain), and 45 is 230 grain. All regardless of self defense or range ammo. I like to lead a simple life.

The way I see it, the more ammo types I have and need to keep track of, the harder it is for me to keep everything organized. Fewer loads = less stress. That's why I'm going to avoid adopting any new calibers going forward. I already have over 10 calibers to keep track of with at least two different loads for each. I don't need more.

[Grundy1133]

Am I losing much by just running the same weight and type of bullet in guns with different barrel lengths?

I don't think so. As long as you have proven that ammo choice in your own guns. Most ammo will perform fine from most guns... does that leave some gaps? Sure, but as long as the ammo runs in your gun, that solves 95% of the problem. Is it possible to get slightly better performance out of each gun by tailoring the choice for each? Maybe, but that's a LOT of time, money and effort.

In the discussion above, we're splitting hairs on a particular round in .40 cal... because it's a slow day.


Grundy- look up DIY ballistic gelatin (with knox gelatin). There are a few ways to make it- a couple get close enough to calibrate. And after you shoot it up and recover your rounds, you can remelt it and use it again.

awesome I'll definitely check it out.knox gelatin.. and yeah flechero, we're just shootin the breeze