AMMO

What's the right Ammo?

First of all there are as many opinions on who makes the best ammunition as there are customers of the many different ammunition manufactures. To try and determine which is the best for all purposes is an exercise in mental masturbation. If we zero in on a specific caliber bullet for a specific purpose we can begin to select one over another. More importantly if we zero in on the type bullet to use for the specific task of self defense we can make some very important distinctions.

I want to focus on one concept, self defense applications in populated environments. Then I will make some recommendations. In nearly all self defense situations there are less than four shots fired by all parties involved. In addition all shots are likely fired at distances less than ten feet. If you except these facts we can say two very important things about the type of handgun we are going to use when added to the requirement to keep your weapon concealed. The first is it needs to be sized so that we can keep it concealed at all times regardless of how we are dressed. This means it is likely a small to medium sized handgun. Accuracy at longer distances not being necessary, a small handgun doesn't diminish are chances at a successful result. I will stick to ammo for these small handguns here. The second consideration is what caliber. All other things equal, the bigger the caliber the better. However, I would rather have a 32cal pistol in my pocket than a Desert Eagle 50cal home in my sock drawer. Although stopping power is critical to success in a gun fight, it isn't everything. So I will try to get you think about two principles as you select your ammo for concealed, self defense, applications. Fist, once a bullet leaves the barrel you have lost all control of where it stops. Thus, penetration is not desirable if you miss the target and it is probably not desirable if you hit the target in ammo 9mm or larger. Second, we want maximum stopping power while minimizing penetration. We don't want our ammo to go through walls or doors and keep on going.

We are not police. Shooting people through car doors and walls is rarely a self defense application. Penetration is an offensive issue of some importance to police, military and bog game hunters. In self defense applications we want one bullet to do the job if at all possible. Most amateurs freeze after the first shot and miss 3 out of 5 times in a combat situation. This goes for the police also. They shoot very well on the range but hit only 3 out of 5 in combat. Not a lot better than a rank amateur. Having said this, it is likely the first shot will be the one that decides the outcome.

We need to maximize the punch in that first shot by using what the industry calls frangible ammo. This type ammunition is characterize by a single bullet with a hollow core that is filled with smaller bullets, usually very small shot. It could also be a single bullet that upon impact turns into several projectiles by splitting. I will be recommending the Glaser bullets which fits the first description. It goes down range as one bullet and turns into a miniature shotgun shell after impact. It penetrates 4 to 8 inches of body flesh equivalent and disperses all of its energy. The key here is all the energy in the bullet is absorbed quickly and completely. The faster the bullet dissipates all of its energy after impact the bigger the punch. This coupled with the weight and speed of the bullet defines stopping power.

Think of a regular expandable bullet such as Hydroshok as a 900 mile an hour baseball and think of a Glaser in the same caliber as a 900 mile an hour softball. Which do you want? One downside is they are very expensive and that prohibits a lot of practice. Best practice with the cheep stuff and just shoot enough of these to make sure your handgun handles them.

The second frangible I want to recommend is MagSafe. It splits on impact. In the smaller calibers and especially the 32cal bullet I tend to recommend it over the Blue Glasers. In the larger calibers, 9mm and up, I tend to recommend the Blue Glasers. Both will deliver greatly enhanced stopping power and both dissipate quickly after impact. They both advertise the safety issue of expanding quickly on impact and not going through something and then killing an innocent party standing behind your target or going through a wall or two an then hurting or killing a innocent bystander or your child in the next room. For the intended target they are devastating and if you hit them center mass, the result will likely be death. There is no room for saving your life and not taking the attackers life at the same time when your life is on the line. In a life threatening situation you must instinctively assume it's you or him. The right gun and the right ammo levels the playing field.

Don't go exclusively with either of these. You will also need a good expandable bullet. I like Personal Defense HydroShok. I recommend you load your weapon so that the first two or three rounds are frangible, Blue Glasers, and the rest are expandable, Hydroshok Personal Defense.

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