My Ammo Test

[dark_falcon27]

Well, I hear alot about what is the best ammunition for self defense. I myself have asked the same questions. I know the cops here in my town carry Speer Gold Dot's in Sig 226s. Well just out of curiosity I bought few types of popular self defense ammo. I fired all rounds out of my HK USP .40 and retrieved them out of a bullet catch I constructed out of phone books. Below are the pictures and a link to my video on youtube explaining the results. I am by no means an expert, and am learning more every day. Thanks for looking. The bullets in the picture (after impact) are from L-R Speer Gold Dots, Winchester WB FMJ (control group to compare penetration), Powerball (mean little bullet), and Federal Premium Self Defense.





My Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J89c2hRdqs8

[woolleyworm]

good vid, I carry hyrda-shoks, but I may be looking more at the powrball after seeing that. I guess I'm going to have to do a little research and see what they'll do in bal-gel. Always interesting to see someone else's research results. I plan on doing some of my own when my .327 gets here..... If I can find any ammo. I need some factory ammo so that I'll have some brass to reload. Only found a couple rounds to scrounge at the range so far, I've used those for set-up cases.

[OBrien]

Nice video. I really thought gold dots would of opened up a lot more than they did.

[carver]

I have dial up, so I don't do youtube! Tell me why you called the Powerball a mean little bullet! Is it because it broke up so much? Did it penatrate more?

[dark_falcon27]

Originally Posted by carver

I have dial up, so I don't do youtube! Tell me why you called the Powerball a mean little bullet! Is it because it broke up so much? Did it penatrate more?

Well, I referred to it as a "mean little bullet" because it penetrated almost as far as the FMJ control group, and it expanded completely instead of getting plugged up or experiencing only partial expansion (such as the gold dots). The Federal Premium Self Defense Rounds were the real surprise because they too expanded uniformly. The Federals didn't however penetrate as far as the Powerballs. And like I said in the video, I didn't expect this test to be the "be all end all" test I was just curious about different bullets impacts. Phone books probably aren't a very good medium to compare to Bal. Gel. but it sure was interesting what results it produced.

[FTK87]

I like your test. I think next time you should try out the Hornady Critical Defense rounds. See if they live up to the hype.

[carver]

Originally Posted by dark_falcon27

Well, I referred to it as a "mean little bullet" because it penetrated almost as far as the FMJ control group, and it expanded completely instead of getting plugged up or experiencing only partial expansion (such as the gold dots). The Federal Premium Self Defense Rounds were the real surprise because they too expanded uniformly. The Federals didn't however penetrate as far as the Powerballs. And like I said in the video, I didn't expect this test to be the "be all end all" test I was just curious about different bullets impacts. Phone books probably aren't a very good medium to compare to Bal. Gel. but it sure was interesting what results it produced.

Thanks! Penetration is the name of the game! If you do another test, please include the corbon SD ammo as well as the Hornady Critical Defense rounds.

[dark_falcon27]

Ok as an amendment to the test above, I have done some more research and also witness a few Bal Gel tests including some of my tested rounds above. The Corbon powerball, while it looked impressive in my test, has a tendency to be unimpressive in the real world. It is a light bullet, that is why it is so fast, but it lacks a lot in real world pentration because of its lack of momentum. (Momentum = Mass x Velocity). It also has a tendancy to have alot of core/jacket separation. For those who aren't familiar, the Corbon Powerball has a plastic ball that is inserted into the cavity of a hollow point bullet. Its purpose is to prevent the cavity from getting fouled by heavy clothing, glass, drywall, etc. when it impacts your target. When impact occurs, the ball is pushed back into the cavity which incited expansion. The Speer Gold Dots truly are the industry standard. They expand reliably, penetrate deep, and hit hard. Speer GDs and Remington Golden Sabres are top of the line defense rounds. As for the Federal Premium Defense Rounds, they are an Expanding Full Metal Jacket. What this means is that they have a hollow internal cavity that is filled with liquid silicone and when they impact, internal scoring allows it to collapse and form a large expanded surface that appears like an expanded hollow point. They always lack in penetration as compared to similar JHP, but their claim to fame isn't penetration, it is energy transfer. They hit hard and expand but penetration is marginal. Ideally these may be what you want if you live in an apartment or a mobile home and are concerned about the neighbors well being if you miss. I carry the Speer Gold Dots (.40 cal) as my round of choice now for a few reasons: Outstanding ballistics in all catagories, high quality construction (jacket is metallically bonded to the core, and nickel plated brass for the shell), and the fact that it is what all LE officers carry in my area (legal points if i were to go to court over an incident). When I am home in my apt, i change out the mags and use the Federal Premium Defense rounds. The Corbon Powerball's will stay in the ammo box as a last resort. Novel Concept, poor execution.

[dark_falcon27]

Ok as an amendment to the test above, I have done some more research and also witness a few Bal Gel tests including some of my tested rounds above. The Corbon powerball, while it looked impressive in my test, has a tendency to be unimpressive in the real world. It is a light bullet, that is why it is so fast, but it lacks a lot in real world pentration because of its lack of momentum. (Momentum = Mass x Velocity). It also has a tendancy to have alot of core/jacket separation. For those who aren't familiar, the Corbon Powerball has a plastic ball that is inserted into the cavity of a hollow point bullet. Its purpose is to prevent the cavity from getting fouled by heavy clothing, glass, drywall, etc. when it impacts your target. When impact occurs, the ball is pushed back into the cavity which incited expansion. The Speer Gold Dots truly are the industry standard. They expand reliably, penetrate deep, and hit hard. Speer GDs and Remington Golden Sabres are top of the line defense rounds. As for the Federal Premium Defense Rounds, they are an Expanding Full Metal Jacket. What this means is that they have a hollow internal cavity that is filled with liquid silicone and when they impact, internal scoring allows it to collapse and form a large expanded surface that appears like an expanded hollow point. They always lack in penetration as compared to similar JHP, but their claim to fame isn't penetration, it is energy transfer. They hit hard and expand but penetration is marginal. Ideally these may be what you want if you live in an apartment or a mobile home and are concerned about the neighbors well being if you miss. I carry the Speer Gold Dots (.40 cal) as my round of choice now for a few reasons: Outstanding ballistics in all catagories, high quality construction (jacket is metallically bonded to the core, and nickel plated brass for the shell), and the fact that it is what all LE officers carry in my area (legal points if i were to go to court over an incident). When I am home in my apt, i change out the mags and use the Federal Premium Defense rounds. The Corbon Powerball's will stay in the ammo box as a last resort. Novel Concept, poor execution.

[FTK87]

Check out hornady Critical defense...