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Fight-Stopping Self-Defense Ammo
These top personal protection loads can make a difference, self-defense ammo choices well worth your consideration.
Winchester has a series of W Train & Defend ammunition that offers ballistically matched loads for training and for carry or defensive use. The Defend loads utilize hollow point loads with the same point of impact as the lighter recoiling full metal jacket Train loads. W Train & Defend ammunition is offered in a 95-grain .380 ACP, 147-grain 9mm, 180-grain .40 S&W and a 130-grain .38 Special. Look for the Big Red W to roll out a .45 ACP load for the line in 2015. (winchester.com)
Remington has a line called High Terminal Performance, which has been developed to deliver immediate stopping power. There are two selections in this family for the .38 Special, five choices in .357 Mag., two offerings in .40 S&W, a pair of .44 Magnums, two more in .45 ACP and one each in .45 Colt and .41 Mag. (remington.com)
Whether it’s a classic 1911 pistol or a new polymer striker-fired design, .45 ACP has a lot of fans out there because of the stopping power it delivers. For those fans, Black Hills Ammunition’s premium offerings boast a long list of options for the cherished caliber. Loadings include a 185-grain jacketed hollow point, a 230-grain jacketed hollow point, a 230-grain jacketed hollow point +P and a 185-grain Barnes Tax-XP bullet with a +P loading. For range time, they also offer a 200-grain match-grade semi-wadcutter and a 230-grain FMJ. (black-hills.com)
Federal has shotgun loads for 12- and 20-gauge home defense. In 12-gauge, you’ll find one load in No. 4 buckshot and another in 00 buck. In 20-gauge, there’s a 2¾-inch load of No. 4 buck. The .410 offerings include both 2½- and 3-inch shells, including a pair with 000 buckshot and others with No. 4 buck. (federalpremium.com)
New from HPR is the Black Ops ammunition line offering three handgun calibers. It includes a 9mm load with an 85-grain bullet, a .40 S&W topped by a 105-grain pill and a .45 ACP featuring a 150-grainer. All of these projectiles are lead-free Open Tipped Frangibles that deliver maximum punch to the target. There’s also a Black Ops rifle load in .223 Rem. that boasts a 62-grain bullet that leaves the muzzle at a reported 3,021 fps out of a 24-inch barrel. (hprammo.com)
This article also appeared in the November 20, 2014 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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