In the past I directed readers of Concealed Carry Magazine and viewers of Into the Fray to contact local police agencies when trying to choose defensive ammo. Recently I have heard from readers that police are not forthcoming with that information. No one has been rude to me, but one USCCA member said he was treated poorly when he asked about ammo. I apologize. Don’t bother your police agencies. They may not even know what they are carrying. We here at Concealed Carry Magazine will do our best to provide information on defensive ammo.
From someone who tested a lot of ammo (on pig carcasses & cars) and who wishes to remain anonymous, in no particular order:
Speer Gold Dot, Golden Sabre, Fed. HST, Winchester SXT, Hydroshock, Ranger XT. A side note, top scores were noted for Hydroshock.
Years ago I was in the firearms and ammunition business. Most police are appliance users when it comes to firearms and radios(also am licensed Amateur Radio Operator). For the most part they only have to qualify once a year, and most don’t even know how to clean and maintain their equipment. I would tell most people to trust their gunsmith, or local dealer, or someone like me that has been reloading for almost 40 years. Just MHO.
I certainly hope you did not advise anyone to carry reloaded ammunition in their carry firearm of choice, regardless of how long you have been reloading. Also, gunsmiths and local dealers may not be up to speed about modern hollowpoint ammunition.
IMHO, the vast majority of factory jacked hollow point ammunition is a good place to start. I have several different “brands” of ammunition of the JHP type. It all depends upon the weapon I am firing as to what ammo I use. For the most part, my handguns will eat anything I feed it. But I do have a couple of picky 1911 models. They will feed the JHPs, but I have found that they REALLY like the Critical Defense rounds because of the “filled in” mouth. I also try to stick to the rounds that have been tested and… Read more »