REGULAR AMMO VS SELF DEFENSE

[TOMMY47]

Now don't everyone jump all over me on this. I'm just curious as to why people are so gung ho on having hundreds to thousands of rounds of self defense ammo? Seems to me that a couple of rounds of 9mm or 40 cal to the torso with "target" ammo will do serious to fatal damage to most people. Millions of people in the past have been killed by regular ammo and hollow points are not allowed in military combat. Yet the military seems to do an excellent job of killing people. I do realise that self defense ammo is preferred in the home because it doesn't exit the body.

Considering the price of ammo these days, with SD ammo double or triple the price of the regular stuff, one could get double or triple the amount of ammo. Whether you agree with it or not, cost is probably a consideration for most people. I know I would not want to take a couple hits with target ammo. I would expect it to kill me.

OK, let the verbal assault begin.

 

[sloughfoot]

I have been known to carry the plain old SWC lead in my 38, 357, 45 ACP, and 45 Colt pistols. I can't imagine anyone getting up after getting hit with one of them and laughing at me because I didn't shoot them with a premium hollow point.

I don't feel under-gunned with any SWC lead load. I don't really care about over penetration. i am more concerned about under penetration.

OP, I stand next to you against the assaults to come......

 

[LPMan59]

Millions of people in the past have been killed by regular ammo and hollow points are not allowed in military combat. Yet the military seems to do an excellent job of killing people.

that's because most professional armies adhere to the Hague convention.

and how many tens of thousands of rounds does the military use to kill one enemy soldier? lolz

and how many civilians have they killed as well?

one could make the case the army is NOT good at killing people.

 

[rnmcguire]

I've wondered the same thing for along time. I have a couple boxes of hollow points for carry purposes but I'm not stocking up on it for sure. Dead is dead and FMJ works pretty well. Like you said, the military has been pretty good at killin folks with ball ammo. My question is why cant you find SWC in gun shops? I would buy the hell out of it.

 

[Richwon4]

I don't want a round that will exit it's target in a case of defense. Too many people out there taking round they shouldn't as it is.

 

[Larryjr]

I pretty much agree with you although from what I understand newer technology has come a long way. I think most people buy the newer HP ammo because it promises better stopping power. As to having many many rounds of HP ammo I think that is a bit ridulous. I have thousands of rounds but only a few of them are HP. Just enough to fill my carry mags.

 

[Mr.JAG]

Can ball ammo stop a defender? Of course.

Do self-defense loads do the same, but more consistently? Absolutely.

To me, spending the extra 20 bucks to increase my odds in a self-defense situation is absolutely worth it. You've already invested in protecting your life by carrying, why sell those chances short to save a few Benjamins?

Not to mention, you are accountable for everything your fired round hits. 9mm ball ammo can easily go straight through a target and into an innocent bystander. HP ammo will mitigate that risk. How much is the life of the innocent worth to you?

Stock up on ball for training - grab 50-100 rounds of HP for defense.


ALSO: About the military being good at "killing". Please remember that their main weapons are rifles. FMJ rifle rounds do not act like FMJ pistol rounds. They fragment at high velocity (some yawn). FMJ pistol rounds move much too slow to do either of these things.

 

[Jeremy1066]

FWIW, the US did not sign the "anti hollow point" agreement at the Hague Convention. We still use ball ammo in the military because it is generally more reliable in weapons and it's cheaper to manufacture

 

[Mackey]

... Seems to me that a couple of rounds of 9mm or 40 cal to the torso with "target" ammo will do serious to fatal damage to most people. ....

Perhaps you are correct sir ... but how long will incapaciation take? Unless you get a direct central nervous system hit, you're waiting for the person to bleed out - plenty of time to peel off several rounds in your general direction. The incapacitation question is the same for HP, but the wound channel is generally greater with HP and you're more likely to subdue the bad guy sooner (much research confirms this verse your supposition/opinion). But in any event, as previously mentioned, you're much better off with a rifle than any regular handgun. Handguns just aren't that powerful in comparison.

See? ... nobody's jumping all over you ...
you ignorant bla bla bla (just kidding).

 

[TOMMY47]

Thanks for the civil replies, so far.
I do have my defense ammo, about 100 rounds for each caliber, but thousands of rounds of the regular stuff. If I get to the point of running out of defense ammo, I believe I'm probably screwed anyway.
And when I carry, I do have carry defense ammo so it stays where I want it to end up.

 

[Slapstick]

Thanks for the civil replies, so far.
I do have my defense ammo, about 100 rounds for each caliber, but thousands of rounds of the regular stuff. If I get to the point of running out of defense ammo, I believe I'm probably screwed anyway.
And when I carry, I do have carry defense ammo so it stays where I want it to end up.

I believe that most people on here do the same, decent amout of SD ammo but the majority is practice ammo.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

1st FMJ ammo over penetrates. Not a good thing when used in SD. 2nd JHP ammo expands dumping more energy into the body. You can get good SD ammo for a reasonable price. You do not have to spend $30 + for 20/25 rounds.

 

[tdkahn]

I agree with not stocking up to extremes on SD ammo.

I was told by a few military buddies that they use ball ammo because,"it cost more to treat an injured soldier than to burry one, so you'redepleting the enemy's resources". Also "if you wound 1 it takes 2 tocarry them out, so you're cutting their numbers down faster than killing themwith hollow points".

 

[knot4reel]

I think when it comes to self defense, ammo makers are like vaccum cleaner salesmen. Ours is the best, the fastest, the bigest, the newest, the best looking yada yada yada. My position is to use what I am best at hitting where I aim and not go broke doing it. Matt Dillon never needed flying ashtrays and he dispatched many an OMBRE"

 

[Broom_jm]

Who buys ammo?!

I load XTP's for self-defense but if they happen to shoot with good accuracy, I will also load up hundreds of them just for fun shooting. I mean, the ideal would be to have lots of fun practicing, but NEVER need to use a gun for self-defense, right? There is no more economical way to shoot more often than by reloading and if you want to test various types of SD bullets, have at it.

For the OP: Did you say "hundreds of thousands of rounds"? Who has that much ammo?

 

[Phase2]

My stash

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

You posted this in the wrong place. We have to have it in this thread:
https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...ster_preparedness/181733-bragging_rights.html

Get busy!

 

[TOMMY47]

Broom--I said 100s TO 1000s of rounds, not hundreds of thousands.

 

[Jeremy1066]

It's always good to have a large supply of back-up FMJ target ammo. I even keep an extra mag with me loaded up with the heavy FMJ rounds because I know they will ALWAYS penetrate deeper by far than any hollow point. But that is also the reason why u should carry hallow point ammo instead of FMJ. A FMJ will go completely through your target and probably through whoever may be behind your target, which unless u are playing Modern Warfare or Battlefield, is not a good thing. Hallow points are designed to stop at a certain depth, hopefully still inside your target.

 

[Broom_jm]

Broom--I said 100s TO 1000s of rounds, not hundreds of thousands.

So you did...my apologies.

If I had hundreds of rounds for some cartridges, and thousands overall, would that make me a gun nut? What if I said I had 20 sets of reloading dies on the shelf, with powder/cases/primers/bullets for each and every one? Would that be excessive?

I guess I could own just one gun and never have more than 50 rounds for it...but what fun would THAT be?