What is the best self defense ammo???

[Gundigest]

I was thinking about getting Hornady TAP for my .45. I want something with +P for more energy. I also have a .380, 9mm, and 357 mag. What self defense ammo does everyone use?

[chma]

I use the Hornady Tap 155 gr. in my Glock 40 S&W and CorBon in my 9mm

[bigbulls]

I use Federal hydra shocks. I will be checking out the Federal EFMJ rounds as well as Remington golden sabers.

Why do you feel that you need +P ammo for a self defense round when the gun will likely be used in very close quarters of 10 - 20 feet at most. +P rated ammo is only going to make the gun harder to control due to more recoil.

[North Texan]

My CZ 75 has Federal Hydrashocks, also.

[crimedog]

What kind of 45????? If it's 1911 usePowerball, others Gold Dot from Georgia Arms.

[RedAllison]

As I've said before, when dealing with "carry weapons and ammo" I take the advice of many of my good friends in law enforcement and even a few active duty in the military (I have a buddy who is former active and now doing private security duty for 3 month stints in Iraq, he isn't bound by Geneva Convention rules then!). Most of my local law enforcement buddies use and swear by Golden Sabre ammo. They also quickly praise the Federal Hydra Shocks as well. I have half a dozen carry arms and everyone of them has Hshocks in them.

We carry Blaser Safety slugs at work and when I bought my new Para LDA/SSP Black Watch 45 recently I was about to load it up with the Blasers. That day my buddy who is the head of our tactical team here in my hometown told me they were JUNK! He said THE most important thing about stopping someone is penetration and stopping power. Their own tests showed the Blaser Safety Slugs to fail miserably when the target had anything heavier on than 1 layer of clothing.

Good luck,
RA

[Gundigest]

My .45 is a Ruger KP345DC and I wanted +P to get all the energy I can get, but Im sure it will not make much difference.

[Paul L Mohr]

When I had my Hi Power 9mm I used Hydro Shocks as well. That was quite a while ago though. Remember that "stopping power" in a hand gun is pretty much a myth. Most handguns do not carry enough energy to effectively knock a person over or be lethal on contact. That has more to do with the mental/physical state of the target and shot placement.

If you are looking for something fast with decent penitration maybe take a look at the Corbon offerings. Just make sure your gun can handle it.

I agree with the above statement though, with the ranges most self defense shootings will happen that would be the last thing I would concern myself with. The absolute most important thing you should concern yourself with is finding an ammo the gun will function 100% reliable with. The most impressive ammo you can find on paper will do you no good if the gun jams or missfires. Then I would concern myself with handling, accuracy and performance. I would think any decent hollow point or XTP round would work well if it functioned well in your weapon.

Just my opinions any way. Personaly for home defense I would suggest a 12 ga shotgun with buckshot or turkey loads.

Paul

[biscuit jake]

I would use a lead semiwadcutter of medium velocity, to reduce pass through damage in town. Noone survives a 44 or 45 for long. Otherwise, 12 gauge is first choice. Saw a head shot from one. Never will forget it. They did not suffer.

[okcmco]

Read good things about the TAP but have yet to try it. I like Cor-bon in my .40 and Triton in my .45
okcmco