# Ammo choices



## johndl58 (Jan 30, 2009)

Whats everyone using in their Glocks, mainly .40 s&w, for target and for home defense? Being the new owner of a 22, I'm just looking for some suggestions as to what I should be shooting.


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## Ptarmigan (Jul 4, 2008)

I shot just about any brand of ammo through my model 22 and never had a problem with any of them. For practice, shoot what you can find the cheapest and for defense invest in a premium JHP load from one of the major ammo companies like Speer, Remington, Federal, or Winchester. Do not get to worried about grain and stuff like that. They will all do the job.


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## johndl58 (Jan 30, 2009)

Thanks for the advice. I'm pretty new to this, and been hearing about the "no lead" issue in a few spots, and was a little concerned about what I should or shouldnt be shooting.


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## Ptarmigan (Jul 4, 2008)

Good point about the lead rounds. Buy stuff like Winchester USA brand (we call it WWB = Winchester White Box), Remington's UMC brand, or Blazer Brass. These can normally be found at Walmart and are about the cheapest FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) rounds. This is the stuff you want for practice. 

For defense, look for stuff like Speer Gold Dots, Federal HST, Hydra-Shok or Tactical Bonded, Remington Golden Saber, or Winchester SXT. Any of these will get the job done. If you can afford it, get a couple of boxes so you can shoot some of the rounds to make sure they function well in your Glock. The last duty load I carried in my Glock 22 was the 165 grain load from the Federal Tactical Bonded line, but any of the others will work just as well.


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## 4X4SNEAK (Jan 27, 2008)

I am using the 165 grain Gold Dot for a duty load and 155 grail FMJ Ultramax for a practice load.


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## johndl58 (Jan 30, 2009)

Thanks for the help fellas.


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## Glockamania® (Dec 21, 2006)

For my .40S&W Glocks, I use Winchester White Boxes FMJ at the range and for the bad guy: Winchester Rangers.

Just find the one you're comfortable with and have easy access to.


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## knoxrocks222 (May 1, 2008)

on duty its gold dots and for everyday carry its hornady taps


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## Abby Normal (Mar 3, 2009)

For practice, the cheapest I can find. That's usually Blazer Brass at Wally World, <$9 for 50. For defense, home & personal, I use Federal Hydra-Shok.


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## KS Trekker (Apr 4, 2009)

Abby Normal said:


> For practice, the cheapest I can find. That's usually Blazer Brass at Wally World, <$9 for 50. For defense, home & personal, I use Federal Hydra-Shok.


I use the Hydra-Shok in my G19 as well. Is there any reason to not use 147 grain rounds in my G26?


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## SaltyDog (Jan 1, 2009)

KS Trekker said:


> I use the Hydra-Shok in my G19 as well. Is there any reason to not use 147 grain rounds in my G26?


They'll work in the G19. Some controversy on the 147 grain 9mm. Some say such a large bullet does not have enough propulsion to expand and penetrate. The 124 grain is supposedly the recommended and it would be lighter for CC. I'd have to get some more info on that though as I just did a quick scan on the net.

Oh yea - I have the 165gr Hydra-Shok for carry and shoot PMC or Blazer 165gr FMJ at the range.


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## AC_USMC 03 (Apr 5, 2009)

winchester ball for the range and for the home and uc Black talon


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## Ptarmigan (Jul 4, 2008)

I do not want to turn this into a "my ammo is better than yours" thread, but the 147 grain 9mm round is actually more likely to penetrate than a lighter round. Penetration has to do with the mass and design of the projectile, not the velocity. 

The common fear with regards to the 147 grain round is/was that it may penetrate too much, and not expand enough, although I have not heard that complaint in many years. 

With the advances in defensive ammo today, one can carry pretty much any offering from the big ammo companies with confidence. 

I would be comfortable with any premium load from Speer, Federal, Remington or Winchester.

I had the pleasure of attending a duty ammo test some years back when I was in law enforcement, and later was involved in choosing new duty rounds for my department. Based in part on those experiences, I prefer Speer Gold Dots or Federal Tactical Bonded if I have a choice, but will gladly carry any of the others. Also, now that I am not a police officer anymore, the bonded rounds are really not anything I need as they are normally chosen due to performance through barriers such as car windshields.

In case anyone is interested, at the time we chose duty ammo (ca. 2002) we ended up with the Federal Tactical Bonded 124 grain in the 9mm, the Federal Tactical Bonded 165 grain in the .40S&W, and stayed with the good old 230 grain Federal Hydra-Shok in the .45ACP.

At my last department I carried a Glock 19 with 147 grain Speer Gold Dots, and had no complaints with regards to the performance of that combo.

I am big on compromise, so when in doubt, I suggest picking the middle ground. In 9mm the common loadings are 115, 124, and 147 grain. I normally pick 124 because it is the middle choice, because that weight is as close to a "standard" weight around the world for 9mm, and most pistols in that caliber are built around that weight of projectile.

In the .40S&W I would pick the 165 grain round due to it being the middle ground, although I do believe that the "original" .40S&W round was a 180 grain projectile.

In the .45ACP the standard has always been, and always will be, the 230 grain round.

Anyway, back to the regular scheduled programming...


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