# Reduced Recoil Ammo



## firemediceric (Oct 26, 2007)

I just picked up my new Kahr PM40 today. The dealer was suggesting a "Reduced Recoil" type of ammo. 

He did not have any to show me, but he said it has the same or better knock down, but less of a kick.

I have never heard of this before. Can someone enlighten me?

Right now in the Kel-Tec .32 I have Federal Hydra-shocks. In the Glock 22 I have Winchester hollow points. With regard to these and the new Kahr, what do you think I should be carrying?

I am also thinkig about having the first round be a shot shell type. I heard a couple of guys making the argument that with a ball shot shell as the first round you have the advantage of being more likely to hit your assailant and then you will at least momentarily incapacitate him as you take better aim or go for cover. The other argument was that the small shot will not penetrate sheet rock to the point of injuring an innocent party in another room.

Input please.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

firemediceric said:


> I just picked up my new Kahr PM40 today. The dealer was suggesting a "Reduced Recoil" type of ammo.
> 
> He did not have any to show me, but he said it has the same or better knock down, but less of a kick.


Well, it really depends on how much damage it does to the target. Handgun bullets can generally only damage tissue they touch, unlike rifle bullets. If it expands to the same diameter and penetrates to the same depth as a more powerful round, it will do roughly the same amount of damage. If it fails to do so, it won't do as much damage.

"Knock down" doesn't exist. If it could knock down the target, it would knock you down when you fired it. And if it recoils less, it obviously has less raw power.



> Right now in the Kel-Tec .32 I have Federal Hydra-shocks. In the Glock 22 I have Winchester hollow points. With regard to these and the new Kahr, what do you think I should be carrying?


Any premium JHP from a quality manufacturer will work fine for defense. Gold Dot, Golden Saber, HydraShok, etc. All are good.



> I am also thinkig about having the first round be a shot shell type. I heard a couple of guys making the argument that with a ball shot shell as the first round you have the advantage of being more likely to hit your assailant and then you will at least momentarily incapacitate him as you take better aim or go for cover. The other argument was that the small shot will not penetrate sheet rock to the point of injuring an innocent party in another room.


Bad advice. Terrible, in fact. You may only get one shot and one chance to put your opponent down. It needs to be a good one. A "good one" is a round that penetrates deeply enough to destroy his vital organs, perhaps after passing through an arm and/or heavy clothing.

Any round that won't go through drywall won't penetrate nearly deeply enough in a human to cause any kind of reliable incapacitation. A shotshell might, however, piss the guy off enough that he redoubles his efforts to kill you and your family.

Shotshells are often not as reliable in terms of cycling as a standard round, as well.

There are reasons absolutely no reputable defensive firearms instructor recommends shotshells for defense.

Find a good premium JHP round that is reliable in your pistol. Make sure you can control it. Then ignore all the hype and debate about this round versus that round, and concentrate on what is far more important than the particular bit of metal your gun spits out: mindset, marksmanship, gunhandling skill, and tactics.


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## Snowman (Jan 2, 2007)

Mike's right on about the shot shell. Those are for snakes and rats. Nobody serious about self defense would recommend that.


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

The only thing I can add is remember this target is going to be moving and not standing still. He more than likely will be heading at you and you might have 1sec to get that shot off. You want it to be a good one. Also anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Good luck.


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## propellerhead (May 19, 2006)

I went looking for something similar for a Keltec PF-9 and got nowhere. I was looking for a lightweight bullet that will have enough increase in velocity to make up for the decrease in weight. I didn't get anywhere. It seems all the pocket gun folks are carrying the same ammo for regular sized concealed carry pistols.


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## firemediceric (Oct 26, 2007)

Snowman said:


> Mike's right on about the shot shell. Those are for snakes and rats. Nobody serious about self defense would recommend that.


I can see both sides of the argument, but I'm sold that you guys are the authority much more so than the two guys talking to me at the gun shop telling me to go with the shot shell round for the one in the chamber.

I know up above I was told to go with "any quality jacketed hollow point." What weight should I be looking at? What are your thoughts on the +P type ammos?


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

I'm not aware of a SAAMI specification for a +P .40 round, so I'd be very wary of any company that claims to have such a round.

Different people like different bullet weights, but the difference is more academic than anything else. Try a few premium JHPs, like Gold Dot, Golden Saber, SXT, and maybe CorBon DPX. Find one that is reliable in your gun, and that you can control in realistic defensive shooting. Then move on to the important stuff.


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## Old Padawan (Mar 16, 2007)

firemediceric said:


> I heard a couple of guys making the argument that with a ball shot shell as the first round you have the advantage of being more likely to hit your assailant
> Input please.


Training, practice and more practice will increase your chances of a hit. Then you dont have to sacrifice power and you gain knowledge and ability. These will outlast and outperform any ammo on the market today.


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