# New to HP rounds



## wvextremist (Apr 27, 2009)

I trying to learn the differences in the High Performance SD type rounds.

All I really know is that you shoot cheap stuff at the range and pack good stuff for sd, but I am not happy with my level of knowledge on the subject.

Currently I have a M&P 9 that I carry, but I also have a Kahr P45 on order so I need info on both calibers.

I currently carry hydrashock in my 9 because that is what my local shop suggested. However, I have not been very happy with it. I have shot about 60 rounds of it through my 9 to make sure there would be no feed problems before I trusted my life to it. As well as a couple hundred of ball ammo. Upon recovering several rounds of the hydrashock shot through various media and also examining the ent. exit holes. I am not impressed. It doesn't seem to open any better than round solid point rounds and pentrates less. 

Now going from something with 17 rounds to only 6 I am thinking alot more about the bullet. I want the best round or at least a VERY good round.

I am learning that Penetration and Permanent Cavity is very important in stopping someone but what round offers the best mix of the two most often.

Also I don't fully understand when a heavier bullet is better than a lighter one.

Thanks ahead of time, as I realize this is a lot to answer.


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

There's all kinds of HP ammo. Buy a few boxes of different stuff and see what you like best. They all will work a little different and no two weapons are alike. You might see a shooter with the same exact weapon you have and the ammo you are getting 2" groups with they are getting 3". 

Also bare in mind that depending on what you are shooting into will have a lot to do with how a round expands. A stack of wet news papers or phone books etc are not like human tissue.

Check out a few other brands. While the rounds you have used are good ones they might not be best for your weapon.


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## literaltrance (Dec 24, 2008)

wvextremist said:


> I trying to learn the differences in the High Performance SD type rounds.
> 
> All I really know is that you shoot cheap stuff at the range and pack good stuff for sd, but I am not happy with my level of knowledge on the subject.
> 
> ...


DJ already touched on this, and that's bringing into light on what "media" you did your tests. Gels and fluids are going to facilitate more expansion than wood and paper (even wet paper). Milk jugs will give you a better idea of what a bullet is going to do on human tissue, although they are not going to tell you how much penetration you can expect, unless you have a high speed camera or something of that nature.

Even without full expansion from a bullet out of a handgun, I would still opt for hollowpoints because it lessens the chances of over-penetration. Over-penetration could lead to hitting an unintended recipient, and this is NO good in any scenario.



wvextremist said:


> Now going from something with 17 rounds to only 6 I am thinking alot more about the bullet. I want the best round or at least a VERY good round.


If you are still concerned about a bullet which maintains penetration while still providing expansion, you may want to look into Federal's EFMJ or Corbon's Powrball. Do google searches for either of these to get an idea of how they're designed and what you can expect from them. You can find substantial amounts of literature about both.



wvextremist said:


> Also I don't fully understand when a heavier bullet is better than a lighter one.


Generally, heavier bullets have less range but maintain higher velocities as range increases (i.e. they have better penetration at longer ranges than their lighter counterparts). Lighter bullets have a flatter line of travel, more velocity (thus better expansion), although they can be more easily deflected by obstacles. I personally feel SD scenarios call for heavier bullets more so than lighter ones simply because of the cloth/leather/jewelry which is most likely going to be an obstacle between you and your threat. Thus, I tend to carry the heavier grains in 40S&W (180g) and 45ACP (230g), although I opt for the mid grain in 9mm (124g-125g, as opposed to 115g to 147g) because I feel velocity suffers incredibly for 9mm when jumping from 125g to 147g. This is on top of the fact that 9mm was originally designed to fire 115g bullets, and I think the further you stray from this weight in this particular caliber, the less desirable the results are going to be.

Having said all this, I must confess I am no expert. I just read what I can and try to formulate my own opinions based on the facts provided. You may find that you are drastically more accurate with lighter grains and if this is the case you definitely should be carrying lighter bullets.


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## wvextremist (Apr 27, 2009)

So far so good, I think I am understanding this fairly well. 
When looking at cor-bons site for instance they have several different sd rounds. They each have a specific claim (fragmentation, penetration, or expansion) I am not sure what to pick or how they would compare to others like hydra-shock, speer, gold dot, power-ball, or any others.

Maybe I just need someone to say "Hey use this round because:"


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## mlc (Nov 9, 2008)

here's a few links that can make some interesting reading for you.

http://www.btfh.net/shoot/bullet-test-3.html

http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Self_Defense_Ammo_FAQ/index.htm

http://www.btfh.net/shoot/bullet-test-2.html

http://www.btfh.net/shoot/bullet-test-7.html

http://frag.110mb.com/

if you search enough there are a lot of other pages out there that can give you a lot more data but these should give you a general idea. my three choices are ranger t's, hst's and gold dots. when i can get them i prefer to carry the ranger t's 127gr +p+ for summer and then any of the three 147gr's in the winter. finding any of these right now is tough beyond belief and incredibly expensive when you can. a good starting place is shooting any JHP and see if it's reliable and accurate then try some of these "exotic"(poor choice of words maybe) rounds and see how it goes. gold dots are a little easier to find right now and there are countless police departments around this country that depend on them. the new pdx1 from winchester is rumored to be a tricked out gold dot that the fbi is now using so it's worth a look or see what your local leo's are issued and go with that. i hope this helps you some but half the fun is trying a bunch of different things and see whats best for you.


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