Which bullet do you trust?

[Patriot_1776]

I've seen polls about which one, what kind, or how many of this, that, and the other thing.  I don't think I've seen one on which bullet you'd bet your life on.  Here's your chance to make it known.  Yes, they are in alphabetical order.

I'm not extremely familiar with all the exact loadings and such so that is why some are ammo brand only, and request bullet specification (name or design).  Forgive me if I left your favorite choice out, but that's the reason for the "other" selection. 

[marylandeer]

Great post. Very interesting poll, looking forward to see the results.
For me it's Corbon, I use the 125 grain 9mm (regular hollowpoints). I don't really know why I choose this one but I do trust it. It always goes boom for me and it's very accurate for me as well. I have read several stories where the Corbon regular hollow points have done very well in actual shootings. I hear more good stuff about the 115 grain version but I choose the 125 because I think it's a more versitile bullet as far as better barrier penetration (heavy clothing) etc..
I really like the looks and #'s of the Corbon PowrBall ammo just have not been able to find any to try out yet..
#2 on my list would be Speer GoldDot. So many police departmennts have been using them for so long they have to be good.
#3 would be Remington Golden Sabre I read that the same engineer that designed the Gold Dot also created the Goldensabre.

[sniperVLS]

165grain .40s&w Rem Golden Saber but also have a box of Hydras ready if need be.

[K.K]

great question.  In my opinion, there are lots of great ammo companies, with bullets to suit just about any application.  For me the main thing is reliability in feeding, expansion, and then accuracy. For me, I feel safe with Federal Hydrashocks, Speer Gold Dots (in 9mm), and Cor-Bon Powr Balls in my 1911 (since they feed most reliably).  The last thing you wnat to skimp on is ammo for your defense gun!

[Sir Knight]

I trust Speer GoldDot and Winchester SXT but I can't vote for both  What to do? What to do? 

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[Patriot_1776]

"I trust Speer GoldDot and Winchester SXT but I can't vote for both   What to do? What to do?" - Sir Knight /// "For me, I feel safe with Federal Hydrashocks, Speer Gold Dots (in 9mm), and Cor-Bon Powr Balls in my 1911 (since they feed most reliably)." - K.K 

I would say that a post discussing why one chooses said rounds would still count as a vote for them, at least IMO, so I wouldn't worry about that. 

Perhaps this thread should be a sticky, but we'll see what turns out.

[corbanzo]

I trust the biggest fastest bullet I can find.  If it has to do with close encounter personal defense, it doesn't always have to be exactly straight.   

[Mikey]

I would never trust a bullet to do what I should be able to do, which is to place the shot effectively.  That being said my preferences run to fat, slow moving, flat nosed hardcast slugs.  Mikey.

[Dee]

If I were carrying a revolver it would be a 357 magnum with a 125 grain jacketed hollow point. This has proven to be the best one shot stopping round since the FBI started keeping records back in the sixties in police officer involved shootings and still is. No, I don't include the 357sig. It's a 9mm in a necked down 40sw case. Ain't the same. If I were carrying an auto it would be a 200 grain truncated flat point loaded in excess of 1000 feet per second in 45 acp. I carried both of these rounds alternately during a 20 year L.E. career. Each round was used on two seperate occasions and performed admirably stopping the assault immediately. At the time something much much bigger would have made me feel better. The last cheif I worked for issued the Winchester bullet, STX I believe. He said it was a good bullet but, admitted he had never used it on the street. A clear head and determination is more important that bullet brand.

[kyote]

I understand this is a poll about which bullet would you trust.I think I must interject my thoughts before a selection is made.
I have seen every shape,and manner of bullet (at least so it seems)shot at living things.and have concluded that they all work exactly the same if shot placement is poor.and if shot placement is good.they all work the same.some a little messier then others,and a bigger hole.
I kinda favor the winchester black talons,which I believe are now marketed under the sxt name with out the black coating.and running neck and neck with the winchester is the remington golden sabers.any who, shoot till its on the ground and not moving anymore.

[Scott T]

It really does not matter much, pistol bullets all work about the same and are a poor excuse for what a rifle can do.

Plain old cast swc works fine for me.

[Win 73]

At various times I trust (or at least rely on) a .32 acp hollow point up through a .38 or a 9 mm hollow point up to a .45 hollow point.

[RJM]

Colt Commander .38 Super:  CorBon PowR'Ball or the 115 or 125 JHPs

S&W 6906 9mm: CorBon PowRBall or the 115 JHP

KelTec .32: CorBon 90 gr. JHP

.38 Special any length: CorBon PowR'Ball or the 110 JHP

.357 Magnum: Prefer Speer 125 Gold Dot but most any good 125 will due...

Bob

[randyb]

Voted Gold  Dot because I use it most, but have faith in a lot of brands, with proper shot placement.  Rounds that I like:

.38 special-  Remington 158 LHP +P
.357 mag.  140 grain silvertips or the 180 grain Win Partition
.45 ACP-  Gold Dot 230 grain JHP (and/or the +P version as well)
.32 ACP   Fiocchi  60 JHP
9mm   Gold Dot 124 JHP +P


I would like to try out the all copper barnes bullets, worked great deer hunting in my shotgun, but have not played with them in my handgun.

[drdougrx]

hi all

hydrashoks for me in everything.

[chico_cm]

Even though I have my preferences, I only carry (in my CCW gun), what my local Sherrif's offices carry--gold dots at the moment.
Reasoning:  I'm in the Peoples Repub of KA where lawsuits abound &  My attorney told me to do it.
Rationale:  I'm on trial for 'stopping a threat' posed by a BG.  When the scumbag prosecutor asks me why I carried those "evil, magnum, man-stopper, super-duper killing bullets",
my response is:  "I'm not an expert on bullets so I contacted my local Sheriffs office to ask what round their officers trust their lives with.  They know much more than I do about these things than I do."

Just my opinion though, I could be wrong.



"Aim small, miss small."

[BloomGrad]

hey chico_m

This is a smart legal tactic.  I think it keeps the prosecution confused and makes you look smart to a jury that doesn't know the difference.

For many years this is the same type of recommendation that Massad Ayoob and others have written about.  I did the same for years when I carried a CCW lots more than I do now.  I used the FBI as my example.  They were using Silvertips back then.  I still do as I have several boxes left over.

my 2 cents.

[pillpeddler]

This should be obvious,  The bullet thats in MY gun!!  lol
Seriously, I like whichever well built hollowpoint that the particular pistol I'm shooting likes, the best built bullet my rifle likes with regard to what animal I'm hunting, the shotgun shell that the shotgun I'm using patterns best, etc.  I don't get hung up on particular manufactures, they all hype their products and all of their products can shoot better than I tend to.  Have fun, shoot often.

[Dee]

I guess as an after thought it would be the one that stops the deer, the coyote, the bobcat, the neighbors biting dog, or the fight that I did not want in the first place.

[Old Griz]

It wasn't too long ago that we were using round lead balls, and they were working pretty well.  Lead RN did the trick for several years, and now we've got all kinds of fancy stuff. I don't know which one is best. Thank the Lord I've never had to shoot anyone. I always try to go with what shoots accurately out of the gun I'm carrying. Since bullet placement is the key, I just want something that will hit where I'm aiming. Then I'm gonna keep shooting until the threat is nullified. I'm sure the Cor-bons, HydraShocks, Gold Dots, and what ever comes along next will all work if ya hit your target. So will a SWC. Actually, I still wouldn't want to get hit by a .45 round ball coming out of my 6" 1885 Henry Derringer! Now that one will never be fired again, but I betcha it would leave more than just a red mark!

[Dee]

Griz, I would agree thru experience that a well placed shot of any bullet configureation is the key to winning a fight. I once knew an officer in Tx. who had a man on pcp get him down and take his night stick away from him. This Dept allowed officers to carry 41 mags. and other officers running to the officers aid, testified that everytime he (the officer that was on his back) pulled the trigger, goose down from the perpatrator's down vest came flying out the back. The officer was shooting clear thru him with no effect. The man was hit with numerous fatal shots in tissue area and died at the scene when his brain ran out of oxygen.  I have read police reports where the first shot fired was a heart shot and the person continued to fight, until the oxygen depleted in the brain. This is what happens with proper mindset. I have also read reports on officers being shot, receiveing a flesh wound, going into shock, and dying because they THOUGHT they were going to die. As a retired swat team leader, tactical k-9 trainer and Tactical Firearms Instructer, I taught for years, to have the proper mind set before going into a situration where you might have to fight for you's or someone elses life and, to break the infra-structure (skeletel bones) was the only sure way to take someone down. This is why the 9mm and other simular caliburs fail. Tissue hits, although they may prove fatal, may not stop the immediate threat. There are no mericle bullets. Just well placed shots. I have been in two instances involving three assailants, where training and a steady nerve were the difference. The constant training on the range caused the bullets to go where they needed to go. The mind set, to stand and fight, caused me to be steady. Too many people place too much faith on these new bullets. I have seen the best hollow points go thru several thin layers of clothing, plugging up the hollow point (which by the way works on hydrolics produced by body fluids) causing it not to open at all. I agree with Jeff Cooper unless he changed his mind in later years. A flat point, trunkated, 200 grain 45 calibur bullet at between 900 and 1000fps is a fight stopper if well placed. It will not bounce off bone but the flat point will cause it to bite into the bone. Wanna check it out? Get a bowling pin and shoot a glanceing shot with a hollow point, then a glancing shot with a flat point, and see for youself. Stand your ground and fight, accept the fact you may take a hit, and get mean. Forget fancy computer designed bullets. Just my opinion based no mine, and other officers experience.

[PaulS]

Dee,
I know I am not Griz but I have to comment.
In a killing situation, shot placement is absolute key in getting the job done. It is more important in bullet design, type, and size.
You can drop a man in his tracks with a 22RF if you shoot it through his temple. If you shoot a man with a 454 magnum through the gut or leg he can keep on coming. There are lots of police reports of perps on PCP fighting more than a couple officers with more broken bones than I have had in my whole life. If you shoot someone on PCP in the head they go down. Police officers are taught to shoot to the center of mass - its the biggest target and it contains all the vital parts. It does not always stop a perp instantly. I practiced for combat situations with my brothers and some friends and we practiced all kinds of controlled shooting. I found that the best defense shooting that I could do is three shots to a perp - two to the body and the last one in the head. Even if a guy is wearing body armor that third shot will kill and stop the perp.
Paul

[Cottonwood]

A long time ago, I read Street Survival which showed a perp that took a total of 32 hits from a 9mm, the last one being of course to the head.  Case in point.... Paul your right about a double tap and then one to the head.  Up where I live it is now very cold at night has gotten down to 23* so heavy jackets or coats are in the fashion now. 

I carry a 5 shot 2" 44 mag using 240-gr JSP ammo with extra speed loaders.  I don't work the streets any longer but work out in the woods 4 out of 7 days a week.  We have both two legged critters and four legged types that should the need arise I want plenty of smackdown, and no I don't carry bullets that can get clogged up by heavy clothing or fat and fur/hyde.

[Dee]

Dee,
I know I am not Griz but I have to comment.
In a killing situation, shot placement is absolute key in getting the job done. It is more important in bullet design, type, and size.
You can drop a man in his tracks with a 22RF if you shoot it through his temple. If you shoot a man with a 454 magnum through the gut or leg he can keep on coming. There are lots of police reports of perps on PCP fighting more than a couple officers with more broken bones than I have had in my whole life. If you shoot someone on PCP in the head they go down. Police officers are taught to shoot to the center of mass - its the biggest target and it contains all the vital parts. It does not always stop a perp instantly. I practiced for combat situations with my brothers and some friends and we practiced all kinds of controlled shooting. I found that the best defense shooting that I could do is three shots to a perp - two to the body and the last one in the head. Even if a guy is wearing body armor that third shot will kill and stop the perp.
Paul

I trained officers for 19 years to win fights on the street. Won two myself. What you think and what actually is sometimes are two different things. What I gave you was valuable information gleaned from personal experience, training, and insight of other officers over a period of 20 years.
No public range informal theroy training. You may accept it or not. I lived for twenty years in the real world, not the one in my mind.

[S.S.]

If it is not my own reloads,(mostly)
It will be Hydra-shoks.
This is only because I can no longer find NyClads.
Those were the most efficient factory rounds I have
ever used.

[PaulS]

Dee,
I agree with what I understood you to say in your post. I expanded it to limit the bone breaking to the head. As for bullet design, it can be a factor but it is not the only deciding factor. The King County Sherriff's office has had many times when a perp on PCP or other drugs has had multiple broken bones and remained a physical threat to officers. The brain quits working when it leaks out of their skull and that can happen a lot faster than waiting for it to run out of oxygen.
Mindset is an important part of the equation in any survival situation. It is arguably the most important consideration. Without the brain there is no mindset.
I am not disagreeing with you or your experience as i understand it. Remember the largest bone target is the head.

[Dee]

Hitting a head that is trying to kill you, is not as easy as one might think. Theroy is one thing, reality is entirely another. I am in agreement that the head shot would be the preference, but a target at the range isn't shooting back. In the real world snipers take head shots. There is nothing like having a 3 inch line of adrenlin turned on wide open, your ears stopped up from the stress, where rounds sound like distant fire-crackers, and so much focus, you have tunnel vision. You are so hyper-alert to the situation that it seems everything has slowed down. But it hasn't. Add to this, muzzle blast from HIS GUN, hitting you right in the face. I have experienced this twice. Neither occurance was at the range. I just wanted it to stop immediately, with me the winner. All you want to do is get the first round in him, before he gets one in you. Your so wired to the situation, that you will be satisfied with a hit anywhere on his body. No seasoned, verteran fighter, would attempt such a thing in a face to face fight. That's for TV and arm chair quarterbacks.
In my youth I was able to run the El Presidente in 6 seconds with a street gun. A 1911 that was set up for the street. It was in no way a race gun. That wasn't bad for the time. With that ability I never considered a head shot, in a real world gun fight, and the officers I knew personally whom I trained with and worked with, and had been in gunfights also would be skeptical of such an attempt. They would probably ask you your choice in flowers at the appropriate time. I doubt fighting has change much in the twelve years I have been retired. I know men haven't. Good luck sir,

[jhm]

The one in the chamber its as simple as that.    JIM

[JeffG]

Hydra Shoks function like FMJ, expand pretty reliably, and my own vest will stop them in case of a disarm.

[clattin]

I'm checking with my buddy that's an FBI agent as to what they are using.  He's not a desk agent, he's kicking in doors on a daily basis, so if its good enough for him, its good enough for me.  Will post the info when he gets back to me.

I didn't vote.  I have SXT's, Silver Tips and Gold Dots.  They all feed fine.