Defensive Pistol Ammo Accuracy/Precision

[spinmove_]

It is precise in the OP's guns. .45 ACP Critical Duty is very accurate in my 1911 and was in my Blackhawk with the ACP cylinder. OTOH just back checking and the Critical Duty .357 Sig loading is not very precise in my G31. Worse than some training ammo.

So basically when vetting a particular carry load we should be checking for reliable function as well as practical precision?

[Kevin B.]

So basically when vetting a particular carry load we should be checking for reliable function as well as practical precision?

That is what I do.

[uechibear]

I may just be mistaken, but I generally think of accuracy as pretty gun-specific. I therefore use the following prototcol when I get a new gun:
1) Shoot groups at 25 with any ammo from Doc's list I happen to have on hand as well as some ASYM (preferably their Barnes loads if available in that caliber) which I always have on hand.
2) If I can't find a defensive load on my shelves that groups as well as the ASYM buy some more stuff to try.
3) Once I get a defensive load that's up to the bar of ASYM (or if the ASYM gets outshot, as Hornady CD and RA9TA have occasionally done) buy 200 rounds of it and use a practice session to validate reliability
4) Buy another 200 rounds of it and sit on it.

For this reason I have pretty decent inventories of three different 9 mm defensive loads that are on the list. All of my .45s like Gold Dot and HST standard pressure 230s equally, I've never seen a compelling difference, so I keep whichever of those happens to be available around. My .38 Super likes Wilson's loading of the Barnes bullet. I have 9s that like RA9TA, CD 135+P, and 124 GD+P to a pronounced degree, so I usually have those around.

My practice has been to purchase these (#3 and #4 above) together and make sure all of it is of the same lot number since there may be variations from lot to lot, but I don't know if it really matters. It's just nice to know that the ammo I'm sitting on is the exact same (as practically possible to determine) as the ammo I tested.

[JAD]

My practice has been to purchase these (#3 and #4 above) together and make sure all of it is of the same lot number since there may be variations from lot to lot

I have only not done that because I was afraid that it would fail reliability. Which nothing ever has, so I'm dumb.

[Hauptmann]

I will add another characteristic that you want.

-Low flash.

I have tested various firearms and ammunition types in the dark and some are downright blinding, preventing clear target acquisition after the first shot fired. One of my fellow officers got into an OIS at night with a 14" 12gauge and fortunately the first shot ended the fight, because he told me he had trouble seeing and locating the suspect after that.

From my own testing I found various handgun defensive brands to be more flashy than others. One thing that ammo manufacturers never tell you is what type of powder they are using in their loads, because they use what ever powder is available at the time that fits into a specific cost window. Depending on any given lot of ammo, you can have pretty dramatic accuracy and velocity deviations, as well as flash. I love Fed HSTs, but I have found them to be a mixed bag of results when it comes to accuracy, consistent velocity, and flash. Probably why they are so affordable in price. The most consistent defensive loads, with the lowest flash are by far Winchester's Ranger Bonded series. The bullets that I have pulled from this brand have either had a higher quality flake powder, or tubular powder used.

My dream ammo would be a HST bullet loaded to Winchester Ranger Bonded standards.

[spinmove_]

I will add another characteristic that you want.

-Low flash.

I have tested various firearms and ammunition types in the dark and some are downright blinding, preventing clear target acquisition after the first shot fired. One of my fellow officers got into an OIS at night with a 14" 12gauge and fortunately the first shot ended the fight, because he told me he had trouble seeing and locating the suspect after that.

From my own testing I found various handgun defensive brands to be more flashy than others. One thing that ammo manufacturers never tell you is what type of powder they are using in their loads, because they use what ever powder is available at the time that fits into a specific cost window. Depending on any given lot of ammo, you can have pretty dramatic accuracy and velocity deviations, as well as flash. I love Fed HSTs, but I have found them to be a mixed bag of results when it comes to accuracy, consistent velocity, and flash. Probably why they are so affordable in price. The most consistent defensive loads, with the lowest flash are by far Winchester's Ranger Bonded series. The bullets that I have pulled from this brand have either had a higher quality flake powder, or tubular powder used.

My dream ammo would be a HST bullet loaded to Winchester Ranger Bonded standards.

That's interesting, I didn't know there was THAT much variation from lot to lot. What's your take on Gold Dots if you don't mind my asking?

[Hauptmann]

That's interesting, I didn't know there was THAT much variation from lot to lot. What's your take on Gold Dots if you don't mind my asking?

I've found them to be pretty consistent overall, with a reasonably low flash. Not as low as Win RB, but pretty low flash.

[LtDave]

I do a lot of ammo testing and handloading for accuracy across a wide range of guns and calibers. What I have found is that every gun is an individual, what one likes may well be different from the next one off the assembly line. In my testing, I often am able to assemble FMJ handloads than shoot much better than factory defensive ammo accuracy wise. For me, the most consistently accurate factory defensive ammo in .45 ACP or .40 S&W has been either Federal HST or Winchester Ranger in 230 and 180 grain loadings. For 9mm, it is harder to generalize. Some of my guns like Winchester or Speer +P+ 115, others do best with 147 grain stuff. Then there are a few that prefer +p 124 grain Gold Dots. In .380, Federal Hydrashok has been the undisputed accuracy champ for me. My definition of acceptable accuracy is under 2" at 20 yards, preferably under 1.5". I can usually find a load that will hit 1.5" or better in each of my guns, but you know you have a real accurate gun when it shoots lots of different loads that well.

[TiroFijo]

As much as I like accuracy, there is a point of diminishing returns... if anybody can shoot consistently, on demand, slow fire off hand 3" groups at 25 yds, then in my experience he/she is well above 90+% of experienced shooters. Once you introduce stress, movement (target and shooter) and fast firing, the intrinsic accuracy of the shooter/gun/load combo counts less and less, as the other factor are FAR more important.

[Beat Trash]

Accuracy of duty ammunition is important. But it's now of many factors to consider.

Reliability, design of the cartridge (sealed), bullet performance under expected engagement conditions, accuracy, price, availability, flash retardant nature . Many factors to consider in addition to accuracy.

I participated in the selection of new duty ammo for my agency (1,200 sworn at the time) in 2011. We hosted two separate ballistic workshops to test ammo. In preparation for the ballistic workshops, I reached out to our own, Dr. Gary Roberts for input. He helped me to know what questions to ask and what to look for during the testing. The rounds we tested had also been tested by him previously. The results were same as his. I stress this only as it confirmed in my mind the validity of the testing process in that it can be repeated when done half a continent away. Side note: if you ever get a chance to participate in a ballistic workshop, do it. Seeing is believing... Especially when testing 380 rounds, they suck...

The last thing we did was an accuracy test of the rounds being considered. Had someone shoot 25yd groups with an issued M&P9. ALL of the rounds that were being considered were deemed to be accurate enough. Keep in mind the intended purpose. We're talking about duty ammunition to be shot in duty guns. We are not talking about NRA Bullseye competitors and their ammunition selection.