Self Defense Magazine loads.

[Lilly001]

A couple things come to mind here...

I don't know how their current stuff is....but several years back I chrono'd some Buffalo Bore 10mm loads and found them well below their advertised velocity. In the same G20, however, I found that both Underwood & DoubleTap loads met or slightly exceeded their advertised velocities for the loads I chrono'd.


I'm not saying I'll never carry a .380, because once in a blue moon I'll slip my wife's LCP in a pocket....just because. I've been leaving fmj loads in it as @Robert28 stated. Figure the light & slow bullets need all the help they can get to penetrate to vitals and turn out the lights on an assailant. I reserve the right to be wrong, way wrong....but it is my current thinking on the matter.

The easily pocketed P365 has proven highly reliable and able to shoot anything I've fed through it with zero trouble.....including Federal 9BPLE +P+ loads.

I can understand the nostalgia of having an old classic. Fun to own, tinker with, clean, study and shoot it. When it comes to carry, though...I want something that will hold up to frequent high count range sessions and be vetted in my paws, with my eyesight, on my targets to be effective and completely reliable.

That means proper cleaning, lube, maintenance (new springs, etc).


Heck, my favorite carry guns are built off 100+ year old specs & designs. They are of modern manufacturing, though.....and used as often as I can do so. For any solution that requires a gun....I see the 1911 as the solution. I'm warped that way.

9bple +p+
My favorite.
But my normal carry is my new Kimber with Gold dots.

 

[Dub]

9bple +p+
My favorite.
But my normal carry is my new Kimber with Gold dots.

Years ago we had a great member here who was a LEO with many years in the field and many years interacting with other agencies.


His endorsement of that particular load was all I needed.

Bought a pile of it way back when….now running low as a test fire it in various carry guns every so often.

I will probably move onto 126gr +P HST or the like when the time comes.

 

[Lilly001]

Years ago we had a great member here who was a LEO with many years in the field and many years interacting with other agencies.


His endorsement of that particular load was all I needed.

Bought a pile of it way back when….now running low as a test fire it in various carry guns every so often.

I will probably move onto 126gr +P HST or the like when the time comes.

My daddy turned me on to the load.
He said it was the only commercial 9mm that he couldn’t “improve” when reloading.
He liked him ammo HOT.

 

[Lilly001]

This is a picture of some of his stuff I found a couple years after he passed.
Look in the lower left corner.

 

[Dub]

Awesome @Lilly001

Super stash. That is the kind of supply that may come in very handy one day. Life saving stuff right there.

 

[Jester896]

I have a stash similar in .44 Mag and .38/.357 it isn't +P+ it may have been before that rating in Super Vel

 

[JR924]

Thank you for the replies. Key take a ways.

1. Will retire the Beretta 1934 gun to the safe. Want it to last forever. However it is all I got. The daily am and pm angry rants every day from my wife after the last gun purchase 6 months ago is now to a dull roar. I cannot take that torture again so waiting at least a year for another purchase . She never wants to spend any money and considers guns a waste. Old joke - Why do husbands die before their wives? Because they want to. Believe me I gave it serious thought. Any advice to handle this besides suicide or murder would be welcomed

2. Nobody is using Buffalo Bore ammo. I see it is the most expensive and so I assume for all that any extra performance is not enough to justify the additional cost.

3. Nobody is using hard cast lead.

4. The Corbon and Hornady loads jump out to me. However, all the recommended loads look like a good choice. Not in favor of FMJ but would be cheaper and probably adequate for a my needs with this caliber of gun.

5. Very few using mixed magazine loads as recommended by Buffalo Bore founder.

6. I hate plastic guns or guns with any plastic so probably have to up my budget. Not sure what to get so have to go to gun store and try some out. Not researched much but Kimber and Walther looks good. I still like the Beretta Tomcat with its tip up barrel although the 32 acp is a tough sell to this crowd. Will give 9 mm and 380 acp a good look but favor the latter. This would be my first purchase.

7. In my limited research, the prettiest gun with a stellar reputation that should handle recoil well, fun to shoot and accurate is the Beretta M9A3. Realize it is a full size gun so the use would be alternated between truck and bed stand. This will be my second purchase unless I find something better.

8. I still think the Kel-Tec PMR - 30 still looks good for my wife. She will not practice and would hate the recoil. The idea of thirty 22 mag bullets spraying an attacker from her corner of the bedroom should suffice. The only issue is racking the slide. Does not have much strength and does want to practice doing this so a revolver might be a better choice.

Thanks again

 

[NCHillbilly]

If I had nothing to carry but a .380, I would be going for penetration instead of expansion.

 

[notnksnemor]

I vary my carry weapon and ammo according to season.
Summer, when me and perps are usually dressed lightly, I pocket carry a Ruger LCP with +P hollow points.

Winter when heavier clothing is worn I carry IWB 9mm with FMJ and +P HP's alternated in the magazine or a G21 with HST's.

 

[bullethead]

When I use +P ammunition I tend to also go with a heavier for caliber bullet to get expansion and penetration.
I have found that +P 9mm 115 gr JHP actually penetrates less than standard pressure 115gr JHP due to the earlier expansion of the bullet because of the increased velocity. Bumping up to 124gr or 147gr +P works out to be the best of both worlds.
Granted, the performance of .380 and 9mm are different due to the velocity.
I carry 147gr HST +P in a G26 and 90gr V-Crown in a Ruger LCP Max.