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Bullet choice should be a big consideration while carrying or for home defense. As with calibers, there is no perfect bullet type. There are some that are better than others, but everything has their trade offs.
Bullet choice should be a big consideration while carrying or for home defense. As with calibers, there is no perfect bullet type. There are some that are better than others, but everything has their trade offs.
Jacketed hollow-point (JHP) bullets are almost universally considered the best choice for defense ammunition. Other expanding designs such as Federal EFMJ and Cor-Bon DPX are also considered effective. It has been proven that JHP and other expanding rounds at handgun velocity are unreliable (at best); to the point that subsonic rounds are less than 50% likely to expand fully . Another controversy with hollow-point rounds is that when the round expands it creates a larger permanent and temporary cavity, but because of the faster energy transfer it reduces the penetration depth.
Solid FMJ bullets do not have the problem of losing their energy as quick and are known for penetrating through barriers and still piercing deep enough into flesh to arrive at vital organs. The permanent cavity is reduced in size (compared to JHPs), but there are trade off to every bullet.- Federal Hydra-shok is a bullet which looks like a standard JHP from many angles, but inside the front cavity there is a "spear". This allows the bullet to open up and still pierce through some things. When it was first created this design led the industry, but most will say that improved standard JHP designs have since caught up.
- Reverse-tapered hollow point is a unique kind of bullet. The hole in the bullet increases in diameter as it descends through the bullet. The design allows for some penetration through hard objects without opening. When the bullet does open it folds open into separate sections which are held together by the jacketing.
- Soft-tip JHP is a very vague description for any type of JHP which has a filling in the hole (it may be polymer or other hard material). This allows the bullet to pierce some objects or to travel through soft things (like clothes or flesh) for a period of time before opening up, allowing for deeper penetration. There are alternate names for such bullets, like ballistic-tip or V-Max. This is arguably the most versatile bullet. It will easily penetrate heavy clothing while retaining its ability to expand in a soft target.
Bullet weight is another thing to consider. In general, lighter bullets have higher velocities than heavier ones, so over shorter distances (less than 100 yards) lighter bullets have flatter trajectories. The problem with light bullets is that against soft targets they lose their energy with less resistance than heavier bullets. It has been proven that extremely light bullets can even be stopped by very heavy clothing. A general rule is during summer, any bullet will work, but light is nice for ballistic reasons; during the winter, when people are wearing heavy clothes, heavy bullets are superior.- A light 9mm bullet would be 100 grains. And a heavy bullet would be 147 grains (though 124/125 gr. is more common).
- A light .40 would be 135 grains, and heavy .40 would be 180 grains.
- A light .45 would be 165 grains. But a 230 grain would likely be better for almost any purpose in a .45; even heavier bullets such as 250 grain are also available.
Powder loads can change a bullet's ballistics and the gun's feel. Standard loads are always recommended for most guns, but some guns like Glock and H&K specify the ability to fire hot loads. Most H&K pistols come with a dual-stage recoil spring which helps with felt recoil as well as recoil shock to internal components. This allows H&K to shoot +P (hot powder load) and +P+ (very hot powder load) without a problem. Other guns may need a spring replacement or other changes. The hotter loads allow for more muzzle energy and velocity as well as better reliability since the slide will be racked harder with the extra energy (less chance of limp-wristing or stovepipes).
Practicing with the ammunition you intend to use for self defense can get expensive. You should fire many of your "specialty" rounds to make sure the firearm cycles reliably with them. Some pistols are picky about certain JHP bullet shapes. For general practice you can use FMJ to keep it cheap, but consider using the same weight (grains) bullets and, if possible, the same load (Standard, +P, etc) because rapid-fire cycles can change drastically with different weight and loads.
Pistol accessories
Some pistol accessories can benefit you and hurt the performance of your sidearm at the same time. The following are a few common modifications with both pros and cons.
Night sights are a welcome addition to any conceal carry or duty weapon. It allows the user to sight up targets in low- or no-light situations. The problem with any night sights used in nearing dusk, or early morning, when there is not enough light to adequately illuminate the white rings, and it is too bright to see the tritium, at this point the sights are very difficult to accurately line up. But any darker (when most shootings take place) the night sights are very visible.
Tactical, attached lights not only are able to light whole rooms, but can also give bad guys a short period of blindness if used on them. The problem is that they add weight to the gun, and can possibly throw off the balance. Some argue that they also give the bad guy a nice easy target to aim at (but honestly, just try looking at the light for a few seconds — they may know in what direction to shoot, but they won't see what they are shooting at). Buying a cheaper light will almost guarantee it breaking after a while. For a duty or concealed weapon, this can be left off, but for home defense use, it may be a very good thing to always identify your target before taking action. Also, a separate hand-held light can do most of what an attached light can do.
Trigger work is another tempting modification that many people do to their pistols. Often lightening the trigger pull, or shortening the length of the pull. This is great for target shooting or match shooting, but a trigger pull that is less than three pounds can quickly become unsafe if you are carrying the gun a lot. It can also help a lot with quick follow up shots, making them more accurate. This is a change that should only be made to the gun if the trigger pull is grossly heavy or long.
Rubber slip-on grips can make your sidearm more comfortable. This is often a good thing, and for people with very large hands, it is a must to allow for a solid fit on the grip. The grips have problems though. They can move, this can affect accuracy and require constant adjustment. Most tactical-style handguns have groves and hatches in the grip to allow a firm grip even with sweaty hands; the rubber makes the gun a bit slippery when sweaty. Additional maintenance is also required, as sweat and dirt will build up under the grip, which require the rubber to be taken off and the grip and rubber washed thoroughly. If you have large hands, try using rubber grips, or for a gun which has a very uncomfortable grip.
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