Best Personal Defense Load?

[KimberPB]

Originally Posted by Wolfling68

Just to add fuel to the fire, how many are killed isn't nearly as important as how fast they were stopped :-) It kinda sucks when your (well armed) target has 5 minutes to have his way with you AFTER you have fatally wounded him.

Very true! I will say the last one took a FMJ .380 to the chest. Entered the front of the lung, nicked the heart, out the back of the lung, and stopped when it shattered a rib. The victim took two to three steps before collapsing.

[GregAllen]

I'd have to say that the 110 gr +P Cor-Bon would be an excellent choice when using .38 spl. This string generated a nicely diversified set of opinions on the subject of self defense loads.
I wanted to readdress something I said earlier, which was that lighter and faster has had better results. I should have gone on further to explain why that is. For one, it takes less energy to push a lighter bullet to greater speeds. Second and more importantly, hollow point cavities require pressure to begin and complete the expansion process. The speed of the projectile has a positive and direct coloration with the pressure exerted within the cavity. To demonstrate this effect I often ask the audience to picture a parachute. If the wind speed into the parachute is low, the parachute will inflate slowly. If the wind speed is fast, the parachute will inflate quickly and violently. While lead is not nylon, the effect is the same. Higher speed translates into higher pressure within the cavity thus causing a hollow point bullet to expand rapidly and completely early in the process of penetrating the target. Now, just as it requires energy to give motion to a projectile, energy is required to bring the same projectile to a stop. A fast moving and lighter projectile has a distinct advantage here when compared to a slower moving and heavier projectile. The lighter projectile can be stopped in a lesser distance than a heavy projectile when both are subjected to the same material or tissue. Where the heavy and slow projectile may often travel further within the tissue than the lighter projectile that was at one time moving faster. This is where energy transference comes into effect, with the ultimate goal being that the projectile comes to a stop within the tissue rather than totally penetrating the target. This is referred to as maximum energy transfer. Additionally, the faster a projectile is moving, the greater the diameter of the temporary cavity created. For this I often ask audience members to picture moving a finger through a pool of still water. Move the finger slowly and you will generate a small wake. Move the finger rapidly and you will generate a violent wake. Wakes are pressure waves. The more violent the pressure wave, the greater the destruction to tissue within the target. A bullet traveling through tissue creates a pressure wave. Tests using ballistic gelatin provide an excellent visuals of those pressure waves. Unfortunately, ballistic gelatin tests usually fail to provide the viewer with a distinction between the permanent and temporary cavities. The permanent cavity is the path of total and complete destruction. The permanent cavity the size of the projectile. The temporary cavity is the path of less than complete destruction caused by the pressure wave.
Now, having said all this I cannot stress enough how proper training and weapon proficiency can effect your survival in a gun fight. You can carry the finest weapons and ammunition available, yet if you are incapable, or unwilling to put them to proper use, they are worthless. It is also worth mentioning as another poster already has stated, that any ammunition you use must be of superior quality, and must function properly at all times with the chosen weapon.
I apologize if some might consider this post lengthy. I just wanted to provide you with a clear understanding of the physics involved. I hope the information is helpful. For those that are curious as to what my credentials might be, I was once a weapons technician and close combat instructor in the U.S.M.C., and then later police officer, and range officer for a law enforcement agency near Atlanta Georgia.

[torontogunguy]

Originally Posted by Wolfling68

Just to add fuel to the fire, how many are killed isn't nearly as important as how fast they were stopped :-) It kinda sucks when your (well armed) target has 5 minutes to have his way with you AFTER you have fatally wounded him.

On a side note, in the early 1900s, the US Military facing a drugged up foe (sound like something you might face?), detemined a .45 was required to stop them. My undereducated lay opinion is use the biggest gun you can carry and use proficiently. The bigger the bullet, the bigger the wound channel, and the greater the stoppping power is my understanding.

Keep in mind that the military must use FULL METAL JACKET rounds. No hollow points permitted under the GC.

I'm not terribly fussy although different weather and clothing and circumstances can all be taken into consideration (you don't want that .357 Magnum passing through your assailant and the wall behind him/her.

I just stick with Speer Gold Dots or Federal HST (Hydra Shock Two) and take em in +P loads if my pistola will handle it. I keep in mind what's behind my target (although I have yet to need to draw on an assailant thank goodness). There are lots to choose from and plenty of reports online about the efficacy of most rounds - you can't go too far wrong with the above unless you are in an airplane.

Whatever you choose, stay with it. Don't mix and match rounds. You want to know that (a) your gun will function reliably with that round; and (b) your gun is generally on target with that round. Mix and match and you are bound for a surprise when you least want it. Lastly, don't cheap out. Your gun may run like a champ all day with FMJ rounds and choke with hollowpoints. Practice with what you carry.

Last but not least, keep abreast of state laws. For instance, I believe in NJ, even though you are not going to be able to carry in all liklihood unless a LEO (in which case you wouldn't be asking this question) if you get caught with a hollowpoint rolling around under the seat you go directly to jail without passing GO. Also, some states prohibit magazines over ten rounds I believe and if you carry one in the chamber that gives you eleven to start. I personally carry two spare magazines when I travel on my offside in a black double carrier with a snap cover that does not scream "GUN!" if it happens to show. The concealed carry on the other hand, I concentrate on keeping hidden and tend to use SOME level of retention holster - the last thing you want is someone grabbing your carry piece and murdering their estranged wife with it. The least I try to use is Level 1 retention.

Keep safe.

[astute]

Asking a group that kind of question is like asking 100 people, "What is the best candy bar?" I personally use Winchester SXT in my P3AT and MagSafe in my 9mm and 45. The actual answer has already been given though. Whatever is in your gun at the time you need it is THE BEST.

[JJFlash]

Slightly off topic, but if you can't hit what you're aiming at, especially under stress, it doesn't matter what you shoot. So, train, train, train! Ok, and carry the biggest gun you can.