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If you have to use SD ammo, investigators will get examplar ammo from the manufacturer in order to run ballistics and powder residue tests. The companies that reliably maintain 10 years of samples from each lot are (in alphabetical order): Federal, Hornady, Remington, Speer, and Winchester. Log the lot number and date the gun was loaded.

The only sciency stuff I did before selecting an SD round was to look at FBI and State Police shooting reports (around the time of the Malheur take-over in Oregon) to see what they were carrying. I'm using Speer Gold Dot in 9mm and .223...neither of those are revolvers,tho...

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AndyH wrote: Fri Sep 07, 2018 12:21 am If you have to use SD ammo, investigators will get examplar ammo from the manufacturer in order to run ballistics and powder residue tests. The companies that reliably maintain 10 years of samples from each lot are (in alphabetical order): Federal, Hornady, Remington, Speer, and Winchester. Log the lot number and date the gun was loaded.

The only sciency stuff I did before selecting an SD round was to look at FBI and State Police shooting reports (around the time of the Malheur take-over in Oregon) to see what they were carrying. I'm using Speer Gold Dot in 9mm and .223...neither of those are revolvers,tho...
Andy knows far more than I do, but I also keep Speer Gold Dot in 9mm and Sig's equiv SD rounds specifically for home SD. I'm assuming they make .38 special as well.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

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Marlene wrote: Fri Sep 07, 2018 12:14 am Lead semi wadcutter hollow point 158 grain +P
Marlene, re these strictly hand loads, or is there a company that produces this self defense round? Thanks
All religions united with government are more or less inimical to liberty. All, separated from government, are compatible with liberty.-Henry Clay
Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms.—Aristotle

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featureless wrote:Federal HST is the newest "best thing" for whatever that's worth. Just about any bonded hollow point will work, or soft point since it's a revolver.
I have the HST 130 JHP +P Micro rounds loaded in my snubnose ... Pretty decent round.

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Marlene wrote:Mine are Remington. Dunno who has them in current production but it’s a common load. It’s what the FBI used to issue.
Thanks for the recommendation. Federal has a load that is comparable.

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At first I thought these Federal HSTs were just rebranded/reboxed HP ammo, but they aren't, these aren't your daddies Hydro-shocks cowboy.
Are these a new design from Federal?
Currently I'm using Remington .38 +Ps.
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable.

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MaxwellG wrote: Fri Sep 07, 2018 11:11 am At first I thought these Federal HSTs were just rebranded/reboxed HP ammo, but they aren't, these aren't your daddies Hydro-shocks cowboy.
Are these a new design from Federal?
Currently I'm using Remington .38 +Ps.
Newish. The internets are convinced they are superior to the old internets holy grail GoldDots. Who knows... While I load 9mm HSTs in the event I ever need them, I think any modern bonded hollow point will perform well.

If you want a boutique load, I read good things about Buffalo Bore.

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Something I think I noticed as I looked around at SD ammo were comments about using heaver loads during the summer and lighter, faster loads in the winter. The point appeared to be that a lighter, faster projectile would penetrate heavier clothing better. Does that sound reasonable to folks in the know? Or is it just 'internet fluff'? I didn't find anything that suggested that LEOs changed ammo with the season.

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AndyH wrote: Fri Sep 07, 2018 3:41 pm Something I think I noticed as I looked around at SD ammo were comments about using heaver loads during the summer and lighter, faster loads in the winter. The point appeared to be that a lighter, faster projectile would penetrate heavier clothing better. Does that sound reasonable to folks in the know? Or is it just 'internet fluff'? I didn't find anything that suggested that LEOs changed ammo with the season.
I think that particular obsession gets into the land of diminishing returns. I figure, we are unlikely to ever need a gun for self defense in the first place. If we do, having a gun increases odds of surviving. If it's loaded, odds go up again. If you have to go beyond pulling a gun and into shooting the gun territory, bullets/caliber might play a factor. If we have hollow points vs round nose, odds up again but definitely a smaller gain than being prepared. Then, we might get into bullet weight.

Pick a pill that shoots reliably through whatever controllable handgun you have and be well. And for what it's worth, a .223 will outperform any handgun round with less potential to fly through walls and kill unintended folk. Analysis paralysis... I gotz it. :albert:

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great info, thanks everyone. I've not thought about my 38/357 ammo for a while. Time to rethink some of it!!!
All religions united with government are more or less inimical to liberty. All, separated from government, are compatible with liberty.-Henry Clay
Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms.—Aristotle

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I got a few thoughts. 1. Check out DocGR's ammunition recommendations: https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php ... P-vs-38-Sp 2. Get some practice with shooting and reloading on the clock. You probably won't need the practice with reloading but it will be a confidence builder. 3. It goes without saying but get a good powerful flashlight and keep it with the revolver for target identification. Also, I understand that people have had experiences of hitting a would-be assailant with 1000+ lumen and the assailant deciding they have better places to be and things to do.

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DavidMS wrote: Fri Sep 07, 2018 10:25 pm I got a few thoughts. 1. Check out DocGR's ammunition recommendations: https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php ... P-vs-38-Sp 2. Get some practice with shooting and reloading on the clock. You probably won't need the practice with reloading but it will be a confidence builder. 3. It goes without saying but get a good powerful flashlight and keep it with the revolver for target identification. Also, I understand that people have had experiences of hitting a would-be assailant with 1000+ lumen and the assailant deciding they have better places to be and things to do.
A very good article. As a retired Emergency Dept RN at an inner city hospital and before that an EMT on the city contract ambulance service I have seen more than my share of GSWs. For deaths it goes to the 45 acp or 357 Magnum most wound up in the morgue. This was the era of the Saturday Night special and the 25 cal was a favorite of those want to do a little personal mayhem. I saw many shot and killed by that little round. It was usually up close and multiple hits to the head. Shotgun wounds were rare, I remember two. The first was while I was working ambulance, we made a call to a bar got there before the police. The victim was laid out on the floor with a shotgun wound to the chest, dead. My idol driver says "I wonder who shot him?" We hear a pump shotgun being racked and a voice said, "I did, you boys got a problem with that?" Nope, We got our stuff and left as the PD arrived. Let them and the ME handle it. Next one was brought to our ER. A person decided he could increase his income by robbing a bar. The Bartender took exception to that and came up with a shotgun. The Prep raised up his arm just in time to take most of the blast. Mangled the arm, but he lived to go to jail after a transfer to the county hospital for surgery.

For home defense I have the Mossberg Shockwave 12ga Firearm with the Aguila Minishells. I hav a light and laser bore sighted to 20 feet. The first shot the 7.5 birdshot Just to discourage them the second is the Buckshot and the the slug. I can load nine rounds in theShockwave. For any from home when I carry it is y S&W 686 3 inch or my Ruger Alaskan 44 mag or my Sig 227 45acp all using Gold dots at present although I am looking at Buffalo Bore anti personal rounds.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

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Andy knows far more than I do, but I also keep Speer Gold Dot in 9mm and Sig's equiv SD rounds specifically for home SD. I'm assuming they make .38 special as well.
I really like the position of "Use what Law Enforcement uses" for self defense ammunition. My firearms attorney says this is a very strong defensive statement.

In my case, I own an S&W M&P 340 - which can chamber .357 mag. I have range tested this pistol with .357 and my accuracy is very poor with that round in this firearm. (I can drive tacks with .357 in my S&W 686). So for SD, I carry Speer Gold Dot LE JHP .38 +P in my S&W 340.

As per my attorney, I can now say with 100% truth:

1) I carry a less powerful round than my firearm can manage - I am not tying to carry a 'killer round'

2) I carry what Law Enforcement carries - I trust them to have chosen a safe, humane, least destructive ammunition

3) All I want to do is 'stop' an assailant; I have no objective to kill them

Then, of course, proper training will have me place several rounds of JHP in the center of mass to 'stop' the threat.

I am not trying to be cute here; I have a lifetime goal to never kill a person. But I do carry; and would defend myself and/or my loved ones in a crisis.
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