TexasCHLforum.com

flechero wrote: ↑Mon Sep 03, 2018 11:14 am

Paladin wrote: ↑Wed Jul 25, 2018 7:37 am

Charles L. Cotton wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 9:07 am
As I noted before, many years experience as a firearms instructor has proven to me that people simply will not practice with ammo that costs $1+/round....

Chas.

Chas, you and Paul Harrell raise several good points. It certainly is a problem that LTC's do not practice with "precious" carry ammo.

Although absolutely true, the bigger problem [IMO] is that most LTC's don't practice much, AT ALL! This forum's membership is not representative of the 'LTC' public at large, when it comes to preparedness. I bet less than 10% have ever sought additional training or have made non-static range time a habit. Heck, very few even dry fire, and that is free! (OK, I'll admit that I rarely dry fire! )

As noted, buying in 50 rd boxes helps immensely and you can buy in larger lots as well. Buy a 1/2 case (500rd) of carry ammo at a very reasonable price on line. That allows you to proving the gun(s), run carry mags regularly and have enough to last a couple years. And it saves more than the initial investment, over the term, than buying individual boxes... and the benefit of the case or1/2 case is all the ammo is of the same lot, shoots the same and is loaded the same.

flechero, I think you have an important point that seeking additional training and practice is very important and something all LTC's should be doing.

That said, compared to 20 years ago I see a lot more people at the range and a lot more people that can consistently hit their targets. Marksmanship is improving and we need to keep up the progress!

Charles L. Cotton wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 9:07 am
As I noted before, many years experience as a firearms instructor has proven to me that people simply will not practice with ammo that costs $1+/round. They shoot practice ammo, but carry something else. That's Paul's major issue with hyper ammo. He never said it's a poor performer. He points to other issues that make it a poor choice for most people who have to buy their own ammo.

Chas.

Chas, you and Paul Harrell raise several good points. It certainly is a problem that LTC's do not practice with "precious" carry ammo.

I don't carry new ammo unless I have shot at least a box of 50. More extensive testing, like point-of-aim - point-of-impact, left-right handed only, etc is very good to have. Changing out carry ammo every 6-24 months is also the best plan.

That said, with modern handguns and modern premium ammunition(Gold Dot, Ranger, Federal Tactical, HST, etc) I have never, ever had a problem during testing or when I fired "old" ammo at the range. Unlike brass, those nickel casings look pristine even after carrying them in hot, humid environments after a long period of time.

I don't ever want to have a problem when my life is on the line, so I continue to test and cycle out old ammo. Fortunately I can financially comfortably afford to do so.

As I write this Gold Dot 9mm is going for around $22-24 per box of 50 and Winchester Personal Protection is going for around $20.

Lets not regard carry ammo as "precious", but a 10% premium for Gold Dot ammo is easily worth it in my opinion.

I carried WWB personal defense .45ACP hollowpoints for a while. Tests I've seen show they are decent performers.

But I prefer to carry the best ammo I can find and Gold Dot and HST are both very good.

Massad Ayoob, who is from the Northeast, looked intensely at the legal aspects of these things and indicates that hollow points are more likely to stop a criminal than FMJ's. Stopping a criminal with FMJ's may take so many rounds that the criminal more likely won't survive and FMJ's will likely over-penetrate:

Massad Ayoob: Is hollowpoint the best defensive ammo for concealed carry?

Massad Ayoob: Police ammo for the rest of us?

Agree with the video that carrying something named RIP or Zombie-whatever is un-PC at best.