Choosing a handgun caliber for self defense is one of the most important decisions for personal protection. This comprehensive guide compares .380 ACP, 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP with evidence-based insights from the FBI, leading trainers Rob Pincus and Massad Ayoob, and current ballistics data. We cover pros, cons, and recommendations for every experience...
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Winchester's SUP9 pushes a fully encapsulated 147gr bullet at a subsonic 990 fps — the clean, crack-free range load for suppressor-ready carry setups.
Read the articleDefensive and practice ammunition for carry guns. Load comparisons, caliber choices from .380 up, subsonic and suppressor-friendly rounds, and new releases worth loading.
Choosing a handgun caliber for self defense is one of the most important decisions for personal protection. This comprehensive guide compares .380 ACP, 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP with evidence-based insights from the FBI, leading trainers Rob Pincus and Massad Ayoob, and current ballistics data. We cover pros, cons, and recommendations for every experience…
It’s so much more than “yet another jacketed hollowpoint.” Concealed carriers face some unique challenges, particularly balancing concealability against shootability. Did you know that your ammo can help? It can now, with Fiocchi‘s brand-new CovertX line—a groundbreaking new ammunition series tailored for concealed carry practitioners and defense professionals. This revolutionary product raises the bar in…
Keep your 5.7, your 6.8, your 20 rounds of 9mm. I have a .45. The .45 ACP was developed by John Moses Browning (pbuh) about 120 years ago. While it’s not the most powerful or ballistically lethal round available, nonetheless the .45 ACP has earned the reputation as being a man-stopper. Why? Its ability to…
When it comes to defensive ammo, hollow points are the name of the game. That’s because a hollow point projectile expands upon impact, which does two things: First, it helps prevent the bullet from exiting the target (thus endangering innocent bystanders), and second, it causes the bullet to mushroom out into several sharp angles that…
How often have you read breathless news headlines about some gun owner or another who died and left behind an “arsenal” of guns and ammunition? Do you ever skim down to the last paragraph to see how much stuff the guy had, and whether your own collection would scare the journalist more? You should; it’s…
Friday the 13th was supposed to be the day of Jihad. Hamas leaders called for a day of reckoning for the whole world as retaliation for the expected Israeli ground attack on the Gaza Strip. Thank all the stars that nothing here in the U.S. really materialized. Even so, more and more news sources are…
Let me tell you a tale of the mythical Black Talon ammunition from Winchester-Olin… Once upon a time, the real-world performance of self-defense ammunition real world performance was still hit-or-miss (pun intended). Back then, hollowpoints often failed to expand, essentially turning into round-nose bullets after impacting targets. The terminal effectiveness dropped when these older hollowpoint…
When it comes to ammo, it can get confusing trying to get the proper nomenclature down. Over the years the meaning of words has been diluted down as they tend to be used interchangeably, even though they may be wrong. So to help you understand how to talk ammo I came up with a list…
Ahh a question as old as time and no doubt one of the most commonly questions asked by gun owners there is. What is the best caliber for my gun? Well, especially in the gun store setting there is no quicker way to start a debate, and you will surely get all kinds of answers….
Times are tough when you can’t find .40 S&W on the shelves, yet here we are. This snappy little cartridge has always been the answer for those who want to carry 9mm-sized handguns yet need a bit more punch. Although the resurgence of 10mm Auto has nearly put this round in the grave, there are…
John Moses Browning (AKA The Prophet) is responsible for nearly every advancement in modern firearms. Even to this day, many of his designs are still essentially unchanged from their initial specs. His 1911 is the most familiar of these inventions and, of course, the authoritative .45 ACP cartridge that it fires. While practice ammo is…
Finding practice ammo is tougher than finding one of Epstein’s clients these days, yet we must press on (on both fronts). Furthermore, practice fodder scantly represents the heavy self-defense ammunition we might need to depend on in an emergency. Over the next few months, we will be offering up recipes for stout handgun loads that…
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