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Hollow point choices?

chunkstyle
So, does anyone have any data or understanding how to comparison shop for hollow point pistol ammo? What experiences can you bring to the choice?

Any preference between:

Winchester SilverTip
Winchester SXT (Isn't this more or less the same as Ranger?)
Speer Gold Dot
Federal Hydra-Shok
Federal Expanding FMJ
Remington Golden Saber
Cor-Bon (And the new Pow'r Ball)
Hornady Custom XTP
Magtech First Defense
PMC Goldline Starfire
Fiocchi

Also, any preference as to best bullet weights for .40 S&W?


"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross."
~Sinclair Lewis, It Can't Happen Here

"Our enemies...never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
~President George W. Bush
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Comments

5 comments

Date Votes
  • p64mak
    I've used all but the very last three on your list in various calibers (9mm Mak, 9mmP, .357mag, 10mm, .45ACP, .44mag), and have had good luck with all of them in respect to feeding, expansion, all around function (going bang every time) & accuracy...

    My recommendation is pick up a box of each & figure out which one your gun likes best...it's not cheap, but you'll know what you shoot best with. Example: both my buddy and I own Glock 36's...mine (in my hands) shoots best with 200+P Gold Dots, while his preferred the good ol' 230 HydraShok.

    Sorry, no .40 recommendations...never owned one. I know another buddy of mine's USP likes Golden Sabres, though.

    Personally, I'm interested in getting my hands on some of the new Hornady FPD...anyone with any experience with it out there?

    "Giving power and money to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys."--PJ O'Rourke
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  • young n dum
    my xd likes the gold dot's ...155grain


    but try a bunch find out what your gun likes

    imay not know it all.....but at least I know that!
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  • Hunter375
    While I have not tried everything you listed, I found Gold Sabres and Gold Dots to be the most destructive and most reliable (both expansion and feeding). Cor-Bon needs to reevaluate their bullet choice. While I love Sierra bullets for rifles, thier truncated cone shape pistol bullets do not feed as reliably in many guns as more rounded designs.

    Save the seals-club a liberal instead.
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  • drsck
    The other folks, especially p64..., have pretty well covered it. The only thing that I can add is that it also varies from caliber to caliber. For example, a lot of the smaller guns (PPKs, etc) like the Winchester Silver tips in .32 acp. For some reason, many of the .32s just don't function properly with some of the other ammunition. In some rare cases there have even been problems within a manufacturer. One customer liked a particular brand and had been using it for quite some time. Suddenly his weapon started having function problems. It was the same ammo he had always used, it was just new boxes. When he looked close and got the calipers out, we discovered the cases in the new box were just a .045 shorter than the older stuff he had been using. His gun was the only one that noticed the difference, and it definitely did not like it. As P64... said, it's expensive, but it's worth it to find the ammo your particular weapon likes the best.
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  • chunkstyle
    What is the exact difference between the LE only "Ranger" stuff from Winchester, and their usual SXT offering? More powder? Better quality control? Or just that it's in 50 round boxes for LEO's while we schlubs have to get 25 at a time? (and at a high price at that!)

    CDNN is offering some surplus Ranger .40 (presumably factory seconds/overruns), I might get some.

    So far, I've shot 165gr. Golden Sabers with my .40 Beretta, mostly to check function (it did fine). I usually use FMJ for practice shooting. I just got a .40 CZ, and will try the Remington out on it, and I got a supply of Federal 165gr. Hydra-Shoks as well.

    Every now and then I see some Triton .40 on sale, apparently this company went out of business. Any comments on it? Anything that made its offering special?

    "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross."
    ~Sinclair Lewis, It Can't Happen Here

    "Our enemies...never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
    ~President George W. Bush
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