I’ve always been a fan of 300 Blackout, mainly because it’s a ballistic geek’s delight. The ability to swap between supersonic and subsonic performance simply by changing magazines the availability of loads ranging from 110-grain rockets to 240-grain bricks is compelling features. That’s a lot of performance variance out of the same rifle or pistol. Adding a suppressor makes the 300 Blackout shine. The suppressed supersonic […]
Ammo Test: Liberty Ammunition Civil Defense 9mm and 45 ACP
Liberty Ammunition’s Civil Defense ammo subscribes to a different theory for rapid incapacitation. We tested two varieties, the 9mm and 45 ACP rounds to see how they stack up. Taking the idea of “light and fast” model to new levels, the Civil Defense projectiles weigh in at well under half that same caliber traditional bullets. For […]
Ammo Test: Remington HTP 9mm
Premium self-defense ammo usually costs over a buck per round. You can look at that two ways, really. On one hand, a buck each for a product that could save your life, or that of a family member, is practically nothing. Heck, I’d have no problem spending a dollar to protect most of my family […]
Ammo Test: Barnes TAC-XPD .40 S&W
Over the years, .40 S&W has been disparaged as a mediocre compromise round. You’ve probably heard some of the descriptions. .40 Slow and Weak .40 Short and Weak I’ve never really understood that. Sure, most cartridges have pros and cons relative to others, and as study after study shows, none are perfect. All handgun calibers […]
Ammo Test: DoubleTap 9mm 77-grain Lead-free for Compact Handguns
Do you suffer from a short barrel? Unfortunately, this problem afflicts millions of gun totin’ Americans. With the explosive growth of pocket .380 ACP pistols like the Kel-Tec, Ruger LCP, Smith & Wesson Bodyguard and Glock 42, just to name a few, gun makers just had to up the power level as their next move. […]
Ammo Test: Sig Sauer’s Elite V-Crown 9mm Self Defense
While the Sig ammo is a relative newcomer to the market, the people are not. I spent some time talking with Dan Powers, who runs the ammo show, and it’s clear that the folks behind Sig Sauer’s new ammunition division have been there and done that. Because every caliber, load and brand combination is different, […]
The Top 5 Best 9mm Self-Defense Ammunition Choices
Do you want the good news or the bad news? The good news is that there are more than five great 9mm defensive ammo choices. The bad news is that there are more than five great ammunition choices. So what to choose? That depends. If you look around on Youtube, you’ll see lots of ammunition […]
I Feel the Need for .45 Speed!
Sometimes we shooters do things because, well, why not? It’s as good reason as any, right? At first glance, the .450 SMC cartridge may appear to fall into the “why not” category. When you start to look at specifics and potential use cases, it can make a whole lot of sense. What’s a .450 SMC […]
Top 10 Self Defense Ammo Picks
With a controversial and opinionated topic like this, I have to include a couple of explanations and disclaimers. You do have to be careful about blanket statements when it comes to ammo performance. There are just too many variables. For example, you can’t necessarily say things like “Mega Blaster Yellow Tips” are the best. You […]
Fun and Games with the .257 Weatherby Magnum
I’ve got a thing for the more unusual calibers. Probably because I’m a reloading addict. I just don’t care that commercial rounds of .300 AAC Blackout cost over a buck each. Or that .357 Sig pistol ammo is crazy expensive relative to 9mm. Or that no one stocks 6.8 SPC ammo. I don’t know why, […]