FireClean. $20 for 2oz.
Walmart canola oil: $6 per gallon. Which works out to about ten cents for two ounces.
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I got an e-mail from Gun Digest touting some book written by a guy whose been a cop for a century or so and who said this:
I am convinced the .45 caliber, magazine-fed, semi-automatic pistol shooting Federal Hydro-Shock ammunition represents the apex of defensive handgun design.If my memory serves, Hydra-Shoks were first offered over 25 years ago. They (and Black Talons) might have been the shit back in the day, but it doesn't take much research to see that bullet design has evolved significantly since the first Bush was in the White House. Sure, you can still buy Hydra-Shocks and Black Talons (now Winchester Ranger SXT*), but why would you want to?
Ammunition design changes. A few decades back, it was normal to see .38 lead round-nose cartridges used for self-defense. Then it shifted, slowly, to hollow-point .38+P semi-wadcutters, a/k/a "the FBI load". Neither are very good choices anymore.
A digression: There are some good HPSWCs cartridges. Some, like the Nyclad, aren't made anymore. Others are, but the buyer has to do a bit of research because if the lead used is too hard, then the bullet won't perform well.
Anyway, times change and so does bullet design. Worse, so does the need for someone who wants a decent-performing load to do research and find independent test results. There is a lot of snake-oil in bullets out there (the "R-I-P" bullet comes to mind).
Caveat emptor is really true in this game.
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* "SXT" = "Same eXact Thing", because the Usual Suspects got their panties in a wad over their belief that a single round of Black Talon would kill you deader than a Star Trek phaser set to "liquefy". Winchester pulled the Black Talons and then renamed the bullet to placate the hoplophobic morons.
Hydrashoks were great back in the day, but that day was a while ago. Today though, I use and recommend Federal 230gr. HST.
ReplyDeleteI use Hornady 185gr XTP hollow points in my 1911. When my 9mm gets here, I'll be using the 115 gr XTP in it for a carry load. I like the XTP's proformance as a defense load. I still use good old hard ball for practice.
ReplyDeleteI would still say that hollow-point .38+P is an excellent self defense round for those who are smaller of stature and girth. Yes, it does not have the stopping power of the latest and greatest, but it has a relatively mild recoil that makes it more likely that you'll get off a second shot (most encounters between civilians and criminals never extend beyond a second shot because the criminals either leave at maximum speed, or overpower the civilian).
ReplyDeleteTux makes an excellent point. Why do manufacturers talk about "stopping power", when throwing the guy into full reverse would be a more desirable outcome?
ReplyDeleteBadTux, I'm not saying that the .38+P isn't a bad choice. Just that bullet design has evlved way past the Hydra-Shok and the old FBI load.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the old saw about quantity having a quality of its own come in here. To a great extent, forcing a small mass of metal through someone's body at a reasonably high velocity, is going to dissuade them. The number of these masses required to "stop" the individual is variable, and dependent on the individual, his/her condition, drugs, location of impact, etc. it's all well and fine to talk of stopping power, but unless you hit the target, it ain't stopping no one. I suspect that's more alone the line of Tux's point.
ReplyDeleteAs for bullet design, absolutely it has greatly advanced, but a minie ball is still a pretty good "stopping" round...just not very practical.
A minie ball within 100 yards will decidedly stop someone cold. If it hits a limb it'll shatter the bone, if it hits the chest it will smash the rib cage and scramble the insides, if it hits the abdomen it will leave a 6 inch cavern of shredded guts coming out the back. It's the equivalent of firing a slug out of a 20 gauge shotgun, something *else* that will put some serious hurt on someone. But as you seay, a Springfield 1861 or a Mossberg pump is a bit cumbersome compared to a pistol...
ReplyDeletePeanut oil and Sesame oil start to smoke at higher temperatures. These oils may be preferable then for rapid fire/full auto situations, and or flavor.
ReplyDelete