Over the past 20 years I have been forced to
carry certain guns loaded with specific ammunition based on
agency regulations. Once
upon a time it was NYPD’s intuition that forced upon me a 6
shooter with lead semi wadcutter ammo.
Not even plus P, the loads gave us the impression the
bureaucrats didn’t want us to hurt anybody too badly.
The handguns have evolved over time along with
the ammunition selection. I’ve
been with the same Federal agency for the past decade and
finally I like the choices they have made for me as far as my
duty weapon and my
duty ammunition. Given
unlimited resources and no restrictions, I might go with a
different handgun but I probably would still stick with the
current issued ammunition. That ammo is the CCI (Speer) Gold Dot 165 grain in
.40S&W caliber.
I have used tens of thousands of rounds of Gold
Dot in both 9mm and .40 with absolute satisfaction.
I haven’t used more than a few thousand in .45ACP but
the results have been equally pleasant.
The reliability with issued Glock 23’s has been
perfect. Not a
single malfunction has been due to ammunition problems.
Accuracy is outstanding and tactical characteristics like
muzzle flash and penetration are among the best I’ve
experienced in extensive testing.
I carry a Kahr PM40 as my personal
handgun and my wife carries a PM9.
Both have been fed a steady diet of Gold Dot without any
problems. The
performance of the ammo in these compact pistols is consistent
with that which I have witnessed from hundreds of service Glock
23’s . In spite of offering special short barrel ammunition with
Gold Dot bullets I have had nothing but perfection with the
standard Gold Dot 165 grain 40 caliber or 124 grain 9mm in
either of our Kahr pistols.
No other ammunition out of the dozen different types I
have tried have proved 100% reliable in the Kahrs.
I once stumbled upon an axis deer on our Texas
concession that I had never seen before.
I guessed him to sport nearly 30 inch antlers and he was
only 24 yards facing away from me.
I leveled the Glock sights behind his leg and took up all
the “Glock Slack” from the trigger. When he stepped to his left a bit more I sent the 165 grain
Gold Dot through both of his lungs and into the front of his
opposite shoulder. After
a short sprint of 20 yards into the brush he fell dead.
The buck weighed 210 pounds live weight.
I found the bullet just under the hide in a textbook
mushroom configuration. The
penetration was approximately 17 inches.
That is a pretty close representation of a full sized
human wearing a lightweight jacket.
Now the Government picked different ammo for us.
Winchester just won a huge $54 Million contract,
primarily with the Department of Justice and those Agencies
under the DOJ umbrella. It
is reported that this is the biggest single ammunition contract
in the history of Federal law enforcement.
Part of this deal was the inclusion of training, reduced
lead and frangible ammunition along with the duty carry ammo.
The new .40 caliber ammunition will feature a
180 grain bullet with a bonded core construction and jacketed
hollow point. In
testing, the bullet performed admirably against heavy clothing,
wallboard, plywood, steel and auto glass.
I have very high hopes for the new Winchester
ammunition. From
1993-1998 I carried Winchester's 180 grain Black Talon
ammunition that later became the Ranger "Law Enforcement
Only" ammunition when Black Talon was dubbed politically
incorrect. At the
time I supervised a squad that was involved in nearly a dozen
shootings in that same time frame.
Those Winchester bullets resulted in some very dead bad
guys with a minimum of Hollywood stunt moves.
I used a Glock 23 with a 180 grain Black Talon
to take a 170 pound whitetail deer that walked within 20 yards
of my tree stand. The
bullet hit right in the center of the shoulder and the deer took
three steps backwards and fell over dead.
The bullet passed though leaving a very noticeable exit
hole between the neck and shoulder.
I have some concerns about the new Winchesters
in my Kahr pistols. I
have not found any ammo other than my beloved CCI Gold Dot in
165 grain that has never contributed to a pistol malfunction in
that gun. My
wife’s Kahr will gobble up Gold Dot 124 grains and seems to
have a sweet tooth for Winchester 147 grain sub-sonic loads too.
I hope these new Winchester prove to be just as reliable
in the stubby little Kahrs.
Just about anything works well in the Glock as far as
function, but only time will tell what the actual downrange
performance and terminal capability will be.
Regardless
of actual performance, I will have to learn to live with the new
Winchester loads once they are standard issued ammunition. If I can get my Kahrs to take a liking to them that would be
awesome too. I hate
to switch ammo because I adhere to the “if it ain't broke
don’t fix it” rule, but if anyone has the ability,
technology, research and experience to produce a round as good
or superior to my favorites, it is Winchester Ammunition.
Joe Riekers
Ed. Note:
Check out Joe's website for your hunting
adventures: http://www.tarsporting.com.
For books by Joe click on: Amazon.com:
A Trail of Feathers: Books: Josef A. Riekers.
To read Joe's monthly column check out: http://www.coveyrise.net.
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