Lucky Gunner Handgun Self-Defense Ammunition Ballistics Test

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Whootsinator
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Lucky Gunner Handgun Self-Defense Ammunition Ballistics Test

Post by Whootsinator » Wed Oct 21, 2015 2:10 pm

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-de ... tic-tests/

Lucky Gunner recently released a quite comprehensive, well designed, and incredibly well presented ballistics test focusing on handgun self defense ammo. All pistols used were compact models to better reflect real world concealed carry situations. The Kahr CW45 (.45 ACP) had the longest barrel length at 3.64", while the Glock 42 (.380 ACP) had the shortest at 3.25". All tests were shot through two layers of cotton shirt material, one layer of fleece, and one layer of denim because we don't typically shoot naked people. As such, the results show the worst case shooting scenario... using a short barreled pistol to fire at an attacker wearing multiple and varied layers of clothing.

Notes:

The ONLY .380 ACP cartridge to perform as designed and acceptably was the Hornady 90gr FTX Critical Defense. ALL other .380 ACP loads either failed to expand, failed to reach 12" every shot, or penetrated too deeply. Both CorBon 70gr Pow'RBall and Remington 88gr HTP penetrated reliably and acceptably, but failed to expand at all. The CorBon Pow'RBall apparently experiences projectile failure (either jacket separation or failure to expand) regardless of the conditions, as I can't find any testing anywhere that shows it working as designed... even in CorBon's official advertisements. That said, the Pow'RBall and HTP DID penetrate better than the Hornady FTX Critical Defense. It's up to you whether a little bit more expansion or a little bit more penetration is most beneficial.

Some brands and models that perform very well in one caliber might not perform well at all in another. For example, Barnes all-copper hollow points performed pretty well in 9mm, didn't penetrate quite deep enough to give me confidence in .40S&W, and not a single round expanded reliably in .45ACP

You can sort by name, average penetration, average expansion, or muzzle velocity. Sorting by name is obviously the best way to find a particular cartridge. Sorting by average penetration and cross referencing average penetration to see if the round expanded properly is the easiest way to determine the "best" cartridges.
"I don't retreat; I kick ass in the other direction."

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Re: Lucky Gunner Handgun Self-Defense Ammunition Ballistics

Post by DDgunslinger » Wed Oct 21, 2015 2:21 pm

I've been running the 9mm Federal HST 124gr for about 3yrs now, looks like 147gr might be the better option of the two with more optimal pentration. However, I'm pretty pleased with the results of both.

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Re: Lucky Gunner Handgun Self-Defense Ammunition Ballistics

Post by Whootsinator » Wed Oct 21, 2015 2:27 pm

Between 147gr and 124gr HST, I'd test both for accuracy and use whichever was more accurate in my particular pistol. I'd rather have a little bit more penetration than "ideal" than a little bit less than ideal.
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Re: Lucky Gunner Handgun Self-Defense Ammunition Ballistics

Post by DDgunslinger » Wed Oct 21, 2015 2:33 pm

Whootsinator wrote:Between 147gr and 124gr HST, I'd test both for accuracy and use whichever was more accurate in my particular pistol. I'd rather have a little bit more penetration than "ideal" than a little bit less than ideal.
True, I've ran a box through my G17 and G19 when I first picked them up. They ran good and maintained solid groups at 25m. I will probably pick up a couple boxes of the 147gr to compare... then decide which to pick up another bulk order of.

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Re: Lucky Gunner Handgun Self-Defense Ammunition Ballistics

Post by guncrank1 » Wed Oct 21, 2015 2:51 pm

Blaaaa-lucky gunner -blaaaa

Any body who know everything about ballistics know that RIP off is the best!

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