Here are a couple of ammo tests 9mm/40/45

[glockdan]

I did this one...40/45
http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=790931

Another good one...9mm
http://mp-pistol.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=3824

[WildBill]

Glockdan -
Thanks for your post. You saved me $25 today by not buying a box of "Rangers". Unfortunately Prodefense was still out of 40S&W Gold Dots.

I like your picture on Glocktalk. Somehow you look familiar.

[Xander]

Glockdan -
Thanks for your post. You saved me $25 today by not buying a box of "Rangers". Unfortunately Prodefense was still out of 40S&W Gold Dots.

I've been buying my Gold Dots off of http://ammunitiontogo.com/ lately. They've got about the best prices I've found, and since they're based in Texas, I usually get my orders within a couple of days.

They have the 155gr Gold Dots (also what I use, incidentally) in stock, it looks like.

[WildBill]

Thanks Xander. Nitrogen also suggested ammunitiontogo. They do look like pretty good prices too. Monday, I'll ask a couple friends to see if they want to order anything.

[DoubleJ]

I just ordered sme 9mm 147gr Ranger T-series ammo from Ammo2go. we'll see how fast it gets here, but their prices were good. $19.95 for a box o' 50, whereas SportsMan's WhereHouse had just the regular Winchester SXT rounds for a box of 20, $19.95. schmucks!

[txinvestigator]

I prefer and buy ammo according to the FBI testing. No offense to this tester.

[WildBill]

I prefer and buy ammo according to the FBI testing. No offense to this tester.

And that is what kind? Do you have a link to there testing?

[txinvestigator]

The FBI uses ballistic gelatin for thEIR testing. It simulates how bullets react in humans. I have not found that newspapers or magazines do. ;)

[Xander]

The FBI uses ballistic gelatin for thEIR testing. It simulates how bullets react in humans. I have not found that newspapers or magazines do. ;)

Of course the key is that it [sort of] simulates how bullets [may] react in [some kinds of] human [tissue under certain conditions].

[txinvestigator]

The FBI uses ballistic gelatin for thEIR testing. It simulates how bullets react in humans. I have not found that newspapers or magazines do. ;)

Of course the key is that it [sort of] simulates how bullets [may] react in [some kinds of] human [tissue under certain conditions].

Wouldn't you agree that there is more relevance there than some guy shooting newspaper and magazines?

[Xander]

The FBI uses ballistic gelatin for thEIR testing. It simulates how bullets react in humans. I have not found that newspapers or magazines do. ;)

Of course the key is that it [sort of] simulates how bullets [may] react in [some kinds of] human [tissue under certain conditions].

Wouldn't you agree that there is more relevance there than some guy shooting newspaper and magazines?

Yes, to a degree. You can certainly get a better grasp of penetration and expansion in human soft tissue with gelatin than with any other medium. Prior to the availability of ballistics gelatin, wet newspapers were considered to be the closest analogue. And "some guy" can't shoot *either* medium and produce meaningful results. Ballistics gelatin has to be mixed properly, maintained at an appropriate temperature and be reliably calibrated. You really need a qualified lab or someone with a lot of experience for that. So no, to answer your question directly I would *not* pin my hopes for finding good SD ammo on some guy running tests with newspaper and magazines. That said, I don't care much for the FBI tests either. Based on results of their tests, they've recommended some rounds that have performed abysmally in real life....The 147gr subsonic 9mm, for example. Homogeneous gello is too simplistic to model real world shoots, and the lab's criteria for judging the effectiveness of a round simply didn't map to what was actually effective for stopping people. More of my opinion than you cared to be subjected to, I'm sure. Anyway, all that to say, this is why I don't base my decisions on what self-defense ammo to use on any tests at all...I like rounds that have proven to perform well repeatedly and consistently for large LEAs over a significant number of OISs. We all know that no handgun round is magic, of course, but I want one that has a history of working regularly as well as can be expected against people...Not jugs of water or gello behind denim.

Just my penny and a half's worth.

[WildBill]

The FBI uses ballistic gelatin for thEIR testing. It simulates how bullets react in humans. I have not found that newspapers or magazines do. ;)

I was aware that the FBI uses ballistic gelatin for their testing. I was asking if you knew what kind[brand] of ammo they use, not what kind of testing.

[Xander]

The FBI uses ballistic gelatin for thEIR testing. It simulates how bullets react in humans. I have not found that newspapers or magazines do. ;)

I was aware that the FBI uses ballistic gelatin for their testing. I was asking if you knew what kind[brand] of ammo they use, not what kind of testing.

Being the largest federal non-military purchaser of ammunition, what they use is largest dependent on which manufacturer comes in with the lowest bid for a given order. As of three weeks ago, that would be Winchester, and so they're switching to Winchester Ranger Bonded, in its .40 180gr format for at least the next year.

[WildBill]

what they use is largest dependent on which manufacturer comes in with the lowest bid for a given order.

Having spent many years working on DOD contracts I know that the winning contractor doesn't necessarily translate to the best quality.

"It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract." Alan B. Shepard, Jr.

[DoubleJ]

Xander: what's your opinion of the Winchester Ranger T-series in 9mm? it's 147gr and comes in at 1030f/ps (IIRC).
anyone else have an opinion?
they are cheap, that's [abbreviated profanity deleted] sho!