What’s the best carry ammo?
What is your go to carry ammunition?
This is a great question because some gun owners don’t know the difference between the different ammunition out there. The ammo you shoot at the range should not be the same ammo you carry in your EDC weapon. Let’s explore further and let’s define some types of ammunition first.
Ball Ammo - Lead slug, covered with harder metal so it stays intact on impact. It is ideal for the range due to its cheaper cost (that’s if we’re not in an ammo drought).
Hollow Point Ammo - Expands on impact and releases kinetic energy into the target. More expensive but effective. Best for carry ammo, used by law enforcement.
Grain - How heavy the projectile is.
As I pointed out already, ball ammo is great for practicing with on the range. Normally, it’s a lot cheaper than hollow point and weighs about the same. But, ball ammo is NOT a good load for your EDC.
Ball ammo is used by military forces worldwide on the battlefield. Doesn’t really make sense when you read what I wrote above does it? Why wouldn’t the military use hollow point? Well, some special forces units do but your normal run of the mill unit will use ball ammo, and this is by design. Basically, ball ammo is designed to keep going and going until it runs out of energy. If a fighter is hit with ball ammo, chances are it’ll go through them and cause injury (if not death). An injured fighter is out of the immediate battle and so are the two or three of his buddies who go to his aid; that could take up to four guns out of the fight. If the same fighter was obviously killed, his buddies are still in the play so it’s a statistical strategy to take as many guns out of the equation as possible. I hope that makes sense.
In a non warzone situation, hollow point is the go to for law enforcement and concealed carry citizens. Its ability to expand on impact causes the most damage to the target, and significantly reduces the risk of it going through one target and into an innocent bystander. Remember, you are responsible for every round that leaves your gun. A shooter should always be cognizant of his/her target, what’s immediately behind it, and what’s beyond even that. The last thing any legal gun carrier wants is to injure or kill someone unconnected with the incident and they may have to articulate their thought process and actions in a court of law.
Now, I have my own preferences on hollow point ammo but I needed advice from an elite shooter, who also happens to be a very good friend of mine; Rob M. Rob was a Navy SEAL for 30 years, 19 of which was spent at the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU/SEAL Team 6). Rob and I previously worked together on the corporate security scene so I trust his judgment. Thankfully, his list and my list were pretty close so here is our top four hollow point carry loads:
Speer Gold Dot (115 grain).
Hornady Critical Defense (115 grain).
Federal Premium Hydra Shok (124 grain).
Federal Premium HST (124 grain).
Prior to talking to Rob on the subject, I would either carry the Hydra Shok of Critical Defense. Thanks to his wisdom, I went out and bought some Gold Dot, which is now my go to carry load. All four of these loads are fantastic choices and all retail at around the same price. When it comes to carry ammo, our advice is to spend a little bit more and get a good quality product.
Please feel free to leave comments/questions below and I’ll be sure to respond.