I mean bulk as in high volume or range ammo for < $0.20/rnd. Federal has their American Eagle brand for example where it’s commonly available for < $180/case of 1000 rnds. Steel cased (which I don’t shoot) is even less. All of the other brands in that top 10 have “bulk” ammo available.
I’m not aware of any ammo like that made by Hornady? If they do I’d be happy to hear about it. So I think Hornady not being on that list doesn’t mean it’s not good ammo, it just means they don’t offer a product for that market
Not sure what you mean by “dropping it in”. The thing that causes the setback is the slide slamming forward into the cartridge. I suppose you could ease the slide forward, but that may cause other feeding issues.
There is no official limit that I’ve ever seen on how many times you can load the same cartridge before you get setback, and enough setback where it would cause an issue. Typical internet knowledge is maybe 20-30 times (IIRC) will cause noticeable setback. I’m sure there are people who do this all the time and they’ve been fine. Personally I rather err on the side of caution.
I do similar to you, in that once my carry is loaded it goes in a holster and there it stays until I clean out the holster every couple weeks (lint, etc). If I unload the firearm, I will take that cartridge and usually toss it in a box I’ve labeled “once racked” and will use that to shoot up the next time I head to the range to test defensive ammo function.
To solve your pocket mag concerns, have a look at https://ammo-armor.com/ I frequently carry my spare in pocket and these are great at keeping crap out of them
Hornady does offer their Frontier line which can be bought in some bulk amounts. I just got an ammo can from Target Sports. 500 rounds for $160. 5.56 55 gr. .32 a round, not including tax or shipping.
I don’t want to induce panic… but there are several threads on ar15.com about kabooms with Frontier 5.56. I don’t remember if it was all weights or only some. I think they run 55, 62, and 75gr. Didn’t know that Hornady was behind Frontier…
Oh wow, thanks for the heads up. I will look into it. I have fired only about 100 or so of the 55 gr without incident. That is not a lot of rounds though.
Here is my two cents. Police usually carry ammo that when it is shot, does not go through the offender, and the wall and then an outside wall and then into the kid swinging on a swing set in their back yard. So one has to take penetration power into a concealed carry round. The bad guys do not care about what direction they shoot. We have to be mindful of the direction we shoot, the backdrop where the bullet goes and so on. This is because we can be liable criminally and civilly for our actions and maybe even for our inaction.
I was taught that when off duty sometimes it is best to be a good observer and take mental notes. Because once you pull that trigger, we do not have control where the bullet goes.
The bottom line is this thought. If you are going to shoot, make sure the first round hits. Just my thoughts
I don’t know the term for it, but you aren’t the first nor the last to try it I’ve seen it asked and answered every so often on other forums.
Basically, a semi-automatic was designed to operate in a certain way. That is from a fully rearward position slide forward at a certain velocity, grab the top cartridge from the magazine, push it up and forward into the feed ramp and then into the chamber, and lock into the closed position. Anything you do that is different may cause you issues down the road.
To @Scotty’s point… Depending on the design of the pistol, the extractor may be impacting the cartridge at a different angle and velocity during normal cycling than it does when you manually seat the cartridge and then drop the slide. I don’t know if this would affect all firearms, but I can see that it may affect some firearms. There may be other things you could be risking (your fear of accidental discharge may or may not be founded) either in damage or just not functioning properly (IE not fully in battery).
I hear you on loading that last round again into the mag. Whenever I maintain my carry firearm, I do it near a mag loader
I’m not going to put in my 2 cents since I’m not an expert. It’s your firearm and you should handle it as you see fit. Here’s a video with Bill Wilson of Wilson Combat and Ken Hackathorn talking about different “don’ts” for different firearms. I’m starting the vid at 11:13 because that’s where they talk about extractors related to your method:
I use critical defense 115g in my 9mms(G19,P365 & G26). In my P238 I’m using WWB flat nose FMJs. Critical Defense had FTFs in .380 which was odd and disappointing.
New guy to USCCA, but certainly not new to CCW and its related fields. Retired CA LE (detective) that wore a lot of hats, to include rangemaster and some firearms and wound ballistics forensics as part of my robbery/homicide bit.
What my old shop carries…in 40 S&W and 45 ACP the issued war shots were and are Winchester White Box 180 grain JHP and 230 grain JHP respectively. I have seen a couple dozen of both calibers’ expended projectiles after removal from recipients at trauma centers or autopies, and almost all of them look like ad copy for Winchester ammunition.
Basically, the WWB JHPs are 3rd Generation Black Talons. The BTs got tarred and feathered by the compassion fascists due to their jagged little hooks that got featured in BT ads. W-W deleted the black paint job and de-emphasized the hook in ads, and re-intro’ed the BTs as "Ranger SXT (Supreme Expansion Talon). LE in CA loved it, and added the SXT to the State contract that my shop participates in.
All good things must end, though. The ammo makers came up with their uber premium handgun ammo lines since citizen CCW exploded on scene 15-20 years ago (a thing I applaud whole-heartedly, BTW), and the makers tried selling law shops these same Wonder Cartridges at slightly reduced tariffs. GTFO of our office, greed-heads.
The SXT had been relegated to WWB status about the same time these Uber-Wonder loads came on scene, and that did not go unnoticed by gun cranks like me on range staff. The WWB JHPs performed identically to the SXT over the chronographs, on paper, and in ballistic gelatin. Conclusion–it is the same stuff as the old SXT.
It is not “cheap”, but it is reasonably priced. Chances are, it is the same stuff your local gendarmerie has on board. And this ammo’s FMJ counterparts of the same weight give practically identical targeting and recoil as the war shots do, and costs even less. WWB JHPs are what I carry in my 40s and 45s at this writing. It is GOOD STUFF–perhaps not the very best–but more than adequate to the task of unplugging pending atrocities.
Oh, there are a few such tales, to be sure. I had the kind of career that guys and gals DREAM of having when they get into The Business. Jail, Patrol, SWAT/sniper (cross-trained for entries), fire cause & origin/arson training & certification, Street Narcotics enabled promotion to Detective. Surveillance Team, Criminal Intelligence, Major Narcotics (clandestine lab and MJ cultivation concentrations, some undercover work as well), then back to the real world as a case-working detective in auto theft, arson, and robbery/homicide. 28 years of fun, and I am very glad to be retired. (Riverside Sheriff’s Dept./CA)
My shop authorizes a bunch of calibers and over 350 make/model variants for our personnel. You had to stay current with A LOT of pistols to teach and train folks. 380 ACP, 9 x 19, 40 S&W, 45 ACP–38 Special, 357 Magnum.
That Federal 125 grain JHP got the nod from FBI years ago, but my shop stayed with W-W Super-X 158 grain JHP until about 5 years ago. The rationale for FINALLY getting on board with the 125s was that most 357s in use by our people were 2"-3" barreled, and the 158s were not expanding reliably in gelatin when fired in 2" barrels. The 125s did expand well, so the change was made.
I’ve seen it asked and answered every so often on other forums.