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What's the 411 on Winchester PDX1 ammo?

23K views 29 replies 26 participants last post by  Red Devil 
#1 ·
Greetings.

Went to the range last weekend and asked for some +P .45 ammo. The salesman showed me the PDX1 ammo and had good feedback on it. I purchased a box to see for myself and was not disappointed! It feed well thru my HK 45C, and the kick wasn't bad. I was still able to stay on target for follow-up shots.

My current carry ammo is Speer Gold Dots, but was wondering if this new PDX1 is really worth the hype. Did my research and discovered that this is the new FBI load being used by the Feds.

I had a few questions:

1. Is this ammo rated +P or just packed with a wicked punch?

2. Is this ammo here to stay or just the latest and greatest? (I kinda answered my own question here because I don't think Winchester would put out some trashy ammo…too much reputation as a company to risk)

Opinions please!
 
#2 ·
They make mult loads both standard and +P. It is important to look on the box as it will tell you which load you have. The bullets are bonded for the PDX meaning they stay attached to the case in order to give you more weight retention. I have shot multiple boxes of this ammo and absolutely love it. The bullet expansion is phenomenal, and produces a quite wicked looking slug when it is fully expanded. It is an updated version of the Black Talon/Ranger bullet line.
 
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#3 ·
I've been on Winchester's website and did not see any PDX1 ammo in +P (especially in .45). I understand that they may offer this +P in other Winchester ammo, but I'm looking for the PDX1 in +P. If they don't have it yet, then I'll be happy with the standard PDX1.

VERY GOOD AMMO!! :yup:

after looking again...I do see it's being offered for the 9mm
 
#4 ·
I just picked up 3 boxes of this stuff in .45 acp at my local Wal-mart. (I've seen the .40 there before, but now they've got it in .45 and .38 special +P.)

Once the temperature goes down some, I'm gonna go run about 30 of them through my new Ruger to see how it likes it. Hopefully it'll eat them like candy, because they had a HUGE supply of the stuff there at $21.97 a box, and I'd like to run about 2-3 boxes more before I start carrying it. However, I wasn't about to buy $200 worth of ammo until I knew my gun would like it. My Glock 23 loved the stuff in .40 S&W though.
 
#6 ·
It's designed to stay together for more weight retention and penetration. I've fired it in my 4566 and it worked fine, but the 4566 eats anything and everything. I did notice it had more pop than some others, so it's definitely not downloaded. I haven't tried it in my G30 yet but I'm sure it will feed fine when I do. The PDX1s are in the 4566 right now for HD. I'll try a side-by-side comparison with Gold Dots in the G30 on my next trip to the range.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Same as Ranger T, just different box. Winchester tech rep said that you can get Ranger T w/o being an LEO, and cheaper than PDX1, just look for it on the internet. Seems to be in the same league as Gold Dot, HST, and Hornady. From what friends have said, it's a very capable round, as it has met the FBI performance criteria... I bought 25 boxes, and loaded all of my magazines last night. Four G21 mags in 13+4(Arredondo), 21 mags in 13rd, and 6 mags in 11rd(10+1 [Pearce+2]). My G21 and G30 will now be better fed, than Remington or WWB generic 230gr JHP... Even have a few left over for the valise...

GlockMan1949, out...
 
#9 ·
Not quite the same as Ranger-T; in the epanded rounds I've seen, it doesn't have the jagged petals that the T-series has; still, though, it's a solid round. IIRC, DocGKR likes 'em.

I like them in my G30, G36 and 1911.
 
#10 ·
From what I have been told by a Winchester worker that was at the NRA show here in Charlotte, they are the civilian version of the Winchester Ranger ammunition. I carry PDX1 in my .40 and my 9mm. I have gone through a couple boxes and can tell a slight increase in recoil compared to standard FMJ practice rounds and I never see any flash from the muzzle which is good. In the 9mm I carry 124 +P and in the .40 I carry 165gr. My Uncle gave me a box of Winchester Ranger .40 180gr. but I haven't shot any of them yet.

Also another reason I carry PDX1 is it is the same thing that the FBI carries in their weapons, and if im ever in a defensive shooting and they ask why I chose that round I can say I looked to our government and thats what they use.
 
#11 ·
From what I have been told by a Winchester worker that was at the NRA show here in Charlotte, they are the civilian version of the Winchester Ranger ammunition. I carry PDX1 in my .40 and my 9mm. I have gone through a couple boxes and can tell a slight increase in recoil compared to standard FMJ practice rounds and I never see any flash from the muzzle which is good. In the 9mm I carry 124 +P and in the .40 I carry 165gr. My Uncle gave me a box of Winchester Ranger .40 180gr. but I haven't shot any of them yet.

Also another reason I carry PDX1 is it is the same thing that the FBI carries in their weapons, and if im ever in a defensive shooting and they ask why I chose that round I can say I looked to our government and thats what they use.
I'm not so sure I want to use the government as my example to follow. I'd be several trillion $ in debt, my house would be invaded by illegal immigrants and drug lords, etc.
 
#13 ·
I put 40 rounds through my Springfield 1911 a few months ago and absolutely loved it. Similar recoil (for me, at least), fed/ejected with no problems, and seemed to be more accurate than the Gold Got in 230 grain.
 
#14 ·
It is not the same as the Ranger T, the T is the descendant of the original Black Talon. It's a bonded bullet and that technology is proven in the Gold Dot and Federal Bonded Tactical. Really how much difference can there be? The biggest advantage lately is like it was sad above, it's available in WalMart when no other JHP is. Maybe availabilty and cost is why it got picked by the FBI.
 
#16 ·
I carry them in my G36. For what it's worth, I think it is somewhere between standard pressure and +P. The velocity on my box is stated as 900 FPS. IIRC, standard pressure is about 850 FPS. The Hornady TAP +P that I keep in my P220's states 950 FPS on the box (I believe all those velocities are out of a 5" barrel).

At any rate, they go bang every time, are very accurate, and will put a thumb-sized hole in a bad guy.
 
#19 ·
I can only get Cor-Bon 185GR +P .45ACP ammo down here and it works great. With all of the scarce ammo out there it is hard to test other brands even at $1 per bullet or more.
 
#21 ·
I too have the PDx1 Very nice round .... I have them for my XDm and 1911GI... If its good for the Feds it good for SD!...

And they just look mean!
 
#23 ·
Yeah, but in all honestly, that could (and does) happen with all the major ammunition makers (Remington, Federal, Winchester.) When you're outputting millions of rounds a day, it's inevitable that some bad ones will make it through the production line.

As far as the PDX1 goes, I've put 160 downrange with my Ruger P345 with no problem, and have another 8 boxes in reserve. I'll continue to buy 4 boxes of it a week and stock up on it for awhile though. I'm quite happy with it, other than the fact that they're only sold in 20 round boxes.
 
#24 ·
I have been shooting .40 180gr PDX1 with my Glock 27 and 22. Great stuff. The nickel cases are super slick and feed smoothly. The best part is that Ammoman is blowing them out at $25 per 50 round box. Winchester just packed them in the white boxes instead of the fancy retail boxes. I ordered a case after shooting some of the expensive retail stock. I've gone through about 300 rounds with no problems.
 
#25 ·
Greetings.

Went to the range last weekend and asked for some +P .45 ammo. The salesman showed me the PDX1 ammo and had good feedback on it. I purchased a box to see for myself and was not disappointed! It feed well thru my HK 45C, and the kick wasn't bad. I was still able to stay on target for follow-up shots.

My current carry ammo is Speer Gold Dots, but was wondering if this new PDX1 is really worth the hype. Did my research and discovered that this is the new FBI load being used by the Feds.

I had a few questions:

1. Is this ammo rated +P or just packed with a wicked punch?

2. Is this ammo here to stay or just the latest and greatest? (I kinda answered my own question here because I don't think Winchester would put out some trashy ammo…too much reputation as a company to risk)

Opinions please!
PDX1 in .45 is not +p. It is a slightly hotter load that is advertised at 920 fps muzzle velocity. Another advantage is that the low flash powder is not supposed to blind you if you shoot it in the dark. I have not tested this myself. Out of a 5" barrel, the ballistic energy is virtually the same as Speer gold dots. One thing to note is that you will lose velocity out of a shorter barrel. I have seen some videos where these failed to expand when shot out of a 3 & 1/2 inch barrel, and the people making the video then stated that they are worthless because they don't expand reliably. Which just goes to show that you don't have to have a high IQ to make shooting videos on YouTube.
 
#29 ·
The only performance comment I can offer about PDX1, other than it all went bang, is that it was much more resistant to bullet setback than Speer Gold Dots.
 
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