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9mm Glaser Safty Slugs suitable for an short range sd load

7K views 21 replies 12 participants last post by  pete00 
#1 ·
Hello everybody, I will buy soon an 9mm semi auto for target/fun shooting and sd. I have got allready but as decent 357 mag ammo is hard to find here in autriaI will use my ruger only for the range and use my 9mm as an sd pistol The ammo avaibility in 9mm is better than in 357 mag. Now to my question: What do you think about the glaser safty slugs in 9mm? Are they a decent joice for an short range sd scenario in an apartment... I am not worried about overpenetration, as the buildings in austria have thick concret walls, so it would be no problem to use an "normal" bullet, like fioochi emb or federal efmj. It would also be possible to get some ohter us designs, like the speer gold dots. A few month ago I have even seen some winchester ranger hps.

Are the glasers a decent choice, or shall I stick to some of the "classic" designs I mentioned.
 
#2 ·
I use the Glaser Silvers in .45 ACP for my 2 home defense guns; an H&K USP45 and a Glock 21sf, only because I live in a condominium, and while some of my walls are concrete block, not all of them are, so I want to limit penetration as much as possible.

If you have other options and aren't worried about overpenetration, I'd go with Gold Dots or Golden Sabers, etc. The Glasers are VERY expensive and don't always cycle well in some semi autos.
 
#3 ·
Thx for your quick answer. Yes the glasers are very expensive, but that would be a big problem, if these rounds offer adiotionel performance compared with some standard rounds, but the cyling problem sounds bad. I wonder if the glasers would work well in an glock 17, 19 or an baretta 92f... I'd rather stick to some of the "standard" rounds.
 
#5 ·
I have the Corbon Pow'r Ball 9mm +p ammo in my Kel Tec P11 and it cycles without issue. I have read that it prevents over penetration in close quarters, like in homes where family members are still in.

^^ gets :hand10: from me.
Make that two :hand10:
PowRballs in my pf9 on my side right now.
also work well in my Springfield EMP, Glock G26 , Kahr CW9
and S&W M&P9C:smile:
 
#7 ·
Personally, I would not carry the Glaser Safety Slugs as a SD round. They just don't penitrate enough. Sure the person shot with this round may die, but not right now. And right now is when I want the BG to go down! The Glaser Safety Slugs do have a place in SD, as in the home of a person who has a family living there with him/her, or if they live in an enviornment that dictates doing no harm to neighbors, by shooting thru thin walls. I would stick to the proven rounds like Gold Dots, or Hydro Shocks.
 
#8 ·
Thx again for the answers. The powerball concept sounds very intersting. I will check out the price of these very intersting rounds. And I will also check out if i can the other rounds you have mentioned, like the remington golden sabers and the federal hydra shocks.
 
#9 ·
Glaser Safety Slugs. Very effective. Also quite expensive.

Interesting FYI

History
The original round was a hand-made hollow point bullet filled with No. 12 birdshot (0.05") in liquid Teflon with a flat polymer cap. To improve ballistic performance, a polymer-tipped round ball was introduced in 1987, and the current compressed core form was first sold in 1988.
The formulation of the polymer was also changed in 1994 to improve fragmentation reliability.


Performance
The company produces bullets in around twenty calibers, from .25 to .45 for pistols and from .223 to .30-06 for rifles. Each caliber comes in two forms, 'blue' and 'silver', the latter having greater penetrating power due to the use of No. 6 birdshot rather than No. 12.

The projectile in the cartridge is of a much lighter weight than more conventional types of cartridges and so the projectiles always exit the bore at significantly higher muzzle velocities. The current bullet has a core of very tightly packed lead pellets. On impact, the bullet fractures along manufactured stress lines in the jacket—imparting all the bullet's energy very quickly rather than over-penetrating a target or ricocheting on a miss. The extreme light weight and fragility of the projectile make it unsuitable for long range firing or against protected targets.

The bullet design can produce large shallow wounds in flesh while failing to pass through structural barriers thicker than drywall or sheet metal. However, the wounds produced by these cartridges fail to produce penetration of depth and quality in targets as do more conventional bullet designs that retain all or most of their mass in a single piece. Some suggest that this lack of penetration makes them and other frangible ammunition suitable for use in environments where there is concern that a bullet that misses its intended target or passes through its intended target might accidentally strike a non-enemy.


The United States Federal Air Marshals Service tested and used the Glaser Safety Slug extensively in the 1970s and 80s on board commercial passenger aircraft to defend against hijackers. Published reports indicate that Air Marshals are now issued SIG-Sauer P229 pistols with a 12 round capacity firing conventional jacketed hollow point ammunition in .357 SIG caliber.


Compared to conventional ammunition, the rounds are very expensive (on the order of 15 to 20 times more) because of their design. Some sources report that they are less accurate, that wounds vary greatly depending on impact angles, and that the bullet can lack the power to reliably cycle a semi-automatic pistol.

Use of these cartridges in hand guns for defense/combat situations is controversial because some argue that a handgun simply does not have the barrel length or powder capacity to accelerate the super light projectile to the point that it can reliably produce wounds deep enough to incapacitate a person.

Similarly, using these cartridges in a rifle against large game is controversial because of the poor penetration that is achieved. However, use of these cartridges in rifle calibers against human targets is less controversial because some argue that the cartridges do produce acceptably effective wounds in man-size targets, while adding a certain safety benefit.
 
#10 ·
I use them in my SD revolvers (.38 and .44). No reliability problems there and in S. Fla there's little chance of thick clothing getting in the way. I have some in .380 but generally don't use the .380 for SD anymore. I also have some 9mm. Sometimes I carry the top 6 as Glasers and the bottom 5 as Gold Dots. If i need to get down to the bottom 5 I'll NEED the penetration.
 
#21 ·
Thanks All for Sharing

QK
I use them in my SD revolvers (.38 and .44). No reliability problems there and in S. Fla there's little chance of thick clothing getting in the way.


Thank you Obiwon for sharing your revolver experience with Glasers -- esp in .38 and .44 spl cals. I think it will give me greater peace of mind in close quarter interior environments (ie home).

(Sure wish Virginia would adopt the Castle Doctrine for SD)

Thanks also to QKShooter for the history lesson on the Glaser Safety Slug -- I'm fascinated with "backstories."


Jeff

Vietnam Vet
2nd Amendment Democrat
Dist. Life Memmber - NRA
 
#11 ·
Thx for the very intersting infos concering the glasers. I

I have allready phoned my local gunstore and it would be possible to order the corbon powerball rounds, and even some remington golden sabers in plus p and standard pressure configuration.. Would the +p configuration usefull in sd scenario?
 
#12 ·
pete00 - First, thanks to you Austrians for giving us the very fine Glock pistols!:congrats:

I use the Federal 124 gr "Law Enforcement" version of Expanding Full Metal Jacket, which is a +P pressure round. I have used PowRBall in the past, but I don't like the light weight (only 100 gr), and every test I've seen has the core and jacket separating. Weight retention is better with EFMJ.

I've also found that EFMJ has less recoil and flash, compared to PowRBall. Seems less noisy too.

Another round to consider is the new Hornady Critical Defense, if you can get it. It is 115 gr, standard (non +P) pressure.

Here is a test of some rounds:

GoldenLoki.com

I like the non-hollow point expanding bullet concept, since there is no hollow cavity to get plugged or wrapped by clothing fibers; nor can the tip get crushed by barriers. These rounds should expand more reliably.

My vote would be for the 124 gr EFMJ, then the "civilian" 105 gr version, then Hornady CD, and finally PowRBall. If you prefer traditional JHPs (and can legally use them in Austria) then there are many good choices.

Best wishes from the USA!
 
#13 ·
10thmtn Thx for detailed answer.:hand10: i also like the efmj concept, but I have only seen the civilian 105 grain load so far. I will check if it possible to order the +p load. And yes since 2008 the anti jhp law has been lightend and as i am the member of an shooting club i am allowed to buy the classic jhp loads. But the classic jhps rounds are very hard to get, it would be much easier to get the efmj, corbon powerball, and the glasers.
 
#14 ·
I have carried anad fired Blue glazers in my G19 for about 20 years, Never a failure to feed. I also alternated them with Winchester Silvertips in my G19 Mag.
I have upgraded to a G23 and no longer use the Glazers.
 
#17 ·
Many thanks nutz4utwo for your excellent and concise 9 mm analysis. Really liked the format also. Anything similiar for .38 spl?

Very little discussion of .44 spl ammo as SD round. Can anyone direct me to such info (or any existing thread)?

2nd Amendment Democrat
Vietnam Vet
Dist. Life Member NRA
 
#22 ·
Has somebody experience with 124 grain federal hst round? I have found an good offer for that stuff, and I think will order some. I have also ordered some federa 124 grain efmj rounds, and some corbon powerballs for testing. This wasn't cheap, but I think the rounds are worth the money.
 
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