Ammo choices

[jsunsr]

I took my brand new G23 gen3 to the range today and had a startling revelation. I ran about 40 rounds of American Eagle full medal jacketed ammo through it and was becoming concerned. I was on a stable rest at about 48 feet and I was shooting (on a slow fire bullseye target) between nine o'clock and six o'clock in the 6, 7, 8 rings. I put up a new target and tried for accuracy. Again, with ten rounds I had the same result. About five of the ten rounds grouped around 7 o'clock in about an inch and a half. The rest were spread between 9 o'clock and 6 o'clock. Just to try a change I loaded five rounds of Hornady Critical Defense 175 gr. and fired them using the same rest, gun, shooter...everything just as with the American Eagle loads of 165 gr. I had two rounds cut the line between the 9 and ten ring. I had two rounds in the ten ring and one round at 9 o'clock in the bulls eye. From center to center a 1.5 inch group. I know cheap ammo isn't as accurate as the 'good stuff', but I always thought the cheapo ammo would shoot on target just not as tight a group. It was eye opening to me to find that the American Eagle loads would group so far low and left than the good stuff. Also, a great relief that my G23 was not a dog but in fact a good shooter. I've kept my defensive load as Powerball because they pack a wallop, the plastic tip helps in feeding and it's accurate. Now I have to do a comparison between the Powerball and the Critical Defense. Live and learn, and another successful Glock experience, of which I now own four.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[xXxplosive]

Only pics I've seen of Powerball all showed under expansion.........and sometimes the neoprene ball separated from the round entirely with no viable expansion.....never appealed to me as a good defensive round..........OMO.

[Ram Rod]

IMO...if it shoots off POI, adjust grip or trigger pull. IMO, forget the tennis balls and get real with PD ammo.

[Crowman]

This is one of those threads that will never give anyone a real answer. All it turns into is this is the best ammo, no this is, no you are both wrong this is. No different than gun choices, holster choices, belt choices, etc.

But it does give one something to think about and it helps the ammo, gun, holster dealers/companies cash in.

[gasmitty]

Wait until you start reloading... you may never be satisfied with store-bought practice ammo again.

I got into reloading a year ago for my 1911 (.45) as I was burning up a couple hundred rounds a month in club competition. No chrono here, just found some good recipes in the manuals and started cranking out rounds which worked fine for banging steel. Months later I was finally practicing with bullseye targets and was pleasantly surprised to see that my reloads showed substantially less scatter on target than the Win white box stuff I'd been using forever.

[Blades]

I'd take a look at this list: Best choices for self-defense ammunition.

[rammerjammer]

The real issue is that you were shooting as you report at 48'.

Do you really consider that a self defense distance? Target yes. Self defense, rarely, when the average self defense shooting is bad breath distance.

get real