By R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
I have used Winchester ammunition for more than fifty years.
This ammunition is reliable, accurate, well designed and offered in a variety of loads tailored for individual tasks. When I was a young man beginning to carry a handgun for personal defense I was impressed by a test of factory ammunition. About all you could do in those days was test accuracy and case mouth seal against the elements. There were few expanding bullet loads. Winchester was rated high.
During WWI quality control must be much better these days! When it comes to personal defense you should take any chances. There are reputable makers and others that produce bargain basement loads intended to sell. Just because the bullet has a hollow doesn’t mean it opens. Other companies wildly exaggerate velocity. I have tested a .380 ACP loading rated at 1,280 fps that actually clocked 990 fps and new production 115-grain JHP loads in 9mm that went 999 fps.
The primary thing I look for in defensive ammunition is cartridge integrity. The cartridge should withstand loading, unloading, repeated chamberings, and exposure to oil and solvent. Winchester’s defense loads do just that. Let’s look at some of the newest loads from Winchester and their partner company Browning.
I have seen quite bit of mayhem in police work and journalism. I may have arrived just after the action in most cases but I have a good idea of what occurs when bullets meet flesh and bone. I have also hunted and taken animals similar in size and bone structure to human targets. It takes a lot to put down a motivated attacker.
Those who say that all cartridges are the same went to a different church than I did. There have been ridiculous so called studies with secret sources and unverifiable stories. I have not shot goats in secret and no one else has either. What matters most after reliability is a balance of expansion and penetration. The bullet should penetrate to 18 inches in testing and expand to 1.5 its original diameter. Some will do this but the minor calibers cannot usually achieve this. I use water testing because it works as well as anything else.
The Europeans use a special glue; the Canadians have imbedded ox bones in gelatin. Gelatin’s primary advantage is that the cavity may be preserved and carefully measured. Water testing captures the bullet. In the end anyone may use water to test their loads against my work and come up with the same results or compare loads. Water results are usually within ten per cent of gelatin results. Neither is a human being by any stretch.
.380 ACP
The .380 is a tiny cartridge that is very popular with folks who have never had to shoot anyone with it. I hope they stay that way. The Winchester Silvertip is an 85-grain hollow point at 869 fps in the Ruger LCP Max. Penetration is 7 inches and expansion .48. This is decent performance for the caliber. The LCP Max is a great hideout when nothing else will serve- but carry a larger caliber if at all possible.
9mm 124-grain +P USA Ready Defense
I have deployed the Winchester 124 grain +P PDX for many years and will continue to do so as long I have a supply. The new loading is superior, however, and there is no question there. This loading uses a new design Winchester calls the HEX VENT. The red polymer center tip is designed to force bullet expansion before separating from the projectile within the first few inches of penetration. The primary test vehicle was the HK VP 9 9mm. Velocity is 1225 fps.
From a Smith & Wesson Military & Police Compact 9mm velocity is 1218 fps and 1180 fps in a Taurus GRX. Winchester has done a great deal of development in powder technology to assure a full powder burn and limited muzzle flash in short barrels. They didn’t tell me that I discovered this during testing. Penetration is 18 inches, ideal for personal defense. If an attacker is wearing heavy clothing bundled up for the winter or if they are not squared to you, and you must fire through heavy bones, this is a good level of penetration. Expansion of the lead mushroom is .60 to .62. However, the jacket itself blossoms out a bit and brings the total to about .70. This isn’t a mushroom but a bit of greater reach. A shard or two is thrown off during travel but the bullet retains 97 to 98 per cent of its weight. Accuracy is good and the cartridge produces a full powder burn. This is as good it gets in practical terms in the 9mm.
Browning .45 230 grain X Point
This loading uses the interesting X-point bullet, also used in .380, 9mm, and .40 Browning loads. The X-point is intended to prevent plugging of the nose cavity. This would result in a loss of expansion as the bullet must be forced to open. It seems to work well in testing. I used two pistols in testing. The first is a well-used Smith & Wesson Military & Police 2.0 .45 full size handgun and the other the new Springfield Emissary 1911. Velocity from the M & P is 920 fps, exactly as advertised. From the Emissary 970 fps was realized. This is a hard hitting loading. Yet, recoil was modest, little more than the Winchester hardball 230 grain FMJ loads I was using to test the Emissary.
Penetration is 20 inches. This loading expands to .74 to .78 inches. I believe it expands quickly as the second water just- 12 inches of penetration at this point- feature a large exist “wound.” Expansion is consistent. This is a hard hitting load and one that seems ideal for the .45 ACP.
These are formidable loads. While shot placement is the key element of stopping a threat wound potential is also important. Cartridge reliability is more important. These loads provide the armed citizen peace of mind.
