[BuddhaPHRN]

OK Gang....I would love to ask another question, hopefully I have NOT exceeded my newbie limits as of yet.

Just got some target as well as carry ammo for my G23. I was thinking that getting used to the gun will require firing both practice as well as carry ammo in case they perform differently...am I correct?

Can anyone recommend a brand for personal defense...and grain?

I bought an inside the pants holster...a Don Hume as recommended by a friend. I was getting used to wearing it in the small of my back until I was told that that was wrong. It should be worn directly inside the pants of the dominant hand.


Good Lord help out please.


Jeff

[jakejeter16]

I have a Glock 23 as well so I can give you my personal opinion. I wear my gun at a 4 o'clock position on my dominant hand side if I can. Sometimes it's hard to wear it there if I'm wearing dress pants or just in general I tighter fitting pants or shorts. Small of the back isn't ideal but it's better than not carrying. As for self defense rounds I use Winchester rangers with a 124 grain. In my opinion it good to shoot a box of the self defense ammo just to make sure it cycles fine through your gun (I've never had a FTF or FTE o my glock) but its to expensive to shoot all the time and kind of unecessary.

[Liebestraum]

The number for rounds of each type you fire until you are satisfied is and will always be personal preference. For me personally, and I recommend you do at least this small amount, is shoot a mag or two of your purchased SD ammo just to make sure it will feed properly. If you are concerned about the performance difference, there are practice rounds that can mimic ballistics of some of the defense ammo out there that you could buy in combo (I have heard Speer has such a combo). Personally, I am impressed with the data I have seen from any Hornady Critical Defense/Duty ammo and that is what I usually buy for SD/HD purposes (Duty if I can find it, Defense otherwise). Practice ammo is usually a rainbow assortment of stuff since I like to know my guns can shoot anything.

[ADK_40GLKr]

I carry Speer Gold Dots, 165 grain, in my G27. I've also heard the 155 gr perform well in it. There's a lot of debate on the subject, but I've never had Gold Dots fail to expand in water testing.

As for carry position about 3:30 with an untucked button-up shirt over it. I adjust the cant a little forward, and the gun simply disappears.

Ed: IMHO, run a couple mags of your SD ammo and 3 or 4 boxes of practice ammo with a new gun.

Then (this is what I do when I want to practice with my G27 SD gun) pop out the mag with the JHP, leaving the one in the chamber. Reload with practice ammo and shoot, using the one SD round first and all the FMJ you want. After cleaning later, reload and top off with your SD ammo until next time.

This keeps your supply of JHP rotating slowly, it avoids the remote possibility of bullet setback from rechambering too often, and allows you to sample your SD ammo in your gun every range session. Once in a while you might want to just shoot the whole SD mag if you think it's getting too old. YMMV.

As for ammo type at the range, you're not gonna be able to distinguish between mouse gas and zombie deluxe anyway, so practice with the cheap stuff! (IMHO)

[BuddhaPHRN]

Once again You guys ROCK. Thanks for all the useful information. I can't wait for the weekend...gonna throw some rounds down range. As you may have guessed I am super excited about it.

Jeff

PS...looks like I came to the right place and found the best people to help me out. For that I am VERY appreciative.

[jph02]

There are several websites that talk about what rounds are best for HD/SD. This one includes a lot of data but is still easy to use for those not interested in the minutia. I use ball ammo to practice with the same grains as my HD/SD, but I've also fired the HD/SD so I know how it feels and doesn't have a problem cycling through the gun (g22 gen 4).

[MikeG36]

Just got some target as well as carry ammo for my G23. I was thinking that getting used to the gun will require firing both practice as well as carry ammo in case they perform differently...am I correct?
Yes. You should practice with your carry ammo 1) so that you can make sure it cycles properly in your weapon and 2) so that you can see how it performs accuracy wise and 3) so that you can get use to the recoil.

Can anyone recommend a brand for personal defense...and grain?
There are a lot of good choices you can make here. Some of my favorites are Winchester Ranger T, Speer Gold Dot, Hornady Critical Duty, but there are others any of which would be good.

I bought an inside the pants holster...a Don Hume as recommended by a friend. I was getting used to wearing it in the small of my back until I was told that that was wrong. It should be worn directly inside the pants of the dominant hand
The holster sounds fine but I will never carry in the small of the back because if you ever fall, you can do serious damage to your back. I carry between 3:00 and 4:00 on my strong side. I’ve been carrying as a professional and as an armed citizen since 1982. I’ve done a lot of stupid things and I’ve seen a lot of people do stupid things in my day. Holster selection and proper carry is very important. Most of us have a huge box filled with holsters we’ve purchased over the years. Some were replaced because they were unsafe others because they didn’t work. Don Hume is a good starting point and hopefully it will work well for you. My favorite IWB holsters are: Milt Sparks VMII (Expensive and you may have to wait) Galco Triton (Best all Kydex off the shelf IWB I’ve ever used) CompTac MTAC (Great design and you can purchase shells for different weapons saving you money down the road. It takes a little time to get it set up just right but when you do it’s an awesome holster. Honorable mention to Ted Blocker. I carried my P228 in one for many years. Never a hitch.

[Patchman]

As for Small-of-back ("SOB") carry, as someone already noted, can result in serious injury if you fall. Even if you don't fall, continuing to press a piece of unyielding metal against your spine, your spine WILL eventually complain!

As for SD/carry ammo, all the brand name SD ammo are equally good. Just purchase enough of one brand so you have enough to function test them in your gun (until you're confident they will function), and enough to fill at least 12 magazines. This will allow you to shoot off one mag each time you go to your monthly range session. The rest of the range session you can shoot FMJs and other stuff. At end of the 12-month cycle, purchase more SD ammo.

[M 7]

Originally Posted by BuddhaPHRN

OK Gang....I would love to ask another question, hopefully I have NOT exceeded my newbie limits as of yet.

Just got some target as well as carry ammo for my G23. I was thinking that getting used to the gun will require firing both practice as well as carry ammo in case they perform differently...am I correct?

Can anyone recommend a brand for personal defense...and grain?

I bought an inside the pants holster...a Don Hume as recommended by a friend. I was getting used to wearing it in the small of my back until I was told that that was wrong. It should be worn directly inside the pants of the dominant hand.


Good Lord help out please.


Jeff

Lotsa good advice on this thread.

After you run a couple hundred rounds of your chosen carry ammo through your gun, so long as you choose practice ammo that closely matches the recoil impulse of your carry ammo (ie: the same bullet weight and velocity) you should be just fine. A lot of folks get all tied up worrying about a few feet per second difference between the ammo (carry and practice), but so long as you stay within 50 fps of the carry ammo, you'll likely feel no difference between the two.

As for brand, weight and velocity preference, that's up to you. As long as you look to a "brand name" source- Federal, Remington, Winchester, you get the point- you have only to choose the weight and velocity of your carry ammo.

From what I can see, there have been volumes written on the 'net debating the merits of "heavy & slow", "fast & light", and every other possible ammo arrangement known to man. It's up to you to do the research for yourself (books, the net, training professionals, etc) since I am in no position to tell you what you need or should use.

As for carrying the gun, be careful with what you do- maybe seek the advice of a trained professional or trainer, or a police officer if you know one personally- before doing anything you are unfamiliar with.

Good luck.

[WarEagle32]

That 23 will EAT any factory ammo you feed it very well. My recommendation could not be any stronger for you to get some 140 grain +P Corbon DPX's. Pure copper is less dense than lead by volume. So that Copper 140 is roughly the same size volumetrically as a 175 grain. And pure copper is consistant and vicious! I won't carry anything else in my defense guns! For traditional JHP's a 155+P Speer Gold Dot is tough too!

[4Rules]

Glock 19 IWB Holster Questions
http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/show....php?t=1428916

Need Thin IWB for G19
http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/show....php?t=1416247

Laser??
http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/show....php?t=1414521

[The Retired Sarge]

My recommendation in 40 is a 180gr bullet. First is the Federal HST followed, in order, by the Winchester Ranger T, Speer Gold Dot, and Remington Golden Saber. The 180gr bullet will give you adequate penetration in any scenario plus it lends itself to quick, follow up shots. Bill

[Adamz04]

When I had a 40 I carried federal hst 165gr. I found that to be among the best factory defense rounds out there. All in all stick with a major player, federal hst, Speer gold dot, Winchester ranger,etc.
Will the bad guy know the difference between cheap and quality ammo, probably not but the good stuff is more likely to perform consistently.

[deputy1199]

I assume that you carry your G23 for self defense. Both my department, and my son’s department issue 165gr Gold Dot ammo in .40S&W. I broke in my G23 and G27 with 300 rounds of Gold Dots each and since I retired that’s what I carry. For practice I have developed a .40 S&W hand load that is equivalent to the factory load - 165gr Montana Gold JHP over 6.5 gr of WSF. If you shoot a lot, the cost of factory ammo practically demands that you reload your own.

[JBS]

HST 165gr here also.

[Mark9Fogger]

Currently I use Corbon 140-grain DPX rounds in my off-duty G23. Critical Defense, Gold Dots, and PDX1s are great choices, too. But no matter what you use, SHOT PLACEMENT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN QUALITY AMMO! Just sayin . . .

[Smoker]

Beware of brand whores..

[barth]

Originally Posted by BuddhaPHRN

OK Gang....I would love to ask another question, hopefully I have NOT exceeded my newbie limits as of yet.

Just got some target as well as carry ammo for my G23. I was thinking that getting used to the gun will require firing both practice as well as carry ammo in case they perform differently...am I correct?

Can anyone recommend a brand for personal defense...and grain?


Good Lord help out please.

Jeff

Self Defense:
155/165 gr
Speer GDHP
Winchester Ranger T-Series
Federal HST

Usually like to match weight of practice FMJ ammo with SD.

Try http://www.sgammo.com/catalog/pistol-ammunition/40-cal

[Bruce M]

I might check at some local gun shops and see if any of them happen to have any Gold Dot, Federal HST or Winchester Ranger. Whatever of these three is least expensive might be a great choice. I might also check to see what specific ammunition any local departments carry. A local store might happen to carry some of whatever is a local choice and if so it might at least be more likely to be regularly in stock, in case you need some more later. Differences between any of these three along with a couple others are largely academic and they have all been shot extensively in thousands of Glocks.

[Sgt_Gold]

When I decided to carry my G23 I tested Speer Gold Dots, Winchester Ranger, and Remington Golden Sabers. I got 100 rounds each of the 155, 165 and 180 grain rounds and went to work.

Out of my hands the Speer and Winchester were equally accurate in all weights. The Golden Sabers groups were about 30% smaller. With the largest group about 4" at 50', I'm not worried about missing my target with any of these loads.

Botom line is I shoot the 180's better than the 155's or 165's. If I hadn't run those 300 rounds through my G23, I wouldn't have come to the conclusion I did. Get some of whatever you're thinking about carrying, and shoot at least 100 rounds of it to see how it works for you.

[Jon_R]

Originally Posted by jakejeter16

I have a Glock 23 as well so I can give you my personal opinion. I wear my gun at a 4 o'clock position on my dominant hand side if I can. Sometimes it's hard to wear it there if I'm wearing dress pants or just in general I tighter fitting pants or shorts. Small of the back isn't ideal but it's better than not carrying. As for self defense rounds I use Winchester rangers with a 124 grain. In my opinion it good to shoot a box of the self defense ammo just to make sure it cycles fine through your gun (I've never had a FTF or FTE o my glock) but its to expensive to shoot all the time and kind of unecessary.

124 Grain .40s?

I use 165 Gr Win Ranger HPs in my G23. Once a year I shoot a couple carry mags of them through the G23 at IDPA just to make sure all is still good then I put some fresh in for the next 12 months. Rest of the time just my reloads either 180s or 165s.

[russelldehart]

The "normal" carry position for the holster you are using is between 3:00 and 5:00. I typically wear mine at about 4:00. As for ammo most any factory hollow points that will feed in your gun and display decent accuracy will do. I use Winchester Ranger 180gr. Bonded but have also use Remington Golden Saber 180gr. and Winchester Personal Protection 180gr. All three are excellent choices. I also hear good things about Federal HST and Speer Gold Dot.

[avenues165]

Right now my HD .40 s&w round is Federal HST 165gr. I can get it for a good price locally and I like the performance. I also have some older Corbon JHP 165gr rounds that I am slowly burning through, it's a little spendy for me. I think any reputable manufacturer SD loads would be fine.

Research the benefits and drawbacks for heavy/slow and light/fast loadings. There are good points on each side of the debate. Then do some of your own testing.

I used to just buy what others recommended until I did some research. Now I like to do some testing with denim and water bottles filled with newspaper and water. I find it preferable to having someone else make my decision for me

[SmithietheFox]

I've carried 180-grain Remington Golden Saber for years...that said I'd feel comfortable carrying almost any type of current mfg'd JHP ammo.

[AZ Cat]

Lots of good options, and you can usually pick up a box to try for a reasonable amount before making a big commitment. It tried 165 gr HST, 180 gr HST, 180 gr Gold Dots, 165 gr Ranger-Ts and 180 gr Ranger Ts. These are all excellent SD rounds, but in the end the 165 gr HST was what my guns (G23 and G27) liked the best, and I was very satisfied with the ballistics and other firing tests I had researched.