[fredj338]

I have never been a fan of 115gr anything for SD. I feel there just isnt enough mass to support expansion & penetration. Sure one can design a 115grJHP to expand a bit less & them still get penetration, like an XTP, but anything less than 14" is just not enough imo. Put a forearm in front of a big guys chest. it wont likely penetrate enough to insure vital tissue crush.

 

[DonWayne]

Silvertips will often feed where other hp rounds will not.
Of course it can't penetrate when it expands like the rounds shown!

 

[fredj338]

Silvertips will often feed where other hp rounds will not.
Of course it can't penetrate when it expands like the rounds shown!

Rem GS are pretty feed friendly in something that wont feed other JHP.

 

[vindibona1]

I used to put them in my .380 eons ago and still have a few for my 1911. I've moved on to HST 147gr in my 9mm.

 

[40/45]

Might not be the latest and greatest, but it's what's in my Shield and G19s. I won't lose any sleep about it.

View attachment 1229291

Go out and get some Gold Dots or HST’s

 

[40/45]

Might not be the latest and greatest, but it's what's in my Shield and G19s. I won't lose any sleep about it.

View attachment 1229291

And a G27/23, G36/30/30s too

 

[Slotback]

Im running 147 grain Silvertips. I find them to be good to go.

 

[kahrcarrier]

I carried SilverTips in my .32 Beretta back in the 90s. I'm pretty sure they had aluminum jackets. Never shot anything but paper, so I have no idea how they performed as far as penetration, but being a .32, I doubt it was anything but anemic.

 

[CedarElm7]

I recently started carrying 147gr SilverTips in my EDC Glock 43’s (with modified mags) primarily for one reason: they go “bang” every time I pull the trigger. They are accurate (for me, at least) and they subjectively “feel good” (controllable muzzle flip and recoil).

I like Federal HST 124gr+P in all my other 9mm Glocks (including my G26 when I EDC it), and it functions flawlessly in all of them, but my G43’s don’t seem to like it (occasional failures-to-feed).

The G43’s do, however, love the 147gr SilverTips, so I’m comfortable carrying it. I know the ballistics testing shows it to be slightly less penetrative than some other SD ammo, but I’m confident a few well-placed shots would get the job done quite effectively.

With regard to the 115gr SilverTips, I like them as well, and they are a little speedier. My G43’s simply don’t like them as well as they do the 147’s, but if they work for your guns, I say go for it!

Both the 147’s and 115’s are quality SD ammo at a reasonable price.

 

[cadillacguns]

I have a fun stick filled with all the old ones I had. I hope to never need it.

 

[M 7]

Yeah, the Silvertip lineup got a remake in the early/mid 2000's, according to a Winchester LE sales rep with whom I was speaking (at a hosted gel test event). When I asked why he wasn't demonstrating any of the STHP line, he said that the company didn't consider it part of their LE product lines, and that it typically exhibited shallow penetration compared to the rest of their Ranger LE lines. However, he also said that the STHP line had recently been refreshed, receiving some revisions, but since he didn't sell it to LE agency customers he didn't keep up on the engineering changes.

Personally, I never particularly cared for the original aluminum jacketed STHP, although I did favor (and still do) the nickel-plated copper jacketed 145gr .357MAG load. The aluminum jacketed stuff often exhibited easily deformed nose cavities during feeding in pistols, and the penetration was often observed to be at the shallow end of things. I vaguely remember when the original .44SPL STHP was revised to try and resolve some stabilization issues in some barrels. The 3" barreled CA Bulldogs I owned didn't really care for them.

On the other hand, the recent production 155gr STHP .40 S&W load is a real tack-driver in one of my .40's, a 4040PD.

Different strokes.

Come to think of it, the newer nickel-plated copper jacketed 110gr standard pressure STHP does pretty nicely in my 37DAO, accuracy-wise.

Last contact that I had with Winchester LE sales reps, the JHP used in the Silvertip product line is the same JHP as that being used in the Winchester USA (white box) economy line which is why it is no longer part of the law enforcement product line. The only difference between the two is that the JHP used in the Silvertip is nickel-plated.

For a conventional cup and core JHP, terminal performance of both the Winchester Silvertip and Winchester USA JHPs are what we might expect from second generation ''old technology'' JHPs; slightly elevated velocities resulting in expansion on the order of 1.65x - 1.75x initial caliber, fragmentation resulting in 10% to 15% loss of mass, and maximum terminal penetration significantly less than the 18 inch maximum specified by the FBI test protocols.

 

[fastbolt]

Last contact that I had with Winchester LE sales reps, the JHP used in the Silvertip product line is the same JHP as that being used in the Winchester USA (white box) economy line which is why it is no longer part of the law enforcement product line. The only difference between the two is that the JHP used in the Silvertip is nickel-plated.
...

I'd hope the company would also use a better grade of primers, meaning better sensitivity, than the budget stuff the USA line may sometimes use.

 

[CedarElm7]

Silvertips will often feed where other hp rounds will not.

I have found this to be true also.

In a way, it seems counterintuitive, because their OAL is greater than some others (like HST, for instance), and a greater OAL is generally assumed to sometimes cause ftf’s. Visual inspection of the SilverTips seems to indicate a slightly slimmer tip than HST’s; perhaps that is why the SilverTips have a tendency to feed better.

 

[Orive 8]

Last time I carried any Silvertip ammo was around 2004 or 05. I bought a Glock 37, and the only defensive/carry .45 GAP ammo at the shop was Winchester Silvertips, I believe 185 gr HP. So I bought a couple of boxes. Shot one box through the gun and used the second box for carry ammo.

I called my 37 "Betsy the Vampire Slayer".

 

[borisglockunov]

Old technology and way overpriced usually. If you like 115 gr, Speer Gold Dot is a better option and does well in most testing.

 

[FrDoc]

Im running 147 grain Silvertips. I find them to be good to go.

Yep.

 

[fastbolt]

Old technology and way overpriced usually. If you like 115 gr, Speer Gold Dot is a better option and does well in most testing.

Winchester doesn't release any testing of their commercial line ammunition like they do their LE Ranger lines (in the online LE catalog).

However, Vista does for their Speer and Federal LE lines, and that still includes the standard pressure 115gr GDHP. Just use this link to choose Handgun, and check the boxes of any of the loads desired to see a 'poster' comparison in the standard FBI test protocols.

Law Enforcement - Federal Premium LE, Speer LE, BLACKHAWK!, Eagle - Load Comparison

LE Wound Ballistics. Speer and Federal Premium pioneered the use of Wound Ballistic Workshops as a service to police departments nationwide. Utilizing the FBI Ammunition Testing Protocol, firearms training officers test ammunition side-by-side to make informed decisions on the duty ammunition...

le.vistaoutdoor.com

 

[M 7]

I'd hope the company would also use a better grade of primers, meaning better sensitivity, than the budget stuff the USA line may sometimes use.

I would, too. However, my cynicism for the present marketplace precludes any optimism for that. Current pricing of 9mm 115- and 147-grain Silvertips (in the 45 - 52¢ per piece range) suggests that premium components are not in their construction.

 

[johns961]

Back in the 80's the Silver Tips were all the rage. I had them in 9mm, 45 Auto and 38 Special and Super. In the early 2000's I picked up some new 38 Specials and a box of 38 Super.
I still have them. But, they are in my emergency stock pile. These days I carry Underwoods. But, with them not using Gold Dot's I have been buying HST's now.

 

[CedarElm7]

Bad Guy: “Dude, what’s in your gun?”

Good Guy: “Winchester SilverTips.”

Bad Guy: “Ha! Ballistics testing on those is unimpressive—might only penetrate 12” instead of 18”. So go ahead and shoot me!”