Category: Ammunition

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Ammunition

Winchester Ammunition at Peak Production

Winchester Ammunition

winchester_ammunition1I have previously run articles about the increase in ammunition costs and ammunition shortages.  I have had a few people claim that the ammunition manufacturers were restricting supply to drive up prices.  Based on the contacts I have made in the industry, I knew that companies are producing as many rounds as they can, as quickly as they can.

However, it seems that the rumors persist.

Winchester Ammunition, in an effort to combat the notion that they, or anyone else, is cutting production, released this statement:

Winchester Ammunition, like other ammunition manufacturers, has seen the demand for our products increase significantly since last fall. To meet that increased demand, our operations are running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our team is literally working around the clock to make quality ammunition available for purchase. We remain absolutely committed to meeting the growing needs of our customers.

Update – Eventually the ammo shortages of 2009 eased up.  As supply increased, prices dropped.  That’s how a market economy works, don’t cha know.  I suggested (and so did a lot of other people) that shooters slowly build up supplies of ammo and reloading components for the calibers they shoot and/or load.

After several years of a soft market, the market panicked again in late 2012, and a ammo shortage hit again.  The 2012/2013 shortage seemed worse than the 2009 shortage in many ways.  Some calibers, like .22 LR and 9mm, were the hardest to find.  However, other rounds like 5.56/.223, .40 S&W and .45 ACP were also very difficult to locate.  People would stalk Walmart delivery trucks on delivery days hoping to be able to score a couple of boxes of their favorite caliber.

Demand for Winchester ammunition (and other brands) was such that 5.56 ball (and other calibers) was selling for more than $1000/case at times.  That seemed to be the top limit on the pricing, but there was a lot of push back from consumers as prices approached these prices.  Those prices were set by dealers, and not manufacturers like Winchester.

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Ammunition

Winchester Bonded PDX1 Personal Protection Ammunition

Winchester PDX1 308 ammo

Winchester Ammunition is bringing a new line of self defense ammo to the market in 2009: the Bonded PDX1 Personal Protection Ammunition.

The PDX1 Personal Protection Ammunition is “engineered to maximize terminal ballistics, as defined by the demanding FBI test protocol, which simulates real-world threats.” While I believe the protocol is a useful tool to make a side-by-side comparisons of different cartridges and bullet designs, I do not believe that it simulates “real world threats” for the vast majority of people who own firearms for self defense.

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.338 Marlin Express LEVEREvolution Ammo From Hornady

The .338 Marlin Express is the ‘427 big block’ of lever gun cartridges according to Hornady.  Hornady states the .338 Marlin is the first “long-range, big game, lever gun specific cartridge.” Introduced by Marlin in October, the firearm has not yet been posted on the Marlin site, but should be listed in the upcoming 2009 catalog.

Using a 200-grain FTX bullet common to the LEVEREvolution line, the Hornady loading of the .338 Marlin Express shows a muzzle velocity of 2565 fps (2921 ft/lb) that maintains 1991 fps (1760 ft/lb) at 300 yards with only a 7.8″ drop.  Hornady says the .338 Marlin is “based loosely on the 376 Steyr.”

This is the only load for this caliber from Hornady.  Hornaday often loads ammo for the smaller, niche calibers.  While it is great they are making a LevereRevolution load for the .338 Marlin Express, it would be great to see another load from them in this caliber.  I don’t know if there is enough of a following to justify its development, but it would be great from this consumer’s viewpoint.

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Hornady Critical Defense Ammunition: “Purpose Built for Concealed Carry Guns”

Hornady Critical Defense 357 Magnum Review

Hornady Manufacturing recently announced a new line of personal protection ammunition: Critical Defense.  The Critical Defense line of ammo is specially designed for small, compact firearms frequently carried concealed for self-defense.

The Critical Defense ammunition features a hollow point bullet the same style of “Flex Tip” polymer tip that Hornady uses in the LEVERevolution line of ammunition.  The tip prevents the hollowpoint from being plugged with clothing and helps ensure expansion.  Because of the Flex Tip technology, Hornady claims to achieve “100% reliable expansion every single time.”  Subsequent gel testing by independent parties seems to support this claim.

The new Hornady ammo is not designed to meet the FBI test protocols used by some law enforcement agencies when choosing ammunition.  Rather, Critical Defense ammunition is designed to operate in small, concealed carry guns against clothed attackers–not through steel and glass as required by the FBI testing.  For ammo that meets FBI protocols, scroll down this page for information on the company’s new Critical Duty line of ammo.

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.327 Federal Magnum A Viable Self Defense Caliber?

Ever since Ruger and Federal introduced the .327 Federal Magnum in November of 2007, I have been intrigued by the potential of this caliber.  Granted, any new firearm caliber has a serious uphill battle to be accepted by the general shooting public.  But, the .32 has been around and used for self-defense since the 1800s.  Let’s be honest…the .32 has never been known as a “man-stopper,” but is has had a small portion of the firearms market. Could the .327 Federal Magnum make the .32 a serious self-defense caliber?

After Ruger’s introduction of the SP101 chambered for the new cartridge, Charter Arms released the Patriot series of revolvers chambered for the .327 Federal Magnum. In the Jan/Feb 2009 issue of American Handgunner, John Taffin tested the Patriot and gave his opinions on the gun and caliber.  Out of the 2.2″ barrel on the Patriot, the 115 grain Speer Gold Dot was smoking along at about 1230 fps for more than 385 foot-pounds of energy.  The milder-recoiling 85 grain Federal JHP was in the 1220s with more than 280 ft-lbs of energy.

Those are respectable numbers for a self-defense firearm, especially when you consider they are coming out of a 2.2″ barrel.  In a short carbine, I imagine the .327 could be a fantastic small game gun.

To my knowledge, no one has been forced to use a .327 Federal Magnum in a self-defense shooting.  Without a stack of positive results from “the street,” I’m hesitant to recommend this caliber.  However, if you prefer a .32 caliber firearm, the .327 is a vast improvement over the .32 H&R Magnum and its predecessors.  With speeds in the 1200’s, the bullet will expand after striking, unlike the bullets out of the weaker .32’s.

Update – Speer added another Gold Dot load for this cartridge. The new load uses a 100-grain bullet that is rated at a blistering 1,500 fps. This is exceptionally fast. I would imagine that this load in a lever-action rifle would be incredible. It should be more than adequate to provide for home defense and could even be a decent combination for taking small to medium size game.

Another Update – Ruger no longer makes the SP101 with a 3″ barrel for this cartridge. They do make the gun with a 4.2″ barrel for it now. While you get the benefit of additional velocity, I wonder how much harder it is to conceal the gun. In an IWB, it should not be a problem. However, in an outside the waistband rig, the extra barrel length may be visible from under a short jacket.