Ammo For PCCs (pistol caliber carbines/pistols)

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  • Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,410
    Glen Burnie
    I just picked up my Sig MPX K. It comes with 1, 30 round mag. I have 4 more on order. This is going to be a self defense pistol for me in some uses.
    That being said, I don't see me buying 5 -7 boxes of 20 or 25 round boxes of Gold Dots, Hornady etc... at 35-40 bucks a box to feed these mags.

    I came across some new Federal PUNCH ammo. This is hollow point ammo marketed for self defense. The difference is that this ammo does not/was not tested to FBI material standards for penetration. It has a softer lead core.

    And instead of having 1 round designed for each specific caliber, this round is the same for all calibers .380, 38, 9mm, .40, and 45.

    That being said, it is less expensive. It comes in at about $21 a box of 20, instead of 35-40 bucks.

    My first mag will be 15 rounds or so of Gold Dots, then the rest of that mag and the other 4 will be with PUNCH. I don't foresee much shooting through glass or wood.
    These are definitely a better option than having those mags filled with FMJs.

    Cheers!
     

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    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    tnoutdoors9, who posts a lot of ammo reviews looking at expansion, penetration, etc, saw good results with Punch ....



    Maybe not on par with HST or Gold Dots, but certainly seemed like a good option for a mixed mag and backup mags as you've suggested.

    (Would love to see another pic of the new toy too :))
     

    ken792

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 2, 2011
    4,480
    Fairfax, VA
    As stuff becomes available again, look for the law enforcement 50rd boxes of HSTs or Gold Dots. They’re a lot cheaper than the 20rd boxes marketed to the general public. My friend in FL said his store has 50rd boxes of HSTs for $26, so it’s coming down.

    Pre-panic, those 50rd boxes were $19 at the gun show. Hopefully it can get to that plus inflation.
     

    alucard0822

    For great Justice
    Oct 29, 2007
    17,643
    PA
    Sometimes PCCs can be ammo picky, especially the MPX's gas operation. Can also have some issues with ammo changes in the same mag where a fat HP might not feed if the preceding round is soft. They also can have a big difference in feel with ammo weights, 147s feel pretty soft in MPX, lower powder volume can often be really soft shooting and quiet, even without a can, 115s can be loud and harsh. Defensive PCCs use a ton of ammo, between loading mags and finding something that runs well, for me that means 50rd LEO boxes of HST or gold dots usually end up as much or less money than cheap HP(and way less than civvy marked 20rd boxes), but outperform them. If those 9mm you found run, would just stick to them and not worry about the odd mag of something "better". Minor differences in gel probably won't matter between your capabilities and the volume a a PCC can produce. I run 124gr non+p HSTs run well in all my 9mm defensive stuff, defensive AR9 included, bought a case years ago and am glad I did.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Why mix it for the same thing?

    If this is for self defense and you are actually CONCERNED about it beyond it’s an excuse, you need to get several boxes of one ammo and test it, test it, test it and then you have enough for however many mags you feel you need.

    IMHO test at least 100 rounds. More is better and having enough on hand to run a magazine or two 1-2 times per year on top of that.

    Be shitty to find out that Ammo X chokes every 20 rounds. Or every 2, because you didn’t test it. Better to just run cheap ball ammo so long as you can test it.

    I found Winchester Ranger T 147gr +p choked my Glock 17 with the OE 17# guide rod and spring. Switching to a stainless steel guide rod and 18# spring and it runs fine. It would not quite fully return to battery every 3-4 rounds and need the slide tapped forward in to battery. With the SS rod and 18# spring it’s been 100% reliable in 100 rounds. So I’ve run about 150 rounds through it. A box with a bunch of failures, switched things up and then two boxes of smooth running. I’ve got 4 more boxes. I haven’t had occasion to test more. My Glock 17 is my bedside gun and it’s got Golden Sabre 124 +p in two mags, a 17 in it and a 19 next to it (the 19 won’t fit in the gun and in the handgun vault). I’ve run about 200 rounds through my Glock and it runs flawlessly. Sadly I’ve only got about 20-30 rounds spare outside of the mags. The Golden Sabre dried up somewhat before the pandemic, but scored 350 rounds of the Winchester Ranger T for a sweet price right before ammo disappeared and prices skyrocketed.

    I do have 300 124gr XTP and about 260 147gr XTP I can load up. The 147s run fantastic. Haven’t loaded any 124s yet. I’d want to run a lot more before I’d be comfortable making it my go to load for SD though.

    Yes it is expensive, but if you are really worried about defending yourself, you just spent many hundreds on a new gun. $150-200 for ammo to ensure it runs well in your gun and then keep 3 loaded mags is not really a ridiculous expense.
     

    j26sub

    Active Member
    May 8, 2018
    359
    I saw/read that 147 gr. Federal HST will behave much better out of a longer barrel than 124 gr.(proper frag/etc) That's what I keep on hand for pcc's. That's what I run for edc too...For simplicity's sake.
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,410
    Glen Burnie
    Why mix it for the same thing?

    If this is for self defense and you are actually CONCERNED about it beyond it’s an excuse, you need to get several boxes of one ammo and test it, test it, test it and then you have enough for however many mags you feel you need.

    IMHO test at least 100 rounds. More is better and having enough on hand to run a magazine or two 1-2 times per year on top of that.

    Be shitty to find out that Ammo X chokes every 20 rounds. Or every 2, because you didn’t test it. Better to just run cheap ball ammo so long as you can test it.

    I found Winchester Ranger T 147gr +p choked my Glock 17 with the OE 17# guide rod and spring. Switching to a stainless steel guide rod and 18# spring and it runs fine. It would not quite fully return to battery every 3-4 rounds and need the slide tapped forward in to battery. With the SS rod and 18# spring it’s been 100% reliable in 100 rounds. So I’ve run about 150 rounds through it. A box with a bunch of failures, switched things up and then two boxes of smooth running. I’ve got 4 more boxes. I haven’t had occasion to test more. My Glock 17 is my bedside gun and it’s got Golden Sabre 124 +p in two mags, a 17 in it and a 19 next to it (the 19 won’t fit in the gun and in the handgun vault). I’ve run about 200 rounds through my Glock and it runs flawlessly. Sadly I’ve only got about 20-30 rounds spare outside of the mags. The Golden Sabre dried up somewhat before the pandemic, but scored 350 rounds of the Winchester Ranger T for a sweet price right before ammo disappeared and prices skyrocketed.

    I do have 300 124gr XTP and about 260 147gr XTP I can load up. The 147s run fantastic. Haven’t loaded any 124s yet. I’d want to run a lot more before I’d be comfortable making it my go to load for SD though.

    Yes it is expensive, but if you are really worried about defending yourself, you just spent many hundreds on a new gun. $150-200 for ammo to ensure it runs well in your gun and then keep 3 loaded mags is not really a ridiculous expense.
    Thanks for the thesis telling me to test ammo out of a self defense gun. Seriously?

    I'm putting some lower cost ammo out there for people who may want to save some money. And a scenario that it works in.
    There's no way in hell that any use of a pcc will go 120 or 150 rounds. But it's way better than loading those mags with fmj.

    Why mix the first mag? Because I just may need those rounds for the first shots getting out of my vehicle. Should I have it with me.

    Never in my years of shooting has any Federal brand round ever choked. Why should a Federal round with some softer lead fire differently?
    Same manufacturing process.

    Sorry for throwing some ammo out there that people may not know there was an option.

    You people are crazy with all your stats, grain weights, short barrels vs longer barrels and all with never being in a gunfight with any of it.

    So what. I spent 65 bucks for 3 boxes. Compared to 100. They'll shoot just fine. If not, they'll shoot just fine out of one of my pistols.
    Pretty sure they'll work out of this MPX.

    Also sure Sage Dynamics didn't research "best ammo for SIG MPX K" when he did his 500 round burn down through it and it ran flawlessly.
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,410
    Glen Burnie
    I saw/read that 147 gr. Federal HST will behave much better out of a longer barrel than 124 gr.(proper frag/etc) That's what I keep on hand for pcc's. That's what I run for edc too...For simplicity's sake.
    There's always better accuracy out of a longer barrel.
    This is a 4.5 inch barrel MPX. It's a pistol barrel. No one is taking 50 or 100 yard shots.
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,410
    Glen Burnie

    gwchem

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 18, 2014
    3,434
    SoMD
    HST's used to be 50 cpr. Prices are ridiculous at the moment. Sorry that's not helpful.
     

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