Handgun Ammo
Selecting Handgun Ammo
Which handgun ammo is the best for you? It depends on the caliber of the gun you own and what your needs are. Revolvers tend to be chambered in classic loads like .22LR, .38 Special, or .357 Magnum. Semi-auto pistols are most commonly chambered in 9mm, but other popular calibers such as .45 ACP, .380 ACP, or .40 S&W vie for best selling handgun ammo on the market.
Popular Handgun Ammunition Types
At first glance, the large variety of options for finding the best handgun ammunition can be overwhelming. Whether considering Full Metal Jacket (FMJ), Total Metal Jacket (TMJ), Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP), or any of the other great ammo types, the first step is to consider your intended use.
If your goal is to improve aim, or just plink around at the range, FMJs or TMJs are a great option. Despite having limited stopping power compared to JHPs, these bullets are fun to shoot and are among the cheapest handgun ammo options. FMJs feature a hard outer metal jacket with a soft lead core. The jacketed design protects your barrel from lead, providing a cleaner shooting experience. FMJs are reliable, generally, have low recoil, and the cost savings will allow you to spend more time improving your aim and accuracy at the range.
Jacketed Hollow Points (JHP) are well known for penetration, expansion and stopping power. Standard issue for police and military, these bullets expand or mushroom on impact to inflict the maximum amount of damage to neutralize a threat. JHPs are ideal loads for home or self-defense, where each bullet must really count.
+P Handgun Ammo
Other bullets are variations on the tried and true FMJ and JHP. For instance, overpressurized bullets that carry the designator +P are engineered with greater pressure than standard calibers. The additional pressure can cause greater stress on the barrel, but produces a higher velocity bullet with deeper penetration. JHP +P ammo offers increased performance, with greater velocities, for greater stopping power in defensive situations.
History Of Handguns
Primarily used for self-defense and competitive shooting, the handgun has been around for a very long time. The earliest known handgun dates back to 1000 BC in China. This early primitive handgun used gunpowder to shoot a spear from a bamboo tube. Since then the handgun’s popularity and innovation has advanced into what we know today as the modern handgun.
