Tim's Personal Ammo Choices for Social EDC

Key Takeaways

Ammunition Choices by Caliber:

1. .357 Revolver (Smith & Wesson J-Frame):

• Ammo: Buffalo Bore Item 20D.

• Features:

  • 150-grain hard-cast full wadcutter bullet.

  • Designed to penetrate barriers like windshields, car doors, and heavy clothing.

  • Cuts a full-diameter hole without deformation.

• Purpose: Defensive use against humans ("social work").

2. 9mm Handguns:

• Ammo:

  • First two rounds: Buffalo Bore +P or +P+ expanding bullets (hollow points).

  • Remaining rounds: Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman load (hard-cast flat-nose bullets).

• Features:

  • Expanding bullets for initial shots to cause more immediate damage.

  • Hard-cast flat-nose bullets for penetration through barriers (e.g., sofas, windshields, and doors).

• Purpose: Handle scenarios where initial shots don't incapacitate the attacker, especially if they hide behind cover.

3. .45 ACP Handguns:

• Ammo: 230-grain flat-nose +P full metal jacket (FMJ) rounds.

• Features:

  • Non-expanding bullets.

  • Excellent penetration through soft barriers (e.g., clothing, doors, windshields).

  • Creates a large permanent wound channel.

• Purpose: Reliable winter carry ammo that overcomes common soft barriers.

Ammo Philosophy:

• Hard-Cast/Flat-Nose Bullets:

  • Prioritized for their ability to penetrate barriers and maintain a straight trajectory.

  • Chosen over hollow points for their reliability in adverse conditions (e.g., heavy clothing, obstacles).

• Trade-offs with Ammo Types:

  • Expanding bullets (e.g., hollow points) are effective but can fail when clogged by clothing.

  • Hard-cast or FMJ rounds ensure consistent penetration but may over-penetrate.

General Advice:

• Always Train: Emphasis on proper training to prepare for self-defense scenarios.

• Compromises in Ammo Selection: Every ammo type has pros and cons; users must choose based on their specific needs and situations.

• Safety Reminder: Not advocating violence but encouraging preparation for self-defense.

Full transcript

Hi folks, just an hour ago we did a video on my personal EDC guns, the ones that I choose to use, the holsters, and all of that. We got done, and my beautiful camera woman said, "You didn’t talk about ammo." So, we’ve talked about what makes handgun ammo work in other videos, and now I’m going to go over the ammo I carry in my EDC guns.

First of all, for the single revolver I had in that list, it’s a Smith & Wesson .357 on a J-frame made out of scandium and aluminum. The thing is so light—112 ounces. I talked about it in our video. I carry Buffalo Bore Item 20D in it. Can you get a closeup of the label? This is .38 Special ammo, and it features a 150-grain, very hard-cast, full wadcutter profile bullet. This thing goes through all kinds of clothing, windshields, car doors, and will still penetrate a human torso—probably completely—after defeating barriers. I use it because it cuts a full bullet-diameter hole. Wadcutters do that, and if you make them hard, they don’t deform, so they really do it. That’s what I carry in all my .357 Magnums for social work. By "social work," I mean, God forbid, the circumstance I have to kill somebody. That’s what I mean by social work—it’s for humans.

Next is 9mm. I went over my two 9mms with you, but I didn’t talk about the ammo I use. The first two rounds will be one of the Buffalo Bore loads—plus P or plus P plus. Usually plus P for the small guns. The first two shots are expanding bullets. After that, all bets are off. The person may not have gone down because they were wearing three or four leather coats, or they could be hiding behind cover. There are a lot of reasons why people don’t go down. The rest of the magazine is full of our Outdoorsman load, which is a hard-cast flat-nose bullet. It’ll penetrate the refrigerator, the sofa, the windshield, the car door—anything somebody decides to jump behind. Your first two shots didn’t put them down? They’ll jump behind something, and they can kill you from there. If they’re armed, they will shoot you. They came to do you harm in the first place, or you wouldn’t be shooting them. So, when people jump behind cover, it doesn’t mean they’re safe at all. It means they’re regrouping to kill your butt. So, two hollow points followed by a very hard, non-expanding bullet.

When we get into bigger calibers like the .45—which is this, this, this, and this—and I went over the brands in the video we just did, this is what I carry: .45 ACP, 230-grain flat-nose, plus P. It will not expand, but it will penetrate like crazy. For .45s, I don’t feel like I need a lot of expansion anyway. It’s already a .45; it’s going to make a big hole, especially with that flat nose on it. These guns are for my wintertime carry. They’re all .45s, and they’ve all got flat-nose full metal jacket ammo in them. It’s all I put in them. It defeats all the soft barriers that people would normally hide behind, and it’ll go right through their body. Yes, it is an over-penetrator, but the good news is that because it’s an over-penetrator, it defeats soft barriers.

Every type of ammo you use will have some kind of compromise involved. If you like expanding ammo on people, that’s fine, but you might not be able to count on it going in a straight line through windshields, car doors, or house doors. And if they’re wearing a lot of clothes, the hollow point will probably plug with clothing material and act like a round-nose hardball. Since it’ll probably do that, I just shoot hardball. Technically, it’s not hardball because it’s not round-nose, but it is full metal jacket with a flat nose, which is similar to hardball. Be it hard-cast or full metal jacket, it will not expand on humans. That’s the ammo I use.

Babe, did you get the item number on this .45? And the two different item numbers on the 9mm? And, of course, we’ve established the item number on the .38 Special. These are the loads I carry for anti-personnel work, or social work. Again, I hope this is beneficial. It’s meant to be. We’re not advocating violence.

Oh, and by the way, I’m drinking one of Dana White’s drinks. I happen to like the UFC, I happen to like Dana White, and I happen to like Joe Rogan. Anything that they sponsor or are a part of, I use because it’s usually a very good product. I’m kind of simple—I don’t know the difference between a mocha latte, a latte, or a coffee. To me, it’s all a coffee drink. Anyway, this is high-protein, good stuff. If you’re going to be working out hard and want fewer calories but more protein, they taste good. There’s my spiel for Dana White. Maybe he’ll call me, and we can do a podcast or something.

Anyway, folks, please be safe, have fun, train like crazy, and go with confidence. I’ll speak to you later. God bless.