droshi said:
Actually I see, it's not the pre-fragmented type I thought...but still begs the question, is it really better than the JHPs?
I don't understand the question, "Better than JHPs?" The PDX1
is a JHP. It is simply a line of bonded (meaning the jacket is bonded to the core to prevent separation) JHP from Winchester which is, apparently, what the FBI has chosen for their carry ammo (in the larger, service calibers) because (in those service calibers) it performed so well with getting good penetration and expansion even when fired through various barriers such as windshield glass, etc.
To me, pics I have seen of 'perfectly expanded' PDX1 rounds look a lot like the old Black Talon and I suspect that it is the latest update of that technology. I have also read claims that PDX1 is simply a civilian labeling of the latest update of the very same ammo sold to law enforcement in the Ranger bonded line - the biggest difference being that Ranger comes in fifty round boxes while PDX1 comes in twenty round boxes. I actually have to wonder if the FBI actually buys the PDX1 labeled ammo or if they simply buy the same ammo under the Ranger label (which would kind of make more sense.)
Anyhow, personally I like PDX1 for my P95 and for my snubbie because I believe it is at least as good as any other premium JHP in those calibers and Walmart stocks it in those calibers (as well as .40 and, sometimes - I think, .45) for a price that is as good as or, usually, better than other premium JHPs at other retail outlets. That said, I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to get PDX1 in .380 (which, as indicated in previous posts, I have never seen at Walmart) instead of the Hydra-Shoks I have been carrying.
In fact, I'd want to see some good tests with positive results from a P3AT sized gun before I would consider switching. I tend to think that guns like the P3AT have a smaller margin for error when it comes to effectiveness than something in 9mm or even .38 Special so I tend to be a little more concerned about the ammo I use for SD in the P3AT. Also, as other ammo types (Golden Sabers come to mind) seem to have shown, just because a certain ammo works well or even exceptionally well in other calibers doesn't mean it will work well in .380 or in the P3AT.
