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Civil Defense Ammo

Oaktree45

Master Class
I can’t resist buying ammo that I haven’t seen before. Yesterday I was at my local sporting goods store and they had some 9mm self defense ammo that intrigued me. I had to buy a box. As with other exotic ammo I purchased over the years, I know this will sit unused for years and then I will just end up shooting it at the range. I paid $32 for a box of 20 rounds.

I will say that looking at video demonstrations of this ammo it does seem impressive. This Civil Defense ammo has been available for quite a few years so I guess I'm not the only one that buys it. Notice the bullet weight and fps in the lower right corner of the box.

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I can’t resist buying ammo that I haven’t seen before. Yesterday I was at my local sporting goods store and they had some 9mm self defense ammo that intrigued me. I had to buy a box. As with other exotic ammo I purchased over the years, I know this will sit unused for years and then I will just end up shooting it at the range. I paid $32 for a box of 20 rounds.

I will say that looking at video demonstrations of this ammo it does seem impressive. This Civil Defense ammo has been available for quite a few years so I guess I'm not the only one that buys it. Notice the bullet weight and fps in the lower right corner of the box.

View attachment 24263

I've tried this ammo and it's very light recoiling due to the light weight bullet and I've also seen some lack luster performance reviews on it also.

The 10mm version of this ammo looks to be a decent option for an HD choice for a balanced mix of stopping power and limited over penetration.
 
What level?

1?

And was it current, or had it expired?

And yes, I do use gimmick when I refer to these loads, and their ilk.
I'm not sure of the rating. From my understanding it was rated for .357 and maybe up to .44 mag. As for expired, it was a retired LEO he had worn it. He replaced it with a model he could use plates.
We were at the gun range after close and we got to talking about the videos on YouTube for civil defense. Long story short he said he had an old vest, we had civil defense on the shelf at that time, we hung it up in the range and shot at it from 15 yards away zip zing right on through.

We used 9mm.
I guess 2000fps is the magic number.
 
I'm not sure of the rating. From my understanding it was rated for .357 and maybe up to .44 mag. As for expired, it was a retired LEO he had worn it. He replaced it with a model he could use plates.
We were at the gun range after close and we got to talking about the videos on YouTube for civil defense. Long story short he said he had an old vest, we had civil defense on the shelf at that time, we hung it up in the range and shot at it from 15 yards away zip zing right on through.

We used 9mm.
I guess 2000fps is the magic number.
I heard a similar story from a buddy of mine in Tennessee.
 
Context being…what, exactly?
Lighter carry weight is probably the best sell but there are lower cost options to achieve that. Piercing armor I suppose but that isn't super practical for common defensive use and doubtfully rated for that capability. Someone who is super worried about overpenetration (assuming they aren't going to miss) and would rather err on a more shallow penetration depth. Not a fit for me but to each their own.
 
Lighter carry weight is probably the best sell but there are lower cost options to achieve that. Piercing armor I suppose but that isn't super practical for common defensive use and doubtfully rated for that capability. Someone who is super worried about overpenetration (assuming they aren't going to miss) and would rather err on a more shallow penetration depth. Not a fit for me but to each their own.
“Lighter carry weight”?

Ok, let’s look at that one. We’ll take a 11rd mag, for a flush-fitting Hellcat, loaded with 115gr carry loads (Hornady Critical Defense, Speer Gold Dots, Sig V-Crown…plenty of choices).

The difference between that 50gr Civil Defense and the 115gr rounds? 600grains. A little over an ounce.

Bet if I put those mags in your hand, you would not be able to tell the difference.

That’s a non-starter I’d I’ve ever heard one.
 
“Lighter carry weight”?

Ok, let’s look at that one. We’ll take a 11rd mag, for a flush-fitting Hellcat, loaded with 115gr carry loads (Hornady Critical Defense, Speer Gold Dots, Sig V-Crown…plenty of choices).

The difference between that 50gr Civil Defense and the 115gr rounds? 600grains. A little over an ounce.

Bet if I put those mags in your hand, you would not be able to tell the difference.

That’s a non-starter I’d I’ve ever heard one.

To avoid misunderstanding I'm not advocating for it as a solution and am only identifying that it may matter to someone. Opinions and tastes vary whether well founded or not and application however fringe may fit some need or use case. Doubtfully ineffective but I personally wouldn't put my money on it for defense as I don't have a practical application for it. There are proven options out there such as those you mentioned with data supporting that they are well suited for the task.

For the record I bought a box and am hanging on to it for session with watermelons and because I like to see what random stuff will run through my gear. That is my use case.
 
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