5 Factors To Consider When Choosing CCW Ammunition

December 16, 2021

Concealed carry weapons are great tools to have on hand. But a firearm is useless without rounds to accompany it. Explore these five factors to consider when choosing CCW ammunition.

Factor #1: Expansion

Expansion is one of the critical criteria to assess when choosing a bullet. As part of a round’s ballistics measurements, expansion describes the degree to which a bullet compresses and spreads upon impact. Too little or too much expansion may be undesirable. So focus on what you’d like to happen when your bullet hits your target.

Factor #2: Penetration

Penetration describes how far a round goes into a surface after contact. The baseline measurement system is the FBI’s tests that expect a minimum of 12-inc penetration in ballistic gelatin. If your ammunition over- or under-penetrates, the round is ineffective and will not work in a life-threatening situation.

Factor #3: Caliber

A bullet’s caliber describes the size of the projectile. Rounds must fit in your gun’s barrel. So make sure the bullet’s diameter and the gun’s bore width match. Otherwise, you’ll have serious problems with an unusable round.

Factor #4: Impact Type

Bullets can do several things upon impact. A bullet may compress into a disc or retain most of its shape depending on its structure. Some hollow pointed bullets expand to quite large sizes, while others—like fragile bullets—are fragile and break apart upon impact.

Factor #5: Weight

Rounds have weights that impact overall gun weight, bullet trajectory, and out-of-the-barrel speed. Consequently, most handguns have specific recommendations for caliber and weight. These specifications ensure maximum accuracy. If you deviate from these, you could sacrifice accuracy for power.

With the top five factors to consider when choosing CCW ammunition in the back of your mind, you’ll make the best ammo purchase for your needs. Whether you carry a firearm every day or sporadically, you should have a quick, discreet, and accessible way to hold it. Consider using a CCW backpack like ours at Elite Survival Systems. If you have any questions about ammo or holsters, our experts can help you with all gun-related inquiries.

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