Brownie is the resident authority on cartridge performance here, but Hydra-Shoks are considered a premium defensive load; I carry them in my .380s and .45 ACPs. Winchester Ranger, Speer Gold Dot and Remington Golden Saber are also good choices.
Glaser Safety Slugs and other exotic frangible loads are not the best choice for general defensive use; they have a very narrow performance envelope and are best reserved for very specific types of situations unlikely to be encountered by most armed civilians (like taking out a terrorist aboard an airliner).
If you go into the Ammo forum section, there are numerous threads already devoted to this topic containing plenty of good info:
http://floridaconcealedcarry.com/Forum/forumdisplay.php?f=13
:thumsup
P.S. - In .38 Special, it's still hard to beat the tried and true +P 158 gr. SWCLHP (semi-wadcutter lead hollow point) a.k.a., the "FBI Load".
Glaser Safety Slugs and other exotic frangible loads are not the best choice for general defensive use; they have a very narrow performance envelope and are best reserved for very specific types of situations unlikely to be encountered by most armed civilians (like taking out a terrorist aboard an airliner).
If you go into the Ammo forum section, there are numerous threads already devoted to this topic containing plenty of good info:
http://floridaconcealedcarry.com/Forum/forumdisplay.php?f=13
:thumsup
P.S. - In .38 Special, it's still hard to beat the tried and true +P 158 gr. SWCLHP (semi-wadcutter lead hollow point) a.k.a., the "FBI Load".
