Extreme Shock Ammo

[rob0126 1]

Is this stuff good for home defence?

 

http://www.extremeshockusa.com/cgistore/store.cgi?page=/new/product_info.html&setup=1&cart_id=

 

Any experiences with it in the 7.62x39?

 

Robert

[netpackrat 566]

No experience with it, but it looks like novelty ammo.

[Scott Kenny 144]

I've got some of their 9mm Air Freedom rounds, nothing heavier. Was doing a bit of familiarization with them, and loaded a mixed magazine with FMJ, Hydrashock, and AFR. Some of that was to make sure the pistol would like them, some was to feel any differences in the recoil. No cycling issues to report.

A friend of mine has some steel plates for pistol targets, and the AFRs wouldn't knock them down. You could hear a solid 'ding', same sound as the FMJ or Hydrashocks, but the plate wouldn't fall.

 

Based on Extreme Shock's advertising materials, the 160gr x39 round should put a man down hard. I mean, anything that will drop a Cape Buffalo in one shot is off the scale in terms of delivered energy. I'm not sure I'd want to use the 200gr round in x39, plus the 200gr is monstrously expensive.

[rob0126 1]

I've got some of their 9mm Air Freedom rounds, nothing heavier. Was doing a bit of familiarization with them, and loaded a mixed magazine with FMJ, Hydrashock, and AFR. Some of that was to make sure the pistol would like them, some was to feel any differences in the recoil. No cycling issues to report.

A friend of mine has some steel plates for pistol targets, and the AFRs wouldn't knock them down. You could hear a solid 'ding', same sound as the FMJ or Hydrashocks, but the plate wouldn't fall.

 

Based on Extreme Shock's advertising materials, the 160gr x39 round should put a man down hard. I mean, anything that will drop a Cape Buffalo in one shot is off the scale in terms of delivered energy. I'm not sure I'd want to use the 200gr round in x39, plus the 200gr is monstrously expensive.

 

Basically I just want a good home defense round, so if I ever needed to use it, the bullet wouldn't go thru my walls, into my neighbors apartments.

 

So I was ponding the extreme shocks or cor bon jhps.

Edited October 17, 2011 by rob0126

[netpackrat 566]

Pretty much anything that has acceptable performance for defense ammo, is going to sail right through an interior wall, unless it hits a stud or something. Google "Box O' Truth" for more info.

[Scott Kenny 144]

I dunno. It's not like you can shoot a person (for testing purposes) and see how fast he drops. I do know that the Extrmem Shock ammo is designed to penetrate a little bit, most of their rounds will go through a 2x4 the long way and then dump all their energy into the next thing they hit.

 

AFRs are a little under-penetrating for perfect home-defense since an arm will stop a round from going into the chest. However, there's not going to be any solid bone left where that round hit the arm, either.

 

Any round that will drop a Cape Buffalo will do unholy things to a human. 'Built like a tank' is the usual description of a Cape, and there are stories of them taking hits from a .375H&H and charging home.

[rob0126 1]

So would CorBon jhp's be the safer option?

[Scott Kenny 144]

I would NOT feel under-gunned with 160gr x39 Extreme-shocks, but you'd need to sacrifice a box or two to reliability testing. That ammo is damned expensive!

[BuffetDestroyer 969]

I bought some of the pistol stuff when it first came out and tested it on water jugs & newspaper/phone books like the Box O Truth. You might cause a large 1-3 inch penetration on a bad guy, but it won't hit vitals or cause bleeding fast enough to truly have instant incapacitating power especially if he is blocking with his hands or behind something.

 

Extreme Shock's marketing is a bunch of bullshit showing massive animals instantly killed. Similar to knocking down wild boar with a 17 caliber pellet gun, it is possible to kill these animals with a given round in the right conditions with perfect shot placement, but it probably won't do it consistently enough to trust your life on it.

 

The main problem with Extreme Shock frangible ammo is that it lacks the penetration needed to hit the vital organs or central nervous system if it works as designed. The other problem is what Box O Truth discovered is that it may not open at all and easily penetrates through 5-6 walls like a FMJ round hitting your neighbors or loved ones on the other side.

 

The way I look at it is that if I am defending my life, I want something that is tried and true in my weapon and in real life (i.e. hunting or LEO/Military), not something that costs $150 to run two magazines through to function test.

 

If you want low barrier penetration but enough knockdown power to hit vitals and/or the central nervous system, grab some #4 Buckshot in 12 gauge! It is proven on 200 pound mule deer and is cheap enough to blow up a few boxes worth without breaking the bank.