Winchester .45 PDX1 Supreme Elite

[TheTman]

Damn, I thought I'd found some ammo from Walmart that would work in my CW45 for self defense, the Winchester PDX1, but when I get to searching on that cartridge's performance from short barrelled pistols, I found a very unsettling video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwFKvfXnGHk that shows the bullet not expanding when fired from a Glock with just under 4" barrel, shooting through 4 layers of denim and some water jugs.
Just wondered if anyone has tested this ammo out of a Kahr with the 3.64" barrel. I sure don't want to carry something that clogs up with clothing and doesn't expand.
I thought "my" Walmart carried the Federal Personal Defense loads, but got to looking and all the Federal ammo was FMJ. They did have a spot for some Remington/UMC 100 round value packs of HP ammo, but didn't have any in stock today, and pretty sure there are a lot better loads for CC. I was trying to avoid going to Gander Mountain and not paying their inflated prices, but I may end with no choice since they have the best selection of ammo in town. The gun range usually has their favorite brands of ammo or whatever they got the best deal on, and not much of a selection. Once I find the suitable round, I'll probably order a case online and split it with a friend with an officer sized .45 if it performs well in his gun too. I'll probably give Winchester a call tomorrow and see if they have any response to that Youtube video.
I was really hoping Walmart would have some good SD ammo, that would work with my CW45, but I'll look elsewhere if I need too. At least they had plenty of practice ammo.

[wyntrout]

I've bought all of my defense ammo online... no tax and a larger market. I look for the best deal possible... cost plus shipping. I really watch for sales and specials, including shipping.

.45 is getting or has been difficult to find. You have to watch for deals and be ready to jump on something if it meets your criteria in price and shipping costs. I won't pay scalper prices but it looks like I'm going to have to set my sights a little lower because .45 defense ammo is really hard to come by now... at least what I'm looking for.

I would stay away from Gander... or as Jocko might say, pre-lube yourself because they are going to ream you.

Use Google, ammoengine, and other sources of sources to find prices you are "comfortable" with.

I was in Wally World this evening and there was no .45 of any kind, but they had a lot of .380... Federal, Remington, and WW100. I always check the ammo at every Wally World I visit. I've bought a LOT of FMJ from them... .45, 9mm, and only a few test boxes of .380.

Wynn

[TheTman]

Wow, we must be pretty lucky here in Kansas. If you go to Walmart on "ammo day" when they stock the ammo they just got in, they usually have a pretty good selection, although it varies, sometimes they get a boatload of .380 in, sometimes it's 9mm, or .40, sometimes like yesterday, they had a bunch of .45 in.
Wish I had a place to do a water jug test and see if that Winchester performs as badly as in that video. I suppose the wise thing to do would learn from the experience of others and just go with the Gold Dot, if I can get a couple boxes at Gander Mountain and test that it feeds reliably. Or the Hyrda Shoks or HST, whichever I can find.

[Fedor]

Yep, the Salina, Kansas Walmart almost always has a good selection of ammo.

[TheTman]

Wynn, might have to speak to the sporting goods manager about stocking more .45 ammo, and getting some SD ammo in.
You're right about .45 being hard to find. Didn't find the Federal Premium Personal Defense in stock at any of my usual places.
Some of the more questionable sites had some, but didn't feel like gambling today.
Fedor, seems like the farther away you get from Wichita the better the Walmart ammo selection. Also found a place up near you that seems to have some very good prices on guns according to the gun genie at galleryofguns.com, Godfrey's indoor range in Junction City. They had a CW9 for $427 delivered, while most the other shops had it from $450 - $505.
I stopped by a Wichita Walmart today, and they did have long guns for sale. Not a huge selection, but a few of the more popular shotguns and rifles. Not much .45 but they did have the value packs of 100 .380 88gr HP by Remington/UMC. Now I forgot what the price was. I think under $40.00
I knew Gander Mtn screwed you pretty bad, but did some comparison shopping today. The WWB .45 100 pack was under $30 at Walmart, and almost $50 at Gander Mtn. The Winchester PDX1 was nearly twice the price. I was a bit surprised by the lack of selection of .45 ammo. Speer Gold Dots were about $40 for a box of 20. Didn't buy a damn thing from them, but I do love to waste the sales people's time checking out pistols I'm interested in, then telling them no thanks, I can get a much better price ordering online and I just wanted to hold one before I ordered it. Pisses some of em off, others just laugh. I did score most of a box of Gold Dot's free because they wouldn't cycle thru my friend's Kimber Ultra Carry II. I wish he'd bought a couple more boxes, LOL. I'll have to pick up a couple more boxes at the next gun show so I'll have enough to test for reliability and get the "feel" of it. Told my buddy we'll have to find a place to order Federal Premium Personal Defense online and order a case and split it. They seem to work well with short barrels.