Hydra-shok .45 ammo?

[RuAk]

Hi all im close to getting 250 rds of Federals 230 gr. hydra-shok JHP for my .45 ACP.

Guy will sell to me for $150.00 plus 15$ for shipping.

Is this worth it?

 

[CoRoMo]

$0.66 per round for Hydras is not a bad price.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

.66 done, agreed not too bad. Pretty good actually I think. Federals I presume?

 

[RuAk]

Yes they are federals.

But is there an older version of the bullet or something becuase i am seeing different boxes of the same exact ammo.

The one im looking at is in a gold type box and everywhere else on the online gun shops have a red type box..?


Whats the difference with that?

 

[hometheaterman]

The ones I've seen at Dicks and another sporting good store are clear plastic boxes with a black and gold label on them. Is this what you are looking at?

 

[polekitty]

"Different" Hydra-Shocks?

I've wondered about that also. Some time back I bought some S&W40 Federal Hydra-Shock with the boxes marked "not for law enforcement use." I got a very reasonable price for the stuff. Is there a "back story" there somewhere?

 

[CapnMac]

Different Federal Boxes

If I recall rightly, a couple years ago, Federal rebranded all of their ammunition, pistol, rifle, & shotgun.
I want to remember that they then changed packaging a couple of times in there, too.

Also, IIRC, back 8-10 years ago, the "hydra-shok" trade name got congressionally associated with the dread CKB label. As a result, I want to remember that Federal started labeling some Hydra-shoks as LE only. Naturally, that begot some labeling of "Not for LE use" too. There was some state-to-state variation, too.

There's likely an entire obsessive collector cult available in just getting all of the FCC box variations in just a given caliber. <satirical & ironic sigh>

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

The Hydra-Shok bullet design has changed over the years. It used to be conical-shaped (straight sided) and had a wider cavity. This bullet shape often caused feeding malfunctions, notably in 1911s, and was changed to a round-nose profile.

 

[Rampant_Colt]

is it worth it?

No.
Hydra-Shok is an outdated, twenty-year-old design that clogs with clothing and performs like FMJ. It's a good price, but not when LIVES are on the line.
Better choices are available to us now

 

[AK-47Ghost]

I like H-S in my SA XD-C...want to try some Winchester SXT soon!

 

[JR47]

No.
Hydra-Shok is an outdated, twenty-year-old design that clogs with clothing and performs like FMJ. It's a good price, but not when LIVES are on the line.
Better choices are available to us now

Right.

I somehow doubt that the Hydra-Shok in question is twenty years old. The fact that the first generation of Winchester Ranger, known as Black Talon, was a mediocre round at best should be used to denigrate the current examples?

Federal has continually tweaked the rounds, and they pass all FBI protocols, and have, for decades. They are also used by many PDs nationally, with excellent results.

 

[Rampant_Colt]

yet Hydra-Shok still clogs with clothing....The post in the hollowpoint cavity creates an obstruction not allowing clothing and debris any place to go, causing the bullet to act like a FMJ.
Why do ya think Federal/ATK invented the HST?

Winchester engineers have tweaked the Talon bullet to meet IWBA standards. Federal hasn't followed suit with the Hydra-Shok, but with the superior HST. Why's that?

The Hydra-Shok still sucks

 

[Steve C]

Hydra-Shok is an outdated, twenty-year-old design that clogs with clothing and performs like FMJ.

Under that theory a 1911 must be an outdated 100 year old firearm that wouldn't kill a fly.

I think time proven may be a better choice of words describing the Hydra Shok .45 acp 230gr.

Actual shootings are the real test for any bullet, all the shooting into gelatin behind clothing, wall board, glass etc. is just theory and doesn't tell you if one round will be significantly superior to another in the real world.

IMO there's not a nickles worth of difference between any of the top rated JHP's of which the Hydra shok is one. Most ammo selection between them is the good feeling yoju get from imagined superiority.

The thing I can say about Hydra shoks is that they work, they feed reliably in every pistol I've tried them in. I can't say that for Gold Dots or the HST's. Give me that "outdated" round that I have faith will work in my pistol rather than a superior" bullet that has jammed up in the gun even if its only one time.

 

[Rampant_Colt]

if your pistol has trouble feeding JHP, you have bigger issues to deal with than ammo selection

 

[Leanwolf]

STEVE C - "The thing I can say about Hydra shoks is that they work, they feed reliably in every pistol I've tried them in. "

I've shot quite a few Hydra-Shoks through four pistols, without any failure to chamber, at all.

They were my Colt Govt. Model 70 series with Bar-Sto barrel: my Colt Govt. Model 70 Series with Colt Factory barrel but "throated": my Colt Lightweight Commander (1963 mfg.) with Bar-Sto barrel: my unmodified Star PD 45, Interarms import. As I said, zero problems.

As for Hydra-Shoks clogging up and not expanding when shot through clothing, is that statement the result of autopsy findings?????

Just wondering.

L.W.