Ammunition for Self-Defense: Hype vs. Reality

I don't know about any of you, but I don't go to the range to practice shooting as often as I should, and I can't stand the prices for the stuff billed as "high-performance self-defense ammunition" when I do. One should generally practice with what one carries as a "duty load" at least some of the time. Is it worth paying more than twice as much for these fancy rounds? Are they really more effective? Are they really that much more consistent in velocity from round to round? Are they significantly more accurate? Do they even have the same point of impact if you switch between ammunition types?

I certainly can't afford to run a bunch of experiments to test all of these claims, but fortunately, some people can. In particular, I recommend Paul Harrell on YouTube. Among the subjects he discusses are tests of what he calls "hyper ammo." For handguns, this stuff usually costs more for a 20-round box than it costs to buy a 50-round box of the basic plinking ammo. If it doesn't hit in the same spot , that makes the price difference even worse! I have linked one of Paul's videos on this subject below.

And then there are the gimmick rounds for shotguns and various fancy unorthodox projectile designs being billed as the best thing since sliced bread. He debunks that kind of marketing hype quite effectively, too. Don't waste money on this kind of tacti-cool crap! Basic buckshot, birdshot, and rifled slugs haven't changed much over the decades because they work.

If this kind of calm, rational exploration of firearm topics interests you, check out his channel. He also does a lot of myth-busting and theory exploration. He's open about his personal biases and preferences. I think I may have shared one of his videos before, but if you haven't seen his stuff, I cannot recommend it highly enough. My only complaint might be the volume difference between his intro clip and the content itself, but that's a small problem worth overlooking. I appreciate his habit of shooting regardless of the weather. After all, hunting and self-defense are not guaranteed to offer ideal conditions, so why should you limit your practice to such conditions?

As for ammunition, if (like me) you don't shoot enough to make the investment in hand-loading your own ammunition worthwhile, buy the cheapest ammo that reliably cycles and shoots most accurately from your particular firearm. The standard-grade hollow-point handgun ammunition from Remington, Winchester, or CCI will probably serve your needs in the unlikely event you do need to defend yourself with a handgun from a two- or four-legged predator. Now that it is becoming available again, bulk boxes of .22LR might be a better buy than match-grade boxes or CCI Stingers for your varmint rifle. Don't waste your money on overpriced novelty shells for your shotgun. Just buy more basic ammo, and practice more at the range.