Has anybody tried Mag Safe Ammo?

[JFootin]

I have been looking at the Mag Safe Ammo and am impressed by the claims of their 380 ammo putting test animals down faster than any other self defense ammo in the test, including 9mm, 40s&w, 45scp and 357 magnum hollow point rounds. It also won't ricochet, or go through walls and kill neighbors, and it has the lowest recoil by far. (Details here. Look at the dispersal patterns in the picture at the top of the page.)

I know, it is very expensive. But once I shot enough of them at the range to ensure reliability, the expense would cease.

So, who has experience with these rounds? Especially with the PM9/ CM9 pistols? Will they load and cycle OK? (They say they will. And they have a 9mm round called the "Baby Glock" that is especially for short barreled semi-autos.)





Any sage and experienced advice will be greatly appreciated.

[jocko]

a way way over rated very very expoensi8ve round that I never read of ANYONE bragging about the round. If u notice theys eemtooperate on the principal of a very very light weight bullet to achieve some of their add hype.

I don';t see the gun rags promoting it, and any of the so called good gun testers out there either.

[Barth]

Frangible bullets have been around for a long time now.
Seems like when everything goes perfect they can have impressive performance.
But everything isn't always perfect.
Also I've heard the accuracy of the super light rounds can be poor.
Best to take law enforcement's lead when choosing self defense ammo.
(I think even Air Marshals use P229/357 125 grain HPs)

[frank_drebin]

a way way over rated very very expoensi8ve round that I never read of ANYONE bragging about the round. If u notice theys eemtooperate on the principal of a very very light weight bullet to achieve some of their add hype.

I don';t see the gun rags promoting it, and any of the so called good gun testers out there either.

I got caught eemtooperateing once. Very embarrassing for both of us.

[JFootin]

Jocko, it doesn't seem like you have actually tried them. I know there is not a lot of talk about them, mostly because they are so expensive, and also because they are so different that hardly anyone has tried them.

Barth, these are not like the little shot filled rounds. The pieces are locked together in epoxy resin and the hollow point is jacketed so it gets good penetration. If you look at the gel tubes in that photo, the penetration is over 12" on all but one of them, and the damage is dramatic.

Again, I want to hear from people who have some EXPERIENCE with the ammo.

[Vanzpp]

Over the years I've fired nearly 100 rounds (Defender and Mini-Glock loads) through my CW9 and about 50-60 through my SW 642. I've never had a problem with it. I say over the years because the stuff is too expensive to shell out $250 to test 100 rounds all at one trip to the range.

I carry Magsafe in the summer months. I think there is something to be said for neural shock and light/fast frangible ammo. However, you're going to get a LOT of different opinions on this issue!!

[Suthrncop66]

I have been wondering the same thing too, I havent been able to find anyone with first hand experience either...

[Vanzpp]

I have been wondering the same thing too, I havent been able to find anyone with first hand experience either...

Marshall and Sanow speak highly of Magsafe's effectiveness in their books "Street Stoppers" and "Handgun Stopping Power". Ayoob speaks highly of Glaser Safety Slugs (different round, same basic concept) in "The Ayoob Files." Jim Cirillo was an advocate of RBCD ammo, a light, fast frangible-type round.

All the above writers are/were cops with actual street experience. Most people who trash Magsafes are the many online keyboard warriors on the net who have never heard a shot fired in anger in their lives. (Except for Martin Fackler, who hates frangibles based on his experience as a combat doc in Vietnam).

I'm going to trust the guys with the street experience.

[JFootin]

Thanks Vanzpp. That's the actual experience I was looking for. So, let me pick your brain some more:

• How much less recoil is there? Compared to the typical high power or +p HP rounds favored by so many?
• Any perceived differences or preferences in the rounds?

Thanks for the valuable info!

Anyone else with actual experience using the ammo?

[Vanzpp]

Thanks Vanzpp. That's the actual experience I was looking for. So, let me pick your brain some more:

• How much less recoil is there? Compared to the typical high power or +p HP rounds favored by so many?
• Any perceived differences or preferences in the rounds?

Thanks for the valuable info!

Anyone else with actual experience using the ammo?

You're welcome.

Like I said, I've never had any problems with Magsafe in my CW9 except for the last batch I tried (FTF). However, that wasn't the ammo's fault. It was the gun's, and I had to send the gun back to its home planet of Worcester to have it fixed.

For me, recoil is slightly less with Magsafe than with traditional HP designs, but that's largely a matter of personal perception. Personally I like the Defender load, because it gives +P performance from a standard pressure round. The Mini-Glock load shoots fine too, but I'm suspicious of that round because I think it's a tad too light--only 50 grains. That's just my opinion, though.

I've only fired 8 rounds of the +P Stealth load through my CW9. They shoot fine, but I don't want a polymer handgun to take a prolonged beating with that stuff. As I'm sure you saw from the website, they're loaded pretty hot.

Hope that helps. For what it's worth, I carry Magsafe regularly during the summer months when people tend to wear light clothing.