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Ranger RAT9?

4K views 24 replies 10 participants last post by  choochboost 
#1 ·
Ranger seems to be a pretty good option for a optimal wound cavity, I plan on going boar hunting with a bow and I think I will be taking my m&p with for added comfort. Are these bullets really as good as they are hyped up to be, or would a golden saber, a hydra shock, or a gold dot be a better option? Also, I think I will be going with the 147 or so grain option and about as much powder behind it as I can safely go. Number one I know this is about the worst caliber to be lugging around, but hey it beats a rock. Number two, how much powder can I place behind the 147 and still be safe.
 
#2 ·
koumiss45 said:
Ranger seems to be a pretty good option for a optimal wound cavity, I plan on going boar hunting with a bow and I think I will be taking my m&p with for added comfort. Are these bullets really as good as they are hyped up to be, or would a golden saber, a hydra shock, or a gold dot be a better option?
Depends on what the hype was. It's not a magic bullet, but Ranger T-series loads are among the best for self defense (depending on the caliber) along with a few others, some Golden Sabers are good and some Gold Dots are good (again depending on caliber). Hydra-shoks are not considered among the top performers.



Also, I think I will be going with the 147 or so grain option and about as much powder behind it as I can safely go. Number one I know this is about the worst caliber to be lugging around, but hey it beats a rock. Number two, how much powder can I place behind the 147 and still be safe.
Ramping up fps does not necessarily increase performance and may actually defeat the purpose.
 
#4 ·
Also, is the 147 going the right way in my mp9? Would a equally hot 124 gr. produce similar results at the 20yd mark? I can't find anywhere where I can purchase just the bullets for the RAT9...is this impossible or what. I found golden sabers and a lot of other things including a barnes that looked pretty good, but I couldn't find the RAT's... I would really love to give them a shot (literally)
 
#5 ·
koumiss45 said:
I understand that, but in the case of the gold dots I have read somewhere that you really have to make em hit hard in order to get optimal expansion.
JHPs in general are designed to work at a certain velocity. Ramping up the velocity may push the round beyond its limits. There's no need to run Gold Dots at a higher fps than Speer does.



koumiss45 said:
Also, is the 147 going the right way in my mp9? Would a equally hot 124 gr. produce similar results at the 20yd mark?
147gr will run fine in your fullsize.



koumiss45 said:
I can't find anywhere where I can purchase just the bullets for the RAT9...is this impossible or what.
They are not available. For the record, it is RA9T.
 
#9 ·
I would recomend hardball if you truly want a backup for your Bow in a boar hunt. If you have studied boar hunting, as you should before hunting them with a bow, you would know their skin is thin but they have rather tough zones that demand a bit more poundage than the typical White Tail deer to put down. Over penetration is not a real problem when hunting as it is for personal defense in a crowd.



Have fun but watch out for the mad boar. Sows can get you too.



:twisted:
 
#10 ·
Thanks TOF... I appreciate the confidence, I turned my bow from 66 for whitetail up to 71 for some added punch, I also am leaving the rage broadheads at home and instead am opting for a set of fixed blades. The new question is where can I get the Golden Saber in a 500 rd box ( or 100's) in a 124 grain. Midway is out, so who else is good for this? I talked to my father and I think I am going to take his Kimber .45 with, this comforted me greatly.
 
#11 ·
koumiss45 said:
Thanks TOF... I appreciate the confidence, I turned my bow from 66 for whitetail up to 71 for some added punch, I also am leaving the rage broadheads at home and instead am opting for a set of fixed blades. The new question is where can I get the Golden Saber in a 500 rd box ( or 100's) in a 124 grain. Midway is out, so who else is good for this? I talked to my father and I think I am going to take his Kimber .45 with, this comforted me greatly.


GS are not hard to find...if not available locally to you, most of the online gun websites carry them...



As to bulk purchases, I'm not sure...I've never seen them in anything but the conventional 25-Rd boxes...



Good luck on your hunt...
 
#12 ·
When the hunt is over post a picture of your World Record Russian Boar.



I have always wanted to hunt Boar with the Bow but haven't done so yet. I have taken Elk with my Recurve though. They don't usualy fight back like hogs do.



If you take the 45 I still recomend hardball for the hogs. If you have to use it, shoot till it stops moving same as for BG's.



Enjoy



:twisted:
 
#19 ·
#20 ·
#21 ·
Fireman1291 said:
Sweet! I just ordered 150rds of Federal HST hollow point ammo, Thanks for the link!
Glad to be of help. That (the +P version) is what I keep in my 45 government. I suspect that it would throughly ruin a bad guy's day.
 
#22 ·
Could Federal possibly offer more types of hollow points? I see LE Tactical HST, LE Tactical Bonded, LE Tactical Hydra-Shok, and LE Tactical EFMJ. My first thought is they are over using the word Tactical, my second is I assume the Hydra-Shok is the regular old bullet they have had for years. But I have no idea what the rest are or why you might buy one over the other.
 
#23 ·
Well I'm no expert but because I have a verity of caliber and barrel lengths to feed I've been doing a lot of research. Here is what I've been able to put together. The LE Tactical Bonded is optimized as a hollow point for barrier penetration, but for some reason it is also supposed to expand and penetrate exceptionally well even from short barreled pistols. The downside is that expansion seems limited to about 150% (about .675 for a .45). It's the short barrel performance and reasonable cost that inspired me to order these in 230gr +P for my 3" 1911. The link below is pretty old but it still has useful information about 45acp performance from 3" barrels if you're interested. http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-2968.html



The LE Tactical HST is designed to expand to huge dimensions when fired from a full length barrel. That's why I selected them in 230gr +P for my full sized 45s. If somebody is attacking me in my home I want to make the biggest gnarliest holes I can. Penetrating walls and doors isn't on my radar.



As a side note the November/December American Handgunner compares HST flash with other popular loadings.

http://shootingmessengers.blogspot.com/200...c-workshop.html



I suspect but can't prove that a Hydra-Shok is a Hydra-Shok. I probably have 200rds laying around but I'm not sure I trust them even from a full sized barrel, if the attacker is bundled up in heavy clothes. And I've never really felt completely comfortable loading them into a shortie. That 120fps loss cuts into expansion.



I have yet to run across a test of EFMJ so I have no clue. But John at Ammunition to Go is a pretty fair resource maybe he knows something.
 
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