I own and operate an indoor range and have the opportunity on occasion to perform tests including guns and ammo. Because we are indoors it is possible for me to select the lighting conditions that are needed for any situations such as night shooting at any time.
Our classes are the full variation from Basic handgun to the most advanced pistol, rifle or shotgun and we have the ability to conduct these courses using low light situations created at will by the instructors.
An item of interest and so critical to me and to all of us who are serious about self defense is the equipment needed to do so. We must have assurance and confidence in our tools, equipment and abilities under every imaginable situation. When in the face of grave danger, it is too late to wonder or to question anything we have brought to this horrible event.
The question of ammunition and how it performs in low light conditions have been a topic of discussion brought on by some of my students as well as my instructors. So I thought it might be interesting to see just how the more popular selling SD ammunition performs in such lighting conditions.
Recently we took our 1911s in all sizes, sub-compact to govt. models and even used some of our short revolvers for a test of barrel length vs. calibers. These tests included 45 ACP, 9MM and .357 magnum of Hydrashock, Golden Saber, Gold Dot, Corbon, SXT, Black Talon, and Silver tip. To say the least I was amazed at the outcome.
I am sure most of us have seen the picture of Maas Ayoob on the cover of his book "In The Gravest Extreme" and the muzzle flash from his revolver using the corbon .357, 158 full-house loads. The only thing I could think about after seeing that picture is "you better have put down your threat with that shot" because when the shot was fired you will not see your threat (or anything else) again for several seconds. A very dangerous situation for any of us to find ourselves in when forced to save the life of yourself and your loved ones.
Using my gunsmith to do the shooting and me taking the pictures and observing we shot all of the brands listed in the byline above. Unfortunately we took moving pictures and I am not able to reproduce them. I truly hope you will accept my description, (along with my profound apology for not having the pictures) for what it is and use your imagination to understand the outcome. If I am able to reproduce these pictures I will come back and do a portion of this report again so that you may actually see the outcome.
The manufacturers have most certainly improved the powder for our SD loads to reduce the amount of muzzle flash now vs 10 or 15 years ago to the point it is no longer a problem. Not one single discharge including the Corbon was bright enough to blank out our Tritium sights. The brightest flash of all was the Golden Saber and it too did not blank out the night sights of the guns we used. Federal Hydrashock was so dim that it was barely visible to the camera at all.
Even when we changed to the 2" revolvers, the result was exactly the same with every round, including the full-house .357 rounds of Corbon and all others.
My point is; people who are selecting their Self Defensed ammunition may do so knowing that muzzle flash in low light conditions is no longer a concern. They will be able to engage a threat and know beyond a doubt, they will be able to clearly see their sights as well as their threat if a follow-up shot(s) is necessary.
I sincerely hope this is enlightening, educational and worth while for the knowledgeable, experienced members of this fine forum.
Kenny Woodward
Owner, Rangemaster Shooting Range Inc.
www.caswells.com
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