Are polymer tipped bullets legal to carry?

Adam Striegel · May 10, 2012

Someone got me some of those zombiemax bullets for my birthday. I always thought they were just a novelty item until I started reading only about polymer tipped rounds.

They seem pretty stinking hardcore and wondering if they're actually legal to carry for a sda gun? Not sure if the cops would think it was over kill to hit someone with them..

Chambers · May 10, 2012

Yes, but I still wouldn't ever want to have that conversation in court. I carry Fed Ranger LE ammo.

Adam Striegel · May 10, 2012

Right now I just have it in the gun I keep around the house, so if it is someone in my house I want them stopped as quick as possible. Don't think there would be a lot of explaining in that case as long as I wasn't shooting someone in the back inches from the door

I just have regular hollowpoints in my carry gun.

Matt1911 · May 10, 2012

Shouldn't be any problems carrying them in your gun.

Iggie · May 10, 2012

The whole legal matter comes from the marketing of them as zombie ammo.

I personally carry hornandy critical defense, same stuff with a few differences and its marketed as defense ammo not as zombie killing ammo. Its like a dollar more and super reliable.... remember to always test a batch of your defense ammo in your gun before you rely on it

dennishoddy · May 10, 2012

I have the polymer tipped bullets in my .45LC that I keep in the nightstand, and don't worry about it. Carry guns have the Ranger LE ammo.

Adam Striegel · May 10, 2012

What's the deal with the Ranger LE ammo? It the same thing, or does it just have a hotter load like most law enforcement ammo?

KurtM · May 10, 2012

I hate to be "that guy", BUT Federal DOES NOT MAKE the Ranger line of Ammunition. Winchester does! Federal markets Personal Defense with a standard hollow point. Premium Personal Defense with a Hydra-Shok hollow point, and Guard Dog line. No Ranger.

Chambers · May 10, 2012

KurtM said:
I hate to be "that guy", BUT Federal DOES NOT MAKE the Ranger line of Ammunition. Winchester does! Federal markets Personal Defense with a standard hollow point. Premium Personal Defense with a Hydra-Shok hollow point, and Guard Dog line. No Ranger.

I'm just an ignorant trigger puller. Thanks uncle Kurt!

Adam Striegel · May 10, 2012

KurtM said:
I hate to be "that guy", BUT Federal DOES NOT MAKE the Ranger line of Ammunition. Winchester does! Federal markets Personal Defense with a standard hollow point. Premium Personal Defense with a Hydra-Shok hollow point, and Guard Dog line. No Ranger.

Ah, that would explain why I couldn't find anything on that with Google. lol

KurtM · May 10, 2012

Not a big thing, but new guys might just take in all this info and then go look for some Federal Ranger, and then get treated like an idjit at the local gun shop cause they didn't know the right thing to say. Now I will say this...Some folks very well may be carring "Federal" Ranger rounds, but if in fact they are, they work for the Government, which would indeed make it "Federal" ammunition. :sarcastichand:

Spiff · May 10, 2012

Federal HST for the win!

Wormydog1724 · May 10, 2012

I use Hornady TAP.

shootingbuff · May 10, 2012

KurtM said:
I hate to be "that guy", BUT Federal DOES NOT MAKE the Ranger line of Ammunition. Winchester does! Federal markets Personal Defense with a standard hollow point. Premium Personal Defense with a Hydra-Shok hollow point, and Guard Dog line. No Ranger.

Lol - I saw this this morning and just thought after re-reading 3-4 times he meant Fed as in Federal LEO/Govt types. Oh well - good catch.

shootingbuff · May 10, 2012

Spiff said:
Federal HST for the win!

They are the hot ticket and on my last order with SGAmmo I picked some up. I alos like some versions from the Ranger line.

AFA the OP goes zombie sounds sophomoric to me. A lot of posters are offering LEO ammo thinking it wont get you in trouble because the LEOs use that ammo. Today one has to cover their bank account. I feel if a shooting gets down to the ammo I use who ever is coming after me has already lost. Either it is a good shoot or not. I would say if asked about zombie ammo it is repackaged ammo that is known to be of quality manufacture and a proven defense round re packaged to catch the eye.

Check out bad shootings. Ammo was never an issue that has been able to be referenced. Still with todays D.As (read that as you will)....

nikatkimber · May 10, 2012

shootingbuff said:
They are the hot ticket and on my last order with SGAmmo I picked some up. I alos like some versions from the Ranger line.

AFA the OP goes zombie sounds sophomoric to me. A lot of posters are offering LEO ammo thinking it wont get you in trouble because the LEOs use that ammo. Today one has to cover their bank account. I feel if a shooting gets down to the ammo I use who ever is coming after me has already lost. Either it is a good shoot or not. I would say if asked about zombie ammo it is repackaged ammo that is known to be of quality manufacture and a proven defense round re packaged to catch the eye.

Check out bad shootings. Ammo was never an issue that has been able to be referenced. Still with todays D.As (read that as you will)....

That's pretty much the way I look at it.

poopgiggle · May 10, 2012

I feel that way too, but every time I've seen ZombieMax for sale it was only like $1 cheaper than the equivalent Hornady Critical Defense. Even if the chance of going to jail because you used Zombie ammo is miniscule, it's worth another $1 to me to remove that chance.

That said, 50 round LE boxes of Gold Dots and Rangers are a better value so if they feed in your gun you should just buy those and forget all this zombie bullshit. Throw a box onto your next SGAmmo or ammunitiontogo order.

McGuire · May 10, 2012

Why would anyone think that the ammo name would have any bearing in court proceedings...I would think that you would say what you should say no matter what type of ammo you use, I was in fear for my life and couldnt escape safely so I acted in self defense...Bang, just make sure you buy a hi-point for a house gun so when they take it from you as evidence its not your 1200 kimber cdp...lol

and if it doesnt shoot you can always hit him with it...

Chambers · May 10, 2012

Any halfway decent lawyer could undermine your credibility and judgment if you used ammo that's marketed as it's designed for zombies. The circumstances of the shoot are irrelevant.

You gotta think like the opposition.

And in this case, you are giving them ammo (ha) to use against you!

Wormydog1724 · May 10, 2012

Death valley magazine had an article on how not to act after a self defense shoot. He pretty much said don't be standing in your yard with your level iv stand alone plates in your Crye JPC plate carrier with your mich level iiia helmet and pvs 14 night vision with your AR15 and beta mag eating a ham and chese sandwich bragging to your neighbor how you capped his ass when the cops show up.
He said wetting your pants isn't a bad idea.
If somebody breaks into my house and I fear for my or my wife's safety, I'm going to shoot them. But I won't be happy about it. You know how hard blood is to get out of carpet??