SXT Questions

[Hogballs]

I was looking at the Winchester site and they had a little blurb on how SXTs are made and I couldn't really tell from the photos but when they swage the bullet, which puts the hollow point in the bullet I believe, do you end up with a fully jacketed hollowpoint? Or does the jacket just "smear" into the lead part of the bullet?

Also, on another site I read a comment about SXT Rangers eventually becoming available for civilians. Is this likely to happen?

Hog

 

[IamNOTaNUT]

I am sure a non-LEO can scrounge up some SXT Rangers. They are not illegeal bullets (in most jurisdictions), but Winchester only wants to sell them to LE agencies due to the old Black Talon bullet controversy as a way to limit liability for "making a reckless bullet that was good for nothing but killing people." At least that is my understanding.

Having used them for years, I am not sure why you would want them. My experience is limited to the 9mm Black Talon / Ranger SXT round, which is nothing more exciting than a subsonic 147 grain JHP. There are plenty of better defense rounds that are marketed for everyone, not just LEO's. It always kind of burned me up that the average Joe was probably carrying a better round than I was required to load my 9 with. I switched to higher velocity Golden Sabers for my personal arms long ago and haven't looked back.

Fortunately I am not required to go armed with a 9mm anymore, though I still pull out my trusty Sig 226 for old time's sake every once in a while. If you lug something like that around long enough I guess you get attached to it.

 

[drothen]

While I am not a fan of "heavy and slow", I did do some testing with the 147g SXT. The bullet shines when fired into a water tank at close range (likely self defense range). While faster bullets shed much of their weight and lose much of the diameter gained by expansion, the SXT opened in precise flower petal fashion. Even other slower bullets ended up as a random tangle of jacket while the SXT was in perfect order.

I wish that I was able to test lighter, faster SXT bullets, but I have been unable to find any source to buy them. I believe that the precision with which they expand will translate into better reliability and effectiveness should bad come to worse.