The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) selected Winchester for its pistol ammunition (photo FBI).
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has awarded Glock 17M in 9mm.
Contractual provisions include the bonded jacketed hollow point (JHP) duty ammunition and full metal jacket (FMJ) training ammunition. There is also a provision for frangible training ammunition as well. Winchester had been providing the FBI with service and training ammunition for many years. This newest contract is not only an endorsement by the nation’s premier law enforcement agency but a huge boost to the ammunition manufacturer in a time when the ammunition industry has been going through tremendous growth.
Winchester just celebrated 150 years, and recent ammo products have excelled (photo by Winchester).
Winchester’s FBI Ammunition
Winchester has been on fire in recent years, and their selection by the FBI as a primary provider of the agency’s .40 S&W pistol ammunition is another sign of success.
The new FBI contract provides FBI agents currently carrying the Glock 22, 23, or 27 (.40 S&W) with 180-grain bonded jacketed hollow point (JHP) cartridges from their PDX-1 Defender as their primary on-duty ammunition. The 180-grain .40 S&W bullet has been shown to produce energy similar to lower-end .45 ACP rounds, with slightly reduced recoil and increased capacity.
The video below was produced by our friends at Safety Solutions Academy during Winchester’s 2012 SHOT Show demonstration of the PDX-1 Defender line. Paul Carlson, the founder of Safety Solutions Academy, is an excellent firearms instructor.
Winchester had firearms instructor Rob Pincus demonstrating the performance of the PDX-1 line. The company also secured his endorsement for the cartridge as a duty or self-defense cartridge.
The Winchester PDX-1 Defender bonded bullet excelled at the FBI ammunition tests, and many other independent tests. Winchester uses patented technology using a reverse-jacketed, bonded bullet shown to penetrate a wide variety of intermediate barriers while maintaining very consistent target penetration with reliable and extensive expansion.
The outstanding benefits of a bonded bullet are possible due to the chemical process that bonds the jacket to the soft lead bullet. It is this bonding process that provides greatly enhanced penetration and expansion. Without bonding, jacketed bullets often have the jacket shredded from the soft lead bullet core, causing uneven expansion, reduced penetration, and often a loss in bullet mass as the softer bullet splits into pieces rather than remaining intact.
The Winchester bonded PDX-1 Defender cartridges have excellent features.
Winchester PDX-1 Defender cartridges use nickel-plated brass casings for superior corrosion resistance. Additionally, nickel has a relatively high lubricity which helps with smooth feeding and extraction.
FBI’s selected Winchester PDX-1 Defender load utilizes flash suppressed powder to reduce excessive muzzle flash that can hinder low-light and night vision. Winchester’s ammunition met and passed the FBI’s stringent darkened range evaluation.
FBI’s PDX-1 Specifications
- Caliber: .40 S&W
- Bullet Weight: 180-grain
- Bullet Type: Bonded Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP)
- Muzzle Velocity: 1025 feet per second (fps)
- Muzzle Energy: 420 foot-pounds (ft/lbs.)
- Casing: Nickel-plated
- Primer: Boxer
- MSRP: Not listed (about $25.00 per 20-round box – FBI price cheaper)
Final Thoughts
When I first came across the Winchester PDX-1 ammunition I was really impressed. So much so, that I went out and bought several boxes, and still have two home defense handguns loaded with this ammo. The patented bonded technology is an outstanding improvement over standard jacketed bullets, and like the videos show (and my observations) creates a very impressively consistent expansion of the bullet upon impact with soft tissue as well as total or almost total mass retention.
Winchester has a long history of providing ammunition to the government and civilian shooters. The selection of the PDX-1 ammunition by the FBI is understandable and a good selection for the diverse uses FBI agents may be confronted with. Have you or your agency used Winchester ammunition? What do you think of the Winchester bonded PDX-1 ammo?