G2 Research Telos: Ammo Review Of Sorts
Every so often I get the distinct pleasure of testing ammo. Sometimes I enjoy this more than firearm tests, because I get guns sent to me quite often. Ammo, on the other hand, is sent to me only on rare occasions. Though, those companies who make both guns and ammo, usually send both. After all, they know that their guns will work with their ammo. At least, they better work with it!
This time around, I was given (no, not to keep) a S&W 627, 8-shot .357 Magnum to test as an EDC concealed carry gun, but, for some reason, most of my local gun shops didn't have any of the correct corresponding cartridges in stock for me to do a proper test. Rest assured, that small ammo shortage is long since over, and I've been able to test that gun properly with many different kinds of .357 mag ammo as well as with a variety of .38 Special.
That review is in the works, as soon as I can figure out some technical difficulties with my gear (camera, etc).
Anyway, right around the time I got the Model 627, a representative from G2 Research reached out, asking if I'd be willing to test out some ammunition. And, I mean come on … That's like going to the range and shooting for free. Not only am I shooting a gun that's not mine, but I didn't have to pay for the ammo either? For Real? Sign me up!
The caveat to this, is that I'd have to do something on the G2 Telos ammunition, as well. Problem is, I have no way of recording speed, nor of effectively conducting a penetration test. So, what's a guy to do?
Well, let me start by saying ammo tests are always interesting. Everyone has their own method of doing them, and rarely do two different people do them exactly the same way. Some test for speed, while others want to test penetration or expansion. Some folks use professional looking things like ballistics gel, while others use jugs of water.
It may be upsetting for you to know that I didn't actually do any of those things, and that this particular ammo review is more of a by-product to a gun review, than a stand-alone ammunition test.
I do apologize for not having a chronograph or ballistics gel, but I don't have the means to buy that stuff. So, really the only way I test, is for accuracy and reliability.
Before I get to that, though, let's take a look at what makes this self-defense ammunition different from most of the stuff out there on the market right now. First, most ammo is copper-plated (or jacketed) lead. From there, you either have hollow point ammo, or flat nose, or one of the less-popular types of ammo like semi-wadcutters and the like.
These particular self-defense cartridges are just copper. Each projectile is designed to split apart into several smaller projectiles once it hits something like a human body. This is good for a few reasons, but generally speaking, does more damage because there are more projectiles traveling through your attacker. The term they use to describe this ammunition, is controlled fragmentation.
They claim 12 inches of penetration from the magnum cartridges (10 inches from .38+P), along with 7 separate wound channels. That sounds pretty devastating, and I'd hate to be on the receiving end.
Reliability:
I can say that I tested out a few hundred rounds of ammo, chambered in both .357 magnum and .38 Special +P, and I ran this ammunition through three different guns. Well, the Charter Arms Snub is in .38 so I only tested that caliber in that revolver. Because, as you likely know, you can shoot .38 through a .357 chambered gun, but not .357 through a .38-only chambered gun.
As expected, each round went bang.
I also used the test gun, a S&W 627 magnum revolver, and a Henry Big Boy, lever-action rifle for both chamberings. Again, each one went bang and cycled smoothly in both firearms.
There were no malfunctions or light-strikes of any kind, which is always good for self-defense ammo.
Accuracy:
As far as accuracy is concerned, I don't have any target pictures for the Charter Arms Off Duty's target, but I was able to hit my target at defensive distances, like 5 and 7 yards. What I do have pictures of, even though you'll have to look closely, is 7 yards with the 627 test gun, and 25 yards with the Henry Rifle.
First, here is a picture of the revolver. These shots were fired rapidly, in the offhand (standing) position. Not the tightest groups, but I wasn't shooting for tight groups. In my opinion, each one of them is a threat-stopper.
Next, we have the Henry Big Boy in .357 Magnum at 25 yards. Again, here I was standing and shooting an un-sighted in rifle. I was shooting just below the orange bullseye, but each shot landed in the same area, which is really hard to see in the below picture:
Overall, this seems like some good ammo to use in your self-defense revolver that works well and is accurate enough for defensive situations. For more information, check out their website, here.
What I'd like to know, just for giggles and spits, is what is your chosen self-defense ammo.
I realize this review is over 5 years old, and that we have gone through ANOTHER ammo shortage. The difference between this one and the last one is the price increase they have been able to some how justify is absolutely insane. But I’ll stop here about that, because I could go on all day standing on my soap box while adjusting my tin foil hat.
So to answer your question about what type of defensive ammunition I run in my EDC’s. I’ll try not to make this super long because I really like to explain things in detail. That annoys some people at my work, but my customers seem to like it.
I am 50 years old this year, and have been shooting firearms for over 45 years. To my moms dismay, my dad bought me a Remington Nylon 66 in .22 LR actually before he bought me a Crossman .177 pellet gun. He had to do that so my mom would quit freaking out when I would get home in the 1st grade and grab my Nylon 66 to go massacre the small animals that were on our 40 acres and the surrounding 1200 plus acres that surrounded us. I’m not going to lie to you, there were a few close calls and accidental discharges in those early years. But I learned very quickly and did not have many reoccurring issues. We mostly had CCI Mini Mags in the house, so I would say 80% to 90% of the 250k plus rounds I have fired in my life have been those CCI’s. I have honestly had about maybe a 100 malfunctions at the most with that ammunition. It has been as reliable as you could hope. My Uncle David collected guns and had almost 2000 guns in his collection including mostly military weapons. I’ll give one example, he had a Secret Service HK MP5K Operational Briefcase. The one you shoot from inside the case with a remote trigger on the handle. It was totally bad to the bone. So I got a SEAL contract when I joined the Navy so I thought I was going to continue on with my way of life and would learn how to shoot even better. Wrong, 2 serious injuries during training ended that dream before it even started so I actually do not have any real military training besides basic shooting skills to receive the shooting ribbons and off base training with some SEALs, MARSOC and CAG guys I’ve met throughout my life.
Then I married an anti-gun liberal unknowingly and that pretty much stopped my shooting for the rest of the 1990’s. After that divorce I jumped back into the gun world and have not looked back. I have had a few hundred myself by now, but I’ve worked that down to a small but useable collection. I know I said I was going to make this short, but this is how I roll.
Ok, so I’ve got quite a solid array of self defense ammunition. It ranges from Old school Black Talon “Teflon armor piercing” rounds to Black Rambo hollow points. But my favorite ones hands down are Liberty Defense Civil Defense Ultra Light +P rounds. They are super light, fast as it gets, and will shred anything they come in contact with. I got turned on to those from an undercover police officer I met at my local gun store in Stockton CA. I have since moved (thank God) to Central Mississippi, so I get to enjoy the little bit of freedom that we are awarded still in this country. What I like about the Liberty’s is that you can have a loaded magazine that weigh 1/2 as much as a magazine loaded with conventional brass cased ammo. I doubt that they are moving at the advertised 2000 fps, but those babies are cooking downrange for sure. I can kind of tell they are fast when I shoot them suppressed out of my SiCo Octane 9 and Hybrid 46m. Regular 124 and 147 grain white box will usually not “ crack” that loud, but those 90 grain Liberty’s are LOUD still. They are about $1.75 to $2.00 a round, so they are not cheap, but if you find some try them out. You will probably like them.
Well, I’m sure I could go on and on about this and other subjects, but I don’t want to bore you guys so I’ll go back to studying about hold overs and stuff involving long distance shooting. I want to see how far I can go out with a match grade 77 grain round. Maybe you will see me again when I start my own shooting empire here soon. Thank you if you actually read everything and made it this far. I really enjoy telling my story.
Roger