Hello Guys, I recently had a chance to replenish my carry ammo supply, & of course I took advantage of it. I’ve always been a fan of the Winchester Ranger T loadings, so I grabbed some .45 / 230 JHP(non +P), .40 / 180 JHP, & 9mm / 127 JHP+P+. Now, here’s my concern, I could have also chosen Federal HST’s within the respective calibers. DID I MAKE A MISTAKE IN STICKING WITH THE OLDER “RANGER T” DESIGN, rather than going with the newer, & highly touted Federal HST ?? In addition to the Ranger T & HST’s, I was also offered some Gold Dot loads in .45 acp. Even though many folks prefer the GDHP’s for all around use, I usually utilize them in a few select loadings, such as their 9mm 124 GDHP+P for my Kahr PM9, & I like the 135 GDHP+P in most of my .38 Specials. OK, getting back to my original question, I’d appreciate any comments & or data pertaining to the RANGER T -vs- FEDERAL HST debate.
dpast32
Anyone on the receiving end would ever know the difference so don’t overthink this stuff 
Either should be just fine.
I really think we start to split hairs when we start to compare the three brands you’ve listed. i think at this point you take what ever you can get as long as it’s free(ha ha just joking) and it’s reliable in your chosen weapons.
Ranger T is NOT old, it has been improved. I use Ranger T in 9mm and 45. I use Speer GDHP 180 in 40. I have only ever heard Winchester having a problem with their primers but that has long been rectified. Speer and Federal come out of the same building. I don’t think you will have issues with any brands you listed.
Check this list. If it’s on there, and available, just buy it and worry about training instead of terminal performance.
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=19887
My opinion only here but I see no reason to use a +P+ loading when standard velocity or +P loads work so well. I use the 147 HST because it’s reportedly effective and it shoots very soft which makes it very controllable ( a prime reason for using the 9mm in the first place for me).
A friend uses Ranger 127 gr +P+ because he believes the extra velocity gives it a terminal performance edge. I believe this is a valid reason to select the round not because it’s necessarily true but because he has confidence in the loading. As long it’s a known good load per DocGKR’s testing, then selecting a round based a feeling of confidence in that load is a valid selection criteria in my book. This is assuming it’s reliable and reasonably accurate in the gun.
dpast32,
You sound a lot like me a while back… you are probably detail oriented and you are constantly going over and over it in your mind trying to be sure you have THE BEST ammo. I understand.
Moltke is right on here… read and re-read the sticky he posted that DocGKR put together on handgun ammo. Then if you are still trying to decide, go and look up the charts that Federal, Speer and Winchester have that show pictures of expanded HST, Gold Dot and Ranger-T bullets through heavy clothing/4 layers of denim that are on the list. Look at the penetration and expansion figures, too. Compare them until YOU decide for yourself. It is important for people like us to make the decision for ourself instead of letting someone else here convince us.
Once you do decide… then you need to let it go, knowing that you have made the best ammo choice you can. Then change your focus off of the ammo and just shoot and shoot to improve YOUR abilities. That is actually almost MORE important… almost. 
I would run the Gold Dot, Ranger T, or HST without any hesitation. I think they are all fine.
Maybe you shoot one better than the rest, or one runs better for you than the others?
Agnostic is correct…
If you have some of each load you are trying to decide between, you may find one has a slight bit more recoil or flash (some people notice this more than others) and the pistol may function better with one or another, including accuracy.
Also, if you want a jacket with a ‘cutting action’, go with Federal HST or Winchester Ranger-T. Speer Gold Dots expand slightly less, and penetrate a bit deeper… especially if you compare HP’s of the same caliber and bullet weight (in my experience).
I have never been shooting at night so I don’t know how much of a concern muzzle flash is when you eyes are fully acclimated to the dark or how much of a safety concern it would be in a self defense situation if there were multiple bad guys or friendlies running around and you needed to identify them and their condition.
I picked the Ranger Ts since they seemed to have the lowest flash but the information I could find was pretty thin.
All I could find was an article by the Box of Truth guys here:
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/lowlight8.htm
and some youtube videos by this guy(they are pretty far down his list of videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/andreleger2001?feature=watch
Flash can harm your vision and mark your location for your adversary… as far as how much, that can be subjective.
That said… good choice!!! I prefer Ranger-T just slightly over Federal HST (9mm 147 grain HP’s), but that is MY choice… based on more things than most people care about…
I like the HSTs for my .40s, I don’t really know why, I just seem to shoot a little better with them. Otherwise I use GDs. I have been able to get either in the 50 round boxes instead of the higher price-per-round small boxes. I don’t use the Ranger Ts only because my LGS doesn’t have them on the shelf.
Since they all are great choices, I let cost and availability drive my selections:)
At this point where are any of the three choices available?
To be honest, I guess I was ( & sometimes still do ) read a bit too deeply into things. With everything regarding ammunition becoming crazier by the day, I wanted to replenish my ammo supply to a reasonable level. A few years back, whenever I took a lunch break I would head on down to the local police supply / gun shop to shoot the breeze & look around. He was a big Winchester / Olin distributor, so every time I stopped by I’d leave with a few boxes of the goog, LEO type loads. ( 9mm 115 JHP+P+, .38 SPL. 110 JHP+P+, amongst others. ) I’ve been shooting that ammo for over 20 years now, so I figured I should restock with some new mfg stuff. I happy that I was actually able to find the loads I needed, although I ended up paying top dollar for them. Here’s what I’ve found regarding the current ammo situation. Ammo is available, but the supply runs in spurts. You have to grab what you need, when it’s it’s available. Also, as people start to fill up their ammo lockers, the availability will slowly start to increase. I don’t see prices dropping drastically, but they may level off somewhat. We all know that times have changed for us shooters & “gun people”. My advice is to buy what ammo you need, as much as you need, at least while it’s still available !! THANKS again For the replies.
dpast32