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 sighting in on: Liberty Ammunition L


iberty Ammunition boldly states that its high-performance, lead- free ammo is the world’s fastest


handgun round. The Bradenton, Fla. manufacturer holds multiple small- arms ammunition patents and claims to have developed cartridges that are exceptional in both accuracy and performance. T eir Civil Defense ammunition consists of a monolithic hollowpoint with increased velocity, accuracy, and barrier penetration. While the bullet’s speed is increased due to the combination of the powder used and its reduced weight, reduced recoil is also a ben- efi t as a result. T eir cartridges are created from all-new materials and non-corrosive primers.


Liberty’s Civil Defense handgun rounds are available in .380 ACP, 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, 10mm, .38 Special, .357 Mag- num and .45 Colt. T eir Silverado .223 Remington (also fires in 5.56 NATO chambered fi rearms) is a 55-grain, lead-free round for use in rifl es/carbines.


Lead vs. Lead-Free


One-hundred percent copper bullets were fi rst created by Barnes Bullets in the mid- 1980s and used as a high-quality hunting round for big game in Africa. Consistent and rapid expansion with bullet weight reten- tion and deep penetration resulted. Hunters found the lead-free rounds worked extremely well and proper shot placement provided the ability to crush and penetrate bone, create massive organ/tissue disruption, and often a large exit wound. T e shooting world has been using lead based ammo for so long, that it’s diffi cult to overcome our way of thinking. We’ve long known that a heavy bullet is needed to get the job done. Lead is a heavy metal and provides plenty of weight for its size. It is also a malleable material, being relatively soft. T is makes it easier to produce and size. However, a lead bullet’s weight needs plenty of power behind it in order to get it moving. Knowledgeable police offi cers have experienced the diff erence in recoil when


 All of the Liberty Civil Defense bullets penetrated the car door and impacted the target standing behind.


fi ring 115-grain 9mm rounds compared to 147-grain bullets in the same caliber. T e heavier rounds usually produce more felt re- coil. T e same goes for 185-grain .45 ACP bullets, which feel much diff erent compared to 230-grain bullets when fi red through the same pistol. It takes a bit more oomph to get those heavier, lead-based bullets mov- ing and therefore their subsequent recoil is increased.


Liberty is not the fi rst bullet maker to


off er lead-free, all-copper rounds. As gov- ernment restrictions increase throughout the country, Liberty probably won’t be the last either. Hunting expert Craig Boddington has used non-lead bullets on all types of wild game and found it to be as accurate as any


other round (although some fi rearms don’t like certain bullets, no matter what they’re made of) and often times to have even more eff ective killing power. Liberty fi rst came to my attention at the Make Big Noise event in Virginia during the summer of 2014. T e demonstration of their ammo was impressive. As police offi cers, skepticism often becomes ingrained in our personalities. As a carnival fraud inspector for 14 years, my training forced me to search for ways the presentation could be scammed, fi xed, gamed, or fraudulently skewed. I found none. During the 2015 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, I had another opportunity to fi re Liberty’s Civil Defense cartridges and I was again impressed. I bought some during


47 The Police Marksman Summer 2015


www.policemarksman.com


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