best self defense 9mm round

[outlander]

Lets keep this limited to 9mm please.
I'm looking for the best 9mm personal defense ammo for my springfield xd 9
:eyes:
I've heard speer gold dot mentioned before....any oppinions?
Currently I have 147gr winchester(wally world)hollow points but have been told that a lighter bullet has more velocity.

 

[ZacSquatch]

Personally I like the federal Hydra-Shok 124 gr. JHP. in my PT92F

Velocity at muzzle is 1120, 1070 at 25 yds and 1030 at 50
Energy is 345 ft/lbs at muzzle, 315 at 25 and 290 at 50

I shot a box of gold dot a few months ago, and also had 2 bad primers out of 25.... Not what I like to see, but it was also a box a cop buddy had laying around since 02.

Another good choice is the Hornady PD rounds, lil pricier but they are great rounds.

 

[MaxxXJ]

if it was me i'd google best 9mm self defense ammo but thats just me =D... and i actually have federal premium ammo their hydro-shok JHP but thats for my .40 cal S&W sigma

 

[ECKSJAY]

I like anything well known and TESTED (not just some obscure ammunition company owner's kid shooting water jugs or whatever). Heaviest round while maintaining 1100fps velocity (for proper expansion). I personally like Hornady FPD for the super low-flash powder they use. Best I can offer though is find out what the local PD is using and carry that. If you ever have to use it, they'll be familiar with the load and it could immensely help your defense in court.

 

[GSequoia]

The best 9mm round?


The one that hits the target, obviously.

 

[MaxxXJ]

i noticed 2 federal hydro-shok jhp right off... i think thats ur best bet...

 

[MaxxXJ]

9mm's are for girls anyways... get yourself a 40 or 45 haha j/k
:gee:

 

[WB9YZU]

The best 9mm round?


The one that hits the target, obviously.

Absolutely. The fanciest and most expensive round you can find is worthless if you can't hit the broad side of a barn with it.

I've often wondered what kind of damage your typical 115gr load would inflict on anything other than a paper target. My hunch is that if you are the recieving end that it will make a serious dent in your day.

 

[wolfpackjeeper]

9mm's are for girls anyways... get yourself a 40 or 45 haha j/k
:gee:

I like to use a FMJ ball ammo to shoot the lock off the case holding the shotguns...

 

[MaxxXJ]

Absolutely. The fanciest and most expensive round you can find is worthless if you can't hit the broad side of a barn with it.

I've often wondered what kind of damage your typical 115gr load would inflict on anything other than a paper target. My hunch is that if you are the recieving end that it will make a serious dent in your day.

yeah but difference between a fmj and a jhp... is the jhp will leave a pretty exit hole...

i was told what fmj rounds are good for today actually, they were used in the war because it dont kill the enemy, it would only wound them... so when 2 more men came out to rescue the injured, you could shoot 2 more.

 

[5-90]

A lighter round is faster, a heavier round tends to transfer more energy (since it remains in the target. 9m/m has a history of overpenetration - which is why it's not liked as a self-defense round. Energy spent in going out the backside of your target is energy wasted.)

I'd pick one of the following for carry ammo, probably in the 130-150 grain weight range:

• Federal Hydra-Shok. Hollowpoint big enough to mix drinks in, with a centre post to force expansion (and therefore energy transfer.) Typical expansion is somewhere around two calibres' worth.
• Winchester Silvertip. Soft-alloy hollowpoint that expands rather well - up to around 1.75-1.8 calibres, typically.
• Cor-Bon. A well-designed hollowpoint projo and jacket. Also expands well.
• Glaser Safety Slug. Difficult to find, but preferred for indoor use. Not a typical expanding round, this is instead a plastic capsule filled with #12 shot and an oil buffer, which is jacketed with gilding metal. It's fairly light (9m/m is, I think 115-120gr or so,) but has the advantage of smearing apart on anything it hits (or just flying apart when it hits flesh. The wound channel is incredible.) Usually will not fully penetrate an interior wall, due to construction of the projo.

NB: When you've selected a defense load, it tends to be spendy. Find a ball round in the same weight as what you plan to carry "for real" to use "for practise." Behaviour when punching paper will be similar to your hollowpoints, but will hurt less at your wallet. Note that hollowpoints do tend to fly just a bit truer than a solid slug - but that's academic when it comes to shooting under stress (which self-defense marksmanship generally is.)

If you select the Glasers tho - do shoot a half-dozen or so, and compare them to the solid slugs in flight so you know how to compensate. They tend to follow the trajectory of solid slugs of the same weight and speed fairly well, but it never hurts to be sure (your rifling twist might make them act "a bit silly" - and you'll want to know about that.)

 

[8Mud]

Some pistols feed better than others, some can be finicky with hollow points. Whatever you choose try out a couple of boxes just to make sure.
I can't remember ever having any trouble with Silver Tips feeding in any of my pistols.

 

[Stallacrew]

Personally I like the federal Hydra-Shok 124 gr. JHP. in my PT92F

Velocity at muzzle is 1120, 1070 at 25 yds and 1030 at 50
Energy is 345 ft/lbs at muzzle, 315 at 25 and 290 at 50

I shot a box of gold dot a few months ago, and also had 2 bad primers out of 25.... Not what I like to see, but it was also a box a cop buddy had laying around since 02.

Another good choice is the Hornady PD rounds, lil pricier but they are great rounds.

I have shot ammo older than me and never had a problem. Primers shouldn't go bad in 6 years. I got a few cases of ammo from dad that was from 1995/1996 and have had not one problem from the 1500+ rounds of them I have shot.


They may been exposed to moisture or oil ( if you over oil a gun, you can foul primers pretty easy.....when we deprime cases, we use kerosene to kill the primer cake).



What I am trying to get to is that old ammo doesnt mean bad ammo at all. Nothing should be wrong with it if it has been stored semi-properly. Also, the bullet maker or ammo loader doesnt normally make the primers as well, so I wouldnt hold it against the company that loaded them; they just need to change primers.


Also if your firing pin tension is adjustable or your spring is shot, then you might not have enough pressure on the primer to set it off everytime.

I'm not even getting into what brand bullet is best, but what 5-90 said is right on with weight and accuracy.

 

[8Mud]

I have shot ammo older than me and never had a problem. Primers shouldn't go bad in 6 years. I got a few cases of ammo from dad that was from 1995/1996 and have had not one problem from the 1500+ rounds of them I have shot.


They may been exposed to moisture or oil ( if you over oil a gun, you can foul primers pretty easy.....when we deprime cases, we use kerosene to kill the primer cake).



What I am trying to get to is that old ammo doesnt mean bad ammo at all. Nothing should be wrong with it if it has been stored semi-properly. Also, the bullet maker or ammo loader doesnt normally make the primers as well, so I wouldnt hold it against the company that loaded them; they just need to change primers.


Also if your firing pin tension is adjustable or your spring is shot, then you might not have enough pressure on the primer to set it off everytime.

I'm not even getting into what brand bullet is best, but what 5-90 said is right on with weight and accuracy.

Don't forget WD-40 the primer killer. Primers are sealed, but chit happens. To much oil in with the firing pin can slow it down and may cause misfires.

 

[Kittrell]

124 gr.

 

[bryans87mj]

I use frangible rounds. That said, I do agree that you should find out what your local PD uses and go with that.

 

[DeftwillP]

It's not the most expensive, but my xd40 tactical carries winchester jhp. It tests good, shoots good, and buys good. I don't need to know how well it pierces 5 bulletproof vests; I need to know how well I can put it in the 10 ring when it counts.

 

[5-90]

It's not the most expensive, but my xd40 tactical carries winchester jhp. It tests good, shoots good, and buys good. I don't need to know how well it pierces 5 bulletproof vests; I need to know how well I can put it in the 10 ring when it counts.

Hollopoints aren't designed to pierce soft armour - as long as it makes it through winter clothing, you're good.

Ballistic Gelatin (8-10%) with layers of clothing over it are a better indicator of performance of frangible/hollowpoint rounds anyhow - the gelatin approximates the consistency of soft tissue in the body. Good expansion and 8-12" of penetration is pretty much what you're after - if you get a large wound channel and a large shock channel, so much the better (if your slug doesn't leave the body, it should maximise the wound & shock channels. If you top out around 12" of penetration, you shouldn't leave the body. Thus, all of the energy available in the bullet is transferred into the target - which is what you want.)

 

[tbburg]

All the commercial 9mm hollow-point ammo available "over the counter" is about the same quality wise. It all falls in the 80% -90% "1st shot stop" category, and it's all uniformly reliable.

Only advice I'd give: Run a couple boxes of your favorite choice through your gun to make sure it functions properly. Most people don't think of the ammunition as part of the "weapon system". Different bullet design, propellant type, etc, makes a difference. The up-shot is you end up running a few boxes of the good stuff before you load it into your carry mag.

I personally run 2 glasers at the top of the mag, followed by Winchester black talons. I live in an apartment, and the glasers are supposed to break up and slow down before they get through a wall. The new Black Talon is about the same as a Silvertip, and they both work well in my gun.

If you are going to shoot glasers, they are very light for bullet size(about 2/3s usual weight), and move out fast(1700-1900fps). Out of my guns, they hit low close in. Statistics say they'll eventually go high, then cross back low again at longer ranges(weird trajectory/weight/velocity thing causes that). Also, their effectiveness falls off fast as they shed velocity. Something to think about if you live out in the woods and might have cause to shoot at something more the 25-30ft away.

 

[outlander]

Thanks for the input guys.Can anyone say anything bad about the 147gr winchester JHP available at the local walmarts?
I've put a few of these through the barrel of my springfield without a malfunction......weird thing is that the heavier bullet actually felt like it had less recoil compared to the 115 gr winchester target rounds......