[10 Ringer']

Love my Ruger 9, yes I do... however, having it locked in a box isn't exactly maximizing its utility as a firearm. The reason being, low cost FMJs and such are fine for the range but, to meet my safety test for a "nightstand gun" in an apartment setting, I'd like something a little less likely to keep on truckn' through a badguy and on through the walls. Options I'm considering include Glaser safety slugs, soft hollowpoints and or rat shot.

Don't know much about any one of those other than 1) they're hard to find in the local shops, 2) they are typically not too economical for practice use and 3) regardless I still care as much about defending myself as well as preserving the safety of my neighbors should I ever need to draw and fire. Any suggestions or reccomendations in this area are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Bravo11]

Check your local gunshops and sporting goods stores for defense ammo, they should have some recommendations. The key is finding something that feeds reliably.

[tiberius]

There is no magic bullet. Any bullet that has enough penetration to be reliably effective will sometimes over penetrate the bad guy. Likewise, any bullet designed to never over penetrate will often fail to penetrate enough.

That being said, it is probably best to use relatively light expanding bullets as these will be least likely to over penetrate. For 9mm I would think that 115 grain JHPs loaded at moderate levels would probably be your best choice.

Remember, the only reason you would fire your gun is because your (or a family member’s) life is in immediate danger. While it is good to be aware of over penetration, I don’t think that it should be the most important factor in this situation.

IMHO, YMMV, etc, etc.