Choosing a defense round

[Black92LX]

April 5th is quickly approaching and that's the day the the federal governement feels i am now responsible enough to buy a handgun:rolleyes:
So i will be taking delivery of a beautiful Sig P226 in 9mm.

My question is how do you go about choosing the proper defense round? And if anyone has a P226 what rounds should i look at first?

[El Tejon]

A stout load that works in your weapon(s). Shoot it at night. I prefer a hp.

However, first of all, recognize that it is just a pistol, a poor choice of weapons to stop a fight no matter the round.

[Chipperman]

You'll get tons of opinions about that question.

Most importantly, choose a round that is reliable in your gun, and you can shoot accurately.
Beyond that, bullet grain, charge, bullet construction, etc are much less important in real life.

The majority of 9mm shooters use +P or +P+ hollowpoints for defense.
Whether it's Gold Dots, Cor-Bon, Win SXT, Federal EFMJ, etc etc is personal preference.

[RED-DOG 40]

First of all , "Congradulations" ! :D I have had excellent results with winchester 147gr. silvertip HP and federal 147gr. Hydra-Shok JHP. Very good up close and personal protection. Good luck and safe shooting. :cool: :D

[Eskimo Jim]

Black92,
I'd suggest this book for starters: The concealed handgun manual.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0965678423/qid=1079720139/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-4828789-2080754?v=glance&s=books

I'd also suggest that you pick up a 22lr handgun to practice with.

If you have to go to a centerfire first, then I'd recommend a 38 special/357magnum if you are inclined to a revolver or a 9mm automatic if you are inclined for an automatic.

You should be able to find cheap ammuntion for the 38 special or 9mm.

I'd also suggest that you go with a high quality handgun. You can always sell it if you don't like it.

-Jim

[bountyhunter]

Make sure the round has guaranteed performance for the barrel length of your gun. If a hollow point doesn't get going fast enough to expand, it's pretty much worthless. I think SIG's have a 3.9" barrel? Point is, if the perf data is for a 5" barrel gun, you don't know what it will do from yours. We had a defensive shooting at our range using a short barreled .45 and some very expensive name brand hollow points and they did not expand. Two hits in the chest on the perp and he ran off down the street. He stopped after a while and was coughing up blood, but he lived to stand trial. Both slugs recovered, neither expanded so they went straight through the soft tissue.

Not sure what brand to recommend, I have Hydra Shoks in my gun at home (but it's a revolver).

[HankB]

A few folks like 147 JHP, but most prefer 124 or 115 JHP, in +P or +P+ form.

I lean towards 115s myself - generally speaking, they're a little faster than 124s and are more likely to expand, yet they still have enough mass to penetrate.

As to brand . . . IMHO there's little to choose between the major "name" brands, so use whatever 1) functions perfectly 2)shoots accurately, both as to point of aim and group size, and 3) has the least amount of muzzle flash.

[rritter]

Of course, you can always load different types. I know one guy who claims that the loadout for his 1911 is:

1 shot shell in the chamber

In the magazine:
2 rounds of FMJ
2 rounds of soft-nose
2 rounds of hollow-point

and in case none of the preceding worked
1 silver bullet with a cross carved on the tip

[lostdog]

First, I would like to thank you for joining the ranks of responcible handgun owners. There are two books I think you would enjoy. 1) The Complete Book of Combat Handgunnery, by Massad Ayoob. 2) In The Gravest Extreme, Also by Mr. Ayoob. The first is a great "Bible" for all thing Combat. The second is full of legal advice on the use of force.

And as far as ammo is comcerned, this is what I carry. http://airbornecombatengineer.typepad.com/airborne_combat_engineer/2004/01/blended_metal_b.html

Let's not make this a controversy about ammo. The best thing you can do is find the most destructive thing you can shoot and use that. Your goal is to STOP an attack as quickly as possible.

PS: If, after carefull thought, you decide that you want to carry what I do, then PM me and I will help you find it. The company does limited civilian sales, with there being only two dealers in my whole statre. They both ship, so I would be glad to get you the numbers.

[Shawn Dodson]

Consider 147gr Remington Golden Saber, Speer 124gr +P Gold Dot (loaded by ProLoad) or, if you want to jump through hoops, 147gr Winchester Ranger T or 127gr +P+ Winchester Ranger T (which, last time I checked, can be purchased from www.proload.com).

For more info about ammunition, I suggest you visit my web site.

Cheers!

["yote"]

12 guage 3" #4 buckshot!:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

[The Tourist]

Boy, Lostdog took the words out of my mouth!

Try a bunch of stuff. A Golden Saber that works flawlessly in my SW .40 H&K USP might cause stoppages in the 9mm Golden Saber round you might choose.

A HydroShok that groups for me in a .45 ACP Colt Enhanced might be all over the paper in your 9mm.

And it goes the other way. Cheap Chinese ammo I wouldn't pick off of the ground might be deadly, fast, accurate and reliable in your firearm.

This is YOUR firearm and YOUR life. Use imperical obeservation and don't be swayed by the shiniest magazine article. Of course, ask your friends, but make a good decision.

edit: Try a bit from Black Hills. They have a good quality record, good prices, and it seems to work in wide variety of firearms. YMMV.

[Sean Smith]

Winchester RA9TA 127gr +P+.

http://www.proload.com/shoppingcart/product2.asp?dept%5Fid=3&sku=RA9TA&unit=box

[keyhole]

Check out what some agencies use, practice with all. Different situations, and lighting. Find what functions best, and gets best groups. From what I understand, Cor-Bon will also back you up in court should you be involved in a shooting.

Practice more, log what you do.

Read Ayoob's book, " In the Gravest Extreme".


Practice some more.

[Josey]

At present, I carry a Browning Hi-Power hi-cap. 9MM. I se Federal Personal Deense Hydra-Shok in 135 gr JHP. PD9HS5 H is the catalogue number. For range practice I use Winchester 115 gr FMJ or WWB.

[treeprof]

Agree /wsuggestions to try several diff kinds of ammo. A couple of things to base your final decision on:

1) Does your gun cycle the ammon reliably, e.g. bang every time? Nothing more imp. than this.

2. Does it shoot to point of aim, particularly vertically? Bullet wt esp. makes a difference in vertical impact, and sometimes one brand'll shoot left, one to the rt, etc. regardless of wt. Drifting the rear sight for windage is no big deal, but you want to make sure you're not having to think of holding over or under the desired point of impact at the moment you really need your gun.

3. Does it shoot accurately? Also, important, but 3rd on the list. Accuracy will degrade as your stress level goes up and you'll want all the accuracy you can get when you need it most.

Lots of diff opinions on bullet wt, but my preference is 124 gr +P, and I use Speer Gold Dots, loaded by Georgia Arms.

[JeepDriver]

My 226 is loaded with 124+p Gold Dot's right now

Just make sure to test what ever you choose. Run atleast 100 rounds through your gun. More if money allows.

[clange]

I just spent a ton of time over the last couple days looking at different rounds. I still dont know jack about the subject but i finally decided to get some winchester usa 147gr JHP. Its cheaper than most stuff and i can get it at wal-mart (i dont know of any gun shops around here). We'll see how it works but i dont think i'll have any problems. It looks like its a decent performer here..

http://www.ammolab.com/9mm_section1.htm

Other stuff i wouldnt mind using look to be the winchester ranger stuff, speer gold dots, ect. More money and tougher to get though (for me at least).

[SunBear]

Go to www.tacticalforums.com for no-nonsense ammo tests and recommendations. Do a search on 9 mm and you will find the best performing rounds in that caliber. That SIG 226 may available in black stainless.

[clange]

That board (at least the terminal effects forum) doesnt look like much fun. Same recomendations and constant 'use the search feature!'. Pretty big ammo junkies though, i'm sure they (doc) know what they're talking about. I'm affraid i cant take his advice from one thread about buying 'thousands of rounds' and shooting 1000 rounds through my 'service' weapon before carrying.

I'll probably pick up some win 147gr ranger (RA9T) though. They claim its the way to go.