What is the most efficient 9mm round you carry for Self and Home Defense

Speedo66 said:

Tough job, I was offered a position decades ago but felt there was too much time away from home involved. This was during some Boston school desegregation issues and was told I could be months or more away at a time.

Glad you were able to take two of them out of the fight, and that you're here to tell the tale.

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I second that. Glad you are still with us.

9MS. 147g. non-plus-p.

Not the latest/greatest bullet technology, which means I actually practice with them instead of hoarding them like gold nuggets. If they expand bonus points, but I'm assuming they won't so my focus is on shot placement and effective penetration. 147 works well out of short barrels, gives good penetration, and is kind to both the gun and the shooter. I've never shot anything that had trouble feeding them.

Not that I first hand information since I have never had to use it in a SD situation but the ammo I use in my 9mm is Speer 124gr GDHP standard velocity ammo. It's more controllable than the +P version and penetrates just as well. I trust Speer GDHP ammo in all my gun no matter which caliber or platform.

Eh, I'm using Gold Dot 124-grain plus-P or HST 124-grain plus-P, pretty much because that's what my department issues ...

I like Gold Dots.

You should check out http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/ for more information than you can process.

Standard pressure 147 Golden Sabers run the guns just fine and have proven to be very accurate. Much less perceived blast than the +P stuff which I believe could help with their application inside a building should that be called upon. They are reputed to be deep penetrating and if they expand too all the better. Put them where they belong and I don't think you can do a whole lot better.

Remember the shooting a while back where a disgruntled lawyer (I think) went on a rampage through the office and killed maybe 7-8 people with Black Talons? One of the reasons they got such bad press and eventually discontinued (banned) was this high profile shooting. Autopsy showed that only ONE bullet would have been more effective than ball! It nicked an artery on the way through where a ball round likely wouldn't have, but every other round fired went through things needed for life so the choice of ammo was not material in the shooting. The guy was deliberate with his aim which is what killed the people...not the magic bullets.

I've carried Golden Sabers in the past, there is a lot better out there now. They are old tech and poor performers by current standards. Test after test shows this. I think you would be hard pressed to find something that shows good performance from them.

Federal HST 147gr standard pressure. Excellent gel results, good/excellent real world street/track record, reliable, accurate, consistent, same perceived recoil and 'shootability' as inexpensive bulk practice ammo

PowerG said:

I know you have some experience with bullet testing, care to go into a little more detail?

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147gr HST muzzle velocity is 1000 fps by design. When fired from my Glock 26 and Glock 43 the loss in muzzle velocity due to their shorter barrel lengths is less than 20 fps. As a result the effect of the very slight decrease from design velocity on terminal performance is negligible. Terminal performance from all three pistols is virtually the same.

My carry load used to be Speer 124gr +P Gold Dot but felt recoil is a bit snappy in my Glock 43. Whereas the 147gr HST has a substantially softer felt recoil, which keeps the gun from shifting in my grip and aids in recoil management. The result is I recover from recoil more quickly and consistently, which increases my performance.

Finally the hollow cavity of 147gr bullets is deeper than JHP bullets of lighter weight. This deeper cavity facilitates more reliable and consistent expansion performance, than lighter weight JHPs, because material that may be cut out by the rim of the hollow cavity as the bullet passes through (like a cookie cutter) is pushed to the bottom of the cavity which clears the mouth of the hollowpoint allowing fluid to enter and expand the bullet. Lighter weight JHPs are more susceptible to having their cavities clogged which may inhibit or prevent bullet expansion despite higher velocity resulting in erratic expansion performance.

"There is another issue being ignored - what rates well from a 4.25 inch barrel belt gun may be considered substandard from a 3" barrel and vice versa


Currently I shoot Hornady American Gunner, uses XP bullets and decent pricing across the board. It's run of the mill in most tests, which makes it better than a lot and arguably less good than some others which were shot in a gravel pit. It is reliable in all my guns, it's cheap enough I will shoot it more often, it's good enough to do the job."

Thank you Tirod for making these two points. I was beginning to feel like I am the only person on THR that uses 9mm’s with barrel lengths from 3” – 5”.

For my 3 – 4” 9mm’s I am using Hornady Critical Defense. I choose Critical Defense after watching the Ammo Quest tests on Shooting The Bull on youtube.

For my 5” Berettas I choose Hornady American Gunner 124 gr. +P XTP also. The Beretta is going to wring out the maximium performance from the cartridge and as you say it is affordable to shoot. I have got it on sale at Cabelas for as little as $12.99 / box

I watched the ShootingTheBull 410 series also and he gave Federal HST and Winchester Ranger "T" Series the highest marks.

Both the HST and Ranger "T" Series do well out of 3" barrels and they do well out of 4" barrels. The tests by TNOUTDOORS9 out of Glock 19 has both rounds performing well.

DeepSouth said:

I like Gold Dots.

You should check out http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/ for more information than you can process.

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I love that test and see they have added a bunch of new loads. In 9mm, they tested with a 3.5" barrel which is very realistic. Any 4" or up will do even better and 3" hopefully won't make a stellar 3.5" performer into a dud with only a 1/2" less bore.

Federal HST and Gold Dots both have very proven track records, with a fair amount of research out there if you feel like spending the time reading it (which I would suggest, pending a lazy Sunday afternoon...). For me, it's standard pressure 147gr HST's, but 124 variety seem to be quite popular as well.

The Gold Dot 124-grain +P has been my standard for a long time. Lately, I've used the HST 147-grain +P, and I like it as well. Honestly, I think the Gold Dot and HST loads are equally capable. Just pick a favorite and hit where you aim it.

Kind of partial the Gold Dot 124-grain +P myself as it possesses a good balance of weight vs. speed vs. expansion.

I've gone exclusively to either Gold Dots or Golden Sabers:

9mm 147s
357SIG 125Gold Dot
.45ACP 230s

In 9mm I prefer the 147s as they shoot "softer" for me, and lose less velocity in shorter barrels. I make it a point only to carry ammo that does well in the FBI testing AND that I can buy the bullets for reloading. I then chronograph the factory stuff and build a reload to emulate it for practice and reliability testing.

Chuck

I don't know about "most efficient," but my 9mm cartridge of choice is Hornaday Critical Defense, 115 grain.

DeepSouth said:

I like Gold Dots.

You should check out http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/ for more information than you can process.

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Those are some very well-reported results, complete with photographs and charts. And the tests are done from a short barrel. I was going to suggest the same.

You can loose a lot of hair trying to wade through all the information out there from self proclaimed experts. I won't pretend to be one. In my mind, common sense dictates looking at actual events and trying to gauge effectiveness based on real world data. As such, I read Marshall and Sanow's "Street Stoppers" and "Handgun Stopping Power". My decisions for carry ammo were made based on that data. Detailed police accounts and coroners reports provide a modicum of truth, in comparison to a genius on Youtube. The information will always be dated, when you take into account the ever changing technology in bullet development.

Previously, someone mentioned shot placement as the be all, end all. True to an extent. No matter how much you train or practice though, violence is dynamic and there is no guarantee of pinpoint accuracy. Defensive shooting is not sniping, target or IDPA. Adrenaline and fear tend to monkey up the works quite a bit. No different than hand to hand combat. Anyone who says they will do precisely this or that in a gunfight has no experience with true violence. Plans go out the window and you must react dynamically.

I carry Winchester Ranger 127 grain +P+.