Is this the best defensive ammo for M&P M2.0 and Shield?

Gel test wise, the differences between the 124 and 147 versions of the HST are mostly academic, from what I've seen. Given the choice, i'd get a box of each and see which is more accurate or hits closer to POA.

Availability being what it is, i'd say make sure you can hit what you aim at, load up what you've got, and don't stress about it.

HST's seem to be one of the more reliably consistent offerings on the market, regardless of caliber.

How good of a shot are you?

That will be the real deciding factor.

I have a 1st gen Shield, I hated the thing, was close to dumping it for a loss just to rid myself from it. Anyways, decided to add an Apex trigger, Ameriglo Hackatorn sights and a Hogue grip sleeve.
Now its a pretty darn accurate pistol and I carry it from time to time. I highly suggest the Hogue grip sleeve, I bought mine off Amazon for about 10 bucks, it completely changes the grip and controllability.

Mystery123 said:

Federal Premium Tactical HST, P9HST1 124 grain.
I was debating between this and the 147 hst.

What's your experience?

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Sons use Federal HST in their carry, I use Lehigh/G9 'xtreme penetrator'....Both 100% reliable, both make a mess of the watermelon or cantelope we are shooting at.
Lehigh/G9 more expensive...is our experience.

I doubt you can make a bad choice with any 'defensive' ammo in any gun unless it doesn't work for some reason..Ammo reliability, like the gun, is key. Ability to shoot that gun well, is key...124 vs 147...?? Not a priority to me. IMHO, and all that.

There is no "best" defensive 9mm ammo. But the HST is definitely at the top. Good choice.

There are no bad "premium" defense rounds. They're all far better than anything available 25 years ago and the difference in performance on hostile humans depends on the circumstances.
Try as few and pick the one that you shoot the best.
When it comes to improving your accuracy, I highly recommend a good-quality pellet pistol. Very quiet, no recoil and super cheap to shoot. You can shoot it indoors without having to go to the range.
Learning trigger control, calling the shot and follow-through is much harder with a gun that jumps around and produces muzzle blast and a big BANG!
Amazon.com : Crosman P1322 American Classic Multi Pump .22-Caliber Pneumatic Pellet Air Pistol, Black : Sports & Outdoors

I would carry the load with a POI nearest the POA. If that is a tie, pick the one with the best group size. The same science is behind both loads.

HST does the job.

Me too, HST. Used to carry Hydro-Shoks.

When it comes down to cases, I exclusively carry Federal HS when the choice presents.

The across-the-board quality means I NEVER have to hope.

Todd.

sevt_chevelle said:

I have a 1st gen Shield, I hated the thing, was close to dumping it for a loss just to rid myself from it. Anyways, decided to add an Apex trigger, Ameriglo Hackatorn sights and a Hogue grip sleeve.
Now its a pretty darn accurate pistol and I carry it from time to time. I highly suggest the Hogue grip sleeve, I bought mine off Amazon for about 10 bucks, it completely changes the grip and controllability.

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I have a Shield in 40 cal and hated the grip also. Bought it cheap,almost new from a friend. It is a Performace Center model, so the trigger is pretty good, but that grip was not so good to me either. The Hogue grip sleeve made a huge difference.

124g HST is an excellent choice, especially in shorter barrels.

I have a Shield .45, and actually recently picked up an M&P9c 2.0 4" (just rolls off the tongue, eh?), my experience is that a few minutes with a bit of 400 grit will take the sharp edge off that sandpaper grip the newer S&Ws have, without adversely effecting handling or causing any aesthetic damage.

HST is an excellent round noted for consistent expansion while achieving good penetration.

Standard pressure 124 grain HST is my favorite 9mm load but I doubt it's materially better than most of the other higher end loads from a practical standpoint. But I've also carried WWB hollow points and would do so again. I wouldn't go so far as to say ammo selection is unimportant because I think you need to be sure it functions and hits accurately in your firearms, but as long as it does...the specific ammo you carry is really unlikely to matter.

Speer 124 Gold Dot.

Given the current ammo situation, whatever you can find. What are they asking for a box of premium carry ammo now, anyway? Before this mess it was .50 a round.