9mm Ammo For Defense

Status
Not open for further replies.
You will definitely want a jacketed hollowpoint. But, first and foremost, it must function 100% with your chosen load. However great a bullet might be, it will do you no good hung up on the feed ramp. This gun should not be "ammo sensitive," but you never know. In general, IMO, you will have the best chance of this with a standard pressure, round nose profile JHP of 115-124 grains.
 
You need to go try several types of premium JHP ammo to see what is most accurate and, more importantly, what is more reliable in your gun. There is no one 'perfect' ammo for defense, it varies by weapon.
 
The Sigma is basically a Glock. Which means it will eat anything.
My own choice is 124gr +P HPs. A number of different people make them. But shot placement and penetration are overwhelmingly determinative of how effective the shot will be. Bullet type etc comes a very distant second.
 
What ever cycles your gun dependably. 100 rounds at least. 200 is better. Expensive proposition these days.

I prefer the 115 grain all-copper Barnes DPX/Tac-XP bullet, loaded by a bunch of ammo companies (Corbon, Double Tap, Black Hills, Federal, etc.). You'll get lots of opinions. Good news is that there's more good 9mm ammo than ever before. Bad news: it's expensive.

But whatever it is, it has to run in YOUR gun.
 
Last edited:
As others have said, whatever it runs 100% reliably. A gun with a magazine nearly full of uberkillerwhamablammers that won't run is far less useful than some pedestrian ammo that's been in use for 20 years.

You'll have to buy a box of CorBon and Golden Sabers and ... and see what it likes.
 
Does anyone have any opinions on the DPX ammo and over penetration issues?

It seems like it may be a good choice for an apartment dweller. On the other hand, that's just from looking at the bullet design, and I haven't seen any drywall (or people) penetration tests on it.
 
I use DPX and tested shots into wetpack

(Wet newspaper in milk jugs, ) and had excellent penetration and ALWAYS expanded

I tested others but DPX always seemed to do best
 
It is very easy to get caught up chasing the "best" ammo. Been there, done that. There are few bad 9mm options. Stay away from anything in the exotic ($), bargain basement or, with 9mm, FMJ category; pick a JHP bullet weight and pressure that shoots reliably and feels good in your pistol; and don't look back. Time and energy spent on practice putting a bullet where it needs to go will pay greater dividends than worrying about whether a round has an 86% one shot stop or 90% one shot stop.
 
Best 9mm

My weapon and load proved out for Me and I now shoot Speer Gold Dot 124gr. +P . As previously stated You need to prove out a ammo choice for each individual weapon you carry as all guns ( even from the same manufacturer ) are different . This isn't to say it cannot be more than 1 choice of ammo, just that round needs to be reliable or You are carrying a rock ! And I don't believe even Samson would have wanted to be armed with a rock if Goliath had a reliable 9MM sidearm !....WVleo
 
Stay away from anything in the exotic ($), bargain basement or, with 9mm, FMJ category
Click to expand...
If by exotic, you mean Glaser, MagSafe, etc. then I agree: those "specialty" rounds don't have the performance that most want (although they might work for a few special applications). But if by exotic you mean anything expensive ($, as you said), I disagree.

9mm, more than most calibers, goes from being a poor defensive choice with some bullets to a great choice with others. Some of the latest, $est loading have been specifically engineered to overcome (as best as can be done) the problems of dependable penetration and dependable expantion after passing through clothing of other barriers.

So, this is one instance where avoiding the higher priced ammo could cost you in performance. There's a balance to be struck, but it is not the case that you get nothing for extra money spent--at least not in some cases.

And there are some bargains out there. Georgia Arms, for example.
 
I have ranger talon 127 +p+ in my sigma right now. I would say its the best you can get.
 
It is incredibly rare for a Sigma to be a picky eater. Both of mine eat anything with 100% reliability. I have them both (9 & 40), and both Remington Golden Sabers and Hornady critical defense have run without issues. There's two or three different varieties in 9mm, I went with the 124gr +P load.

Golden Sabers will run you $25-$30 per box of 30 if you go somewhere like bass pro or cabelas, but I've found them online, or at gun shows for around $15-$17/box.
 
My personal preference in 9mm is either 115gr or 124gr +P loadings. There may be some discussion over which manufacturer is best, but I think whichever functions best in your gun is the best choice.
 
I have carried the Blackhills 124 Gr. Jacketed Hollow Point, that has always functioned with never a problem, along with my Winchester 147gr. PDX1 loads also have never given me any issues.
 
Anything that'll work reliably on a person will go through a couple of interior walls, easily. No getting around it. Best you can do is to do your best not to miss, and select a bullet that's less likely to pass completely through an assailant with enough speed left over to make it out of the house.


You asked for the best, my opinion is that the current (fourth generation) Ranger-T from Winchester and the HST from Federal are head and shoulders above other JHPs. They are extremely reliable expanders, they penetrate well enough, the HST in particular does very well in barrier tests, it usually acts like or sometimes out-performs bonded bullets, and they expand to a larger degree than pretty much any option out there.

And the HST isn't that expensive either. I like the 147/147+P, for a few reasons, mostly related to sectional density, expanded diameter, and reliability in reaching the FBI-recommended 12" penetration mark.
 
I haven't felt underarmed carrying either Remington's 115gr +P, (my current carry load) 124gr Gold Dots in +P, or Corbon's 115gr +P.

I've used Federal's 115gr 9BPLE before but they changed the powder formulation and the muzzle flash got bad. Blindingly bad. Haven't checked for a few years to see if that's still true.

You may notice that the name 'Winchester' isn't mentioned in my list. That is not a oversight.

BSW
 
I'm using the Hornady TAP CQ 124gr XTP marketed towards law enforcement.

Your gun's accuracy preference for 115/124/147 may depend on the barrel twist.
 
mgmorden said:
Any big brand's self defense ammo that functions consistently in your gun will be fine.

Personally, I tend to buy Hornady Critical Defense for self defense ammo.
Click to expand...

Both my home pistol (40S&W) and my EDC (9mm) eat these flawlessy so this is what I run.
 
I have the Federal 9BPLE +P+ 115gr JHP loaded in all my 9mm's. It is accurate and feeds reliably in all my pistols. The 9BPLE has a 30+ year track record of stopping bad people from doing bad things.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

B
  • Locked
  • Poll
9mm Range Gun.....24/7 or Sigma ?
Replies
21
Views
965
bigmike45
bigmike45
soonerboomer
  • Locked
  • Poll
Best New 9mm at the $300 Price Point
2
Replies
27
Views
2K
bill.l.johnson
B
S
  • Locked
Need info on 9mm Ammo
Replies
2
Views
442
mordechaianiliewicz
M
S
  • Locked
Best online Sigma price
Replies
4
Views
488
Davek1977
D
DAdams
  • Locked
Sigma Rebate $50/Magazines 10/1/09
Replies
0
Views
330
DAdams
DAdams
Back
Top