9mm +P 115 gn JHP for Self Defense

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Hurricane

Hurricane

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I've been looking at getting a Beretta 92fs Inox for self defense/range use. Everything I read directs me back to the mentioned loading, and I read at Chuck Hawkes that he highly recommended to go with Cor Bon for this load.

For the non +P loading, I have read that the 115 Federal JHP is very good, although it is listed at 100 less ft. lbs. (350 or so as opposed to 466)

I guess what I want to know is, would the +P stand well for most likely encounters, or would a step up to another caliber (.40 or .45) be prudent? I don't think cranking off .357s in the house would be a good idea.

Recoil doesn't bother me, I regularly shoot 44 mag and 357 mag.

As it stands, I don't really have a go to self-defense weapon. I have 125 gn +P 38's in a couple speed loaders, and a .30 carbine nearby, but I am looking to have a semi-auto handgun as the go to item.

Your thoughts?
 
Other than costing and kicking more, .40 and .45 will do little that a 9mm Luger +P cannot, or a standard pressure 9mm, for that matter. With sixteen of them, you are far from "undergunned."
 
I like 124gr or 147gr jhp loads better, preferably +P
The only 115gr load I would take a second look at would be the Barnes TAC XP slug
 
I honestly don't think it matters.

.40 and .45 will do little that a 9mm Luger +P cannot, or a standard pressure 9mm, for that matter.
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I came to that conclusion myself a couple years ago after fretting for years as to the best JHP for my pistol. I was hopping all over the place; from Hydra-Shok to Gold Dot to Rangers to HST, from 115 to 147 to 124 to 127.... what a waste of time and money. Any of them would have worked just fine.

I now use one JHP for all my 9mms, two of which I carry. This isn't saying my chosen JHP is the best, but it functions great in all my 9mms and it was relatively cheap. It's the RA124TP if it matters any.
 
If you want to here about a couple of power house 115 gr loads for 9mm then here they are. Buffalo Bore's +P+ 115 gr load gets 1400 fps with 500 ft lbs of energy. Double Tap's same load is even a bit more stout at 1415 fps and 511 ft lbs of energy. that is some pretty big numbers, I dont care what caliber you are looking at.
 
Oh no, I hear another caliber war approaching. :uhoh:

Don't get to caught up in caliber. More importantly find a reliable gun that you shoot well because it fits YOUR hand and YOUR needs. 9mm will do just as well as those 4 somethings when placed right. But if you want a 4 something caliber by all means get it.

As far as recommended loads for 9mm, my favorite is regular pressure 124gr speer gold dot. +P is fine, but I'm content with the velocity of the standard pressure. 115 grain is a tad too light for me, and 147gr is too heavy and slow.
 
Some folks like pictures, so here's the RA124TP that I wrote about (these fired from a Bersa UC9). No frills, reliable expansion, seemingly accurate, feeds well from my 9mms and $24/50... a fair deal in my opinion.

5000081567_57b8fc9a6e_z.jpg

5000683690_3c8f9dbd78_z.jpg
 
when I first started to carry 9mm, I carried winchester white box 115 jhp. But that was because I was a poor college student without much money and that is all I could afford.
 
when I first started to carry 9mm, I carried winchester white box 115 jhp. But that was because I was a poor college student without much money and that is all I could afford.
Click to expand...
Beats pulling out a knife any day. Now, if your bullets don't drop your threat, better keep that knife handy.

Seriously, with decent round count in the magazine (even with 10 rounds), if your first few shots to the COM (Center of Mass) don't drop your threat (threat maybe wearing body armor? :eek:), follow-up shots to the hip/pelvis area SHOULD drop or disable your threat in short order. You should be reloading and reassessing your surroundings for more threats as needed.
 
If you can hit the perp with that 115 gr. +P load in a high stress situation then stick with that and don't look back.
 
I use the Fiocchi Sinestar 100 grain Frangibles. They don't expand in flesh and behave like ball ammo. They are supposed to get 1300fps from a 5 inch barrel. They don't go through walls supposedly or car doors which is my main concern(I carry a snub nose .357 magnum for that) in my home at night.

It'll hold a grouping tighther than five inches at twenty yards taking my time and hold eight inches when I unload fifteen rounds at seven yards.

Will the round breakup if it hits bone, yes, will it breakup in flesh,no. Aim for the vitals everytime from the front, aim for the upper spine from behind. Either way I got fifteen rounds in my Taurus PT 99 AF and if a BG can stand up to fifteen round storm to his vitals then I'll just have to beat him to death with my bear hands at the end of the day.
 
FYI - I tried Gold Dot 115 gr JHP before... In my Beretta 92FS, it worked 100% of the time. But, I found that it shot about 2 inches low at 7 yards.

Besides functioning reliably, people should check out their point of aim/point of impact for their carry ammo. Certain brands and weights perform differently in different guns.

I just shot the whole box and switched to a different weight.

You may have a different experience.
 
Personally, I use Corbon 115 +P JHPs or Remington 115 +P JHPs plus I have a few boxes of Federal 115 +P+ JHPs lying around that I haven't tried yet. I am sure any of the above will handle my self-defense needs.
 
9mm FMJ Ballistics

Brand Weight Velocity Power Factor
Fiocchi 124 1250 155.00
Fiocchi 147 1050 154.35
Fiocchi 158 940 148.52
Am Eagle 147 1000 147.00
Win RA9124N NATO 124 1185 146.94
RWS Sport FMJ 124 1181 146.44
S&B 124 1181 146.44
Rem. Express 147 990 145.53
UMC 147 990 145.53
Lawman 147 985 144.80
Prvi Partizan 147 984 144.65
S&B 115 1250 143.75
Fiocchi 115 1250 143.75
Am Eagle 124 1150 142.60
Glock Minimum* 124 1148 142.35
Win USA 124 1140 141.36
Blazer 147 950 139.65
Lawman 115 1200 138.00
PMC Bronze 124 1110 137.64
Win USA 115 1190 136.85
Rem. Express 124 1100 136.40
UMC 124 1100 136.40
Am Eagle 115 1180 135.70
Glock Minimum* 115 1180 135.70
Blazer 124 1090 135.16
Blazer Brass 124 1090 135.16
Lawman 124 1090 135.16
Cor-Bon match 147 900 132.30
My Reloads 147 900 132.30
PMC Bronze 115 1150 132.25
Prvi Partizan 115 1148 132.02
Blazer 115 1145 131.68
Blazer Brass 115 1145 131.68
Rem. Express 115 1135 130.53
UMC 115 1135 130.53
Federal Champ 115 1125 129.38

*From the 2000 Glock Armorer's manual


For me the best SD ammo is the NATO 9 mm or the S&B FMJ. They sure have filled a lot of graves with bad guys.
 
I'm with Snowdog, the Ranger Ts are good performing HP's at an attractive price, although I pay $31.95 for 50 RA9124TP. I would stay away from +P+ rounds unless the mfg. specifically states they are OK. They can cause excessive wear on your handgun and may void your warranty. I have a Kel tec P-11, a Springfield XD9 and a Hi-Point 955 carbine and the mfg's say to use +P sparingly, just enough for proficiency for self defense.
 
I'm a big fan of 115gr JHP +Ps.

I'm also a big fan on the Taurus PT-92 (though not a fan of their revolvers). Take a look-see at it before investing in the Beretta. The difference in price would buy a lot of ammo!


Taurus92_2.gif


Taurus92_1.gif
 
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