A little help please on a 9mm

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magnumcarry

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I picked up a 9mm the other day, I don't know much about the 9mm round. I always had this thought in the back of my mind that it's not a very good round ( due to what some people has told me ) but I really like this hand gun, It's a Star firestar M-43. It's a little heavy but man does ot shoot good. My question is what would be a good self defense round to use, I have been told in the winter months to carry a 115gr. full metel jacket so it would go through a heavy coat and maybe a sweater that a bad guy my be wearing, is this true? If so what would I use in the warm season? As always thanks for your help.
 
I carry 9mm in my SIG and am OK with it. (I won't even touch on what we usually call ''caliber wars'' - and hope others do not go that route!)

Sticking to 9mm - I'll personally suggest what I use myself - because I have proved it functionally and thru some tests. I have no way of knowing if +P will safely run in your Star but anyways - I suggest trying Speer Gold Dots. They seem to feed better than some HP's and also are moderately low on flash. I usually carry with 124's but would be OK with 115's also.

Steve Camp is someone who could also usefully give his sage advice on this subject. I have forgotten his site URL too - darn it.
 
The Firestar will grow on you. They tend to be pretty good shooters.
For defense stay away from FMJ unless there is a legal reason you may be restricted to FMJ by laws in your area. Otherwise, pick any of the good HPs. Most of my experience has been with various 115 gr. We carried various 115 gr rds over the years and I investigated numerous shootings where that weight was used. There are some very good 115 defensive rds out there, for a couple examples, W-W Ranger if you can get it and Federal FBLE altho older design still works very well. I've tested some of the 147 gr stuff. If you decide to go 147 pick one of the newer designs. They tend to work very well too. I haven't played a whole lot with the mid-weights like the 124-127 grs. Reports of shootings I've seen and from my limited playing they perform very well too.
Don't worry about going thru a heavy coat, sweater, whatever. Any of the good defensive HPs will work very well against any winter clothing. At the worst, the HP would clog with material and end up performing like a FMJ. But if it doesn't clog then you'll still get expansion.
 
Hi,
I too would suggest the Gold Dots. They offer excelent weight retention (near 100%) and great expansion. There are a number of people that push for the 40, the 10mm or the 45Auto along with others. However, the 9mm has more than enough "punch". I live by the idea of it's not what you shoot but where you shoot it. There are others that have other ideas, but that is just my opinion..
 
IMHO the CorBon 115grain +P. I think it is the best 9MM round and the most proven manstopper from data gathered from actual shootings.

Like any other round you would carry for SD, make sure it will feed properly and is accurate. As P95Carry stated about +P rounds, just make sure your firearm is rated for them. This is the only 9MM round I have carried.


Again this is just my .02 (If it is really worth that.)
 
How can I tell if this Star Firestar 9mm m-43 is rated for +p ammo? I can't call due to they are not made in the U.S. ( Spain )and they are not imported any more. I do know buy the markings ( proof marks ) that this gun was made in 1992. This gun is heavy and is made like a tank, very well made. It's made like a tank, kind of the way a Ruger is made like a tank and they can take +p ammo. Has anyone that has a firestar used +p ammo? As always, thanks.
 
+P ammo won't hurt your gun. It can accelerate wear on your gun. But you would probably run out of money before you damaged the gun. Most 9mm's are designed for NATO spec 9mm which is much hotter than most +p ammo. Especially if I remember right yours is an all steel gun. The best performing loads out there right now are the middle weight +p's. Specifically the above mentioned Gold Dots and Winchester Rangers. And the same brands in 147 gr. loads. Some of the hot 115 gr. rounds tend to fragment after about 8" of penetration. it's better to be able to go a little deeper. At least 12" according to the F.B.I.. Get the Gold Dots. They are easier to find than the Rangers. You will be very well armed with this gun/ammo combination.
BTW, where you usually run into problems with +p ammo is in .38 Special revolvers. Their are lots of the older guns around that won't take +p or +P+ rounds very well. They in fact can be dangerous to use in these guns.
 
On my p95 I have used the Goldots, Hydroshoks, and the Hornady tap ammo. Out of all three I liked the Hornady its like $18 for 20 rounds but its good ammo..
 
If you believe in laboratory testing for terminal performance, you might want to look at Winchester Rangers, Speer Gold Dots, and Remington Golden Sabers. All these should offer plenty of penetration through winter clothing.

In most of the test results I have seen, the problem with heavy clothing isn't poor penetration. If there is a problem with heavy clothing, it is that clothing material can interfere with the way the bullet is designed to expand. In this case, you get still get plenty of penetration (often even more penetration) but the expansion is impaired. People who do lab testing of bullet performance will often test the bullets firing through layers of denim to see if the bullet still expands as intended.

It is obligatory to note that some people don't believe in laboratory testing of bullets. There are plenty of threads where this issue has been argued to death. It would be nice to have just one ammo-related thread where we don't get into that, but I'm not holding my breath ;)
 
Granted, I don't have alot of experience with other ammo, but my Remignton Golden Sabers seem to work pretty well for me.
 
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