What JHP do you use for defensive purposes?

[MikeJ]

40S&W - 165 grain Remington Golden Saber

9mm - 124 grain Speer Gold Dot

.38 - 125 grain Speer Gold Dot +P

These choices were made as the result of reading reviews and aren't based on any first-hand personal experience, thank goodness. I believe that the majority of top name brands are probably very close in effectiveness but these are the ones I have chosen to load up with. Best, Mike

 

[TonyB]

Carry gun:38+p+ federal jhp 110gr.
HD gun:9mm+p corbon 115gr
Back up HD gun:Win 9mm jhp 115gr

 

[Berg01]

In my P228 Sig, ProLoad 115gr +P JHPs; Win Whitebox 147 gr JHPs

 

[Dorrin79]

I keep the 230gr Winchester JHPs (the ones in the white boxes of 50) in my 1911.

Why?

Because it's almost as cheap as FMJ, and therefore I'll practice with it.

I keep my 9mms loaded with 124gr Federal Hydra-Shoks.

 

[denfoote]

9mm" Winchester USA 115gr Personal Protection.

.45ACP: Federal 230gr Hydroshoks.

 

[Ala Dan]

Greeting's All-

My standard recommendation regarding JHP's has
always been and continues to be Federal's "Hydra
Shok's".

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[stevelyn]

Speer Gold Dots in .40, 9mm, .380, Hydra-Shoks in .45.
I'm comfortable carrying either or in all of my handguns.

 

[OF]

My .45 (primary carry gun) spits Winchester RA45TP, the +P version of the Ranger Talon. The USP .40 (primary bedside gun) gets Pro-Load 180gr GoldDot and the Glock 29 10mm (alternate carry gun) gets ProLoad 180gr GoldDot.

If you want some research material, read the 'terminal ballistics' forum at tacticalforums.com

- Gabe

 

[E357]

I like the Speer Gold Dot line and because I reload I like it even more since I can buy the heads and make my own "practice" rounds that shoot to same point of aim and feed the same.

The Cor-Bon Pow'rBall for the .45 and the Winchester Ranger T line is very impressive.

Elliot

 

[coldshot03/04]

Remington Golden Sabers or what ever else is available.

 

[cordex]

Currently, 230g Hydra-shoks in the .45.

 

[Dr.Rob]

.357 mag: 158gr Federal Hyrdashock/158 gr gas checked lead swchp
9mm:115 gr Winchester Silvertip
.45 ACP: 230 gr Federal Hyrdashock
.380: 90 gr Federal Hydrashock/Remington 90 gr FMJ
.25: Fiocchi 50 gr FMJ
.44 mag: Ultramax 240gr lead "cowboy" load

 

[foghornl]

Rem 230-Gr Golden Sabres for the .45ACP's (KP-90 & 1911-A1)

158 Gr- Speer Golod Dots in the .357 Vaquero

110-Gr Fed "Personal Defense Load" in the .38Snubby

 

[Penforhire]

HydraShock, SXT, Gold Dot -- I rotate randomly and feel equally protected. If I could only buy one -- HydraShock

 

[Bladrian]

Not sure what the appropriate powder will be in the States - but for what it's worth, here in South Africa a self-defense situation quite frequently requires that somebody gets reached out to and touched in a vehicle; and for penetration you're always going to need speed. The more the better.

My carry gun is a Beretta Mod92 9x19, so I started with the Speer 88gn JHP for the .380 Auto. Eventually got up to 6.5 gn of MP200, a local, fairly slow-burning pistol powder. No signs of pressure - no cratered primers, no spreading of the case base - but it ran at an average 1700 fps over a chrono. Happy with that, I took my loads to an auto graveyard. 100% penetration every time, no matter what angle, or what hardware was still inside the door. They didn't always track straight, but often enough for me to be sure of getting at least a seriously incapacitating wound 9 times out of 10.

Best of all - since the cavity in that bullet is larger than 1/2 calibre, I felt pretty sure it would expand in soft tissue. The first round I fired into clean dry sand produced a flat projectile, about 18mm in diameter ...... good enough. I didn't bother to fire a second shot.

Finally - the round feeds perfectly in the 92, but I haven't tried them in a weapon with a steep feed ramp. The overall length is shorter than the std 9x19 round, so a Browning-type ramp might present a problem with smokestacks.

 

[yzguy]

124 Gr +P Golden Sabers in 9mm

 

[Jason Demond]

I find Gold Dot's work the best in my guns. I carry 124gr+P (9mm) Gold Dot's in my carry gun.

 

[BryanP]

Golden Sabres in .45ACP for my Sig P220.

Golden Sabres in .38+P for my wife's Taurus 617S

Golden Sabres in .357 for the Taurus 66 and the Marlin 1894C.

Yeah, I'm partial to the Sabre, but I'm always open to suggestions.

 

[tbeb]

.32 ACP--Win. Silvertip, Corbon, Speer.
.380 ACP--Fed. Hydra-Shok, Win. Silvertip.
.38 special--Win. or Fed. 158 gr. lead hollowpoint, Fed. 125 gr. Hi-Shok
9mm--std. press. Federal 115 gr.
.357 magnum--Win. Silvertip, Win. USA.
.45 ACP--Fed. Hydra-Shok

 

[Johnny Guest]

Varies by caliber

Speer GDHP - -
In .45 ACP, 230
In .40 S&W, 180
In 9 x 19, 124

Fed HydraShok 158 or Rem 158 in .357 mag.

In .38 SPL, I'm not really as fond of any JHP as of the 158 LSWCHP+P Remington. If forced to a choice, I'd probably go with the GDHP - -What is that one, 125 or 129 gr?

In .45 Colt or .44 Spl, I'll just stick with LSWC, thank you.

Best,
Johnny

 

[Al Thompson]

Bladrian - welcome to THR!

I use gold dots myself - 9mm or .45.

 

[J.BELLINO]

.38SPL.....125GN. FED. NYCLAD
.40S&W....135GN. CORBON
.32ACP......WINNEY SILVERTIPS
45 L COLT....200GN. CORBON

 

[Tamara]

Ya know, the older I get, the more it boils down to three questions:

1) Does it work in the gun?
2) Can you hit what you're aiming at?
3) Is there a small chance that it will expand?

If I can answer "yes" to all three of these questions, then I'm completely cool with it.

 

[sm]

Tamara...your right...I looked at my CCW and for two days I've been carrying Fiocchi FMJ...checked various mags loaded up and you name it...I seem to have a mag loaded up with it...including "flying ashtrays".

Sheesh, I really don't worry stuff anymore--guess that's why I got a letter today "Steve ...according to records your DL expired back in April...come see us at your convience...no retest/no penalty..."
Age- sheesh, I'm gonna be real good in another 10 years...

At least the darn CCW was loaded...

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. Mine are listed below:

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/SelfProtectionLoads.htm

Best.