Which 9x18 ammo for defense?

[ccsniper]

I have noticed a bunch of makarov threads coming up lately, and it got me to thinking, which 9x18 round do you use for defense? I know many people carry the little commie guns for conceal carry but are limited to which type of ammo you load into it. So what do you use and why? Have you done any expansion tests?
Thanks for the answers

 

[gbelleh]

I use my old stockpile of 115 gr. Silver Bear hollow points. It's been totally reliable in my Makarovs. But it seems to be hard to find these days.

 

[Cactus Jack Arizona]

Back when I had my FEG PA-63, I saw the 115gr. Russian ammo. I never purchased any for two reasons. 1) At first I thought it was a misprint. 2) After realizing that it wasn't a misprint, I found out that the PA-63 was not rated to handle anything heavier than 95gr.

By the time I bought my Bulgarian Makarov, the supply of 115gr. 9x18 dried up. Sucks for me.

Regardless, when I go out and take my Bulgarian with me, I use a compliment of Silver Bear 95gr HP's and Silver Bear/Wolf 94gr FMJ. It doesn't bother me a bit that I don't have access to the latest, greatest, bell & whistle laden fad that is now better than the previous latest, greatest, bell & whistle laden fad.

 

[GLOOB]

Last time I carried mine, I racked in the first round and noticed it was loaded with cast RN reloads. Didn't mind at all. Otherwise, it's Bear 95 gr FMJ.

I haven't done any testing, but I've read that the Bear HP's don't expand. They might perform more like a FP, still. I would use them, but they don't feed as well in one of my guns, so I stopped buying them.

 

[Wishoot]

Mine is loaded with Brown Bear FMJ's.

I've really been itching to try our Buffalo Bore's new 9x18 load though.

 

[YukonCharlie]

I carry the Silver Bear 95 gr.fmj.The test reports I have seen vs the hollow pt. show the FMJ has the penatration needed to be leathal. The hollow pts. came up a tad short on penatration.

 

[WardenWolf]

I use my old stockpile of 115 gr. Silver Bear hollow points. It's been totally reliable in my Makarovs. But it seems to be hard to find these days.

Just bought 2 boxes of the stuff from AmmunitionToGo.com a few weeks ago for range ammo. Easy to find. However, 9x18 ammo isn't a good candidate for hollowpoints due to its lower power. It will likely either fail to expand or not get proper penetration. As a result, a good FMJ round, like S&B or Silver Bear FMJ, is ideal. Buffalo Bore also makes a high-powered 9x18 hardball round for steel-framed pistols.

 

[M2 Carbine]

My first choice is a 1130 FPS 95 gr Hornady XTP bullet reload.

Second choice is the Silver Bear 120 or 115 gr JHP.

Third choice is 95 gr Barnaul JHP.

 

[CZF]

The Hornady FTX is out in 9mm MAK.

The XTP has always been my choice in the past.

We are seeing a huge interest in the CZ82s in the past few weeks.

An excellent way for people to get into CZ quality and reliability at a
budget price.

You just never hear of any problems, except people want to buy more
of them and don't have the money