9MM SD Ammo

[Ron Burgundy]

I carry very rarely so I haven't had to give much thought to a good SD load (00 buck is my standby at home). I read a few reviews on teh Internetz, picked up some 147 gr Speer Gold Dots and tested them. My gun seems to have no trouble digesting them and the ballistics seem adequate so I bought some more.

Short of buying one of every high-priced SD loads and testing them all personally, what are you guys using in 9MM and why? I'm hoping to weed out what hasn't worked for some people and narrow my selection. I'll then buy a few suggested ones and they them. I'm inclined to lean towards standard pressure rounds but I've never tried +p. Thoughts as to 124 gr vs. 147 gr?

If it matters, I have a glock 26 that seems to eat about everything.

[Shipyard]

using logic of "cary what th epolice cary" - 2 most popular law enforcement loads:
rem golden saber
winchester ranger

asside from that, i carry hornady critical defense. reviews a good, performance is good, plus i like the technoliogy of a bullet that don't clog going through layers of heavy clothing. not like anyone in MN ever wears any

my $0.02 FWIW...

[grousemaster]

Winchester Ranger 127 grain +p+ is the most potent load available, that being said the standard gun forum line goes "use a premium load from a reputable manufacturer and find what works best in your gun, shot placement is the most important thing"


Also, don't buy the 20 round boxes of any defense loads, it's a rip off.

[Ron Burgundy]

Shipyard, thank you-ill check critical defense out.

Grousemaster, what has been your experience with +p+? Is the recoil noticablly different? Aside from affordibility of practice ammo, the easy control of 9mm is what helped me decide on this caliber

[xracer390]

I keep reading 9mm wont protect you...........

I carry the Federal Hydroshocks but its pretty much only because I got 150 of them for $9 (buddy @ Federal) After I burn those up Im not sure what I will use.

[Dill]

124 grain Federal HST's here.

[Spartan]

147 grn Remington Jhp
I got 'em in a trade... but they make a mess of acorn squash and pumpkins.... I didn’t use the pumpkins as winter clothing mannequins but it’s an interesting idea!

[bstrawse]

I carry either Hornday Critical Defense or Federal HSTs
b

[gyrfalcon]

NATO 124grain FMJ

[EAJuggalo]

Hornady 147gr. XTP. I'm a big fan of Hornady ammo but can only use the Critical Defense in 357Mag because I prefer heavy for caliber bullets. If Hornady ever made a Critical Defense in 230gr. .45 or 147gr. 9mm it's all I would ever carry.

I prefer heavier bullets because in a normal MN winter there are more and puffier layers involved, any extra punch in case the HP doesn't open is welcome. It also lessens the chance for a catastrophic overpenetration.

[farmerj]

After having the chance to shoot an out of service kevlar vest and the different things rounds into it.

124gr golden sabre+P

[Shipyard]

Winchester Ranger 127 grain +p+ is the most potent load available, that being said the standard gun forum line goes "use a premium load from a reputable manufacturer and find what works best in your gun, shot placement is the most important thing"


Also, don't buy the 20 round boxes of any defense loads, it's a rip off.

i always shy away from the +p or +P+ loads - they're hard on guns. grtanted, you're not shootign hundreds and hundreds of roudns of them like a white box target load, but if you REALLY feel you need the extra 50-100 fps out the barrel, my opinion is you should be looking at a bigger caliber. FWIW...

i seem to rememebr the other dasy reading that the critical defense uses lighter than "standard" bullet weights in most of their ammo to utilize the extra velocity to gain a higher expansion rate. i guess the logic makes sense to me in a defensive loading, you already have plenty of bite behind a 40 or 45 load, you get more sucess so to speak with the expansion rather than the force applied.


at the end of the day, if i ever have t pul the trigger i'd rather have a 165gr slug end up the size of a fiddy cent piece than a 230 grain slug stay under a half inch...

[engnerdan]

Avoid the box stores and head over to Streichers

http://www.policehq.com/Ammunition

50 round boxes for the cost of 20 at the box stores.

[Cuda66]

Some interesting reading on the subject:

http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Self_Defen ... #.40%20S&W

http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=19887

Me, I like the heaviest commonly available bullet weight for caliber, and that my pistol likes; also tend to prefer standard pressure rounds over +P.

Beyond, that, HST, Ranger-T, Gold Dot, Golden Saber...they're pretty much all the same, performance-wise.

[TacticalGunny]

My choice of round is 124Gr 9mm Speer LE Gold Dot