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Old 02-24-2012, 08:12 AM
chuck s's Avatar
chuck s chuck s is offline
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Find some data -- not opinions.

Here's some data based on testing by D. Gary Roberts, a noted expert on ammunition penetration and expansion. There's no ranking here. They all provide acceptable penetration and expansion. Penetration minimum standard is 12" in 10% ballistic gelatin.

Note the almost complete lack of 115gr bullets. There is some evidence that heavier bullets penetrate more reliably in animal tissue which is not as consistent as ballistic gelatin. When in doubt I select the heaviest available. Winchester Ranger-T 147gr (RA9T) is my first choice based on availability and in my M&P9 at this moment.

Also note the lack of gimmick ammunition in this list.

Quote:
The following loads all demonstrate outstanding terminal performance and can be considered acceptable for duty/self-defense use:

9 mm:
Barnes XPB 115 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Federal Tactical 124 gr JHP (LE9T1)
Federal HST 124 gr +P JHP (P9HST3)
Remington Golden Saber 124 gr +P JHP bonded (GSB9MMD)
Speer Gold Dot 124 gr +P JHP
Winchester Partition Gold 124 gr JHP (RA91P)
Winchester Ranger-T 124 gr +P JHP (RA9124TP)
Winchester Ranger-T 127 gr +P+ JHP (RA9TA)
Federal Tactical 135 gr +P JHP (LE9T5)
Federal HST 147 gr JHP (P9HST2)
Remington Golden Saber 147 gr JHP (GS9MMC)
Speer Gold Dot 147 gr JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 147 gr JHP (RA9T)
Winchester 147 gr bonded JHP (RA9B/Q4364)
Range and practice ammunition should match the ballistics of your carry round which may make 124gr a more universal choice as 9mm NATO ammo is easy to find. It's 124gr.

-- Chuck
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