Just looking for people's opinions on the most reliable JHP round that won't break the bank. The pistol in question is an M&P in 9mm.

Thanks!

I've been buying surplus Federal 127-gr +P+ HydraShoks and 115-gr +P+ HiShoks for a very reasonable price from my local dealer. Supposedly they're not as good as the HydraShok IIs, but they feed just fine and don't cost an arm and a leg. Check your local gun stores and see if any of them have stock like this.

Not supposed to use +p+ ammo, so I think I'll stay away from that right now, but thanks for the input

I've also seen +P and standard pressure of the same stuff. Locally, I'm paying about $35 for 50 rounds.

Almost all premium ammo will run up to a dollar-a-shot. As long as you have run enough through your gun to find the POA/POI you should be able to find practice ammo that matches it. There probably isn't anything that won't work in a M&P, and any ammo from the top manufactures will work well in as long as you stay within the normal limits like 115-147gr for 9mm.

I thought the Remington Golden Sabre and Speer Gold Dot were supposed to be among the best.

Cor-bon 115 grain +p.

Personally, I like the test results that I've seen for the Speer Gold Dot and the Winchester Ranger-T.

My carry gun is a 40 caliber Sig P239 and it gets loaded with the 165 grain Gold Dots, simply because it should develop enough velocity for reliable expansion from the 3.6 inch barrel. For my longer barreled 40 calibers I use the Winchester Ranger-T in 180 grain loads. Thought here is that once you got enough velocity a bit more mass in the bullet is a good thing.

Point is, you should take the time to tailor your choice for your specific gun. From a barrel of 3 inches or less, I would be looking at Speers God Dot for short barrels. Once you up to 4.5 inches or more in barrel length you can then think about choosing a bullet with a bit more mass to gain a bit of penetration.

As for cost, I don't believe that cost should be considered. Your, and your families, protection is far more important than a few measly bucks. For example, the Winchester Ranger-T has a great reputation for perfomance in test media and in police use, the much less expensive Winchester Silver Tips have a reputation for fragmenting and poor penetration as a result of that fragmentation.

Finally, there is the factor of reliability. One reason for my preference for the Ranger-T is that it functions with perfect reliability in my 40 caliber XDm, the Speer Gold Dot has jammed in the same gun. Fortunately for me, the P239 will eat anything so it gets the Gold Dots that failed in my XDm. Point is, you do need to test for reliable function before you settle on any ammunition choice.

Reliable feeding, accuracy, supply, penetration, expansion??????

I also think well of the Cor-Bon 115 gr +P JHP. My second tier choice is Remington 115 gr +P.

Quite frankly, you can't really go wrong with any of the offerings by the major suppliers. Black Hills, CCI, Cor-Bon, Federal, Hornaday, Remington, Speer and/or Winchester. Just remember to inspect every round before inserting it in the magazine to avoid nasty surprises. Everyone lets a bad round get out once in awhile.

Your ability to put the bullet in a vital area is far more important that what the bullet is.

SPEER GOLD DOT. Nothing else comes close.

__________________
Un-Reconstructed Southerner

For a non +P load, try the Federal 9BP 115 gr JHP. Old technology compared to Gold Dot and Rangers but it has a good reputation and used to be a LE issued round. They also are known to be highly accurate and they feed reliably in just about everything. Also, they're relatively low priced compared to the newer stuff.

Thanks for the replies. I'll try shooting the Speers and the Fed 9BP and see which one is more accurate for me.

The Federal 115gr JHP Classic, Fiocchi 115gr JHP's, Remiington 115gr JHP Express either standard or +P, Winchester USA 115gr JHP are all reliable feeding and relatively inexpensive compared to the "premium" ammo in cost per round. While the bullets are of older design they are still quite effective.

I can say up front and without hesitation that Federals 9BP and the 115 gr +P+ JHP's are street proven and very accurate rounds from my 9mm's-Glock and S&W. Not to mention very reliable. I haven't tried the 124 gr +P GDHP yet but after a UPS delivery today, I'll run that through the mill this Saturday.

I would feel safe with the tried and true Silvertip!!

Even though I like Winchester Silvertip ammo better, Remington Golden Saber ammo has always been extremely reliable in any semi-auto I've shot it from. It even works in very picky 1911 pistols.

Of course as we all know, every handgun is different...

__________________
Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Gold Dot 124 grain. Can be had in either standard pressure or +P. Has a very good record in actual use by a number of LE organizations, including NYPD.

I fired Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P in my Glock 17 through 4 layers of wet denim into water. Velocity was 1184fps. Recovered Bullet was .795. It did not over penetrate. Nothing else I've tried even comes close!

4506517 +1

Dream to Dream:

In your reference for "HydraShok IIs", do you mean Federal's updated HST load that stands for "Hi-Shok Two"? The HST line-up is very superior in performance to the Hydra-Shok that doesn't have the expansion characteristics civilians need for self-defense. HST and Hydra-Shoks cost about the same, so consider the vastly improved bullet over an outdated one.

The +P version in 9mm is an outstanding load and one of my favorite, besides the 147-gr. Ranger T.


Federal HST: LE Only
** 147-gr. +P HST HP (P9HST4)@ 1,050 fps +P Outperforms Standard Pressure Version
* 147-gr. HST HP (P9HST2) @ 1,000 fps Standard Pressure is Still OK, but +P is Preferred

http://le.atk.com/general/federalpro...cticalhst.aspx
LE - Wound Ballistics
LE - Wound Ballistic Videos


Winchester Ranger T: LE Only
** 147-gr. HP (RA9T) @ 990 fps

Chris:

The LEAST expensive 9mm HP load that I am aware of for self-defense can be purchased at your local Walmart. The 147-gr. HP actually performs fairly well (good expansion & penetration) and is a good value for the dollar. While you cannot place a dollar value on YOUR life, consider the following load until you have the funds to upgrade to Federal HST (P9HST4 or P9HST2) or Winchester Ranger T (RA9T) - both in unbonded 147-gr.:

Winchester White Box USA Brand: Low-Budget Load at Walmart – When That’s All You Can Find!
147-gr. HP (USA9JHP2) @ 990 fps

Happy Holidays!

I believe that would be correct. I wish I could pick up the updated version, but I'm in western Massachusetts and it's pretty slim pickings around here for reasonably-priced defensive ammo. I assume the HydraShoks I'm using must be police surplus or something because some boxes have a few missing cartridges and a bit of wear on the brass.

Until I can find somewhere local that I can buy quality 9mm defensive ammunition for less than $1/round, I guess I'll stick with my old Federals. The HydraShoks are about $35 for a package of 50 cartridges, and I can only afford so much Cor-Bon...

Thank you anyways for the heads up. I always appreciate a good tip.

Ammo to Go should have some more Federal 147-gr. in standard (P9HST2) and +P (P9HST4) pressure shortly for about $26.95 per box of 50. This is what I paid 2 weeks ago. You can also get the Winchester Ranger T 147-gr. (RA9T) for $22.95 - the price I paid on the same order too.

E-mail or call them for more details and get on their waiting list.

Also, check with them about the following police load that is in stock:


Federal Tactical: LE Only
* 135-gr. +P Bonded HP (LE9T5)

Ammunition To Go : 50rds - 9mm Federal LE Tactical Bonded 135gr. +P Hp Ammo [LE9T5] - $32.95

Most ammunition companies will not ship to Massachusetts. But I suppose we'll see.

Thanks for the link!