When I get my CC permit this will be my primary carry gun. What is the best sd ammo this gun can handle? Will it handle plus p or Nato spec?

Thanks

I'll throw my vote behind Winchester Ranger-T 147gr JHPs. No need for the increased wear from +P and such. The 147gr T-Series are very effective. That's what I carry in all my 9mms, including my 3914.

Edit: I should probably add that the Ranger-T is mandated by my department, so it's not like I have a choice, but having seen first-hand the results...I'm a believer.

You are fine to carry +P. I'll assume you won't be practicing much with expensive +P hollowpoints, and using standard pressure FMJ for most of your shooting. If you make a habit out of shooting hot +P or +P+ your gun will wear faster. In some cases much faster. But a half dozen magazines full of +P every year isn't going to harm anything.

I like bonded hollowpoints. This prevents jacket seperation and retains mass after impact. Bonded hollowpoints include Speer gold dot, winchester pdx, ranger T. I think some HST and remington golden saber are bonded only when clearly indicated on the box. Another option would be the solid copper DPX ammo.

I'm carrying +P Hornady critical duty right now, but will be switching out to Speer gold dot 124gr +P short barrel optimized ammo as soon as I can find a quantity enough to test and carry.

Lastly, avoid gimmick or boutique ammo. Stick with what police departments issue, all of which I mentioned are included in this group.

9mm SAAMI is 35,000 psi max
9mm NATO is 36,500 psi
9mm +P SAAMI is 38,500 psi

The 3914 will handle +P ammo. The standard recoil spring in it is 15#. If you plan on shooting +P frequently you can up the recoil spring to 17-18# & it'll still function fine with standard 9mms.

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Waiting for the break of day

For SD ammo the Ranger-T series can be hard to find sometimes, but 147 gr Federal HST and 147 gr Gold Dots, standard pressure rounds are also very class acts. Buy any of them in the 50 round LE pack and you can't go wrong.

If you're looking at short barrel loads, have you seen the AmmoQuest Ranger-T tests ?

My 3913 and 14 both seem to shoot 147s very well. I'm probably in the minority here, but I shoot plain-ol' standard pressure Federal 147-gr JHP rounds, which I think are considered their old "Hi-shock" series. Not the latest and greatest, I know, but I think that while alot of emphasis is put on the difference in SD rounds, the actual margin of difference is much smaller. Only an opinion, of course.

The cost savings allows me to fire off and rotate alot more of my actual SD ammo. I use 147 gr Speer TMJ for practice, as well.

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Because of the metric system?

Try 115gr Winchester Silvertips. They are really hot for a non plus P load. They are also very accurate, and I have never had a single malfunction in any of my carry guns with them, (G17, HKP30, 3913TSW). I usually burn a box a month. They are expensive, and i get them at Cabelas but they are a good non plus P option.

In this day, get whatever one of the common self defense rounds you can find in quantity for a fair price. Then practice. Proper shot placement matters a heck of a lot more than what type of bullet is coming out the end of the barrel.

I've switched over to Hornady Critical Duty 135gr (90235BX). It seems to shoot the most consistently for me, and I have had no feeding, or other issues, in any of my pistols - from 3.5 on up to 5.0 inch barrel lengths. It's a more expensive proposition for me to shoot only one (SD) ammo, as opposed to using a less expensive target round on the range, but it has improved shooting by allowing me to focus on gun handling technique - rather than compensating for the characteristics of the ammo.

Add me to the list of those using Ranger 147 grain. Good.......no, GREAT street results based on actual usage be several agencies.

+P holds little appeal, to me. Increased wear and tear as well as increased felt recoil, for little........if any.....performance gain .

My 39XX series guns are fine pistols. Based on a comparison of a generic 39XX series pistol to all the currently manufactured popular single stack 9mms, I want mine to last.

So "standard" bonded 147 grain Ranger T for me. Good luck! Regards, 18DAI

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7 +1 Rounds of hope & change

for what it's worth I shoot +P handloads of Rem GS 124gr in my 5904 to 'practice' with the load I carry.
I upped the recoil spring to 18lbs when I bought it and did a detail strip and trigger/action job. it's reliable with cheap-to-shoot 124gr fmj factory loads I save the hulls to reload.
I shot a doe on 'doe day' useing the same load in my Marlin camp 9mm the jacket popped off the core went on through the neck danged near knocked it's neck intwo. slightly quartering away about 60'.

I certainly wouldn't use NATO full metal jacketed ammunition for self defense.

After reading through a thread somewhere on this forum, I decided on 124gr JHP for my 3rd Gen compacts. I seem to remember that 147gr ammo was developed for longer barreled guns.

I'll stick with that unless some over riding data comes up.

I got a box of 115gr JHP Remington HTP as part of an ammo swap. I've listed it for sale on a local forum, but no one seems to want it.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

For the 3914, I like Federal HST's and Speer Gold Dots in either 124g or 147g. +P rounds are not necessary for a 3.5" barrel IMO, but I do like to carry them since I live in a colder weather state and the extra velocity could help ensure the bullet expands through thicker clothing.

I like GDHP and HST's because they have shown to be some of the best performers out of barrels under 4" in gel tests found online, as well as being fairly available and cheap (online). I've also seen good test results from Remington, Hornady, and Winchester, but not quite as good overall, and they were all more expensive to boot.

Scwv67 really hit on something important. It really is impotant to get a fast accurate hit on your target.

Shot placement and penetration are the MOST important factors. All the modern factory produced 9mm defensive rounds will do their part - IF - you do yours.

Having worked robbery homicide for the DA's office for almost twenty years I saw many miscreants killed by one or two 9mm rounds. I can't recall a single JHP being recovered either, in 9mm anyway. IIRC the vast majority were Winchester 9mm ball from Walmart. Because it was what was readily available to the miscreants doing the killing. And it wasn't being shot out of an expensive pistol either.

Where the round or rounds landed on target was the common denominator in whether it was a homicide case or simply an assault with a deadly weapon case. My 0.02 Regards 18DAI

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7 +1 Rounds of hope & change

That was sort of what I was saying before, you just worded it better. Even an older HP will work. It's more important that it goes where you want it to.

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Because of the metric system?

My vote is for Winchester Ranger-T 147gr JHPs. No need for the increased wear from +P and such and having to change out the recoil spring just to shoot + P's.

Golden saber has a nasty reputation for jacket seperation.

There is a bonded golden saber now.

If you like golden saber, get the bonded variant.


For those asking what "bonded" means in the context of this discussion....a bonded hollowpoint is a round where the lead core, and the copper jacket are mechanically or chemically bonded together to prevent jacket seperation upon impact and expansion. It is critically important that the mass of the projectile retain it's mass while it does it's thing on your target. Unbonded hollowpoints may shed their jackets, fragment, and not achieve the pennetration desired.

I settled on 124 gr Gold Dots.
Jim