Best 9mm for home defense, and the cheapest place to get it?

I see someone else has suggested Ammunition to Go already. I was very pleased with the service from them.

I've always carried 147 gr, because that was what we were issued when I carried a 5906. Mostly I carry a CS9 or 39xx compact these days. For the full size gun we were told that 115gr was too light.

Is the 124gr better for SD in compact guns? Right now I have a sort of a hodge podge of JHP ammunition and would like to standardize on one weight of bullet.

Is there any consensus on this?
 
GaryS said:
I see someone else has suggested Ammunition to Go already. I was very pleased with the service from them.

I've always carried 147 gr, because that was what we were issued when I carried a 5906. Mostly I carry a CS9 or 39xx compact these days. For the full size gun we were told that 115gr was too light.

Is the 124gr better for SD in compact guns? Right now I have a sort of a hodge podge of JHP ammunition and would like to standardize on one weight of bullet.

Is there any consensus on this?
Click to expand...
IMO and only IMO, I feel the 124/125gr bullet is the best choice for 9mm handguns no matter what size the gun is. I think 115gr bullet generate too much velocity and can possible expand too quickly sacrificing penetration. I also don't like the 147gr bullet because there are guns that won't cycle them correctly. I tend to like the bullet weight that was used when the cartridge was developed. (158gr .38 Special, 230gr .45 Auto ect.)
 
I think any of the top brand ammo companies produce a quality SD 9mm ammo. But that being said I prefer Federal LE 124 HST ammo from Ammunitiontogo for my S&W shield 9 and use Winchester +P Bonded 124gr PDX1 ( pretty much an updated version Black Talon bullet ) in my 9mm Sig 229. I don't like paying shipping on the Federal LE ammo but if that is what it takes to get what I want I am willing to pay shipping for it. Most of the time I can find the Winchester ammo locally but never have seen the Federal LE ammo in any local outlets. If I had to chose one over the other I would just use the Federal LE ammo in both guns as it is super reliable and accurate.

I believe the 124gr HP is the only way to go with the 9mm for SD.
 
I do like nickled cases. They don't tarnish in the magazine like plain brass does. No one ever mentions this.
 
One thing to remember in your quest. The 147 grain 9mm load exists for one reason only. It was designed to get the most out of a suppressed MP-5 and still remain subsonic. It was never meant to be a true short barrel "handgun" round. It basically duplicates a 38 Special load. While some of the latest variants have been adapted to perform OK at pistol speeds it is still a compromise load. Performance is better with the 115 NATO spec load and the various 124 grain loads plus most 9mms are sighted for the 115 /124 and will be noticeably higher in poi with the slow heavy 147.

--- Chip King ---
 
Slimdelight said:
Or possibly the cheapest that's worth actually using...
Click to expand...

Oh, no. Another 'best ammo' thread. :eek:

I'd encourage you to read the AR15.com Ammo FAQ article. It discusses both handgun and rifle self defense loads.

While you're right to ask the question about what's the most theoretically effective round, don't lose sight of practical aspects as mentioned in the above posts. Shot placement, and reliability of the ammo in your gun is paramount. If you can't hit what you aim for, or the round fails to feed, extract or ignite, you're screwed.

Read the above FAQ.
Buy a few boxes of different recommended types.
Go to the range and practice with them.
Make a choice and be confident with it.

Ignore cost. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.

HTH.
 
Since CCW is not an option in my state, my criteria for a self defense round was focused on a 9mm that can effectively protect my self and family while avoiding over perpetration due to the proximity of neighboring dwellings.
I also had to take into consideration the unique laws attached to JHP ammo and our rather confusing Castle laws in New Jersey.I finally settled on the Hornady Critical defense rounds because it is not strictly a HP round over any real hard performance data while still being able to protect life and assets.
I do wish I had other viable alternatives however.
 
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I got a few boxes of Remington Golden Saber 124g to try out and while I was at it I decided to try some Gold dots 147g .These came from SGAmmo and I need to try both of them out but everybody I know that has them gives good reports.
 
CoMF said:
There's really no such thing as "the best 9mm," but in terms of overall value, 50 count boxes of LE ammo sold by places like Ammoman, SGAmmo and G&R Tactical will give you the most for your money. You can even see if your local firearms store has some LE ammo in stock.

Oh, and FWIW, my personal choice in 9mm has always been Ranger RA9T. It's accurate in all the pistols I've fired it in, very controllable, and has a solid reputation for "doing the job."
Click to expand...

Totally agree... I believe LE Gold Dot 124gr +P has the same reputation and works well in mine. So I have both - use the GD in summer and Ranger in winter.
 
Thank you. This is very informative. I always thought that 147 was the "standard" load because that's what we had to use if we opted for a 9mm. If I had to guess, the reason would have to do with your comment about duplicating a .38 Spcl round.

Now to start looking for 124gr ammunition.

chipking said:
One thing to remember in your quest. The 147 grain 9mm load exists for one reason only. It was designed to get the most out of a suppressed MP-5 and still remain subsonic. It was never meant to be a true short barrel "handgun" round. It basically duplicates a 38 Special load. While some of the latest variants have been adapted to perform OK at pistol speeds it is still a compromise load. Performance is better with the 115 NATO spec load and the various 124 grain loads plus most 9mms are sighted for the 115 /124 and will be noticeably higher in poi with the slow heavy 147.

--- Chip King ---
Click to expand...
 
GaryS it is the "standard" on a lot of departments where they use 9mm. In most cases the department follows what the FBI uses right or wrong. This is typical " If they use it it must be good" and that ain't necessarily so. The department I am most familiar with finally pulled their head out of the sand and let their armorer do the studies needed to find what worked. The 2 best performers were the 9mm 115+P+hp and the 357 Magnum 125 jhp. The worst was the 9mm 147 even behind the old 38 Special 158 +P swchp.
You have to remember that doing what the big boys do does not require your department to expend funds and that is VERY important on some of the small departments budgets.
As a private citizen you also face a very different set of needs and can find a load that fits those specific needs
--- Chip King ---
 
Probably the most effective 9mm as judged by actual real world results and still being cost effective (read cheap) is Federal 9BPLE. Shop around and you can get it for $16 or $17 a box of 50.

Personally, I like Speer Gold Dot in my 9mm pistols. Costs a little bit more but I appreciate the bonded bullet.
 
Given the revolution in ammunition performance sparked by the FBI ammo tests, any of the JHP products of the major manufacturers will do very well for your purposes. Every 'stopping power failure' I've ever been able to research has been a failure to hit vital areas of the body.

What you need to bear in mind is that the ammo must: be reliable in YOUR weapon and magzines, shoot to the point of aim of YOUR sights (or get your sights adjusted), that YOU can fire accurately and rapidly (where necessary), be readily available and within your budget. Do not be overly impressed by the number of plus signs in the designation for your ammo type, driving a modern bullet beyond it's design envelope can cause failures due to lack of penetration.

Generally, the closer the profile of the bullet is to a ball (FMJ) round, the better it will feed. As an example, regular Remington JHP ammo will feed in anything that will feed ball. You can practice with any ball ammo that reliably feeds and shoots to your sights.

The last time I was in Wallyworld, they had Federal Classic 9BP for $17 for 50.
 
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I've been using Hornady Critical Duty. It feeds constitently and has a excellent specs. As for a source Sportsmans Warehouse has competitive pricing. By the time you fiquer in Shipping and everything else its almost a wash. Plus its usually in stock.
 
I prefer the 124 grain NATO white box winchester. It's cheap, runs good and is not all that dirty.
 
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