SELF DEFENSE AMMO FOR SIG P365

chief38

chief38

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As some here may have read, I just bought a new Sig P365 and will be shooting it for the first time today.

As far as defense ammo is concerned, for starters I will carry the Speer Gold Dot 124 grain std. velocity and / or the +P Short Barrel version after testing them. The Federal HST 124 also looks to be an excellent round.

I am not all that experienced with 9mm defense rounds as I've not used this caliber for SD and so I have not done much research - always used a 38 Special. What is in your EDC 9's??
 
I recently bought a bunch of the Federal 124 grain +P HST ammo for HD in a Glock 19X and for CCW in a G43. It and the Gold Dots are both supposed to be good stuff.
 
I'm using hornady critical defense 115gr ftx in my p365. It cycles with no problem, and hopefully I will never have to find out if it actually does expand and penetrate as advertised.
 
If it helps any, I recently ran a bunch of different SD loads through mine, mostly to check for reliability (and to rotate the stock a little!).

147-gr Golden Saber
115-gr Gold Dots
124-gr HST
124-gr HST +P
115-gr Federal White box JHP
147-gr Federal White box JHP

All functioned without issues, including mixing them up in the mags.

I settled on the 124 HST standard pressure for three reasons:

1. The +P is noticeably hotter, but not uncomfortable. It shot a little lower at 50 ft off a rest.
2. Cost.
3. I'm trying to standardize on one bullet weight. 124 seems like a good compromise.

I'll be interested to hear your range report. I was pleasantly surprised by the 365. It shoots like a much bigger gun.
 
For now I've settled on Speer Gold Dot 124 grain Short Barrel +P. Everything I've read & watched points towards the GD as being one of the best, along with the HST.

I'm gonna dust off the Chronograph just to verify velocities - as I always like to SEE for myself. :) I'll also test the performance as best I can, but being new to using a 9mm as a SD cartridge, I have always had respect for both Speer/CCI and Gold Dot ammo.
 
Why not try Sig’s own new 365 ammo. They say it is optimized for the gun. Comes in 115 grain FMJ for practice or 115 gr JHP for self defense. Cabela’s, Midway, and Sig sell it. Fairly priced. I buy Sig ammo when it’s on sale. They have a Black Friday special at Midwayusa.com right now.
 
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Massood says 9mm+P may recycle the slide too fast in small autoes (e.g. G43) and cause a FTF. He recommends a standard 147gr HST. Larger autos (heavier slides) will usually work well. My wife and I carry 147 gr in our G43s==Lighter +Ps in her G17. My EDC is 357 Sig (2 of them) and a 10mm for the woods.
 
LPD256 said:
Why not try Sig’s own new 365 ammo. They say it is optimized for the gun. Comes in 115 grain FMJ for practice or 115 gr JHP for self defense. Cabela’s, Midway, and Sig sell it. Fairly priced. I buy Sig ammo when it’s on sale. They have a Black Friday special at Midwayusa.com right now.
Click to expand...

I have and can't say I was impressed. While I did not Chronograph them or Gel Block test them, they did seem a bit on the mild side for SD ammo. They seemed sort of wimpy compared to the Speer Gold Dots, American Eagle and Federal HST. Again, not very scientific, just from informal shooting.
 
BearBio said:
Massood says 9mm+P may recycle the slide too fast in small autoes (e.g. G43) and cause a FTF. He recommends a standard 147gr HST. Larger autos (heavier slides) will usually work well. My wife and I carry 147 gr in our G43s==Lighter +Ps in her G17. My EDC is 357 Sig (2 of them) and a 10mm for the woods.
Click to expand...

There are times that I agree with the "so called and self proclaimed experts" and times I don't. At the end of the day, I test EDC loads myself with a Chronograph and test materials to the best of my abilities out of the Pistols I will use for SD. I just have more confidence and trust in something I can see and test live in person. Not saying Ayoob is right or wrong, just saying that if I test something umpteen times with a specific loading and always get great results, I have to take that over what I have read on the internet.

From the little experience I do have with the 9mm +P's, the don't seem much hotter than the standard velocity loadings from the same manufacturer. I will break out my Chronograph shortly and verify (or correct) what my gut feeling are. BTW remember that all +P's are not the same! One Company's standard velocity can be another's +P. Just look at Buffalo Bores +P's (on the very high end) vs Remington and Winchester's versions (low end). Not comparing what they state on the box or in their literature, but I can tell you that from actually Chronographing their .38 Special offerings, Buffalo Bore is the ONLY Company to state the truth!

The Following statement is what Sig Firearms states:

The P365 is striker-fired, with the clean crisp trigger pull you expect from a SIG. Lightweight and easy to conceal, the P365 is chambered in 9mm and is rated for +P ammunition.
 
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Winchester Ranger——-RA9124TP - 9mm 124gr+P or RA9T - 9mm 147gr....just my two cents.
 
Chief, I like Gold Dots' performance but I would stay away from the standard pressure GD loading in a short barrelled gun. Some good bullet designs only work consistently above a certain velocity. See the video here at about 55 seconds. This gentleman strictly tested 9mm in short barrels. (and 380). 2 standard pressure GD failed to expand in his testing, second link.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WpuCeOz964[/ame]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9UxDu4smlI[/ame]
 
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I selected the Federal 124 grain HST +P for my wife's 9mm but I would have probably been just as satisfied with the Gold Dot. It reliably feeds and functions in her gun. I'm considering going to 9mm myself due to the arthritis in my wrist being aggravated by the recoil of my .45. If so I'll also use the HST if it functions well.
 
I've tested GD 124 grain JHP Short Barrel in my P365 and it works perfectly. I've also tested Federal Guard Dog 105 grain EFMJ, Corbon 100 grain Powerball, and American Eagle 115 FMJ; again no problems.

While I prefer Powerball, I would not hesitate to carry GD if I can't find Powerball.
 
chief38 said:
I have and can't say I was impressed. While I did not Chronograph them or Gel Block test them, they did seem a bit on the mild side for SD ammo. They seemed sort of wimpy compared to the Speer Gold Dots, American Eagle and Federal HST. Again, not very scientific, just from informal shooting.
Click to expand...

Chief-I haven’t seen any formal testing on the 365 ammo yet. I do find it kind of interesting that it is currently only available in 115 grain. Both practice and self defense loads. Personally I prefer bigger bullet sizes.
 
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At the Range a few days ago listed below are actual Chronograph results from my Sig P365. Temp was 50ºF and about 70% humidity. Results here are from a 10 shot average. I use American Eagle for practice as it is reliable, consistent, available and cost effective to purchase. The Speer GD +P Short Barrel was the most consistent with only 20 fps variation from the slowest to fastest shots. All ammo was accurate from the P365 and shoots POA=POI whereas 115 GRAIN ammo shoots a bit low for me.

American Eagle FMJ 124 grain Std. Vel.
Velocity = 985 fps.
Ft.-lbs Energy = 267

Speer Gold Dot 124 grain Std. Vel. GDHP
Velocity = 1037 fps.
Ft-lbs Energy = 296

Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P SHORT BARREL GDHP
Velocity 1120 fps.
Ft-lbs Energy = 345
NOTE: this is my go-to carry load after this testing. :)
 
Chief38, I like the GD 124gr standard ammo or SB ammo along with the HST ammo. Whichever is completely reliable and most accurate in your gun is the one I would carry.
 
ArchAngelCD said:
Chief38, I like the GD 124gr standard ammo or SB ammo along with the HST ammo. Whichever is completely reliable and most accurate in your gun is the one I would carry.
Click to expand...

So far I've tried 7 different brands and grain weights out of the new Sig P365 without any hiccups. The reason I've settled on the +P version of the Speer Gold Dot 124 grain is that when Chronographing ammo the Speer standard velocity averaged 1037 fps from the Sig's 3.1" barrel and though that was marginal for reliable expansion - although it does penetrate well. The +P version at 1120 fps should and does expand better still providing descent penetration.

As far as Accuracy goes..... they both shoot poa=poi for me. :D
That is another plus for this load. In contrast, the 115 grain loads (of all the ammo brands I've shot so far) printed about 1" - 1.5" low. While I have not yet tried the HST I have heard good results in the Sig - with slightly less penetration but great expansion.

ADDED NOTE:

Quite honestly, unless I knew I was shooting +P's (if someone mixed them in the Magazine with standard velocity ones of the same 124 grain weight without my knowledge) I don't think I could even tell the difference in the recoil. The Chronograph did however "know the difference" by clocking the +P's at 83 fps more on average. Even shooting with one hand did not substantially slow my shots down.
 
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I think your choices are excellent, chief38. I have the similar P320C. I prefer Corbon or Hornady. The Sig Elite ammo works very well, and I think it is actually a little bit more accurate. That's from a rest, however. Hand held, which is more likely in a self-defense scenario since bad guys will not usually hold still long enough for me to get to a rest, I can't see a difference.
As always, even though these rounds are expensive for testing, I suggest you try some to be sure.
 
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