9mm Defense Round

[jimmyj]

What is a current dependable round for a 9mm Pistol

 

[biku324]

Get ready.

 

[pharmer]

I have 15 rds of Federal HST non-+P 124 gr in my CZ P07. I feel it is adequate for it's intended purpose. +P gives about an extra 100fps if'n that makes for more sound sleep. The 147 gr are excellent also, I just happen to have 11 boxes of 50 of the 124 gr on hand. Joe

 

[Baxter6551]

I recommend the Hornady Critical Defense 115 grain or Speer Gold Dot 124 grain (current duty load NYPD).

 

[WR Moore]

Pretty much anything from a major manufacturer. I tend to prefer the +P offerings, as much US ammo still isn't loaded as stout as the products overseas.

If you're looking for exact examples (all the +P versions), the Speer Gold Dot 124 gr, the Hornady Critical Duty, Federal HST, Remington High Terminal Performance (115 gr), Golden Saber Defense (124 gr) and so forth. I don't happen to be a big fan of 147 gr ammo.

 

[9mmPatriot]

I'm using 124 gr MPR bullets from RMRBULLETS.COM in my reloads.

Haters in 5....4....3....

 

[DR505]

My issue duty ammo when I retired: Hornady Critical Duty 135 grain +P.

 

[hyena]

Pretty much anything from a major manufacturer. /QUOTE]

This.

In my .38, I carry Speer Gold Dot +P.
In my .357 Magnum, I carry Remington Golden Saber.
In my .45, I carry Winchester Ranger T Series.
In my .357 SIG, I use Winchester PDX1 Defender.
In my .380, I carry Hydra Shock Deep.

I don't carry 9mm, or depend on it for self defense, but I've got a box of Federal Hydra Shock if I need it.

You can see I don't care about brand loyalty. If it always goes bang, cycles reliability, and hits to point of aim, I'm good to go.

 

[stansdds]

My two favorite 9x19mm defensive loads are the Federal HST 147gr JHP and the Winchester Ranger-T 147gr JHP, both in standard pressure loads.

 

[Model5]

Lucky gunner has done a very thorough test of all the popular carry rounds and calibers available. I always reference that information when purchasing any defensive rounds. https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/

 

[Pisgah]

There are just too many decent loads out there for me to say, "I would recommend X over Y." If I have favorites it is mostly because of their accuracy and reliability in my guns. Bullet performance has become routinely pretty good across the board, driven by customer expectations, and I would not feel particularly concerned with any load designated for personal defense by any of the major makers, as long as it works reliably in my gun.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Federal Personal Defense 147gr HST,
P9HST2

"50 Round Box - 9mm Luger Federal HST 147 Grain Hollow Point LE Ammo P9HST2 | SGAmmo.com" 50 Round Box - 9mm Luger Federal HST 147 Grain Hollow Point LE Ammo P9HST2 | SGAmmo.com

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

 

[BB57]

Barrel length matters, and not all 9mm hollow points perform well in short barrels while other can over expand and under penetrate when fired from a long barrel.

The following do pretty well across the normal range of 9mm barrel lengths:

The Speer 124 gr Gold Dot
Sig 124 gr V-crown
Federal 124 gr HST

——

I got involved with the 124 gr V-Crown when one of my friends at a local gun shop asked me to do some ballistics testing for him in my CZ Compact as he carried one.

It was impressive out of the CZ Compact with excellent expansion and penetration around 16".

I bought a bunch of 124 gr V-Crown bullets and did more testing in my 3.1" Kimber Micro, 4" Kimber Pro Carry and 8" MP5. I was impressed that the penetration remained fairly constant in the 16-17" range while the expansion just increased as the velocity increased from about 1025 fps to 1120 fps to 1350 fps.

If you have multiple 9mms and want one self defense load for all of them, it's hard to beat.

 

[DUSTYDOGDAN]

Federal HST 124gr or Hornady Critical Defense if you like 115gr ,

 

[ruger 22]

I have always liked the heavier bullets in any caliber. Any of the current 9mm loads are OK. The key is you have to hit the target.

 

[swsig]

I have an ammo-picky 1.0 Shield 9. I tested it with various rounds to find self-defense ammo that it would fire reliably. I settled on Hornady Critical Duty 135g +P. To date, my Shield has fired nearly 400 of the Critical Duty rounds without a single failure, so that's what I carry. It also has fired over 200 rounds of Federal HST 147g without a failure, so I can recommend those, too. But don't just take my word for it. Make sure that whatever round you choose works reliably in your gun. I suggest that any round you consider should fire a minimum of 100 times with no failures before you carry it. Good Luck!

 

[alwslate]

Any full power 115 gr or 124 gr FMJ ammo.

 

[wood714]

Any of these are cool with me.

 

[Doug M.]

Find the latest version of Doc Roberts' list and pick one that you can get consistently and in quantities of 500+. Test it for function and the like in your platforms.

 

[Maddog 521]

I have a couple of mags full of Norinco 124gr. ball that works pretty good around here.
The gray boxes say "Made To Military Specifications".