9mm Self Defense ammo, what grain?

[jjfitch]

Here is a link that shows ballistics and gel test results for numerous popular 9mm loads:

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/

Smiles

 

[BSA1]

9mm defense ammo, what bullet weight should one choose and why? 115gr, 124g-130 grain, or 14t grain?

The short answer is Yes.

I agree with Sigp220.45 comments. Bullet technology is so very advanced and tested that it is hard to make a wrong choice.

Being in the middle of the ammo panic it is hard to find different weights and design to test. Even FMJ is very hard to find. In your situation I would settle for any bullet weight from a large reputable manufacturer such as Federal, Winchester or even from a foreign country such as IMI. I would be very wary of ammunition from small companies and would avoid gunshow ammo.

Otis24 this is a question where YouTube is a big help. Go to Ammo Quest Shooting The Bull and watch his videos. He tests a lot of different 9mm ammunition from a 3” barrel semi-auto.

His videos are professionally done and he uses the same calibrated ballistic gel that the FBI does. I don’t agree with some of his choices it is a very informative series of videos.

p.s. My edc is a Sig P239 9mm so I guess I should sign off as Sigp239.9

 

[BAM-BAM]

It doesn’t really matter. The most important thing is that it works in your gun.

If ball is the only thing that works, use ball.

Right now, you’ll be lucky to find any ammo at all. If you find some, stock up.

Don’t obsess over things like point of impact, penetration, expansion, muzzle flash, bullet weight, velocity, or any of the other things we tend to argue and bicker about. Any round can work, and any round can fail. If it functions in your gun you are 99.9% of the way there.

If you have a choice, I’d go 115, 124, 147. Or 147, 124, 115. Whatever works in your gun.

Ditto....... #1 reliable feeding and extraction #2 shot placement #3 all the other minor differences. Cus a handgun Bullet is not a "Death Ray"

I'm not a believer in the "one shot stop".... I'm more of a "double tap" kind of guy! Two to the chest and one to the ....... well you know! Stop the threat...................

 

[Old cop]

The agency I retired from issues the Glock 19 and uses 124 grain HP, I forget the brand of ammo.

 

[swsig]

I have a 1.0 Shield 9 that has proven to be "ammo-picky". Thus my challenge has been to find a reliable self-defense round. Over several months, I tested a bunch of SD rounds. (This was back in the good old days when ammo was relatively cheap and plentiful.) Any round that failed even once was eliminated from consideration. Finally, two rounds made it past 200 firings without any failures. They were Hornady Critical Duty 135g +P, which has gone 387 rounds with no failures, and Federal HST 147g, which has gone 225 rounds with no failures. Both are on Dr. Roberts' recommended list. Like Muss Muggins, I carry the Hornady Critical Duty rounds (and who am I to argue with Muss?). I can't say whether these will work as well in your Kahr as they have in my Shield, but they would be a good place to start, if you can find them. As others have said, you will need to find rounds that work well in your gun. Good luck!

 

[dmn57]

I've got a pile of the older version of Remington Golden Saber 147 grain. They run flawlessly through my preferred Browning Hi Powers and reportedly perform admirably with the 4 5/8" barrel. However, they don't seem to fare as well out of shorter barrels (=less velocity), so for my SA XD9 Sub (3" bbl.) I go with 147 grain Rangers. That being said, I believe anything you can shoot well with your gun should work.

 

[stansdds]

First, the chosen ammo must be reliable in the chosen firearm.
Second, the ammo must be accurate when fired in the chosen firearm.
Third, you have to be able to comfortably handle the recoil of the ammo.

For me, I prefer modern 147 grain, standard pressure loads in the 9x19mm. I came from the era of +P and +P+ 115 grain loads, but the Federal HST, Speer Gold Dot, and Winchester Ranger T jacketed hollow point bullets do not need screaming velocity in order to expand in a reliable fashion. If I could not obtain any of these in 147 grain loads, then 124 grain loads would be my second choice.

Also, practicing with less expensive, FMJ ammo is a good option, but only if the bullet weight and velocity are the same as your defensive ammo.

 

[Darkenfast]

I enjoy Paul Harrell's videos. One of his points is that the commonly available ammunition, such as Remington "Green and White box" 115 gr JHP (before the bankruptcy, of course), will do just fine and cost a lot less. He does a lot of tests and I don't recall ever seeing a modern JHP get stopped by clothing in one of his videos.

I happen to have a stock of 135 gr +p Flextip from a while back, because I have a 6" barreled Glock, but these days, I think just get whatever works in your gun and doesn't break the bank. Use the money saved to practice.

 

[stansdds]

I like Mr. Harrell's videos and his testing method, although not as scientific as ballistic gelatin, it is probably a more real world test of bullet performance.

 

[mike from st pete]

My EDC Glock26 is full of Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 124 grain cartridges.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Firearm in question will be a Kahr K9 which has, I think, a 3.6 inch barrel. I was curious as to the reasons some choose a lighter bullet and some choose a heavy bullet. I gather that heavy gets you more penetration (???). In South Dakota it is cold much of the time so there is always a strong possibility of needing to penetrate several layers of clothing. I don't have a lot of ammo stocked up. But enough to get by. The Kahr I purchased is used but like new. Used enough to surpass Kahr's recommended 200 round break in period. I believe my stock of self-defense ammo includes some 124 he as well as 147 he Hydra Shock HST. Was looking at ammo online last night and the Hydra Shock Deep looks like an interesting round.

The Kahr K9 that I loaded for had a 3.1" barrel but they may come in with a 3.6?

Told the owner to use the 124gr Gold Dot Short barrel ammo, for it, that was tested on "Shooting the Bull".......... that did very well, back in 2014.

The 124 & 147 HST also passed with flying colors in the 3" barrel.