Cor-BonDPX/BarnesXPB (or "What's the Best 115gr 9mm Hollowpoint?")

[Bedrockk]

I'm new to firearms & thus am looking to stick with 115gr hollowpoints for now in my M&P9c. I started with the Hornady Critical Defense 115gr based on a dealer's recommendation and have since read a bunch of posts weighing the pros/cons of them (i.e. the 'it won't shoot thru glass, fiberglass, heavy clothing or forearms vs placement of the shot is more important than the penetration of the shot).

After doing some more homework i came across this webpage by Dr. Gary Robets where the Cor-BonDPX/BarnesXPB round was listed as one of his top ten 9mm rounds and was the only round that was 115gr.

Keeping in mind that I want to stick to 115gr, I was wondering if anyone else had any opinions on the Cor-BonDPX/BarnesXPB round or otherwise had another recommendation for a 115gr 9mm hollowpoint round.

On the chance that anyone does recommend the Cor-Bon round, I'd also like to inquire for suggestions on the best online site to purchase them.

 

[badge]

It's an oldie but a goodie,...... the Federal BPLE 115 Plus P Plus.

 

[Stu Honea]

The Barnes all copper bullets do indeed perform well,and are loaded by many maufacturers,of which Corbon is just one. Black Hills also loads an offering.Several others.
I'm not a light bullet fan and the Barnes X bullets are the only 115 grainers I'd care to use.
The 9BPLE that badge mentioned is still a good 115 grain loading,but the newer design eclipses it in penetration and overall performance.I carried the 9BPLE for a few years as a duty load and was confident in it at the time,but never had to test it for real. It has certainly worked for real in a lot of shootings and is easy to find much cheaper that the XPB offerings,if you decide to go that route.
I think the bullet itself may have been tweaked somewhat in the 9BPLE to more closely resemble the HST,but I may be incorrect on that.If so,I stand corrected.I havn't bought any in years.

 

[watergun1929]

9mm

I have used the Corbon 115DPX and am very satisfied with it.

 

[APS]

As you are new to firearms why do you want to stick with 115gr? The DPX bullet is expensive and there are a number of street proven loads available in the $30/50rnds neighborhood. With the money saved you could buy more practice ammo.

 

[Bedrockk]

As you are new to firearms why do you want to stick with 115gr? The DPX bullet is expensive and there are a number of street proven loads available in the $30/50rnds neighborhood. With the money saved you could buy more practice ammo.

I want to stick w/ 115gr b/c that is the weight of the practice rounds I am using at the range & I was told/read that heavier rounds have a little more kick to them. I thought it might be better to carry same weight rounds (at least until I get some experience under my belt).

As to the price, my rationale is that since they're for self defense purposes I don't intend on having to actually fire too many (if any) of them so hopefully it will be a one-time investment.

However, I'm open to any other suggestion of more affordable 115gr hollow points that I could use for some hollow point practice at the range (or any other tips/suggestions anyone has).

 

[APS]

The difference in recoil of the standard pressure rounds can be felt at the range (it's negligible) but there are more important things to worry about like trigger squeeze and sight alignment. +P ammunition will have more felt recoil, but again it's minor in a gun the size and weight of your M&P9c.
With any semi auto used for self protection you need to fire some of your defensive rounds out of the gun to function test it. Some go as high as 200-300 rounds. If it's a design that I have experience with, I've owned a bunch of Glocks, SIG 200 series etc, I'll fire 2 magazines worth through each magazine I plan on using with the hollowpoints. In this exercise I will fire two handed, strong handed, weak handed and deliberately limp wrist. If it's a gun like my Kahr CM9 which has tight engineering and frankly poorly manufactured magazines, I would fire 4 magazines worth through each carry mag.
There are some good standard pressure loads available like the 124gr and 147gr Gold Dot from Speer which can usually be found online in 50 round boxes for ~$35.

 

[CTG_COLLECTOR]

There really isn't any "best" out there, though there are street proven rounds out there. Some of the most proven 9mm 115's are the Federal 115JHP+P+ (9BPLE), Winchester 115JHP+P+ (RA9115HP+) and the Corbon 115JHP+P. The Corbon DPX (if you can afford them) do well in barrier tests, but I haven't heard/read about how well the work in real shootings.

If you are looking for standard pressure 115's I'd suggest looking at Federal's JHP (9BP) and Remington's JHP. Lower on my list would be Win USA 115JHP or Win's 115 Silvertip.

I would skip all of Hornady's FTX style loads (Critical Defense, Critical Duty and especially the Zombie Max) for SD as Hornady is having some QC problems and it has no known street performance data (I refuse to be any ammo company's guinea pig).

 

[baccusboy]

The only concern I have with the DPX is that it tends to tumble and veer off course after penetrating a barrier. Otherwise, it is a nice round. Far too expensive for the trade-off though, IMHO.

 

[baccusboy]

The tride and true Federal 9BPLE 115+P+ is still dangerous. Tends to go fragnasty when it hits. A good choice for someone worried about overpenetration. Here are the results, and you can buy it at SGAMMO.COM :

YouTube - 9mm +P+ Federal 9BPLE 115 gr Gel Test

It is known as the Illinois State Police load.

 

[WR Moore]

There's a gent on this board who's signature line is " Bullet placement is King, penetration is Queen and all else is angels dancing on the head of a pin." The man is right.

A bullet needs sufficient penetration and bullet integrity to allow it to reach and damage vital body organs and structures. You need to be able to place the bullet so that it can do this. There is no magic bullet that will compensate for your inability to do so.

I've got a couple of boxes of the 9BPLE and was underwhelmed by it's lack of bullet integrity and penetration in testing. While it has performed very well in the real world in many cases, it's been reported as sadly lacking in situations dealing with large economy size felons.

 

[budrichard]

ANY round that meets the FBI penetration criteria will be OK.
We have left the era of conjecture, half assed testing and subjective preference.
The FBI criteria allows one to be as objective as one can be.
Both Winchester and Speer present the results in tabular/pictorial form for one to make judgement on what is the best and what to use.
115 versas 124/127 will not make a difference in your practice versus carry. Both Win and Speer make analogous rounds.
Example, my wife uses Lawman 124 for practice and carries 124 Gold Dot.
I use Win 180 gr White Box and Win 180 gr Ranger T 40 S&W.-Dick

 

[baccusboy]

Federal 9BPLE 115gr. +P+
Shipping is $15 on case lots
Price: $17.00 box of 50, or $315.00 per case


http://slickguns.com/product/federal-9bple-115gr-p-9mm-17?a=2093&k=other