9mm ammo recommendations:

S

Sundance

New member
I have 3 9mm pistols:

A Browning Hi Power (recent production)
A Kahr K9 Elite 98
A Kahr MK9 Elite 98

I am looking for a good universal self defense carry ammo that will work in all three. I would consider Speer Gold Dot, Federal Hydra Shock, Winchester Silvertips and some others. I prefer a 124 grain bullet, but would consider a 115 grain. Please don't even bother suggesting a 147 grain. (I don't like them, and you won't change my mind, so don't bother.) I would prefer a +P with a little zip, but I have heard that the Browning Hi Power can't handle the +P. I will most likely shoot less than 50 rounds per year through each gun with my chosen carry ammo. All other shooting will be done with standard pressure "practice grade" FMJ ammo. Any thoughts on a good ammo for these three guns and the +P capabilites of the Hi Power will be appreciated.

Thanks!
 
Don't bother with +P fodder, 'tis a waste of money. Buy standard-pressure Black Hills 124 grn. (my preferred carry load) and shoot twice as much. It's cheap, it's accurate, and Black Hills has a good rep for feed and functioning.

- Chris
 
I appreciate the Black Hills suggestion. I have used their rifle ammo with good results but had not thought of their pistol ammo.

I must say that I have to respectfully disagree with your opinion of +P. The difference in standard 9mm and 9mm +P can often approach the difference in .38 Special and .357 Magnum. Does anybody question which one of these two is more effective? I believe when using a light projectile, you need to zip it out there as fast as you can to make it effective. Violent expansion is the key to the light projectile's effectiveness.

If you have evidence to convince me otherwise, please help me understand.

And I look forward to hearing from more of you on 9mm ammo in general for my three guns.

Thanks!
 
You're already there, Sundance.

Gold Dots and Hydra-Shoks are the best defensive rounds going (although some will argue that CorBon makes a pretty mean 9mm as well). Never had any feeding problems with either of them.

115 gr and 124 gr are both good, depending on the application.

For practice? Blazers and PMC work fine for me.
 
I use Gold Dots for defense and UMC for practice.
I doubt a +P 9mm is more than double the power of a regular 9mm as is the case with .38 and .357.
 
I like the idea of simplicity and consistency in making an ammo selection. Before you make your final decision, tho, I suggest you fire each of the finalists thru each gun and find one that's fairly consistent across all three with respect to feeding reliability, point of impact and accuracy.

Having said that, I like the 124 +P's from Georgia Arms. New nickel cases, Gold Dot bullet, not too much muzzle flash, and never had a problem with any Georgia Arms ammo. Abt $12.50/50, less in bulk.
 
Go with +P and a 115 or 124 gr JHP. Practice with cheap ammo, but use the premium stuff where it will count.
 
I won't load my 9mm with +P ammo for defense. +P causes high muzzle flip which results in shooting slower controled pairs. I like what you don't, Winchester Ranger/GD/GS 147 gr. But any standered pressure GS/GD 124 gr. will work. Calibers.com lists velosities for different qammo makers. The difference between standered pressure 9mm & 9mm +P is about 200 ft pre second.
 
www.georgia-arms.com

I buy their 124g+p golddots for under $14/50. Shot thousands, never a problem. I strongly suggest much more than 50/yr for your most important (carry) load. I won't even keep a gun loaded unless I've tested it with the carry ammo for over 400 trouble-free rounds. Except revolvers ;)

Certainly, IMO, +p all the way. My practice 9mm ammo is GA 124g FMJ NATO; lots cheaper, but loaded to the same velocity, so it feels just the same.
 
Hi, Stans,

If you mean what I think you do, I do not agree . One of the big mistakes made by people who carry is to shoot cheap ammo on the range and keep the "good" stuff for carry. A while back, one fellow said he did that. I asked how he knew that the "good" ammo would even function in his gun. He said I was being silly, but he tried it, and was honest enough to tell us that he had had six hangups in two magazines. That kind of reliability could make your wife a widow.

Of course, do the heavy practice with cheap ammo, unless your name is Bill Gates. But make sure the carry ammo will fire at least 200 consecutive rounds without malfunction with each carry magazine. And fire a box or so every few weeks to make sure nothing has changed in the gun or the ammo. Sure, it is expensive, but if you are carrying because you may really need the gun, it is life insurance.

Jim
 
If +P loads were so much better than standard loads, nobody would bother with standard loads.

Hydra-Shoks or Gold Dots, in 124-grain standard pressure loads will do well.
 
+P & muzzel fip

If not just speed of controled pairs. It's also about accuracy of the second shot. With the higher muzzel flip the shooter has to bring the pistol back on target for the second shot. If the shooter fires before the sights are lined up the shot is off. The shooter can over compensate by bringing the front sight too down fast & shoot when the front sight is lower than the back & the shot will be off. I'm not a fan of high muzzel flip.
 
Jim,

I do most of my practice with cheap ammo, usually stuff I cook up myself, frequently using the same brand and style of bullet used in my carry ammo. I do test my pistols with the good stuff and occasionally shoot some for familiarization and to keep fresh ammo in the gun. I think this is the best way to practice often, shoot a lot, and not go broke.
 
The difference in standard 9mm and 9mm +P can often approach the difference in .38 Special and .357 Magnum. Does anybody question which one of these two is more effective?
Click to expand...
.357 Mag pushed bullets fast enough that even crude, poorly designed bullets expanded, which is probably why it achieved the reputation it did. With today's modern bullets, which exhibit greater expansion reliability, velocity is less important.
 
Sorry to jump in late. Are Federal Hydra-shok the same as the Hi-shok? I always hear Hydra and not Hi-shok. I have a box of Federal Classic Hi-shok 115 gr FMJ is it a different beast?
 
Hi-shok and Hydra-shok are not the same.

Are Federal Hydra-shok the same as the Hi-shok? I always hear Hydra and not Hi-shok. I have a box of Federal Classic Hi-shok 115 gr FMJ is it a different beast?
Click to expand...
Hi-shok is a pretty much standard hollow point round. Hydra-shok, on the other hand, has a much wider hollow point, and has a small post in the center of the cavity.

As I understand it, one problem with standard hollowpoint ammunition is that it pancakes out flat, and then can flip sideways and travel edge-on, which minimizes energy transfer. The post in the center of the Hydra-Shok round is supposed to help keep the expanded round pointed forward, thus maximizing energy transfer and stopping power.

I think. ;)

-BP
 
I never said that +P ammo was not more effective than standard-pressure ammo. It may be. Then again, it may not be. No one seems to know.

However, I doubt that any performance gains from using +P ammo are worth the extra price, recoil, muzzle flip, and additional wear on your gun.

Velocity, weight, energy transfer, none of this means a flip IMO. Sometimes bullets expand, sometimes they don't. Sometimes a guy keeps fighting after taking a magful of .45 +P hollowpoints, sometimes he falls down after getting hit with a .22LR. I've come to believe that if you stop someone with a shot from a handgun, it's luck more than any other definable factor. That's why I like big double-stack 9mm's, they give me more chances to get lucky. I like cheap Black Hills standard ammo because I can shoot a bunch of it on my meager budget, and have confidence that it'll work in my pistol.

Carry an affordable brand of quality JHP ammo, practice with it frequently, and concentrate on getting rapid COM hits.

- Chris

Edit: I forgot. You mentioned .38 Special vs. .357 magnum. I imagine that, using identical JHP bullets designed to expand within the cartridge's velocity range, the two cartridges would have similar effects. Velocity doesn't really have any effect on wounding performance, except when a particular hollowpoint load needs extra Oomph! to expand.
 
>>With today's modern bullets, which exhibit greater expansion
>>reliability, velocity is less important.

Bull. I've heard that for the last 20 years now. Velocity IS important for expansion. In 9mm, for defense, I would shoot the hottest loads you and your gun could handle. If you and your gun cannot handle +P with confidence, then of course don't shoot them.

Just so you don't think I'm bragging about hot loads, I am constantly in the dilemma of what to shoot out of my S&W 642 in 38/38+P. It only has a 1-7/8" barrel. I therefore load SWC, not JHP, because I fear they will not expand reliably. If I can't get that, at least I can get some penetration. Believe me, if I could handle 158g +P JHP from my airweight, I would load them that way. Maybe someday I will learn how to handle them, but right now I can't...

justinr1
 
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