9mm Defense Ammo Question

[Al205]

I just wanted to ask does Anyone know if Eldorado
Starfire Ammo is a good Defense Ammo . I got some from
a friend It appears to be 125 Grain . Thanks

 

[Tamara]

From the drawing board of the same guy that brought you the HydraShok, QuikShok and EFMJ, the Starfire seems to offer reliable expansion (at least, it did in the .40 and .45 loads I've tried) and should work okay for you.

 

[Al205]

Thanks , i made a mistake on the grain bullet It's a 95
Grain. It's suppose to go 1,250 fps .

 

[CaesarI]

Seems the Starfire expands fine through bare gel, but gets clogged easily by denim. And a 95gr isn't going to be a deep penetrator. Not everyone wants as much penetration as others, but I prefer deeper penetration than a 95gr is likely to offer.

-Morgan

 

[George Helser]

Al205,

1250 fps is likely to give good expansion but with a 95 gr bullet this is only 312 ft-lbs of energy. This is modest for 9mm ammo.
For life saving 9mm ammo, I would want 1300+ fps for superior shock & expansion with over 400 ft-lbs of power for effectiveness.
Also, for ammo which might be needed at night, be sure to test and load low flash ammo.

Good luck!

Regards,
George
In sunny Arizona

 

[WESHOOT2]

BULLET - WHERE THE WORK GETS DONE

It's really much more important what that bullet hits..........

 

[Eric Larsen]

Starfire's are supposed to work fairly well and may actually be designed to expand with a lower speed. That is what I read
on a pretty concise 9mm comparison. I also believe placement
is imperative and my thoughts on that, are if I am gonna hit them
where it counts. I want as much energy as possible. I carry
gold dots for my 9mm. Just my thoughts...shoot well

You can check out the comp., they did a good job with it. http://www.ballisticreview.com/9mm.html

 

[Al205]

Eric , Thanks for the link . It seems that the Remington
Golden Saber is probably the way to go.

 

[harrydog]

I really like the 124gr +P Golden Sabers. The recoil is very soft for a +P

 

[Eric Larsen]

My pleasure..shoot well

 

[George Helser]

harrydog,

For the record, +P denotes pressure and not necessarily power. It is possible to have high pressure rounds with relatively low power depending on the powder characteristics.

124gr +p Remington Golden Saber at 1,180fps = 383 ft-lbs. This is above average power for 9x19 but other defensive 9mm ammo is more powerful. More power, more recoil.

Good luck!

Regards,
George
In sunny Arizona

 

[brandon_h3]

Just remember....

Does it really matter how hard you can swing a hammer if you fail to hit the nail??

 

[George Helser]

WESHOOT2 & brandon_h3 are 100% correct. Shot placement is the #1 critical factor.
If I was carrying a high powered rifle or high powered pistol, I would not be very finicky about using the highest velocity ammo.
HOWEVER, I often carry a compact 9x19 concealed. 9x19 is NOT the most powerful handgun cartridge. In fact, 9x19 has a very checkered past for stopping because most 9x19 ammo has low power and low potential for expansion.
I shoot 9x19 unsuppressed so I don’t need low power subsonic ammo. I prefer to load my 9x19s with the most powerful, highest expanding ammo available.

Good luck!

Regards,
George
In sunny Arizona