9mm Defense Ammo

T

Turk

New member
What is in your opinion the best 9mm self defense ammo.
Manufacture, bullet wt. and type etc. and why.

Thanks,

Turk
 
Best 9mm?

Turk,
I have some info that comes from a study done on actual shootings and the ammo components. The title is "One Shot Stops" by Evan P. Marshall and appeared in the March 2001 Gunworld Magazine. It is a long study done on actual "Stops", the basic criteria of which was the Perp dropping after one shot or dropping within 10' of the point of impact in the case of a running perp. Here is how the 9mm fared;

Federal 115gr JHP +P+ 161 Shootings, 147 Stops, or 91%
Winchester 115gr JHP +P+ 137 Shootings, 123 Stops, or 90%

There are about 20 other types listed but thier effectiveness begins to wane, yet several more in the 90-89% range. The 9mm proves to be a rather formidable round with the right load.

The study covers almost every available caliber and is quite interesting, you might want to try and obtain it for future reference, my gunsmith made a copy for me.

It goes with out saying, I'll be buying some Federal 115 JHP +P+ right away for my 6906 Smith & Wesson!
 
Hello. There are many views on this, but I lean toward the faster rounds as well. I personally like Triton's 125 gr +P JHP. It even gets 1245 ft/sec from my Glock 26 and better from a Browning HP. I go with the fast middleweight.

Best.
 
I'll have to put my vote in for the new Federal EFMJ 124 grain +P. As close as you can get to guaranteed expansion with plenty of penetration.
 
I would go with the COR-BON 9-115JHP. I like it over the other comparable loads due mostly to it's lack of muzzle flash. All of the +P+ loads are within 25 fps of each other in the 115 grain bullet weight. Bullet construction is another factor. I like the bullet that COR-BON uses. Most important is the lack of flash though. Remember, most situations involving a firearm for defense take place in low light conditions. If you've never fired your gun/ ammo combination...you might want to try it. You'll be very enlightened!
 
My vote goes to CCI/Speer 124 gr. +P Gold Dots.

This whole discussion is like, "What's better on your sandwich, mayo or mustard?" Everybody's got a favorite.
 
my $.02: any ammo that reliably fires from your gun and that you are used to firing, should be enough to stop anyone. if you are more accurate with a FMJ round as opposed to a JHP, then carrying the FMJ would make more sense to me. a well placed shot makes all the difference.


Adept
 
Interesting info. I'm confused about something though. What happens to the "lost" weight of the Corbon and Triton bullets? I assume that they are fragmenting and creating wound channels? Wouldn't that be a good thing in a defensive round when evaluating stopping power and over penetration concerns? Isn't that what makes the 55gr .223 so effective? I would think that bullet expansion and weight retention would be more of a concern when hunting thicker skinned prey- but that's what I get fer thinkin.
 
Ya got to try the devestater cartridge. It has a small explosive inside the bullet. It blew a hole in a tree in my yard that I'll probably never forget. Don't have the web site handy but I'll post it if anybody wants to inquire.
 
There are two main camps: the Marshall & Sanow folks (and someone's already posted a link to them) and the Facklerites. The M&S folks seem to prefer the light and fast. The Facklerites swear by gelatin studies and focus on penetration. Shawn Dodson, a member of the Fackler camp, has a lot of info on his web site: http://www.firearmstatical.com

Which of the two camps is "right"? I dunno. I think there are some significant drawbacks to both approaches.

M1911
 
I agree. Both camps have an imperfect approach (what`s perfect in this world?). I used to be firmly in the light and fast crowd,now I`ve drifted a bit toward the other side and I`ve been changing over to not quite as light and almost as fast. My current 9mm loads are 115gr.+P Quickshoks in my P-11 (I figure the super short barrel needs all the help it can get expansion wise) and 124gr.+P Golddots in my CZ-75. Marcus
 
Marshal Crowd

I truthfully don't know about about the Facklerites however I will investigate, until then...... I'll go with the dead bodies in Marshals study. I think that proof is the final say for me!
 
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