Best 9mm ammo for defense

Doctor who? I listen to Evan Marshall, a "been there, done that" kind of guy. :) I also realize that the top brands are pretty close together on effectiveness, and I buy accordingly. I certainly hope I never have to find out if the marketing is ALL hype.;)
 
Yea the critical duty seems like good stuff. perfect middle ground between 124 and heavy 147 with +p and the flexlock thing seems to be a breakthrough as far as penetration and expansion go.
 
austinr09

Yea the critical duty seems like good stuff. perfect middle ground between 124 and heavy 147 with +p and the flexlock thing seems to be a breakthrough as far as penetration and expansion go.
Click to expand...

I couldn't have said it better myself.

-Cheers
 
Marshall and Sanow? LoL.. Not bad for fictional reading..
At least Doc Roberts doesn't have an agenda to sell some [fictional] books
 
Critical Defense looks to be the best. And no I don't write books or Own a AR-15. but I did stay in a holiday in express.
 
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Evan Marshall, a "been there, done that" kind of guy

Ugh...

I'm going to take advice on bullet selection from a guy who claims he has expert insight on the JFK assasination and knows conclusively that Lee Harvey Oswald never killed anyone?


Hooooo-Kay !



I think I'll stick to watching tnoutdoors9 videos on YouTube instead... thank you very much.



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I think any of the top shelf hollow points would be "best."

Gold Dots
Golden Sabers
Critical Defense
Buffalo Bore
Double Tap
Federal HST
Cor-Bon
 
My ccw is a Kel Tec PF-9. Given how particular they are about what you feed them, I'm having to try different things, to see what cycles reliably.

According to quite a few owners, they typically cycle 115 gr, standard pressure JHPs without any trouble.

When I hit the shop today, I picked up:
1 box Speer 115 gr Gold Dots
1 box Speer 124 gr +P Gold Dots

I saw ballistic results from a series of tests with rounds fired from PF-9s, and those two had good penetration and expansion. Interestingly, the 'bloom' pattern of Gold Dots seems to look more like a star than a circle. This is different than a lot of JHPs that I've seen. Many of them look like they roll open, where Gold Dots (both kind) come out looking like they peeled open.
 
Winchester Ranger T-Series 127gr +P+, Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P, and Cor-Bon 125gr +P JHP in that order. I feel that a 124-127gr bullet at 1200fps or faster represents the best balance of velocity, energy, expansion, momentum and penetration in a 9mm.
 
124 or 147 FMJ. It chambers with no problem, I practice a lot with it and I can hit what I'm aiming at.
 
Evan Marshall, 9x19mm selections: 124gr size....

I've read many of Marshall's research & writings since the mid 1980s. From what I know, Evan Marshall earned a PhD, retired from the Detroit MI police department(where he worked in homicide & SRT/SWAT). He wrote in a magazine about how he was shot in the line of duty(lower leg). Marshall's later work & material is a bit questionable. He had high praise for Uzi type SMGs in the early 1990s & the publication's editor added the fact that Evan Marshall was on the firearm company's LE sales staff.
Edwin Sanow is more creditable, IMO. He is a veteran LE officer & has wrote about many police subjects for years.

As for the 9mm ammunition, I'd buy factory new 124gr size rounds then use milspec 124 grain 9x19mm FMJ or ball for practice-training. Some wts may be different but not by much.
I also suggest using PowRball or Winchester 9mmNATO FMJ in spare mags.
Feeding & cycles shouldn't be problems in a protracted gunfight, ;).
 
I now carry the Federal HST +P 124 grain in both my 19 and 26. I used to carry the Federal 9BPLE +P+ 115gr JHP. Still have a couple boxes of that load. Never felt under-gunned, but ammo fashions change and the HST seems to be getting a pretty good "real world" record.
 
If anyone is interested in carrying 147gr and wants a practice ammo that emulates the premium stuff pretty closely - the Speer Lawman 147gr does that.

I think there's a thread here somewhere that talks about it.
 
Any 124 gr HP that gets round 1200 fps. I'm not brand loyal, but have been happy with some Speer Gold Dot +p's that I bought in bulk a few years ago.
 
Critical Duty 135gr +P, FBI Protocol tests(T&E)...

If you are a "Jello Junkie" ;), the new Hornady Critical Duty 135gr +P meets those requirements. The company media video explains the engineering of the Critical Duty line in detail.
I looked into buying a few boxes in early 2012 but it was out of stock. :(
New lots seem to be available with most well known firearm/outdoor websites.
MidwayUSA.com, NatchezSS.com, Graf's, etc.
I got a 25rd box of standard Golden Saber 124gr JHP +P but plan to shoot it up in a few months, then buy 2/3 boxes of Hornady Critical Duty.
 
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