Good self defense round?

[tanfog101]

I need a good self defense round? I have the 135 gr federal hydoshocks right now but they jam a lot. I think the feed ramp is too steep. my boss said i should look at hornady critical defense. Also my gun says NO PLUS P ammo. Would it be bad if i carried +P for self defense?

 

[RC20]

Welcom to the forum, and

You need to take a deep breath and then....

Tell us what kind of gun you have, make and model and what caliver (9mm I suspect).

Is it new, used and how used

That then tells us where we can give idea of where you need to go.

 

[tanfog101]

Its a tanfoglio witness match eaa. Full size. Its slightly used, with maybe 500 rounds through it.

 

[KyJim]

The Hydra-Shoks have a very open face to the bullet. The Critical Defense ammo should feed much better with pretty decent performance. I would personally try 124 gr. Speer Gold Dots in standard pressure but trying a bunch of premium priced self-defense ammo can be expensive.

I don't know much about this particular pistol, but I would not run +P ammo through it. Most manufacturers of 9mm handguns will be up front about whether it is rated for +P loads. It will at least increase wear. There are some good standard pressure 9mm loads (like the Gold Dot) that will perform well so going to +P is unnecessary even for defensive cary, IMO.

 

[C0untZer0]

here is the Winchester site that lets you look at ballistic performance in media:

http://www.winchester.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/flash-SWFs/law_bullit.swf

Also here are some test resluts for Corbon DPX and Federal HST:

http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Self_Defense_Ammo_FAQ/DocGKRData/9mm_CorbonDPX.htm

I think if a 9mm penetrates to around 14" and expands past .60 caliber it should do well in an actual shooting.

Personally I like the Winchester Ranger "T" Series - 147gr RA9T. It penetrates to around 14" and expands to around .65".

 

[Glockstar .40]

Hornady critical defense and if your feeling apocalyptic you can get the zombie max. same bullet just a different color polymer plug

Speer gold-dot makes great reliable SD round also!

 

[9mm]

Shooting +p or +p+ rounds in a non rated +p +p+ gun can cause a KAAAABoom. Don't do it.

 

[Cheapshooter]

Any modern HP, or variation there of (Critical Defense) that functions reliably in your firearm will be OK. The main thing is that you shoot enough of it that you are 100% sure that is is reliable.
On the +P. If your doctor gives you a prescription that says take only 4 pills per day, would you take 6? Those people who write instructions don't know anything they're talking about, now do they?