HOME defense ammo for 9mm

My t-series classic Browning Hi Power is loaded with standard pressure 124gr Speer Gold Dots. If I had a more recent vintage, I might consider using the +p version, but the gain would not be great.

If a round will penetrate 11 inches of ballistic jelly, it will go through a lot of dry wall. But if it won't penetrate 11 inches of ballistic jelly, it is a lousy home defense round.

Cordially, Jack
 
I would think even bird shot (from a shot gun) might have shocked the heck out of somebody maybe taking the fight out of them. Maybe? or even those so called magic bullets might do the same. It almost sounds like a lot of people are saying they are all but useless. Who really knows, GOD?
 
I would think even bird shot (from a shot gun) might have shocked the heck out of somebody maybe taking the fight out of them. Maybe? or even those so called magic bullets might do the same. It almost sounds like a lot of people are saying they are all but useless. Who really knows, GOD?
Click to expand...

No particular ammo or caliber loaded in a handgun, shotgun or rifle can be guaranteed to stop a person all the time. But some are more likely to do that than others. Long experience and study has taught us which.

Birdshot, Glazer Safety slugs, the Air Freedom, etc. rounds of this type can produce a devastating wound with proper shot placement. It is also a shallow wound...

I would think even bird shot (from a shot gun) might have shocked the heck out of somebody maybe taking the fight out of them. Maybe?
Click to expand...

Yep "Maybe" and like I said there is always a maybe but sometimes that maybe is bigger than other times and when we can we want that maybe to be as small as possible. The shallow wound has less of a chance to reach vital organs and does less damage internally than a JHP bullet of almost any service caliber. We also cannot count on a person, even a seriously wounded one, deciding to stop being a threat. We try to stop that threat of deadly force by applying enough of our own to cease theirs.

It would be a mistake to throw our hands up and say "Who really knows? God!" We don't have to be that passive. While we don't know for sure we can tilt the odds in our favor in a number of ways and one is with proper ammo choice. Birdshot, etc. increase the risks to us. If someone is posing such a threat that they need to be stopped Right NOW Air Freedom is less likely to do the job than a non-frangible bullet.

tipoc
 
Last edited:
Nothing against the 9mm, but the best personal defense round you can buy is 12 guage buckshot :D Nothing makes an intruder reconsider faster than the sound a pump racking a shell.;)
 
Cool (or not), I've never been on the receiving end of any shotgun of any type, like almost all of use/you.

Neither has (most) of us has experienced a flash/bang percussion grenade.

It's like taking a hockey goal tender, and shooting him in the face (With proper eye protection) with just a shotgun blast "Full power blanks". If, he wasn't expecting it, "Superman" it just might shock the heck out of him.

Sometimes just a flash bang just might be the ticket?

Think about that!!!
 
Problem with flashbangs is if you screw up the perp isn't the only one blind and deaf.

My mother wants to put a sign at the lake house that says,

"Trespassers will be shot, survivors will be shot again"

I'm having a similar discussion with my mother about the merits of a pistol vs shotgun. They have a very nice house in the middle of nowhere on a lake, and my mother isn't the type to go down without a fight. She refuses to be a victim.

I think she should get the shotgun just because longer barreled weapons tend to be easier to hit your target with and she'd never put in the time to practice with a handgun regularly.
 
Anyone know what Air Marshall's using?
Click to expand...

Sig P229s in 357 Sig and 125 grn Speer Golddots from what I remember reading.

Personally, I have Winchester Ranger 127 grn +P+ in my Glock 17. I also have Speer 124 grn +P GoldDots available as well as Cor Bon 115 grn and Federal Classic 115 grn 9BP. Any and all of these I feel will get the job done if I do my part.

I think the standard velocity GoldDot 124 and Remington Golden Saber 124s will do just fine too. Lots of good rounds mentioned in the posts above.
 
If you're shooting someone with a handgun you -want- penetration. The FBI sets the 12" minimum for a reason. Once you decide to shoot someone you're officially in a fight for your life. It's time to stack the deck in your favor as much as possible.

If you're constrained to a 9mm handgun (not necessarily bad) you should use the heaviest load that will reliably cycle in your gun; preferably 147gr as a heavier grain round will penetrate deeper than a light one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top