Question for those carrying the 9mm

I'm issued a S&W MP 9MM with Gold Dots 124's. I have total faith in this combination. Off duty, I carry one of my snub .38's, .357's, or a .380. It all depends on the weather and my mood.
 
WESHOOT2, that is because a 124gr+P will give you a penetration advantage in ballistic gel. Which is supposed to translate in to better penetration in tissue.

The advantage of 147gr is that it will hold up better when passing through barriers. Relatively few shootings really involve shooting through cars and walls. So, they go with the 124gr+P to suit their most likely uses.

I choose 147gr because it does give a slight advantage in penetration over 124gr bullets. The larger cross sectional density actually works to the heavier bullets advantage. Plus, I try to stay away from +P ammo. I like to practice with the same weight and load as my carry ammo. Standard pressure rounds allow this and minimize wear on the gun.

If a person wants to carry 124gr+p, I suggest practicing with Winchester Ranger NATO rounds. They perform very similar to 124gr+P SD rounds. Yet, you can usually find them for $12 per 50 if you look.
 
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+1 on Winchester ranger standard pressure 147jhp. The Federal HST is also a great round. Looking at new guns for my PD we looked at allot of data and I couldn't believe how well the newer 9mm ammo is doing. Be carefull if you look it up on the net, most 9mm articles are from the 80s and 90s and don't reflect the progress made. We got some big poster spread sheet type data from Speer and Winchester showing the different LE loads for 9mm, 40S&W, and 45acp. The test were for expansion, penetration, and barrier test... The 9mm is right there with the 40 & 357 sig. I really like the stats on the standard pressure 147 grain loads in speer, Win, and Federal. For a home defense gun I'm considering a lighter round with less penetration. Good luck.
 
Thank you for your reasoning

That said, having some small experience with the manufacture of handgun ammunition intended for shooting people, I'll stick with what I've written, and make, and carry.

Actual testing continues....on the street.
 
I completely agree that if you feel comfortable making your own, you should. My comment about the Winchester NATO round was for those purchasing factory loads.

I just wanted to lay out my thought process so that other's could follow along. Hopefully if their is a flaw in my process someone will notice. Then they can correct me. That way we can all learn.

One more thing I wanted to add to the discussion is Hornady's own published testing of the Critical Defense 115gr 9mm bullet. From the looks of their tests, it doesnt appear to be much better than a .380 round. Penetration in heavy clothing is 11" for the 9mm versus 10" for the .380. In bare gelatin the difference decreases to about 0.5".

http://www.digitalmagazinetechnology.com/a/?KEY=hornady-10-products#page=11&zoom=1
 
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Night biking gun is a Glock 26 with 124 gr HydraShoks. It's a gun and load I control very well one-handed, leaving me able to control the bike as well.
 
Federal HST 147gr +P

Another vote for the Federal HST 147gr.+P.
This round has fantastic hollow point upset as well as penetration.
I used to use Gold Dot 124gr.+P but switched to the HST. Not only does it seem to perform better, but it has less recoil.
Both my Beretta PX4 Subcompact and my Glock 26 are filled to the brim with this impressive load.
 
Winchester Ranger T 124 gr. +P JHP.
It shoots to POA, the same as my American Eagle 124 gr. FMJ practice ammo. It's also 100% reliable, performs very well and is much cheaper and easier to find than the Corbon DPX I used to carry.

The 9mm is relatively cheap, very accurate, available just about everywhere and is powerful enough to provide adequate penetration with modern hollowpoints. I can also carry it chambered in a small, light, accurate, reliable and easily concealable gun (Kahr PM9).
 
stages

Chrono your fav 147g load from your gun.
Compare to similar-weight 38 Special.

Then take a +P or +P+ 115--127g 9x19 choice and test.
Then compare to similar-weight 357 SIG and Magnum.

Is there a point to all this?
You bet.....
 
My main carry is a Glock 19. I use Cor Bon 125 gr +P or 115 gr +P depending on what I can get at the store.

I also carry a Kahr PM 9, but I load that with Cor Bon Powerball ammo.

Both work excellently, though betweent the them I would go with the 125 gr +P as my favorite.
 
to all,

my personal choice for 7/365 carry in my beloved Sig P6 is Winchester's 9JHP, 115, NON-plusP HP, as it balistically identical to "government issue hardball", which i get FREE & in any usual quantity.


yours,sw
 
ken613 said:
I've read in several places lately that ammunition development has brought the 9x19 to the point that it is a serious contender compared to the other top carry rounds.
Click to expand...

If by several places lately, you mean 1902, 'cause the 9 mm Parabellum has been a serious contender since its inception.

The 115 grain, .355 dia, FMJ @ 1100-1250 fps = extremely deadly. It will penetrate anyones cranium from 50 yards at least.

Given that knowledge, it should go without saying that modern, twenty first century 9 mm HP is good for carry and defense.
 
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