top 5 115gr hollow points?

K

KelBench400

New member
I know this has be done about a million times, but I can't find a decisive answer. I'm going to be choosing my carry round and I'm not sure what I want to go with (given equal reliability). Is it Corbon, Triton, Speer, Federal? Tell me why you chose your carry round and not any other (must be 115 gr, or possibly 124/125 gr).

Thanks,
Kel
 
Any of the above would work fine, although I'd prefer the 124/125 gr bullets.

Have carried Corbon, Hydra-shoks, Tritons, Pro Loads -still would.

Currently carry Gold Dots, keep reading good stuff about this round. Also trying out 500rds Golden Sabers.

Realistically though, any good brand of ammo would do the job, if practiced with regularly.
 
I currently carry the 124gr Rem Golden Sabers. To answer your question (in no particular order) though:

Golden Sabers
Gold Dots
Silvertips
Federal
Tritons
 
I've stoked my 9mm's with Cor-Bon +P 115's in the past and currently tote Speer Gold Dot 124's.

I'm thinking that any of the premium loads by the major manufacturers would do you just fine.
 
115gr +p hollowpoints from Remington are a good performer. The Winchester Whitebox 115 gr hollowpoints are supposed to give similar performance as their Silvertip counterparts.
 
Probably the best way to solve your answer your question (though not necessarily the least expensive) is to buy one or two boxes of each and try them in your pistol. Most pistols seem to "prefer" some brands/bullet weights. For example, my Beretta 92 does exceptional well with Federal 147-grain ammo (9MS), but my P5 does better with Proload 124-grain +P (Gold Dot bullets) even though I prefer 147-grain ammo in the nine.

In the selection process, I certainly would not limit myself to just 115-grain bullets, but I would try different bullet weights and velocity. It has been my experience that the 147-grain ammunition is more accurate, easier shooting and easier on the gun than any +P. If ever necessary, the 147-grain rounds seem to be giving the best, most consistent anti-personnel performance of all the nines (not that some of the other weights can't give spectacular performances sometimes--I just prefer consistent outstanding performance the 147-grainers deleiver.
 
juliet charley brings a very important point to the topic. Reliability is critical. I would not consider an arm for self defense unless I have tested the ammo for it at least 200 rounds without a jam.

What about flash?
Most people test their ammo in full daylight while odds are if they have to fire in self defense it will be in low light. A LOT of ammo has a BLINDING flash at night.
Have you tested your ammo at night for flash?

What about stopping power?
There are a lot of debatable variables when it comes to stopping different targets.
HOWEVER, if your ammo has low power and low potential for expansion you are in a weak position. Have you measured or at least read the published data for Muzzle Energy and Muzzle Velocity for your carry ammo? Energy is the potential to kill
and Velocity is the potential to expand which may be a key factor in killing.

What about over-penetration?
Over-penetration may be a plus on the battlefield. Get 2 or 3 bad guys with one shot if they are standing in a row!!
For self defense, over-penetration means:
a) Your bullet is not maximized for effectiveness because it did not dump all its energy in the target. (If you think exit wounds are a plus, why choose JHP ammo?)
b) You are endangering innocents when your shot exits your target. For self defense, over-penetration should be avoided for moral reasons.

I have thoroughly tested my CCW ammo against the above standards and feel confident in it!

Regards,
George
In Sunny Arizona
 
Energy is the potential to kill and Velocity is the potential to expand which may be a key factor in killing.
Click to expand...
I don't think "energy" has ever killed anybody with a handgun (now maybe when finally perfect handheld phasers like Kirk's and Spock's).

The killing mechanisms in a handgun are penetration and expansion (to the extent it makes the penetration more effective which is to say a nice big hole a half an inch deep will probably not be very effective). So what you are looking for, rather than muzzle energy and muzzle velocity, is a round that will consistently penetrate 12 to 14 inces (though some say 9 is sufficient, but that is assuming straight frontal shot--an assumption that can get you killed) and, for a 9 mm, probably expansion to something .60+ calibre.

With the current generation of hollow points, velocity is no longer as critical as it once was (to ensure expansion). In some cases, it can actually be counterproductive in that when a bullet is pushed faster than its designed velocity "window" it will overexpand and not achieve sufficient penetration to be effective.
 
I carry COR-BON 115s! I like them because of the lack of muzzle flash, they have a good track record and are readily available!
 
juliet charley,

You said:
“I don't think "energy" has ever killed anybody with a handgun”

DUH? DUH? DUH?

Your entire response makes no sense. You should have quit while you were ahead!

Regards,
George
In sunny Arizona
 
George -

You said:
Energy is the potential to kill and Velocity is the potential to expand which may be a key factor in killing.
Click to expand...
1. Energy is not the potential to kill. Maybe to keep it simple for you I should had said, "Energy is not the killing mechanism in handguns." Pure energy has absolutely nothing do killing in handguns. A certain level of energy is required for what kills in handguns (the bullet penetrating and expanding) to work. Beyond the minimum required to insure the projectile (bullet) works as designed energy is, for all practical purposes, meaningless in the equaption (except in terms of recoil, muzzle flash, muzzle blast, muzzle flip and other bad effects on control of the handgun). If and when energy weapons are developed in handgun sizes then "energy [will] be the potential to kill."

2. With modern handgun ammunition, velocity is not the potential to expand. Modern handgun ammunition is designed to reliably expand within a "velocity window." Depending on the ammunition, the lower end of the effective velocity can be quite low. Excessive velocity with properly designed handguns bullets is counterproductive (leading to excessive expansion and inadequate penetration).

If the rest of my post confuses you obviously have no idea how a handgun ammunition kills. (Or if you truly have a reading comprehension problem, you might consider adult literacy or remedial reading classes).

To be honest, you probably should not have started at all.
 
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