Best 9mm home defense ammo

[Hohn]

Lots of great choices mentioned here.

My nominee would be 147gr HST.

 

[rbMPSH12]

Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P

 

[srad]

Winchester Ranger RA9T 147 gr. through a 16.5" carbine barrel.

 

[Pinchaser]

Your query is what is best to have on your nightstand and you limited the choice to 9mm. There have been some good responses here, especially that whatever you are using, you need to run it through your gun while practicing to make sure it feeds reliably; the best ammo on Earth is useless if it doesn't go bang when you pull the trigger.

Since you limited the question to nightstand ammo, assuming this is 3am "someone is busting in your place" scenario, I would add that the time of year (assuming we're talking Indiana) also plays a role in what you load. In the summer, I like to use 124 grain Federal Hydra-Shok or HST. People breaking into your home in July are seldom wearing heavy, winter coats. 124 grain packs a fast-moving wallop (our goal is to shut down the CNS) but doesn't like things to be in the way. However, people breaking into your home in January likely are wearing heavy, winter coats. For them, I like to load 147 grain Federal Hydra-Shok or HST. Sub-sonic but will dig through that coat much better than 124 grain ammo. Could you use just one, or do it the opposite way, and still have success? Sure. You asked for the "best" and this would be my optimal way of doing it. YMMV.

 

[Hohn]

Since you limited the question to nightstand ammo, assuming this is 3am "someone is busting in your place" scenario, I would add that the time of year (assuming we're talking Indiana) also plays a role in what you load. In the summer, I like to use 124 grain Federal Hydra-Shok or HST. People breaking into your home in July are seldom wearing heavy, winter coats. 124 grain packs a fast-moving wallop (our goal is to shut down the CNS) but doesn't like things to be in the way. However, people breaking into your home in January likely are wearing heavy, winter coats. For them, I like to load 147 grain Federal Hydra-Shok or HST. Sub-sonic but will dig through that coat much better than 124 grain ammo. Could you use just one, or do it the opposite way, and still have success? Sure. You asked for the "best" and this would be my optimal way of doing it. YMMV.

I'm confused. CNS parts are way in the back, along with all the major vessels.

How is it that you don't need great penetration in the summer time? The difference between 124 and 147 is not that huge, but the 147 is a better penetrator, and it gets many recommendations because of that.

Guts are elastic, the difference in stretch cavities is almost worthless. The difference in penetration, however, can be very significant.

 

[Pinchaser]

How is it that you don't need great penetration in the summer time? The difference between 124 and 147 is not that huge, but the 147 is a better penetrator......

This is a misunderstanding (and a common one.) The faster moving, tighter 124 grain will always be the better penetrator with no obstacles and assuming the first impact is human tissue. Introduce obstacles and the slower 147 grain will have a better chance of deeper penetration. We are trying to induce shock, which shuts down the CNS. In theory, the deeper the penetration, the more likely we are to achieve our goal.

ETA: Definitely do what you believe is best for you. Educate yourself (please don't use the Internet to do so) and then go with the best info you find.

 

[HenryWallace]

FACTORY for the Sig.

 

[Hohn]

This is a misunderstanding (and a common one.) The faster moving, tighter 124 grain will always be the better penetrator with no obstacles and assuming the first impact is human tissue. Introduce obstacles and the slower 147 grain will have a better chance of deeper penetration. We are trying to induce shock, which shuts down the CNS. In theory, the deeper the penetration, the more likely we are to achieve our goal.

ETA: Definitely do what you believe is best for you. Educate yourself (please don't use the Internet to do so) and then go with the best info you find.

124 +P Gold Dot. 13.25":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdXfDcY-0gU&feature=share&list=PL727CAFF8A6C0D3BF

147gr Gold Dot: 14.25":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSFQgP30Lao&feature=share&list=PL727CAFF8A6C0D3BF



What is the effect of only changing velocity?

+P version of 147gr HST= 11.25"
http://youtu.be/i67WILeK66Y

Non +P version of 147gr HST= 13.25"
http://youtu.be/PNRqrJRq4T0



In these representations at least, it appears the conclusions differs with what you have asserted here. I'm not sure what you mean by "induce shock" but the hydrostatic shock theory has been refuted by almost every recognized authority in the field, and the only advocates the theory now has are ammo salesmen pushing exotic ammo (Glaser, MagSafe, etc).


To add more data points to your, consider this compilation of ammo performance from the well-known Ar15.com site. Note that almost all the 9mm loads that failed to penetrate at least 12" (per FBI minimum) are 115 and 124gr loads:

That's the research I've done. What's the research you've done that shows "the faster moving, tighter 124 grain will always be the better penetrator with no obstacles and assuming the first impact is human tissue"?

As for not using the internet, that's ridiculous. The internet is the great research resource known to human history. The problem isn't using the internet, it's NOT using common sense and some reasonable wisdom. The idea that a heavier slower bullet is a superior penetrator is not pulled from a single data source of obscure origin, but rather from the leading experts in the field of wound ballistics and terminal ballistics.

 

[bmwguru]

Federal 124gr +p HST

 

[cfl4rat]

Maximum Expansion (ME) Ammunition

 

[Bigbuck5]

My wife and I use 124 grain + P Gold Dots. I might be rethinking that the next time we need defensive ammo based on what I've seen posted in this thread.

 

[mrclean]

115 and 125 grain jhp Corbon are my picks.

 

[ultrabob]

i like the federal hydra-shocks i keep my beretta pX4 beside the bed and keep my ruger LCP 380 in the drawer my wife keeps a little snub nose 38 rossi on her side of the bed pretty little gold thing lol.

 

[Tactical Dave]

Ranger T series 147gr.

I like the nastier stuff because in a high stress situation I am sure my shots will be a little off.

 

[Nelg]

I use Federal Hyradshok. They are just plain nasty!!!!!!

 

[PKendall317]

I keep my Glock loaded with 115gr Hornaday Critical Defense. I'd prefer it be 124gr but 9mm is hard to find right now. However, I'd like to experiment with different brands. I've heard alot of good things about Speer Gold Dot. I also keep a .40SW Taurus loaded up with 180gr Hornaday TAP and I have two boxes of 135gr and 155gr Hyda-Shoks, but I haven't done any extensive testing or anything.

 

[mfd111]

Federal Hydra-Shock

 

[JLL101]

In the September 2012 issue of the American Rifleman magazine an article titled Handgun Stopping Power, the author, Richard Mann a Field Editor, compared the ballistics of calibers from .22 to .45 ACP. The author fired 100 rounds into 10% ballistic gelatin. 23 of these rounds were 9mm. He tested for velocity at 10 feet, penetration and expansion. He did not specify what guns were used to fire the rounds. He does on occasion show results for different length barrels for selected rounds.

He went through the logic of his protocol for determining what performance results were satisfactory in his opinion. He concluded that the minimum velocity of a round should be 1000 feet per second, that penetration should be at least 13" and expansion should be at least 1.5 times the original diameter of the round irrespective of your caliber of choice. Another approach he suggested for using his data was to compare you favorite round to the averages for its caliber. Obviously when one is analyzing raw data you can develop your own criteria and analyze accordingly.

For the rounds tested, his results showed about 1/3 of the 100 rounds tested met his suggested standard. Relative to the 9mm rounds tested, his results disclosed that 11 of the 23 rounds tested (including multiple same rounds in different length barrels) met or exceeded his specifications. Using his specs, the Corbon 100-gr +P; 2 DoubleTap rounds, a 80-gr and a 124-gr; Federal 115-gr JHP; Remington 115-gr JHP; Remington 124-gr Golden Saber +P; 2 Speer 124-gr HP; Winchester 124-gr JPDX1 HP; and Wilson Combat 124-gr XTP. Some of these same rounds did not meet his standards when shot out of a medium or short barreled gun. The Hornady Critical Defense 115-gr was just short of his standards. I utilize the Hornady and the Federal ammo in my defensive handguns so I am one out of two based on this analysis. He did not test the relatively new Hornady Critical Duty round.

If you can obtain a copy of the article he discusses his thoughts on the differences in killing a bad guy vs stopping the bad guy. His opinion is it is all about stopping the bad guy before the bad guy can harm you. He cites several well known sources of information on the subject. He points out that he could not distinguish whether a round nosed .32 or a round nosed .45 ACP made cavities in the gelatin when the rounds passed completely through the gelatin. He also points out and cites other studies that show that there is documented evidence of one shot stops with all calibers from .22 to .45 ACP. Some of his test results are surprising and others were predictable. All in all the article is worth the read.

 

[Jerchap2]

Hornady in my 9mm, Federal HydraShok in my 380.

 

[dtkw]

I have Gold Dot in one magazine and Remmy Golden Saber on the other, both 124 gr.