Best defensive 9mm round?

[Aedrick]

What's the best defensive 9mm round to carry? Right now I have the 124gr hydroshok and 124g hornady tap defense. Is there a better option or are they all pretty much the same?

[carbofan21]

so long as it cycles reliably in your pistol, i'm thinking 147 grain federal HST looks pretty tough to beat

[BigFameOne]

there will be many different opinions here, in fact someone is likely to tell you the best defensive round is the one that hits a vital organ or the one that stops the bg. Some folks vote for small and fast, some for bigger and slower. I have heard it said that the hydrashock is outdated, we shall see what people have to say here.

That said I am carrying 147gr Federal HSt in my 19. I have heard a lot of good stuff about the HST's plus they are one of the least expensive of the high quality FMJ stuff.

[PAGunner]

Who really knows for sure in every situation? Federal HSTs do very well all around, except through glass windshield, I like heavy bullets so I believe the 147gr. HSTs are good and federal recently made some 147gr. +P HSTs, so if you want the best 9mm round on a shot per shot basis, I'd have to say:

Federal HST 147gr. +P

[ijacek]

so long as it cycles reliably in your pistol, i'm thinking 147 grain Federal HST looks pretty tough to beat

+1

My whole department switched to those. I've seen the .45 HST after it was pulled out of a wild hog... very impressive expansion and weight retention.

[magiaaron]

That said I am carrying 147gr Federal HSt in my 19. I have heard a lot of good stuff about the HST's plus they are one of the least expensive of the high quality FMJ stuff.

Am I missing something here?

-magiaaron

[carbofan21]

i'm sure he meant JHP "self defense" loads

[carbofan21]

+1

My whole department switched to those. I've seen the .45 HST after it was pulled out of a wild hog... very impressive expansion and weight retention.

how big was the expansion, and any guess as to how deep it penetrated?

[ijacek]

how big was the expansion, and any guess as to how deep it penetrated?

I don't have the mesurments, but from what I could see it was full expansion with the jacket still attached to the "lips" with no seperation of any kind. As far as the depth of penetration goes, I don't have that information.

[Glock-Twenty]

What's the best defensive 9mm round to carry? Right now I have the 124gr hydroshok and 124g hornady tap defense. Is there a better option or are they all pretty much the same?

I love the 124gr Federal HST +P. Hot little round and from my readings and personal testing I have yet to find a JHP that expands quite as well or as consistantly as the HST. It will replace the hydrashok IMHO. From my experience corbons don't stay together much. Lot's of jacket seperation and aften the slug comes apart. If you can't find the HST... the Gold Dot is very hard to beat. Probably my second choice with Hornady TAP being second. I've been looing into the 147gr thing... not sure I'm sold on a heavier bullet with a round that capitalizes on it's speed. But weight is always a good thing.

[Glock-Twenty]

Federal HSTs do very well all around, except through glass windshield

Federal HST 147gr. +P

Can you give me a link to this info. I read an article where a SWAT group did testing on several different rounds (The most popular) of which the HST was a part and it was the only one that didn't experience jacket seperation in windshield glass and out-performed the others tested. I wished I could remember where I read it so I could provide a link.

[Habu]

What's the best defensive 9mm round to carry? Right now I have the 124gr hydroshok and 124g hornady tap defense. Is there a better option or are they all pretty much the same?

Those two are just fine. Very good stuff.

Also Hornady 124 grn XTP, 124 grn Speer GD.

[PAGunner]

Can you give me a link to this info. I read an article where a SWAT group did testing on several different rounds (The most popular) of which the HST was a part and it was the only one that didn't experience jacket seperation in windshield glass and out-performed the others tested. I wished I could remember where I read it so I could provide a link.

jacket seperation isnt the problem, its lack of penetration through auto glass.

http://le.atk.com/general/irl/woundballistics.aspx

Its still a great round, that is what I carry in 9mm and .45, I'm just trying to "keep it real". I believe these are the tests you are referring too, they are all tests where various LEAs test HST, Gold Dot and SXT.

[Sniperfox]

I have attended several autopsies in my career and I observed at least five 9m/m victims as 9m/m was the flavor of the month back in the 90's. Hands down, the most devastating trauma that I observed was in 1992-93? and done by two hits by the original 147 gr. Winchester Black Talon rounds. They did exactly as advertised. The pathologist even commented about the severe trauma done to the wound and the expansion of the sharp petals of those rounds. The victim was wearing a flannel shirt and t-shirt. Expansion may have been different through a heavy coat as it is with most hollow point.
I purchased several boxes of those rounds that I still have.

[legion3]

I have a case of the 147 HST and it currently is in the G19 at the front door and the wifes G19, so clearly I like the round but I am also partial to the Winchester Ranger 127 +P+, which is a top notch round with a longer service history.

I have several cases of the 127 so for the forseable future it is in my carry guns.

[MOHAA Player]

These are the only rounds I would carry in 9mm for self defense in order.

124gr +p Bonded Rem GS JHP
124gr +p Speer GD JHP
147gr Bonded FED HST JHP
147gr Bonded Rem GS JHP
147gr Speer GD JHP
147gr Win Ranger SXT JHP

[Rugby]

The best, with the history to back it up, is Winchester's 127gr. +P+ with honorable mention going to ATK, Remington, and Winchester versions of the 115gr +P+. I prefer the 127's from Winchester because of the better SXT bullet and the slightly higher weight/better sectional density over the 115's.

The 127's pass the FBI's current requirement for 12" penetration, exhibits violent expansion, has one of the highest velocities of all the 9mm rounds, and has known to penetrate deeper than 20" of ballistic gelatin if the round sheds it's jacket. The 127's also do well penetrating hard barriers. Good luck trying to find any for sale.

Having said that, I have Winchester 147gr. Bonded (RA9B) in my G19 right now.

[Mwinter]

HST bullets are not bonded....a 'crimp' on the lower half of the bullet helps to lock the jacket to the largest part of the core, which helps prevent jacket separation but does not prevent loss of weight the way bonding typically does. The quote from my ATK rep was something along the lines of the Speer Gold Dot side of the company being a little surprised (and jealous) that a less expensive/more traditional bullet (HST) performed almost as well as a bonded one.

The HST is a great overall performer, and assuming that:
1. it runs 100% in your gun(s)
2. you have or are able to acquire a suitable amount for regular training, reliability testing, and rotation of carry rounds

it'd be on my 'top 5' list for general HD/CCW use. Nice wide holes and 'picture perfect' expansion in all the live tests I've seen.

[BigFameOne]

Am I missing something here?

-magiaaron


oops, I think it is clear what I meant. I was getting tired and made a boo boo.

[Nemesis Lead]

Remington Golden Sabre +P (127 or 124 grains, I forget).

More of a penetrator than an expander, but that is a tradeoff that I am willing to make.

It is also a low flash ammo, which is key.

[Retseh]

I tend to stick with what has been proven to work.

Right now I have Win Ranger 127gr +P+, Federal 115gr +P+ (9BPLE), and Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P.

Of those I recently switched to the (very) old school 9BPLE load in all my 9mms, in my own testing I have found it to be THAT impressive, and it has put many hundreds of dangerous felons in the dirt.

[d3athp3nguin]

I use 147 gr Federal HSTs, though among the quality ammo manufacturers you start to split hairs when it comes to trying to figure out what is "best."

Sure, quality brand X may have kept 5 grains of extra weight than quality brand Y in Joe Shmoe's test, but that doesn't mean squat if you can't shoot straight.

I picked HSTs because:

I have found they cycle reliably in my glock (then again what doesn't)
They perform well in the smattering of tests I have seen
I trust Federal's defense ammo since I used to buy hydra-shoks.
For legal reasons: It is a round that police departments use.If HSTs were hard to find, I would just as likely pick up any of the other quality brands, after testing them in my gun. I'm more concerned with shooting well under stress than I am about finding the "best" 9mm.

[grimmjpr]

Can you give me a link to this info. I read an article where a SWAT group did testing on several different rounds (The most popular) of which the HST was a part and it was the only one that didn't experience jacket seperation in windshield glass and out-performed the others tested. I wished I could remember where I read it so I could provide a link.

Is this what you were thinking of?

http://le.atk.com/pdf/LosAngelesWBW.pdf

[ruger270man]

I usually use 124 gr gold dot

[von Schulenberg]

The best defensive 9mm round...

Is the one which penetrates deeply enough to reach vital organs, expands more often than not when passing through intermediate barriers, is constructed well enough to ensure bullet integrity in most scenarios, and is controllable enough for you to place your shots accurately under stress.

As much as I hate to say it, the rest is personal preference. ;)

[SIGShooter]

The two that you have now are excellent choices.

It all depends on what YOU want from your bullet.

Expansion, penetration, tissue destruction, fragmentation etc...


Hornady makes an awesome bullet. Great penetration, okay expansion. Highly accurate, extremely consistant.

Federal's Hydrashok is "Old Technology," however, it still puts the BGs down. Good expansion (When it doesn't clog), good penetration.

Like I said, it's what YOU want from your bullet.


Keep your powder dry!

[98_1LE]

Since my carry 9 is small and light, I chose to stick with standard pressure rounds. The 124gr HST ended up winning out after a little research.

[BigFameOne]

The best defensive 9mm round...

Is the one which penetrates deeply enough to reach vital organs, expands more often than not when passing through intermediate barriers, is constructed well enough to ensure bullet integrity in most scenarios, and is controllable enough for you to place your shots accurately under stress.

As much as I hate to say it, the rest is personal preference. ;)


See I called it.

[AWMP]

winchester 127 +p+ Ranger (RA9TA), does great against Armadillos, lol

[RLDS45S]

I have HST in 147gr, looking for Streichers to get the +P version. My back up mags stored in various places all have Federal BPLE loaded!

[Solid]

Federal and Ranger Bonded

[ContractSoldier]

What's the best defensive 9mm round to carry?

My advice is to stick with law enforcement only ammo for self defense. Here some rounds you should look into:

Winchester Ranger SXT 127 Gr. +P+

Winchester Ranger SXT 147 Gr.

Speer Gold Dot 124 Gr. +P

Also take a look at the Federal HST round's but keep in mind when looking over all the ballistic workshop data on Federal's site, yes the HST does offer some wicked expansion, however penetration is the most important and more often then not, more of the 147 Gr. Winchester Ranger SXT round's penetrated deeper then the 147 Gr. HST round's.

[1baddmax]

124 grain +P Ranger Bonded

[afterimages]

Sorry...but, how does one determine if a round is bonded or not? Package coding?

[Mwinter]

For the purposes of bullet construction and performance, any Gold Dot bullet can be considered bonded regardless of part number. (The process is actually closer to electroplating than to the Jack Carter bonding process; I think Federal/ATK has some kinda right to the specifics).

Winchester Ranger has some JHPs in their product line that are bonded; I don't know the part numbers.

Remington Golden Saber has a bonded version of their BJHP in several calibers; the boxes are labeled as such. Cheaper Than Dirt usually has the Golden Saber bonded product available.

Remington does not sell the component bonded bullet to reloaders as far as I know; same for the Federal Tactical Bonded bullets.

Federal Tactical Bonded products are labeled as such (at least on the boxes I have). Some older production rounds are not labeled; they are identified by part #. At least with the Federal product, you'll probably see a big price difference (example: through LE distributor 'x', Tactical Bonded stuff is about $33 bucks for a box of 50....HST is only $18-20.) Same for their rifle ammo....TRU products running about $15/20, and Tactical Bonded about $30-35/20.

[K-Pup]

I just settled on Win Ranger-T 124gr +p (aka Black Talons, without the black) from ammotogo.com. From the reading I did it scored well overall as a nice mix of expansion and penetration. And I couldn't ignore the history of the round as a proven stopper.

[azatrox]

My choice, Federal HST 147gr.

[TWS G26]

In 9mm, the generalities are fast vs. slow, light vs. heavy, expansion vs. penetration. Everything mentioned here is good stuff. When it comes down to saving your hide, the round YOU shoot with consistent accuracy under pressure will be the winner. All of these mentioned brands, weights, etc. feel a little different than something else when shooting. Try as many as you feasibly can, and go with the one that you can shoot well with one hand as well as two, on the move as well as standing still, behind cover, etc. Decide if you want maximum penetration or expansion, or a balance of both; standard pressure vs. +P vs. +P+ and so on. You may surprise yourself with your ultimate choice when compared to your original preferences. My tastes have evolved over the years as technology continues to take the 9mm cartridge to new performance levels.

Having said that, I've practiced and researched all of the above, and currently carry Federal HST 147gr in my Glock 19.