[Andy W]

Hi Mas,

I'm considering buying a 9mm handgun in a couple months after I turn 21. It will be for target shooting and home defense;no CCW for now. The only self defense ammo readily available around here are the Corbon JHP loads. I was wondering about the effectiveness of their standard JHP loads in 9mm. Corbon claims they are the best, fastest loads on the market. I'm not so sure. I don't know about their 125 grain load but every amateur test I've seen of the 115 grain load had the bullet fragmenting. There seems to be a consensus that fragmentation is bad in a defensive handgun load. Is fragmentation really that big of a problem for civilian self defense? Also, do you have any data on the real world effectiveness of these loads or how they compare to Federal HSTs, Speer Gold Dots, etc?

[Mas Ayoob]

The most widely field-tested 9mm CorBon load to my knowledge is the 115 grain JHP +P. In flesh and gelatin alike, it tends to tear a wide wound channel about 10" deep, and has proven very effective at stopping violent human beings. The partial fragmentation of the bullet is active rather than passive, meaning that the pieces tend to spin violently away from the wound track and enlarge it somewhat, instead of merely lying behind in an already torn track.

Many prefer the FBI protocol, which includes a minimum 12" of penetration, and prefer a bullet that stays in once piece. Your call. Differences of opinion on this and related topics is why Caliber Corner is so busy at Glock Talk.
best,
Mas

[Andy W]

Thank you. I think 10" of penetration is plenty for the average human being; maybe not for some cracked out 300+ pound monster but in that case it's probably best to get something bigger than a handgun anyway.