9MM Self Defense Loads Review

[MoJo]

9 and .45 are about equally weak, put it that way

It's about the 3Ps - placement, penetration and persistence (ie shoot it center, shoot it deep and shoot till it stops).

[casingpoint]

It may be meaningless, but when a 135 grain Speer Gold Dot +P Short Barrel round fired recently from my 2 inch J frame breezed through four layers of Wrangler blue jean denim and then penetrated 10 inches of wet newsprint, the equivalent of 15 inches in ballistic gel, it was profoundly convincing.

[kragluver]

I'm surprised this thread has not turned into a "45 vs 9mm" arguement. It just goes to show what sort of quality folks we have posting on this forum.
There is a saying I've heard repeated often - amatuers argue caliber, professionals argue tactics.
I did a lot of reading on the subject of ammo type before I started carrying. I came to the conclusion that all the big name ammo makers in this country produce an excellent jhp bullet. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them on the performance side. It then comes down to cost and what works reliably in your pistol.

[joe817]

I came to the conclusion that all the big name ammo makers in this country produce an excellent jhp bullet. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them on the performance side. It then comes down to cost and what works reliably in your pistol.

Bingo buddy! They are ALL good, and everyone of them will get the job done.

[frazzled]

I came to the conclusion that all the big name ammo makers in this country produce an excellent jhp bullet. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them on the performance side. It then comes down to cost and what works reliably in your pistol.

Bingo buddy! They are ALL good, and everyone of them will get the job done.

+1

[Mike from Texas]

Excellent article. I do not feel undergunned carrying any of my 9mm guns, especially my G17. I've got 19 rounds to get it right if need be.

[PeteCamp]

My back up gun is a Kel-Tec PF9. I've seen some users of shorter barrel 9mm's say they have not had good results with 147gr bullet weights - which may be functioning of the gun related, as far as I know. Anyone have any experience with the 147's in shorter barrel / lighter weight guns?

[casingpoint]

My concern with 147 grain 9mm would be feeding reliability. Nothing feeds in a semi auto like 9mm 115 grain. Move up to 124 and there is a slight detectable degree of resistance. The 147 grain ballistics look good when compared to 38 Special in a snub. I'd like to see another 100 fps, however, from this semi auto round.

[shadowtactical]

Good discussion everyone. I agree that 9mm has adequate stopping power IF a decent number of rounds make contact with the bad guy. IMHO, that's why practicing real world scenarios is so important. It builds the muscle memory you will rely on to place shots effectively while experiencing extreme stress, fear and movement.

For those of you who are new to CHL or haven't done this yet, try a simple test. Go to a range that allows you to draw from a holster and move while shooting. Then try it. See how much wider and more sporadic your shot pattern is by simply moving side to side or front to back? Now imagine doing this while the bad guy is shooting back as you're trying to find cover (or get away)... It's not as easy as it looks, but training will make the difference.

Again, just my 2 cents based on experience.