9mm Self Defense Loads
18 Responses to “9mm Self Defense Loads”
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
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December 30th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
From one of the links: “We get a lot of questions about what 9mm ammunition we recommend for self defense. The short answer is 124gr. +P JHP from Federal, Remington, or Winchester.”
My short answer? Don’t carry 9mm. Bring enough caliber to do the job. IMHO, .357 magnum or .40 S&W and .45 ACP come to mind.
December 30th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
err, yeah.
December 30th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Uh, okay: http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=28212
Just goes to show you (and me) that opinions are varied. Me? I trust someone who has been in a firefight and not someone who looks at ballistic gelatin like it’s some kind of Rorschach ink blot test. Last time I checked, ballistic gelatin won’t shoot back.
I really like your page Uncle, but I have to respectfully disagree with you on this.
Fin
December 30th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
1) it’s world nut daily. 2) the army is limited to ball ammo, which is a factor. Ball 45 and ball 40 suck too.
December 30th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Uh, OK. You are right and I am wrong. I forgot rule #1: “Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.” Say what you want about WND, Col. Hackworth is a real person with real combat experience. I merely am expressing my “opinion” as a person who actually carries everyday professionally and off duty. But, this is your world and your page. So I shall defer to your authority and your block of gelatin. Happy New Year Uncle and to all. And stay safe no matter what caliber that you choose to carry. Your life depends on it.
December 30th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
M4finny, here’s another article to base your entire arguement on. http://insightstraining.com/blog/index.php/2009/09/is-9mm-really-less-effective-than-45-acp/
December 30th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
what i’m saying is it is debatable regarding 9mm. The military is limited to ball ammo, which sucks. I’m not dismissing your opinion at all. Modern 9mm corbon loads have terminal ballistics that outperform 45 acp from 30 years a go. A 45 is better if the design of the bullet is similar, no question. But if it’s better enough to make a difference, that’s debatable with modern loads. It’s why I hate .40 S&W. 10 percent performance increase for 40% cost increase. Not trying to be an expert because I am not. Just letting you know what the consensus is among people who know. And those people aren’t me. Just folks I’ve read.
And my two full size carry guns are both 45s.
December 30th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
in other words, 9mm doesn’t necessarily suck.
December 31st, 2009 at 2:13 am
Trivia: Long ago I worked at a gunshop on Sutherland Avenue in Knoxville (now long gone), on the edge of a fairly shady neighborhood. We all used “non-toxic” loads in our carry guns. Even the buckshot was “non-toxic”. At across-the-showroom distances, it performed well in 9,.45, & 12 gauge in gelatin, wet newspaper bundles, and spoiled hams.
We never had a live-target exercise, which is just as well, but still had confidence in our ability to stop a robber.
December 31st, 2009 at 3:42 am
Those who know, carry 1911’s. Those who read SWAT and Tactical Airsoft Warrior carry XDs.
December 31st, 2009 at 1:07 pm
And what about those who don’t have the larger framed body to carry a 1911 concealed?
I’d love to carry a 1911…but I can’t. Right now I’m looking at upgrading my .380 every day carry to a 9mm or .40. The difference between the two calibers on the model I’m looking at is 1 round additional you’d get with the 9mm. Plus, the 9mm has slightly less recoil. I’m leaning that direction based on those two reasons.
December 31st, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Plus, I’d be using something like Federal HST +P ammo…much more effective than ball ammo.
December 31st, 2009 at 1:50 pm
A comment on the WND article referenced: It was published in 2002. The points may still be valid, and they might not, but 7 years is a long time in war time and there might have been changes since then.
(I double checked the date because Col Hackworth died in 2005, [RIP Sir, you deserve it]and knew this wasn’t current information).
December 31st, 2009 at 4:03 pm
So, Hackworth thinks that 9mm BALL is inferior to .45ACP BALL?
Big surprise. If you are stuck with non-expanding ball handgun rounds, bigger is the ONLY way to get better.
Doesn’t hold true with modern design JHPs. People who think otherwise simply
NOTE — my standard carry piece is a .45ACP Combat Commander with 230 grain JHPs, because I’ve been shooting the 1911 platform in .45 for nearly 30 years, and I’m comfortable with it. I also find the 9mm recoil to be a little “jumpier” than I prefer (lighter, but sharper, than the .45).
I will admit to a feeling that, with the .45, even if the JHP fails to expand it’s almost as big as a 9mm JHP. Even though I know that’s really not a factor, it’s a comforting rabbit’s foot for me.
My #2 carry choice is a .357 Model 65 3″ K-frame. (I also have a .38 Spl Model 10 3″ K-frame that’s been known to accompany me.) If tried and true loads like a Cor-Bon 125 grain JHP moving at warp speed won’t do the job, I really need a long gun anyway.
Of course, I don’t have a problem carrying 9mm in a decent design, nor do I have a problem with the XD (it shoots really well). My wife carries a 9mm XD with 124 grain JHP +P, and I’m thinking of getting a .40 XD for S&G.
But ALL of my carry guns are loaded with what I feel are the most effective JHP loads, and I feel perefectly adequately covered with anything I own for serious social purposes (the Baby Browning doesn’t count — it’s a collector, not a carry piece).
Pick a reliable gun that you shoot well and feels good in your hands, preferrably in a “service” level caliber (9mm Parabellum, .38 Special, on up to .45ACP or .357 Magnum), stuff it full of good quality, modern, US made, JHPs in reasonable weights, velocities, and pressure curves (not so fond of “subsonic” 9mm, unless I’m planning on buying and using a suppressor), and shoot your damned gun a lot.
The difference between the best .45ACP JHP and mediocre 9mm JHP is FAR less than the difference in shot placement between a gun that’s “too beaucoup” for you and one that shoots like a dream in your hands. This disparity is even more serious when comparing teh “mediocre” 9mm you have in your hand to the heavy, large, expensive, .45ACP DeathBlaster you left in the gun safe that day.
December 31st, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Hmmph. A sentance in the third paragraph got mysteriously cut off. . . Should read
“People who think otherwise simply don’t know what they are talking about.”
December 31st, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Sigh, another rehashing of the caliber debate. Apparently it never gets old.
My post was a response to the question: “What 9mm load do you recommend?”
Notice how the question is about 9mm. That precludes the discussion of the perceived assets and liabilities of some other caliber.
I guess I didn’t make it clear enough in my original post that the ammunition was recommended primarily for it’s RELIABILITY and any theoretical benefits in terms of terminal ballistics are a distant second.
December 31st, 2009 at 9:26 pm
I guess this would include the Speer Gold Dot 124 +P 9mm round.
I personal believe this round (which has a excellent track record with NYPD, and Chicago PD ) to be one of the best 9mm rounds available.
Also Glock redesigned the Glock 19 magazine to feed this round flawlessly (as requested by the NYPD).
January 1st, 2010 at 2:29 pm
As far as 9mm, I use Winchester Silvertip JHPs in my Browning Hi Powers. Federal 9BP 115gr JHP as a secondary load.
Excellent reliability in any BHP I’ve used them in, I can usually find one of them in stock anywhere in the country (that allows peasants to own handguns that is), and I don’t want to subject my primary Hi Power to +P ammo. (and I’m not changing guns just to get +P capability).
Hope that helps as far as the actual original question.