Best 9mm carry ammo question

alucard0822 · Nov 20, 2016

Easy answer, 147gr HSTs, they expand more than most, while penetrating well, usually top of the charts in performance, but they are also one of the most practical. 147 standard pressure has the smallest powder charge, simply takes less powder to reach pressure, so they also have the least flash/blast, and tend to run efficiently in short barrels and recoilis mild. Only downside is some pistols don't feed them well, and they may hit high. HSTs are extremely popular with LEO agencies, and easy to find in inexpensive 50rd boxes compared to 20rd civvie packaged ammo for basically the same price.

knastera · Nov 20, 2016

smokey0118 said:
RIP is not good defensive ammo. The trochars don't penetrate enough to really do anything, so you're left with a caliber-sized slug as the only thing causing trauma to important structures of the body.

I totally disagree. Look at this video. https://youtu.be/Gmy7Vp7aNHw

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Traveler · Nov 20, 2016

gwchem said:
Federal HST or Speer gold dots. Buy a box or two of each and see which works better for you.

^ This. 124 or 147 grains

/end thread

smokey · Nov 20, 2016

knastera said:
I totally disagree. Look at this video. https://youtu.be/Gmy7Vp7aNHw

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Looked and it reaffirms my conclusion. The only thing that penetrated was the little unexpanded base. The trochars didn't really do anything substantial. Here's a longer explanation

knastera · Nov 20, 2016

I guess that you watched a different video than I did.

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woodstock · Nov 20, 2016

hmm, as per the thread title, "BEST 9mm carry ammo?", um, :smoke:

lots of really good suggestions here, but my question is, ever consider carrying a .45? :shrug:

the FEDERAL, 124 or 147 grain HST in 9 mil has some pretty impressive reports/analysis. there again, there are too many variables to say what IS the best carry ammo. go .45 ACP and be done with the questions. :popcorn:

Doobie · Nov 20, 2016

Traveler · Nov 20, 2016

woodstock said:
hmm, as per the thread title, "BEST 9mm carry ammo?", um, lots of really good suggestions here, but my question is, ever consider carrying a .45? the FEDERAL, 124 or 147 grain HST in 9 mil has some pretty impressive reports/analysis. there again, there are too many variables to say what IS the best carry ammo. go .45 ACP and be done with the questions.

Well, he didn't mention wanting to kill the soul, so ....

TinCuda · Nov 20, 2016

alucard0822 said:
Easy answer, 147gr HSTs, they expand more than most, while penetrating well, usually top of the charts in performance, but they are also one of the most practical. 147 standard pressure has the smallest powder charge, simply takes less powder to reach pressure, so they also have the least flash/blast, and tend to run efficiently in short barrels and recoilis mild. Only downside is some pistols don't feed them well, and they may hit high. HSTs are extremely popular with LEO agencies, and easy to find in inexpensive 50rd boxes compared to 20rd civvie packaged ammo for basically the same price.

The reoccurring theme seems to be HST and Gold Dot.

I ended up ordering a 50 round box of standard pressure Federal HST 147gr 9mm ammo from Lucky Gunner. I will take it to the range and see how it shoots through my pistol.

I very much appropriate and value all the opinions I receive from this forum. I am still open for any other opinions if anyone else wants to chime in.

woodstock said:
hmm, as per the thread title, "BEST 9mm carry ammo?", um, lots of really good suggestions here, but my question is, ever consider carrying a .45? the FEDERAL, 124 or 147 grain HST in 9 mil has some pretty impressive reports/analysis. there again, there are too many variables to say what IS the best carry ammo. go .45 ACP and be done with the questions.

LOL, funny you should say that. My regular carry gun is a .45 Warthog. Guess I am from the old school too where I figure if John Browning designed a bullet to stop a charging horse with ball ammo, how could you pick a bad defensive round, right?

In the interest of full disclosure, I bought the little Sig for my wife.

This may sound lazy, but I found it a lot easier to just grab the Sig when I was picking up my wallet and keys. It may not look like it in the picture but the Warthog has some pretty good mass to deal with. The Sig P938 would fit nice and convenient in my pocket. I didn't have to take the time to belt up a holster. I know, lazy. I thought if I was going to start carrying a little 9mm, I had better get some good ammo.

Thanks again fellas.

.,

woodstock · Nov 21, 2016

some additional info for your viewing pleasure. http://www.gundigest.com/concealed-carry-news/best-caliber-self-defense-concealed-carry-ammo

knastera · Nov 21, 2016

woodstock said:
some additional info for your viewing pleasure. http://www.gundigest.com/concealed-carry-news/best-caliber-self-defense-concealed-carry-ammo

Great article. Instead of taking a fanboy approach, it provides enough information to make an educated decision. I carry a .380 ACP. The size of the gun (a Beretta Pico) fits the recoil of the round. I am accurate with either hand to 10 yards, and at 6+1-capacity, it gives me what I need to feel safe. Your choice might be different. If it works for you, then that's what matters.

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vetogunban · Nov 21, 2016

When I can find them and can afford them, I like the DPX 115 +P but have confidence in the my gold dot and hst rounds.

smokey · Nov 21, 2016

knastera said:
I guess that you watched a different video than I did.

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this is from the video you posted. You can see that the trochars struggle to penetrate past 4" in gel (4" in gel is not the same as 4" in a human), with the only thing penetrating sufficiently being the unexpanded base. The base penetrating to 12" is better than nothing, but doesn't even beat the performance of a decent .380 load. They continue on shooting melons and ham, proving they don't reallllllly know much about terminal ballistics. Compared to most any modern hollowpoint, the RIP is craptastic.

knastera · Nov 21, 2016

A testimony directly from an ER surgeon stated that dealing with seven wound channels (6 trocars and the base) would be nearly impossible and that the person who was shot would likely bleed out before getting to the ER. At the end of the day, we each trust what we choose.

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Mark75H · Nov 21, 2016

knastera said:
A testimony directly from an ER surgeon stated that dealing with seven wound channels (6 trocars and the base) would be nearly impossible and that the person who was shot would likely bleed out before getting to the ER. At the end of the day, we each trust what we choose.

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Yep, his opinion was any 2 was better than any one, regardless of what the one was or the two.

No more exotic priced ammo for me, I'll just practice my controlled pairs thank you.

Bisleyfan44 · Nov 21, 2016

TinCuda said:
The reoccurring theme seems to be HST and Gold Dot.

I ended up ordering a 50 round box of standard pressure Federal HST 147gr 9mm ammo from Lucky Gunner. I will take it to the range and see how it shoots through my pistol.

I very much appropriate and value all the opinions I receive from this forum. I am still open for any other opinions if anyone else wants to chime in.

LOL, funny you should say that. My regular carry gun is a .45 Warthog. Guess I am from the old school too where I figure if John Browning designed a bullet to stop a charging horse with ball ammo, how could you pick a bad defensive round, right?

In the interest of full disclosure, I bought the little Sig for my wife.

This may sound lazy, but I found it a lot easier to just grab the Sig when I was picking up my wallet and keys. It may not look like it in the picture but the Warthog has some pretty good mass to deal with. The Sig P938 would fit nice and convenient in my pocket. I didn't have to take the time to belt up a holster. I know, lazy. I thought if I was going to start carrying a little 9mm, I had better get some good ammo.

Thanks again fellas.

.,

As long as it feeds in YOUR gun and is reasonably accurate, you're good to go. The HST bullet itself is golden. You made a solid choice. Target Sports USA, Bone Frog, and SGAmmo are your friends.

My 9mms like the 147 HSTs.
My .45s like the 230 +p HSTs.

mranaya · Nov 21, 2016

Any thoughts on Blazer aluminum, for the weight?

HordesOfKailas · Nov 21, 2016

Anything with the Hornady XTP bullet. I personally use Fiocchi 124gr in my CZ P01.

knastera · Nov 21, 2016

Mark75H said:
Yep, his opinion was any 2 was better than any one, regardless of what the one was or the two.

No more exotic priced ammo for me, I'll just practice my controlled pairs thank you.

I can't disagree. At the end of the day, even quality ball ammo with good placement will get the job done.

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alucard0822 · Nov 21, 2016

smokey0118 said:
View attachment 191326

this is from the video you posted. You can see that the trochars struggle to penetrate past 4" in gel (4" in gel is not the same as 4" in a human), with the only thing penetrating sufficiently being the unexpanded base. The base penetrating to 12" is better than nothing, but doesn't even beat the performance of a decent .380 load. They continue on shooting melons and ham, proving they don't reallllllly know much about terminal ballistics. Compared to most any modern hollowpoint, the RIP is craptastic.

Supposedly Cliff Brown and co originally intended to patent and produce a machined projectile that expanded conventionally. The long skinny triangular petals would open up and cut a nice deep and large wound channel, but they kept breaking off. They scored the outside of the ogive radially to try to encourage them to fold back instead of breaking, but it didn't work, tougher alloys could have run into trouble with an AP designation. Running out of money they marketed the failure as a "feature" and sold what they had. Their failure coupled with gullible gun folk and some smart marketing apparently did help them solve the problems to some degree and produce a working design. Still outrageously expensive with unknown reliability and no 3rd party test data, the data they do have shows less than 10" penetration. The company also had a recall for over-pressure ammo, they blamed it on GLOCKs, not sure if it was due to excess resistance due to a hard bullet without relief grooves, or just an overloaded charge. Meanwhile HSTs and Gold dots dominate every test, every agency order, and every performance review. So carry what you want.

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