Which 9mm Defensive Round?

[FirstNissan]

My brother just got a Glock 9mm. He lives in an apartment complex, so he is especially concerned about overpenetration of rounds.

He would like a good performing self-defence hollow point? Any recommendations?

 

[chevrofreak]

Anything worth using for self defense will penetrate several walls.

That said, I am a fan of the Federal HST 147gr.

 

[Gabe]

I vote Zombie Max. Over-penetration should not be our main concern.

http://www.hornady.com/store/Zombie-Max-new

 

[Chevys_n_Hawgs]

147g Federal HST without a doubt.

 

[tommygunn]

Honestly, probably anything you can get a lot of for a good price, and get out to shoot regularly is a smart bet. It'll penetrate walls almost unanimous of what you choose.

Of course its best to be versed with the firearm. Wall penetration is less of an issue if your shots are well aimed in the first place.

Beyond that for the most part, decent hollowpoints work great. I wouldn't fret buying some extremely "X" rated whatever round hyped up with whatever the trending fad is (Ie ZombieMax).

 

[Colt45ws]

HST 147 if you can find them. I can never find the [censored]. Gold Dots are usually more prevalent.. That is what I am using. Stick the the 147gr in them as well.

 

[Chris B.]

147's are best but 124's are fine as well. Gold Dots, Ranger T's and HST's are the top 3.

 

[Robenstein]

Gold Dots are what I use as well. The heavier the better as already stated.

 

[Lead Shoes]

I would grab the hydro shock bullets for protection, and what ever is cheapest to practice so those shots make the target, then you don't have to worry about wall penetration as much.

 

[GMZ]

Hydra-Shock was fine in its day, but it is old tech. HST or RA9T in 147 gr is what I carry. Try AmmoToGo or SGAmmo, they usually have one or the other.

Here is an interesting comparo between rounds: http://frag.110mb.com/

 

[nwjones18]

Originally Posted By: GMZ
Hydra-Shock was fine in its day, but it is old tech. HST or RA9T in 147 gr is what I carry. Try AmmoToGo or SGAmmo, they usually have one or the other.

Here is an interesting comparo between rounds: http://frag.110mb.com/


haha "Fine in its day".. I'm pretty sure reliable expansion and good penetration never go out of style.

 

[supton]

How much does he plan to practice? I'd try to find a round that you can get practice ammo that basically replicates the same POA/POI and recoil. Unless if he plans to practice a good amount with the real intended stuff.

 

[tommygunn]

The Cor Bon Glaser is designed for apartments. One shot stopping power is usually higher than all hollow points, but they cost about 3X more.

The Glaser Safety Slug was designed in 1974 in response to the possibility of having to use a handgun on an airplane by the Sky Marshals. The concerns at that time were over penetration on soft tissue and ricochets on hard surfaces and possible overall excess penetration.

Today, Glaser offers this excellent performing round for civilian use. It is recommended for the urban dweller and anyone who is concerned with over penetration. Courthouse, hospital, amusement park and similar security agencies will also find that Glaser Safety Slug provides exactly what is needed.
http://www.corbon.com/Glaser.html

 

[cancov]

Winter - Speer Gold Dot, 147gr
Summer - Speer Gold Dot, 124gr +P

Great gun choice, you can't go wrong with Glock.

 

[GMZ]

Originally Posted By: nwjones18


haha "Fine in its day".. I'm pretty sure reliable expansion and good penetration never go out of style.


It has shown some inconsistent expansion when shot through multiple layers of denim, although this is an issue with most modern JHP to varying degrees.

Another round you should consider is CorBon loaded with DPX bullets. It is a solid copper bullet from Barnes that has scary perfect weight retention and expansion. It is a deep penetrator though.

ETA: Here is a link to a very extensive self defense ammo FAQ compiled by Dr. Gary Roberts who is very respected in the ballistics field.

 

[AMC]

I prefer the 124grn +p loads over 147s. I prefer the lighter and faster bullet and also find that 124grn bullets usually feed better than 147s. My choices are the federal HST 124grn +p, Speer gold dot 124gr +p and the winchester ranger 127grn +p+ (if you can find them). All have proven to extremely effective and reliable. Be advised that in order for a bullet to penetrate a bad guy deep enough to cause quick inacapacitation, it would have to penetrate several walls also.
Glasers are pure [censored]. Do a google search, they have been tested by alot of people and fired in ballistics gel, wet news paper, pork shoulder ect, they make a big initial wound but only penetrate 4-6 inches. I would stay away from those.

 

[bigmike]

Originally Posted By: AMC
I prefer the 124grn +p loads over 147s. I prefer the lighter and faster bullet and also find that 124grn bullets usually feed better than 147s.


+1 All I use is Speer Gold Dot 124 9mm +p loads.

 

[95busa]

I would shoot light stuff. 115grJHP regular or +p. Any good, reliable round will do it for you. 124s are good too, but given the environment fast and light is good for you. I don't sweat the effect on the target too much though. I have seen folks shot with 9mm...none were very happy about it.

 

[JasonC]

Ammunition technology has increased dramatically since the 1980's. That is when the notion started that a 9mm was weak. I don't think you can go wrong with any JHP from any of the major ammo companies. But I agree that the 9mm works best with 115-124gr ammo. 147gr are subsonic rounds originally developed for automatic machine guns where you are throwing around a ton of lead and not worrying about velocity or penetration so much.

 

[Robenstein]

Originally Posted By: tommygunn
The Cor Bon Glaser is designed for apartments. One shot stopping power is usually higher than all hollow points, but they cost about 3X more.

The Glaser Safety Slug was designed in 1974 in response to the possibility of having to use a handgun on an airplane by the Sky Marshals. The concerns at that time were over penetration on soft tissue and ricochets on hard surfaces and possible overall excess penetration.

Today, Glaser offers this excellent performing round for civilian use. It is recommended for the urban dweller and anyone who is concerned with over penetration. Courthouse, hospital, amusement park and similar security agencies will also find that Glaser Safety Slug provides exactly what is needed.
http://www.corbon.com/Glaser.html


If it wont go through walls it wont take down a bad guy. several tests show you get about 4 to 6 inches of penetration with the glasers, not nearly enough to reliably hit vital organs. There is really no way to cheat the laws of physics with self defense hand gun ammo.