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Thoughts about 9mm

6K views 52 replies 38 participants last post by  gimpy 
#1 ·
I ordered a new Glock 19 for my first step into the darkside. It will be in tomorrow! :danceban: I have been carring mostly my Kimber 4" 1911 and sometimes my P2000sk in .40. I haven't ever carried a 9mm so I never gave much thought to 9mm defensive ammo. I use Golden Sabre in my .40 (the lightest one due to the recoil of the small gun) and TAP (230+P )in my .45. These work great. My question is in 9mm what seems to be the trend in definesive ammo as far as weight? I shoot 115 as practice in my range gun but it does like 124. My gut feeling is 115 is a bit light for a good SD ammo. What are your thoughts?
 
#2 ·
I believe this may be one of those most often asked questions, and rightly so. We all want the best performance we can get.

One of my Gunsite instructors was a consultant to an ammo manufacturer and they did extensive research and testing on their and their competitors ammo.

He gave a mini-lecture on what they found. The short version is, he said that he wouldn't spend an extra dime for one manufacturer over another. He was referring to the major ammo manufacturers and JHP ammo.

Having said that, and although I'm not carrying it right now, I'm rather impressed with the Corbon PowerBall ammo - it just seems like the right concept and it seems to have performance equal to any other premium ammo.
 
#5 ·
Thoughts. IMO, it comes down to: what works 100% reliably in your specific gun; what ballistic characteristics are shown to be sufficiently powerful to stop a ~200lb animal; and what combination of characteristics you're comfortable with. It will vary by gun, operator, conditions you need to surmount to get the job done (ie, cover clothing on the BG, temp/dirt, recoil mgmt, concealability, and so on).

I'm of the opinion that 9mm 124gr is a good match. 115gr goes faster, which aids expansion, but then the lower weight also limits energy dump on the target. And, except for a couple rounds, 147gr hasn't too good of a track record. If 147gr could deliver 500 ft-lbs, I'd probably opt for that, were it to feed 100% reliably in my gun.

For me: A CZ P01 9mm with either Federal Hydrashok Tactical 124gr +P+ or DoubleTap 124gr +P. It's about as large as I can conceivably carry while affording exceptional handling for me during shooting. It has more than 7rds, which is comforting. It's big enough to get the job done, I think, yet trim enough to carry every day. These two specific bullets, as well, feed flawlessly well in this gun. YMMV, of course.
 
#6 ·
All down primarily to what the gun likes - and likes 100%.

Beyond that I do not see major differences if we consider the accepted/expected combat distances. I happen to have settled on 124 GD's - but doubt I'd be much fussed if they were 115's.
 
#7 ·
Yea, you'll notice I didn't say anything about 147! I know that these are probably not the best choice. I agree that all major manufacturers ammo is probably pretty close, it all comes down to what functions the best in MY gun. My real question was that of weight and any insight into what Glocks like. I know my Beretta 92 likes the 124 because it was designed for that, POI and all. I was laeaning towards 124 for the G19 and wanted to hear if anyone had good luck with the 115.
 
#8 ·
I think the the 147 gn got off to a bad start because of bad bullet design or something. Now, again, I think, the problems with the 147 gn has been corrected and it is a solid performer.

Seems like somewhere there were some demos where 147 grain bullets performed impressively.
 
#10 ·
Just pick a round your 19 likes . Most likely it will feed about anything since most glocks do , so select on what shoots the best ( accuracy and recoil recovery being the only factors left ). IMHO the differences in terminal ballistics between modern hp rounds wont amount to a hill of beans .
For myself i stoke my pm9 with corbon +p and my p9 and hp normaly get hydroshock standard loadings since i am more likely to " plink " with them while carrying and the federal is cheaper .
 
#11 ·
I agree with the rest. Pick one your gun likes best. I just got myself a 9mm as well and I did a few tests. I picked the ammo and weight i felt the best about. It turned out to be 124gr standard pressure TAP ammo.

hope all goes well for you.
 
#12 ·
It looks like the Combat Carry wise men already showed up to the party. I'll just repeat what they already said just to remind you of whats important.

Find bullets the reliably spit out every time. Have trust that what ammo available is more than lethal enough to get the job done.

And the most important thing to remember? Shot placement! :)
 
#13 ·
I think I like the .40 better...

Just kidding...:haha:
 
#14 ·
Howdy!

As already stated, shot placement (regardless of caliber) and functional reliability are top priority.
Having said that, my 9 mm Glocks are loaded with Winchester RA9TA 127 gr +P+. I would feel equally well armed with Cor-Bon DPX or their 115 gr JHP round, or Gold Dots in 124 GR.
Good luck!
 
#15 ·
124 grain Expanding Full Metal Jacket ammo by Federal. It is the best ammo out there for my money.

Next would be the 124 grain Remington Golden Saber in a tie with the 124 grain Hydrashock.
 
#16 ·
I am not going to tell you what type of ammo might work best in your gun, nor am I going to tell you what type of ammo to use to try to save your life. I will tell you my experience with the Glock 19. I have only shot 115 gr bullets in mine, and have shot probably around 1500 rounds with it, approximately split between FMJ and JHP. I have NEVER had any problem at all, 100% reliable. So, in my Glock 19, which is similar to yours, 115 gr ammo has been reliable.
 
#18 ·
I see a lot of pick what your G19 "likes." I've never known a Glock, H&K or Sig to be finicky about any ammo. For that matter my Beretta M92 has eaten everything I've ever fed it and never experienced a single failure of any type. Nor have I noticed a major difference in accuracy, with the exception of the amount of bullet "drop" at ranges in excess of 75 feet. I can't say the same thing for either of my 1911's. They certainly can be problematic.
 
#19 ·
Ex,

+1 on my H&K, Sigs, and Beretta 92FS, they eat anything. But I have seen some consistent FTF problems with "range" ammo in my Glock(s). Also had an ammo problem with my XD, it just would not cycle with whatever it was, but it was name brand ammo.
 
#20 ·
FTF in a Glock?



Interesting. In my experience, Failures to Feed are usually a problem (in a Glock) with the magazines. Weak or worn out spring or worn lips or maybe an aftermarket mag. Also it seems that recently I've seen some of the metal rims to the lips seem to pop off unexpectedly. That always causes trouble. It took me forever to notice that little problem, I was so busy looking at the "big" picture.
 
#22 ·
+1 on the Corbon DPX if your 19 likes 'em. Expensive, yeah, but man they get the JOB done.
 
#26 ·
With all the info. on this forum, if you still haven't gone out and got you some boxes of the top 4, I think you're just stuck in the advertising vortex. There are numerous reports, reviews, and comparisons to make a resonable choice. There is more than enough info in this forum alone to create an ammo bible. I think I speak for the masses when I say we can put this one to bed. As said by many, many, (1) Reliability (2) Functionality, (3)anything else
 
#28 ·
I have heard mention that the 147 gr. doesn't perform well. Does anyone know what that is about, or is it another myth? I went with 147 gr. but 127 doesn't sound bad either. I just need to buy a bunch and go to the range and see what works best.
 
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