Please explain your bullet weight choice

[DirksterG30]

What is your reasoning for the bullet weights you carry in your self-defense pistols? Do you prefer fast & light, or slow & heavy? From my reading, there are good-performing rounds in both fast & light, and slow & heavy. So what led you to decide on a particular bullet weight? I'm not interested in a discussion of Gold-Dot vs. Corbon, for example..., but 230gr. vs. 185gr. etc.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[HiWayMan]

For my snub nose .38 I carry a 146gr SJ-SWC-HP. I found that it performs best (POA=POI) with this bullet weight . What is more it pretty well cuts down the middle of available bullet weights which range from say 110gr to 180gr. In my .44 specail I carry 200gr bullets, which are on the lighter end of the spectrum, for the same primary reason as above (POA=POI). In the end, light and fast vs. heavy and slow has nothing to do with it as far as I'm concerned. It all boils down to the most accurate bullet weight for my firearms; velocity is a secondary consideration.

[KC135]

My ammo selection is done with two factors in mind:

What works well in people.

What works well in jello testing, done by people I trust.

Usually comes up to light to medium in all calibers.

Reasonable penetration with reasonable expansion is wht I look for.

[P95Carry]

I have always favored heavy - ie. the ''standard'' for most cals. 158 in 38/357, 230 in .45 acp, 123/125 in 9mm etc.

That said - modern ammo has given us a much wider choice and so I have in fact deviated from those norm's for carry. With for instance 38 (as I used in SP-101, I chose the 110 CorBon +P because it had seemingly superior performance in the 38 spl division even tho POI is a tad lower - not enough to concern me tho.

For .45acp I still favor 230, as in HydraShoks I still have, but the 185 offerings do seem potentially viable too - instance my 185 GD's or Golden Sabers.

For 9mm I have pretty much stuck to the 124 GD's tho I know some folks like the 147's - I have never actually even tried the heavies in a 9mm

Moving up from carry - instance 45-70 - there I choose heavy and load 405's. Equally with 454 I favor 300's over the 240's.

Ballistically - I have almost given up seeking a rationale for either extreme - preferring really to find a round that is reliable in the platform, gives me the accuracy I seek - then it will be down for me, to shot placement above all else. Other factors at shorter ranges will be relatively incidental.

[Tangle]

NYPD seems to be pleased with 9mm 124 gn GDs and many others I have read about, so I guess that's my rationale.

Then again, I think the 90 gn Corbon travels about 1800 FPS from a Beretta Storm, that's kinda interesting.

[joe/OH]

I'm a heavy and slow kinda guy. And that's what I like to shoot too. :)

[Bud White]

Usually go heavy and slow 230 in my 45 , 38 125 ,357 158 , 9mm 147, 500 400-440

[rocky]

I shoot a heavy or med. weight bullet. Just because I feel they work better. If I wanted a fast ,light bullet I would shoot a 9mm.

[rfurtkamp]

I wanted the best of both worlds in my 9mm, so I got a 125gr .357 Sig. ;)