all you have is a 9 mm

[Alpo]

Ignore the fact that you have guns to play cowboy. Ignore any 38s or 45s or anything else that you might have.

 

All you have is a 9 mm.

 

What bullet weight would you carry?

 

I routinely shoot 115 in my nines, but I have other stuff. I don't hunt with 9 mm and I don't carry 9 mm for self-defense. So my choice of 115 is pretty much based on price.

 

But I was sitting here a moment ago thinking - is the general rule I believe bigger is better. Elmer Keith fan. So I was wondering about 147. Whether that would make it good all around bullet weight or not.

 

If that was all you had, so whether you were hunting or plinking or defending your life from mutant zombie bikers, you were using a 9 mm - parabellum, let's be specific, 9x19 mm - what bullet weight would you use?

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

My carry gun is the only 9mm I own. I’ve no use for 9mm outside of that. Too many other calibers I prefer for plinking, hunting etc. 
 

Early on I bought a bunch of 115 gr FMJ for practice. Since I think it’s best to carry the same weight bullet as my practice rounds, I carry 115 JHP. When the practice ammo runs out, I’ll bump weight up to 124 gr. My gun is a subcompact semi-auto so for me, anything larger than that will be functionally useless as I wouldn’t be able to anything reliably. 
 

If anyone thinks I’d be better off with a revolver, think again. I’ve tried J-frames in double action mode and would be better off throwing the gun at the bad guy like in the movies. I’m ok with big revolvers, but they’re lousy for CCW.

 

My 2 cents. 
 

 

[watab kid]

im carrying 147grn sigs in my Sig 938 daily , i do have some 115s - mostly shot at the range in others 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

15 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

My carry gun is the only 9mm I own. I’ve no use for 9mm outside of that. Too many other calibers I prefer for plinking, hunting etc. 
 

Early on I bought a bunch of 115 gr FMJ for practice. Since I think it’s best to carry the same weight bullet as my practice rounds, I carry 115 JHP. When the practice ammo runs out, I’ll bump weight up to 124 gr. My gun is a subcompact semi-auto so for me, anything larger than that will be functionally useless as I wouldn’t be able to anything reliably. 
 

If anyone thinks I’d be better off with a revolver, think again. I’ve tried J-frames in double action mode and would be better off throwing the gun at the bad guy like in the movies. I’m ok with big revolvers, but they’re lousy for CCW.

 

My 2 cents. 
 

 

My primary carry piece for warm weather is a 1947 vintage Colt Detective Special .38 with Hornady Critical Defense loads.  Harsher weather with heavier clothing (easier to conceal) brings out  .45 1911.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

2 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

My primary carry piece for warm weather is a 1947 vintage Colt Detective Special .38 with Hornady Critical Defense loads.  Harsher weather with heavier clothing (easier to conceal) brings out  .45 1911.

Of my sidearms, I prefer and shoot my .45 Colt 1911 govt model the best. However, they call me Slim for a reason. If I tried to conceal it on my Ichabod Crane frame, folks would think I was a concealing a dislocated and broken hip, or some other deformity. 😁

[Blackwater 53393]

I’ve never owned a 9mm of any kind!  I once shot a Beretta 92. I shot one full magazine and handed it back to its owner.  I wasn’t impressed.

 

I carry a Para Ordnance P13-45 almost exclusively.  If I must dress up to the point that it’s inconvenient to wear  it open, I switch to a Taurus 450 and throw a couple or three speed loaders in my jacket pocket.  Then I put the Para in the lock box in my vehicle with a few 20 round magazines.

 

I figure if I can keep from getting pinned down, I’ll get to the vehicle with the 15 rounds in the revolver and arm up from there.

 

I don’t reckon I answered your question. I ain’t qualified!

 

 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

In my opinion, a 115gr bullet is a little light for penetration. And a 147gr is a little heavy for the speed needed for reliable expansion, especially in the short barrel micro 9s that are so popular these days. I carry Federal Hydra Shok 124gr in my Star Firestar in the underseat box in my Jeep, and probably would carry the same if I decided to carry a 9mm as my EDC. 

[Dapper Dave]

Been carrying a 9mm for something like 30 years, and it's loaded with 124 gr Golden Sabre +P ammo.

Current EDC, but I've pretty much carried nothing but CZ for the last 25 years, to be honest. Ammo has changed over the years, but maker has remained the same, unless I am carrying my Smith 64-3.

This little pistola is much more accurate than people expect, shoots like a target pistol. 

 

[Alpo]

43 minutes ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

I’ve never owned a 9mm of any kind!  I once shot a Beretta 92. I shot one full magazine and handed it back to its owner.  I wasn’t impressed.

It was 1999. Y2K was coming. Computers would quit working. Airplanes would fall out of the sky. Banks would fail.

 

The country would be overrun by Blue helmets and mutant zombie bikers, and we would have to defend ourselves. Ammunition supplies would be unavailable, so the only way you could get ammunition was from the body of the dead.

 

I had 357 so that had me good for that and 38. I had 45. 22. So I was good pistol-wise. Mini-14 and mini 30, so I was good on both 223 and 762 by 39. 1903 A3 and an M14 so I was good on 30/06 and 308.

 

But then I realized. Oh my God. I didn't have anything that shot 9 mm. And that was bound to be the most common thing carried on someone's hip.

 

I don't know why it did not occur to me that if I shot somebody and was going to take his ammunition, I could also take his gun. But the thing that kept going through my mind was I did not have a 9 mm.

 

I bought a 1911 top half, so I could convert a 45 to 9 mm, if necessary.

 

I have ended up with several nines since then, but it's because of the gun - not the shell. Got a Luger. A VIS. Hi Power. Because of the gun. It just happened to come in 9 mm.

[watab kid]

1 hour ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Of my sidearms, I prefer and shoot my .45 Colt 1911 govt model the best. However, they call me Slim for a reason. If I tried to conceal it on my Ichabod Crane frame, folks would think I was a concealing a dislocated and broken hip, or some other deformity. 😁

i have the same problem , cant conceal what i prefer to carry so i carry what i can conceal , but all of them are 1911 style - loaded , cocked and locked , 

[Rye Miles #13621]

I have two 9mm, a Canik and a CZ both full size. I like to shoot them at the range and I do a couple of non cowboy shoots that I shoot them at. I never paid much attention to the weight of the bullets. 115 and 125 is what I have. Whatever is on sale. If it was my only gun I’d definitely use the heavier 147 for self defense. Right now I have revolvers planted in the house in various rooms. All .38’s.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

I don't carry a 9.   BUT, if I did, without a doubt, I would use 124-125 grain bullets.

 

From my personal testing, any of these bullets would serve you well with adequate velocities, expansion and accuracy.

In no particular order:

 

Remington Golden Sabre

Federal Hydra Shock

Speer Gold Dot JHP

Sierra 'Sportsmaster' JHP

Nosler 'ASP' JHP

 

 

My normal carry pistol is a .357 SIG caliber in the SIG P229 with the Golden Sabre.  Its a hot little number.

I also like the Nosler 'ASP'.   And,  I frequently carry my BUL 1911 in .45 acp, set up for .45 Super.   

I've never feared facing a rampaging groundhog with it, using 185 grain HP's.  

 

NOTE: In my experience,  some guns and barrel chambers don't seem to like some bullet styles

and OAL of certain ammo.

Test your ammo with the particular pistol you have to ensure reliability.

 

..........Widder

 

[Pb Mark]

I shoot lots and lots of 9mm, various guns, most all purposes.  I load Missouri Bullet Company 147 grain flat point lead, Brinell 18 only.  Accuracy, penetration, cost, enjoyable recoil pulse vs snap, familiarity.  I will admit, it is getting difficult to reload vs buying cheap plated range ammo for plinking use.  

 

Self-defense carry is:  Hornady 9mm +P, 124 gr FlexLock® Critical Duty

[John Kloehr]

I'm partial to Hornady Critical Defense in 9mm. And run Blazer brass 115 gr as my practice ammo. Recoil for both feels the same to me. Or at least I did until I chose an EMP for carry.

 

My EMP will not reliably cycle any of the hollow point rounds but will eat Blazer all day long. So have Blazer in the mags. Need it to feed and go bang, the rest is quibbles.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

Too big to show here, but lucky.gunner put this out a few years ago. He tested a LOT of ammo for penetration, expansion, and consistency of performance. This is his 9mm results, but he tested most current calibers.

 

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/#9mm

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

I wonder if 10mm handguns has misplaced.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

4 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

I wonder if 10mm handguns has get misplaced.

Took me a minute. 🤣

[Alpo]

26 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

I wonder if 10mm handguns has get misplaced.

Probably got dropped down into the clutter at the bottom of the gun safe.

[Stump Water]

124

[ShadowCatcher]

I prefer to carry my 1911 in .45ACP, but there are times when I carry my compact Beretta 92x, like when going into the big city.

Having 15 rounds in the gun and fifteen more on the belt is a bit comforting when you go to places that have groups of feral

humans like Seattle does.

 

Our local LEO's (city and county) all use the Winchester Ranger ammunition (it used to be called Black Talons) in every thing

from .380, 9mm, .40 and up to .45 ACP.  The departments all use the 147 gr loads in the 9mm.  The bullets all were redesigned

after the Miami shooting, in fact several times since then.  The 147's give very consistent and reliable penetration and expansion

to around 16"-18" and .65" diameter respectively at their normal operating speeds.  They're also pretty good at breaking bones

on the way in, according to the folks here who've used them. These can all be purchased through several online vendors.  

 

The recoil impulse in my 9mm pistols is softer using 147 gr loads, allowing much faster and accurate follow up shots if needed,

and they're subsonic if they need to be suppressed.  I've reluctantly come to accept the fact that the 9mm with modern designed

bullets does in fact work every bit as good as the .45, but I've carried the 1911 in .45 since 1974, and I still respect it and prefer it.

 

When you get down to it all handgun calibers are a compromise, and emotion is a significant part of our decision making process.

I've carried Colt .38 snub guns, PPk's, and others as needed or available.  None match a good .30 caliber rifle for fighting, so we

accept that needs must as the devil drives.

 

SC

 

 

 

 

 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

4 hours ago, ShadowCatcher said:

I prefer to carry my 1911 in .45ACP.

I've reluctantly come to accept the fact that the 9mm with modern designed

bullets does in fact work every bit as good as the .45, but I've carried the 1911 in .45 since 1974, and I still respect it and prefer it.

My way of thinking too. When not carrying my 1911, I carry a Ruger NMV in .45 Colt. Because bigger is better, and at the very worst, a .45 is still bigger than a 9mm. Would I feel under armed with a 9mm? No, as I don't feel under armed with a .38 snubbie when I need to conceal. 

But i'll still carry a .45 unless something comes along that says I can't.

[Oak Ridge Regulator]

I personally like the 124 grain. The 147 is a bit heavy in a lot of the “ compact “ class of guns and 115 is a bit light in short barrel guns. I feel bullet construction becomes extremely important in 9 mm so choosing one of the better self defense oriented bullets is the biggest challenge. I personally like Hornady critical defense, golden sabers and the Speer gold dots. Shot a raccoon with the gold dots and the whole was HUGE. You can also get Winchester 124 grain white box that’s pretty snappy for a FMJ

[DeaconKC]

The Illinois State Police were the first state police agency to go to the nine. They started with the 115 grain +P JHPs, used it for many years then shifted to the 147 grain JHP. After using that load for several years they went back to the 115 grain +P. That's what I carry in my 365XL everyday.

[Alpo]

57 minutes ago, DeaconKC said:

The Illinois State Police were the first state police agency to go to the nine

I recall reading this, god, 45, maybe 50 years ago.

 

The Illinois State Police was armed with the brand new Smith & Wesson Model 39. And one trooper got his gun taken by a bad guy.

 

Bad guy pointed the gun at the cop and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. Safety was on. Not being used to an automatic, he fingle-fungled around there for a while before pushing down a lever, then pointed the gun at the cop and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. He had depressed the slide release. Fingle-fungled around some more and pushed a button. Pointed the gun at the cop and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened, because he had pushed the magazine release button.

 

Finally - FINALLY - he found the safety and pushed it off. Pointed the gun at the cop and pulled the trigger. And nothing happened. Because when he dropped the magazine on the ground the magazine disconnect took effect and the gun still would not shoot.

 

All this fumbling around gave the cop enough time to pull out his stick and he beat the hell out of the bad guy.

[Whitey James]

I like the 124gr. It's the sweet spot IMHO. After watching several Paul Harrell vids, I no longer buy +P ammo.

[John Kloehr]

9 minutes ago, Alpo said:

I recall reading this, god, 45, maybe 50 years ago.

 

The Illinois State Police was armed with the brand new Smith & Wesson Model 39. And one trooper got his gun taken by a bad guy.

 

Bad guy pointed the gun at the cop and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. Safety was on. Not being used to an automatic, he fingle-fungled around there for a while before pushing down a lever, then pointed the gun at the cop and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. He had depressed the slide release. Fingle-fungled around some more and pushed a button. Pointed the gun at the cop and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened, because he had pushed the magazine release button.

 

Finally - FINALLY - he found the safety and pushed it off. Pointed the gun at the cop and pulled the trigger. And nothing happened. Because when he dropped the magazine on the ground the magazine disconnect took effect and the gun still would not shoot.

 

All this fumbling around gave the cop enough time to pull out his stick and he beat the hell out of the bad guy.

Good final result, but do not want the government (California) to mandate "the magazine disconnect took effect." This is a decision which is up to a citizen to decide upon. There are a number of operating system options we must decide upon, this is just one of many,

[Alpo]

That magazine disconnect is why, as much as I love Smith & Wesson revolvers, I do not and will not own a Smith & Wesson automatic.

 

I have both Mark 1 and Mark 2 Ruger 22s, but there ain't no way I would have a Mark 3.

 

First thing I did when I got my Hi Power was have that sumbitchin' thing removed.

[Cypress Sun]

 

The S & W 9mm Shield does not have a magazine disconnect. There are probably others.

[Pb Mark]

1 hour ago, Alpo said:

I have both Mark 1 and Mark 2 Ruger 22s, but there ain't no way I would have a Mark 3.

Kind of off topic.  Just in case you want a Mark 3 - the magazine disconnect defeat is one simple little internal part removed, modified with a few file strokes, then replaced.  Not a real easy disassembly.  The modification is fail-safe though.

[watab kid]

22 hours ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Of my sidearms, I prefer and shoot my .45 Colt 1911 govt model the best. However, they call me Slim for a reason. If I tried to conceal it on my Ichabod Crane frame, folks would think I was a concealing a dislocated and broken hip, or some other deformity. 😁

of all my handguns so do i , ive been a 1911 45acp carry guy since i started carrying but ive gone smaller as i got older - i still have all that ive carried over the years - i hate to sell things , and all still get use , some carry but my current go to is the sig 938 because i can carry it locked and loaded and two mags filled without adding the weight of one of my M1911s  or M1935s , and yes i also like the hi-powers , i have a few of each that all shoot well for me , 

my absolute favorite o carry was my S&W M39 because it was comfortable size wize yet could be carried in DA/SA so i could de-cock it and it was always ready to go , 

 

one never wants to use it but you want to know it will work if you need to 

[Pat Riot]

I carry 9mm as well as .38 and .357 handguns. In all my carry guns I carry what is most accurate first and bullet performance comes second. 
In my 9mm pistols, of the ammo I have tested, Hornady Critical Defense 115gr has given me great accuracy in my Glocks. I haven’t tested yet in my 3 Sig Sauer pistols but my new P365 will be getting tested with it once I have a few hundred rounds through the gun so I know I can trust it to operate and function properly. Also, I definitely have not tested every Non +P load on Lucky Gunner’s Webpage. 
I am not sure why but 115 & 147 grain bullets are always more accurate than 124 grain bullets out of my 9mm guns. This goes for my Glocks, Ruger RXM and my Sig P226 & P229.

In my P365 my 147gr hand loads are the most accurate ammo I have tried in that gun thus far. 
All in all, ammo with 115 grain bullets has been my go to. Even though the P365 seems to like 147 grain bullets, that 3.1” barrel won’t allow optimum velocity for a JHP bullet to perform its best. Or at least I don’t know of an ammo with 147 grain bullets designed for sub-compact pistols. I wouldn’t feel undergunned carrying my 147gr hand loads in that P365 using the Evergreen Flat Point plated bullets.

 

Oh, and I don’t use & shoot +P. 

Edited to add some notes in Bold

[Dapper Dave]

I wanted to make sure my carry sidearm was reliable and accurate before I carried it.

These are the first rounds I ever fired through it at 20 yards. That was with 124gr XTP JHP reloads.

 

I like loading the XTP bullet for SD practice ammo.

 

Much fun was had that day.

 

It is even better with the Golden Sabers, which are the +P model. That Lucky Gunner chart was actually part of the reason I picked them. 

[watab kid]

16 hours ago, John Kloehr said:

I'm partial to Hornady Critical Defense in 9mm. And run Blazer brass 115 gr as my practice ammo. Recoil for both feels the same to me. Or at least I did until I chose an EMP for carry.

 

My EMP will not reliably cycle any of the hollow point rounds but will eat Blazer all day long. So have Blazer in the mags. Need it to feed and go bang, the rest is quibbles.

interesting , my EMP will cycle anything i feed it and that includes the aluminum and steel cased ammo , i must have a loose chamber , my wifes also shoots well but not enough to compare 

[Stump Water]

14 hours ago, Whitey James said:

After watching several Paul Harrell vids, I no longer buy +P ammo.

 

Let me have the Cliff's Notes version.

[Whitey James]

8 hours ago, Stump Water said:

 

Let me have the Cliff's Notes version.

Paul fired several different types of 9mm ammo over his Chronograph and into his “meat target” and the plain ole green and white box Remington 9mm JHP ammo performance difference compared to +P high dollar ammo was negligible