Ammo Choice For Concealed Carry in 9 MM

[Abraham]

At present, I carry Speer Gold Dot 115 Gr JHP's.

I thought this a good defensive round.

Now I think perhaps this is a rather anemic choice.

Am I wrong?

Suggestions?

Thanks!

[Keith B]

At present, I carry Speer Gold Dot 115 Gr JHP's.

I thought this a good defensive round.

Now I think perhaps this is a rather anemic choice.

Am I wrong?

Suggestions?

Thanks!

I use Cor-Bon Pow'rBall 9mm loads. These rounds present more ft lbs of energy than any other 9mm defense load I have found. Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P loads present 410 ft lbs of energy at muzzle compared to the 100 grain Cor-Bon +P at 483 ft lbs. Ballistics on the Gold Dot are here http://www.speer-ammo.com/ballistics/ammo.aspx and the Cor-Bon Pow'rBall are here http://www.dakotaammo.net/products/glaser/powrball.htm

EDIT: BTW, your 115 grain Gold Dots only present 368 ft lbs at the muzzle.

[Dan20703]

There are many rounds that are much more "anemic" that have killed people with a single shot.

Choose the round you can shoot the best. The choice is yours.

That being said I use Federal HST 124 grain and Speer 124 grain +P

[Wildscar]

Winchester Ranger Talon Ammo.
RA9T 9mm luger 147 grain
http://www.winchester.com/lawenforcemen ... ymbol=RA9T
That is what the image in my sig is.

[Kalrog]

Nothing wrong with GoldDot at all. If you like it and you can find it readily then there is no reason to change.

However, if you want to change. You could also take a look at the DPX or any one of a dozen others. It isn't all about the muzzle energy numbers. Hitting and reliable expansion are MUCH more important.

[nitrogen]

Winchester SXT +P+ in 127 grain is what I carry in my 9mm.
Those, or the new Federal HST's.

http://www.ammunitiontogo.com; they are based in texas, and for most of Texas, its same day shipping via UPS Ground.

[AggieMM]

Winchester SXT 147gr 9mm. I like the "heavier" bullet for more mass.....

Ryan

[nitrogen]

Science time!

A velocity increase will give you more bang for the buck than mass increase will.
Kinetic energy = 1/2mass * Velocity squared.

Now kinetic energy isn't everything in an SD round, there's also ballistic performance, etc

For example, Federal's Hydrashok bullets in 9mm: you can choose from a 124, 135, or 147. Most people would think the 147gr bullet would be better, but let's go and look at their respective muzzle velocities:

124gr=1120
147gr=1000
135gt=1026

So let's figure out their Kinetic Energies:
I used the energy calculator here: http://www.firearmexpertwitness.com/cus ... lcnrg.html

the 124 grains KE was 345.41ft/lbs
the 147 grains KE was 326.34ft/lbs
the 135 grains KE was 336.74ft/lbs.

You're actually better off with the 124grain in this case, as far as Kinetic Energy is concerned.

Thats why its important to know the muzzle velocity of your round as well as the weight.

[tboesche]

Just my .02 cents. This question came up in our CHL class. One of the recommendations was to find out what your local PD uses and use the same thing. One less "bullet" for the attornies to use against you. They can not critique your choice of ammo if it is the same as local PD.

[DoubleJ]

Just my .02 cents. This question came up in our CHL class. One of the recommendations was to find out what your local PD uses and use the same thing. One less "bullet" for the attornies to use against you. They can not critique your choice of ammo if it is the same as local PD.

as has been said a brazillian times before, this CAN come up, it MAY come up, but it has nuthin' to do with whether or not you were justified to shoot that bullet.
using the same ammo the Fuzz does may be a good idea, but for other reasons, such as, "Hey, if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me."

JM2C

[WildBill]

Nothing wrong with GoldDot at all. If you like it and you can find it readily then there is no reason to change.

However, if you want to change. You could also take a look at the DPX or any one of a dozen others. It isn't all about the muzzle energy numbers. Hitting and reliable expansion are MUCH more important.

I agree that hitting and expansion are more important. The kinetic energy calculations go back to the old "stopping power" argument that's been around for years. The latest FBI study shows that the size of the wound channel is the best predicter of how well the bullet will stop the threat. Sorry, but I don't have the link to the report right now.

Edited: Here is the link to the report. My memory was faulty. They state that "penetration" is the most critical factor.
http://www.firearmstactical.com/pdf/fbi-hwfe.pdf

By the way, where do you find Gold Dot?

[DoubleJ]

not at WalMart!!!

'roun here, you can get it at Sportsman'sWarehouse.
Cheaper'n Dirt, I think, has it two.
you can always order it off of the InterWeb.

[Kalrog]

By the way, where do you find Gold Dot?

At my favorite local class 3 guns shop.

[WildBill]

Thanks for the tip. I buy most of my ammo at WalMart and Academy.

I hesitate to buy ammo of the internet because of the shipping since I am not usually home during the day. When they ship do they require a signature for delivery for ammo?

[DoubleJ]

Ah've never done it, so Ah don't know.

however, I'm sure you can find a place that'll have it down thar in Houston. Speer GD's are too common to have to resort to ordering it.