Best 9mm Defense Ammo

[MagRelease]

Hello again folks, got a quick question (or two if you're feeling froggy) for anyone with some spare time and knowledge..

I have done some researching myself, but like to ask on here because someone always comes up with something I had not seen or thought of yet.

What is the best 9mm home defense ammo that you have personally used or have experience in some manner with?

I own a Ruger P95 stainless, and to my knowledge this gun is not rated for +P ammo.. Does this mean I absolutely should not shoot +P ammo out of this gun ever? Or rather that it will just wear my gun down faster if I do shoot it once in a while?

Thanks in advance.

[PA1936MN]

Your going to get a wide aray of answer here.

I personally have used the following in 9mm...

- Hornady Critical Defense 115gr
- Winchester Ranger SXT 147gr
- Winchester PDX1 147gr

All great rounds!

As for your other question... To my knowledge if it is not +P rated that doesn't mean it wont shoot +P rounds. It means you will wear the gun out faster then you would if you used non +P rounds.

[Fighting_Fool]

Straight from the user manual provided FREE on Ruger's websight:

http://www.ruger.com/products/p95/extras.html
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
https://ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/.../pSeries-9.pdf

page 14...

"The Ruger P-Series pistols are compatible with all factory ammunition loaded to
U.S. Industry Standards, including high-velocity and hollow-point loads, loaded
in brass, aluminum, or steel cartridge cases. No 9mm x 19 ammunition
manufactured in accordance with NATO, U.S., SAAMI, or CIP standards is known
to be beyond the design limits or known not to function in these pistols."


+P rounds are loaded to a specific industry wide standard if I recall correctly; should be OK in your Ruger. Most Ruger pistols are built like tanks. Compare the top straps of a Ruger GP100 revolver and a S&W 686: no contest betwixt the two.


It's the +P+ stuff to be careful with because the pressure levels could be anything; there is no set standard of manufacture beyond +P.

[ARay]

DocGKR is DR Gary Roberts, a noted authority on ballistics and ammunition performance.

Here are his reccomendations:

"If you take all of these criteria into account, the lists should come as no surprise. Please note that all of the recommended pistol loads listed below have been personally tested and vetted by Dr. Roberts. THEY ARE NOT IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE, SO ANY BULLET ON THE LIST IS CONSIDERED ACCEPTABLE.



9mm

Barnes XPB 115gr HP (35515) such as loaded by Cor-Bon (DPX09115)

Winchester Partition Gold 124gr JHP (RA91P)

Winchester Ranger-T 124 gr +P JHP (RA9124TP)

Winchester Ranger Bonded 124 gr +P JHP (RA9BA)
Winchester Ranger-T 127gr JHP +P+ (RA9TA)

Winchester Ranger-T 147gr JHP (RA9T)

Winchester Bonded 147gr JHP (RA9B/Q4364)

Speer Gold Dor 124gr JHP
Speer Gold Dot 124gr JHP +P (53617)

Speer Gold Dot 147gr JHP (53619)

Remington Golden Saber 124 gr +P JHP bonded (GSB9MMD)
Remington Golden Saber 147gr JHP (GS9MMC)

Federal Tactical 124gr JHP (LE9T1)

Federal Tactical 135gr JHP +P (LE9T5)

Federal HST 147gr JHP (P9HST2)

Federal HST 124gr JHP +P (P9HST3)
You might notice that the list does NOT include any lightweight bullets with the exception of the Barnes 115gr version. The reason - especially if you've read the beginning of this article - should be clear already, but Doctor Roberts sums it up nicely as well: "With the exception of the Barnes 115 gr XPB all copper projectile, in general, most 9 mm 115 gr loads have demonstrated greater inconsistency, insufficient penetration, poor intermediate barrier capability, and failure to expand in denim testing than other 9mm bullets. For those individuals wanting to use lighter weight, supersonic 9 mm’s, I think a better alternative than the vast majority of 115 gr loads is to use the slightly heavier 124 to 127 gr bullets or the Barnes 115 gr all copper bullet""





http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Self_De..._FAQ/index.htm

[Mity2]

+P rounds are loaded to a specific industry wide standard if I recall correctly.

"Official +P pressures are established by the SAAMI for certain cartridges; in general the +P pressure is approximately 10% higher than the standard pressure (see chart below). SAAMI does not have a +P+ pressure standard, but this indicates a pressure higher than the +P loading."

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overpressure_ammunition

Regardless of what defence ammo OP chose, I'd be sure to shoot at least 100 rd or so to make sure they function flawlessly with your weapon before trusting your life with it

[harold63]

Check this out, paying close attention to the rounds that are tested at over 1200 FPS, and also paying attention to the temporary wound channels caused by them, which has as much effect on stopping someone as anything else. Remember that organs are not designed to stretch much, and most organs, including the heart, can recover from being pierced, if operated on in time, but the damage caused by the super quick expansion is hard to recover from, and in many cases, cannot be. The organ is simply of no use, anymore.

http://www.brassfetcher.com/index_files/9x19mm.htm

My PD magazines are loaded with 115 gr. Magtec. They function well in every handgun I own. The 124 gr. Golden Sabers also funtion well in my guns, but I got a good deal on the Magtecs and bought a zombie apocolypse ton of them. Both the Magtecs and the Golden Sabers print way better groups than any standard ball I've used, but in a fight, you ain't gonna be trying to hit someone in the exact same spot 5 out of 5 times.

[bman1187]

Remington Golden Sabers

[animalmother85]

http://www.lehighdefense.com/ammunition.html

[harold63]

http://www.lehighdefense.com/ammunition.html

Some nasty looking stuff, there.

[diesel51]

+1 for Hornaday critical defense