Which is the better defensive load for my 9mm?

**animalmother85** · September 12th, 2012, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by Valorius

The thing we hear a lot is "I wanna see someone take (insert number of rounds your gun holds) shots of this"....well, what if you have time for ONE shot?

I don't know if I'd ever just shoot once intentionally. Controlled pairs have been hammered in my head through countless hours of training. However, yes, I agree. I want the One Hitter Quitter of ammunition for the event that I'd be put out of the fight in that .13 second split. Crazy shit happens.

**Valorius** · September 12th, 2012, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by animalmother85

I don't know if I'd ever just shoot once intentionally. Controlled pairs have been hammered in my head through countless hours of training. However, yes, I agree. I want the One Hitter Quitter of ammunition for the event that I'd be put out of the fight in that .13 second split. Crazy shit happens.

I agree with you on the controlled pairs/doubletap line of thinking.

Still, it's possible the gun could jam after one round, or be knocked from your hand, or a wrestling match could ensue after you get one round off. One can never count on getting to hit their target multiple times.

This is why i don't mind paying $1.50 a bullet if it's really good shit. It might be the only bullet i get to fire.

**hotpig27** · September 12th, 2012, 07:10 PM

Keep in mind the bad guy will almost always get to be the first aggressor and at the time of their choosing.

**animalmother85** · September 12th, 2012, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by hotpig27

Keep in mind the bad guy will almost always get to be the first aggressor and at the time of their choosing.

Most of the time, yes. However; that's a whole'notha can of worms. The OP is just looking for the best ammunition he can obtain. Situational awareness and the routine activity theory are thing's he'll have to consider as well when it comes to the grand scheme of mitigating the threat of becoming a victim.

**ARay** · September 13th, 2012, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by Valorius

The thing we hear a lot is "I wanna see someone take (insert number of rounds your gun holds) shots of this"....well, what if you have time for ONE shot?

One shot stops can and do happen, but are not consistantly achievable with duty guns in my opinion. Evan Marshall did a controversial study on this, it's worth a read.

Marshall and Sanow, the Strasbourg goat shoot, and Dr. Fackler's results all agree to a point and disagree significantly.

There is only one conclusion I have been able to land on after much research and discussion with noted subject matter experts in the field (Hackathorn, Givens, etc.) and it is this:

Handguns in duty calibers are a compromise (size vs. power) and generally suck in any caliber with any load for "One shot stops". Keep shooting until the threat is no longer threatening.

**LifeInPa** · September 14th, 2012, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by Valorius

The thing we hear a lot is "I wanna see someone take (insert number of rounds your gun holds) shots of this"....well, what if you have time for ONE shot?

See I am not entirely sure one shot from even a 9mm load that cost $5/round will stop an attacker before he can do harm. If we need a weapon that will stop someone with one shot I think we would need a 12 gauge.

**Valorius** · September 14th, 2012, 03:04 PM

I'm not even talking about one shot stops. I'm talking about what bullet design has the best chance to do the maximum amount of damage possible with a single hit, regardless of barrier, in my chosen caliber.

In 5.7mm, to me that's elite S4M.

In .380 to me that's Buffalo Barnes unleaded .380+P 80gr Barnes SCHP.

In 5.56mm, it's Mk262 Mod1.

In 12 gauge it's a .50 caliber solid copper 3" magnum 1oz sabot slug.

Etc, etc.