I tested 5 different 9mm JHP at the range

[BushyGuy]

I just got back from the range , I tested 5 different 9mm JHP to see what the best would be for my everyday carry for my gun and spare mag,

Test Gun was my Ruger SR9 with 4-1/8 inch barrel at 2 feet (boy did i get soaked!) I used 5 water jugs lined up for each bullet at a private range with a very high dirt hill for backstop so safety was my biggest concern.

1st bullet test -147 gr Speer Gold dot JHP- blew up the 1st and 2nd jugs stopped in the 4th jug almost exited the 4th jug into the 5th jug! Expansion was beautiful , a nice even flower shaped mushroom.

2nd bullet test- 147 gr Federal Hydra-shok personal defense-blew up the 1st jug ,stopped in the 3rd jug - expansion was very poor it barely opened up.

3rd bullet test-115 gr Hornady Critical Defense FTX JHP-wow it blew up the first jug in half , blew up the 2nd jug stopped in the 3rd jug, expansion was very good the red plastic tip was in the 3rd jug. Impressive bullet.

4th bullet test -124 gr Hornady TAP XTP JHP- blew up the 1st jug stopped in the 3rd jug , expansion was same as the CD .

5th bullet test- 115 gr Remington JHP (not express)- blew up the first jug stopped int he 3rd jug , expansion was .60 of an inch - not bad for a cheap bullet!

I decided to carry the Hornady CD in my gun and the Speer Gold dot in my spare mag, i was impress with those two more then the other bullets.

 

[settlesdown]

Cool test. So much for all of the "9mm has no power" crap you constantly hear from people. Good job.

 

[LaVere]

"4th bullet test -124 gr Hornady TAP XTP JHP- blew up the 1st jug stopped in the 3rd jug , expansion was same as the CD ."

You confirmed my choice for my 9mm Hornady XTP 124 gr.
I have switched to the Hornady 180gr XTP .40 SW. I like the cost and performance.

Now just to fine where to buy it.

 

[devildog32713]

So much for all of the "9mm has no power" crap you constantly hear from people. Good job.

It has plenty of power for personal defense, but I honestly think it is an unsuitable military cartridge, I think we should go back to the .45ACP, or maybe .40S&W

 

[Skillet]

Same here. I think that a .40sw or a .45acp is a better military cartridge. But they use a rifle as the main weapon, so the power of a handgun is rather unimportant in comparison.

it really only matters to the soldiers. What do they like best?

 

[BushyGuy]

the 9mm has flatter trajectory then the .40 or .45acp IMHO.

 

[huntsman]

So in your test the premium ammo didn’t dominate?

 

[BushyGuy]

they were close but i am gonna test more JHP to see who is the winner so far i choose the Critical Defense - just cause they are 115gr dont mean they arent as effective, They work just as good

 

[NG VI]

I think the 9mm is a decent military cartridge, certainly the best available. Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines come in two genders, one not typically anywhere near the size of the other, and different individuals have a wide range of body types, meaning a lighter recoiling caliber is going to allow a little more constructive training in less time.

And we have tons of non-combat skills that we are responsible for being proficient with, so right or wrong being a Servicemember isn't all about shooting all the time and land nav, and combatives. It would be nice if it were, but the reality is that it isn't, and no caliber gives any significant advantage with FMJ ammunition. Even any small advantage that might come from the wider bullet of a .45 is greatly reduced because service pistol FMJ bullets don't create a full-caliber wound. Plus more rounds on deck and lighter weight is a major advantage to a military arm.

I think from your test results I would have gone with the Speer 147 Gold Dot, but that's just me.

 

[RON in PA]

I also would have gone with the Speer 147 Gold Dot because of its ability to penetrate. Shot placement and penetration are the most important factors in defensive ammo.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I decided to carry the Hornady CD in my gun and the Speer Gold dot in my spare mag, i was impress with those two more then the other bullets.

Why would you want to carry 2 very different loads for the same gun? The POI will probably be drastically different between a 115gr bullet and a 147gr bullet not to mention the totally different feel of the recoil. In a stressful SD situation why would you want to introduce the variable of different ammo into the mix? IMO it's not a good idea to carry 115gr ammo in your pistol and 147gr ammo in your reload mag... (or even the other way around)

 

[BushyGuy]

the reason i carry the 115gr Hornady Critical defense in my 9mm is cuz i want expansion to be 100 percent guaranteed despite what the perp is wearing. and the Gold dots are in my spare in case deeper penetration is needed in the next magazine , My theorized scenario would be to use the gold dots if the perp was hiding inside of a car .

 

[dom1104]

I have never seen a test where Gold Dots didnt come out at or near the top.

Speer must be sellin a lot of those puppies.

 

[dom1104]

the reason i carry the 115gr Hornady Critical defense in my 9mm is cuz i want expansion to be 100 percent guaranteed despite what the perp is wearing. and the Gold dots are in my spare in case deeper penetration is needed in the next magazine , My theorized scenario would be to use the gold dots if the perp was hiding inside of a car .

You are going to switch magazines, to a round supposedly better at penetrating, to shoot at someone HIDING in a car.

I am sure the DA is going to love that one.

I would suggest, if your attacker is hiding in the car, to run the other direction.

 

[Sebastian the Ibis]

Gold dots are in my spare in case deeper penetration is needed in the next magazine , My theorized scenario would be to use the gold dots if the perp was hiding inside of a car .

When you are planning, consider how many shots can be fired in a given situation and still be "self-defense."

Just something to consider when planning.

 

[Water-Man]

You should just carry the Gold Dots and be done with it. Or the Federal HSTs.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

a thought provoking thread, I've noticed myself that the Rem standard h-p's do well and IIRC 'the box o'truth' mentions this also. I've tested .380acp, 9mm and .45acp.
myself I've tested them in stacked wet cardboard and they did well. the Rem Golden Sabre is indeed wicked and shoots better (tighter groups) than any pistol slug I've tryed but I have seen some jacket seperation with them, maybe 1 of 10 or so. the wet cardboard is likely not the ideal test medium though I admit.
my own personal pratice is to carry alternating jhp's and fmj's in the mag and a hot jhp chambered.

 

[dom1104]

my own personal pratice is to carry alternating jhp's and fmj's in the mag and a hot jhp chambered

Really. You have 3 different types of ammo jungle loaded into your pistol?

Different strokes for different folks but I would never do that, ever.

 

[Manco]

I use bonded JHP ammunition with bullets that are on the heavy side for the caliber just in case I need to shoot through barriers such as furniture. Even given equal momentum, heavy bullets tend to be more difficult to slow down or deflect, and my main concern is maintaining their ability to penetrate deeply enough once they hit the intended target. In my opinion, the advantages of lighter, faster bullets are less compelling, and the only possible advantage of a non-bonded design (of a lead+copper bullet) are sharper edges in some types (e.g. Ranger-T).

my own personal pratice is to carry alternating jhp's and fmj's in the mag and a hot jhp chambered.

The only advantage to using a mixed load that I can envision is if you truly needed two different effects that one type of cartridge could not deliver. In my opinion, a well-constructed modern bonded (or all-copper) JHP can penetrate barriers just about as well as FMJ rounds, and since they behave increasingly like FMJ rounds the more barrier material there is, terminal penetration should not be a significant concern. The lead used in typical FMJ rounds is only so hard, so it's not as though they could penetrate hard barriers any better, really, although they will penetrate farther through water and other soft, fluid media. If for some reason you're very concerned about hard barriers or fluid media, then you'd be better off mixing in some hard-cast rounds (made of a hard lead alloy) or using them exclusively for consistency (in my opinion it is better to make every shot count).

 

[dakota1911]

It would have been interesting to have tried FMJ rounds to see what they did as a point of comparison.

 

[NG VI]

the reason i carry the 115gr Hornady Critical defense in my 9mm is cuz i want expansion to be 100 percent guaranteed despite what the perp is wearing.

The Gold Dot is a very reliable expander, personally HST is what I'm all about, they expand wider and penetrate just as well, and are probably the single most consistently performing bullet available. Despite being non-bonded, they have outdone bonded bullets through barriers in some of those ATK tests, and they outdo all other non-bonded bullets through barriers.

 

[MachIVshooter]

5th bullet test- 115 gr Remington JHP (not express)- blew up the first jug stopped int he 3rd jug , expansion was .60 of an inch - not bad for a cheap bullet!

This is what I use in my PF-9, since it runs 100% reliably and the bullets perform well. All my handloaded defensive stuff for the S&W 5906, Baby Eagle, etc. is 124 or 147 gr. +P+, and I had problems with the firing pin wiping brass off the primers in the PF-9, which resulted in light strikes.

 

[Manco]

It would have been interesting to have tried FMJ rounds to see what they did as a point of comparison.

I can tell you one thing: you'd need quite a few jugs of water or wet paper to stop 9mm FMJ rounds. That said, they aren't necessarily better at penetrating most barriers, so they don't offer much in comparison to a good JHP that penetrates well enough at maximum expansion (my current personal standard is at least 15" of penetration through calibrated ballistic gelatin).

 

[DFW1911]

I appreciate the post and the test. Sounds like a fun day!

 

[jbrown50]

You are going to switch magazines, to a round supposedly better at penetrating, to shoot at someone HIDING in a car.

I am sure the DA is going to love that one.

I would suggest, if your attacker is hiding in the car, to run the other direction.

People who do drive by shootings don't just hide in the car, they use the car as cover while they shoot. If you turn and run they're gonna shoot you in the butt.

When you are planning, consider how many shots can be fired in a given situation and still be "self-defense."

Just something to consider when planning.

During your next self defense shoot, just stop, yell "time out", and tell your assaillant that you can no longer participate because you've surpassed your pre-determined self defense round count.