Selecting the correct defensive ammo

Very nice illustration chart there my brother and keep up the good work. :+1: :+1:

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It has more to do with the layers of clothing. The lighter bullets could(emphasizing could) lose enough velocity passing through heavy clothing, and fail to expand. As someone else said, putting any size hole in the average person will make them reevaluate their life choices. I would be more worried about the point of impact differences between different bullets. Make sure to practice some with the ammo you will carry.

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This is a really good resource too from Lucky Gunner Defensive Ammo Tests

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@wontonone, welcome to the Community !

I know… this is the first post… but it’s good idea to read before write… :joy:

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Welcome to the family and God bless you

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I’ve selected the Federal HST 147 gr defensive hollow point ammo that I’ll be carrying and using for home defense. It hits a little harder than 115 gr due to the higher weight but doesn’t seem to be any more recoil that I noticed. Federal is also a well respected company, and been around a long time.

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Right back at ya

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Welcome to the family brother and you are in the right place at the right time.

Bingo!

I have a 3" barrel 9mm that will reliably shoot any JHP I put in it, but it groups best with Sig 124 grain JHP.

I have a 4" barrel 9mm that is picky, but it shoots reliably and groups best with Barnes 115 grain TAC-XPD +P.

Another thing I always look at when I study the charts on sites like Lucky Gunner is a lot of the “expanded” bullets look like flower petals turned back. At some point in their penetration they went from their closed petal condition to the petals in some cases turned almost fully back. At some point in their penetration those petals were sticking straight out, but that is not the expanded measurement they put in the chart. Just some food for thought.

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Look at DRT ammo - frangible (won’t over penetrate & reliable stopper if the circumstances call for it. Retired LE - used their stuff in 9mm, .45ACP & .223/5.56

This probably varies by the manufacturer. I think bullets constructed similarly to Federal HST will peel back like a banana. Bullets like Lehigh Maximum Expansion (available in various calibers) seem to lever open like a door.

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The problem with ballistics charts is that if you have to shoot somebody, chances are they probably haven’t read the same chart :rofl:

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Good point, John–a lot of predators are NOT well-read or well-educated.

Lotta good info above. After I retired, I have continued to carry my old shop’s Coin Of The Realm in the various calibers. The sole exception to that rubric has been 9mm Parabellum. My shop’s carry load has been the W-W 147 grain JHP touted by FBI as The One Best Loading For 9mm. Well, it won’t do anyone it connects with any good at all, but there are better 9mm cartridges.

My P-226 and my wife’s P-228 carry the Speer 124 grain Gold Dot +P. These clock from our pistols at 1225-1240 FPS (226) and 1200-1215 FPS from the P-228. These ballistics are consistent with the OEM ballistics given to the caliber in 1902 when it was invented, as well as that of the NATO STANAG M-9 cartridge–and adds the upgrade of a controlled-expansion bullet design–the company’s Gold Dot.

Most American-made 9mm ammunition has been downloaded about 20%-25% from European standards since it got traction in this country after WWII. USA loads it to run neck-and-neck with the 38 Special +P, at best. The 147 grain sub-sonic is at that standard, and stopping power was not its primary developmental concern, if the truth be known. Euro-level 9mm splits the difference between 38 Special and 357 Magnum, bullet weights constant between the three calibers.

It ain’t rocket science.

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