i am wondering if anyone has any info about which Hollow point bullets expand the best? penetrate the best ? i am gonna go buy some Hp ,but i want to know whats a better one shot manstopper for self defense?
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best 9mm HP?
- Thread starter TXDMERC
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If you can get it, Federal 9BP LE +P+ however, unlike some of the other so-called "Law enforcement only" rounds the Federal distribution system for this ammo is pretty close to leak tight.
HST is the best overall for expanding and use lately, but only if you dont care if the rounds are bonded or not. If you want/need a bonded round, Speer Gold Dot, 124gr +P in the summer and 147gr in the winter.
It is great when you shoot a person direct, but is NOT designed to be use with intermediate barriers (walls, glass etc)
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What ever you go with be sure to pick up a few hundred rounds so that you can test fire at least 100 rounds thru your gun to be sure they feed. Finding a round that is guaranteed to work reliably in your gun is more important than what brand/type it is.
-Cuz.
-Cuz.
Mass-diver
NES Member
For a compact 9mm, I like Winchester 115gr +P+ load, nice and fast.
I'm not pretending to be an ammo expert, so I let my department do the research and I carry what they carry - Federal LE 147gr HST. I did see an article recently that the FBI carries the Winchester supreme elite .
There is a FBI ammo test facility that actually comes up with quantified results of which ammo is the best at penetration, etc... but god knows where we can find the results...
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Dr. Gary K. Roberts' recommendations:
Barnes XPB 105 & 115 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Federal Tactical 124 gr JHP (LE9T1)
Speer Gold Dot 124 gr +P JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 124 gr +P JHP (RA9124TP)
Winchester Partition Gold 124 gr JHP (RA91P)
Winchester Ranger-T 127 gr +P+ JHP (RA9TA)
Federal Tactical 135 gr +P JHP (LE9T5)
Federal HST 147 gr JHP (P9HST2)
Remington Golden Saber 147 gr JHP (GS9MMC)
Speer Gold Dot 147 gr JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 147 gr JHP (RA9T)
Winchester 147 gr bonded JHP (RA9B/Q4364)
http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=19887
Barnes XPB 105 & 115 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Federal Tactical 124 gr JHP (LE9T1)
Speer Gold Dot 124 gr +P JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 124 gr +P JHP (RA9124TP)
Winchester Partition Gold 124 gr JHP (RA91P)
Winchester Ranger-T 127 gr +P+ JHP (RA9TA)
Federal Tactical 135 gr +P JHP (LE9T5)
Federal HST 147 gr JHP (P9HST2)
Remington Golden Saber 147 gr JHP (GS9MMC)
Speer Gold Dot 147 gr JHP
Winchester Ranger-T 147 gr JHP (RA9T)
Winchester 147 gr bonded JHP (RA9B/Q4364)
http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=19887
+1... that's got my vote, too. One big advantage is that you can frequently
find it in 50 round boxes, too, which keeps the cost down.
I also like Win RA9TA, when you can find it. (The +P+ scares some people away, but the reality is it's not that much hotter than regular +P. ) The
new Fed HST is some good stuff too, again, when you can find it.
-Mike
Exactly - I think it was last year - maybe 2 years ago, I was buying 1,000 round cases of both the .38 Special and 9mm GDHP+P for $239 and $249 a case online...
![[rolleyes]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/042.gif "Roll Eyes [rolleyes]")
All of it came in 50rd boxes....I bought 2k of each and poured most of the 9mm through my Uzi...That's some fire-breathing ammo...![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
aeromarine
NES Member
In addition to some of the recommendations above suggest you check out TNOUTDOORS9 on You Tube. He has tested the terminal ballistics of many different types, brands and calibers of ammunition and his evaluations appear to be quite rigorous and objective. He has several videos that are quite interesting. Here is one that summarizes his findings on some 9mm tests
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuLoUzplbYQ
It is interesting to note that many of the current premium brands of bonded high performance bullets and loads function with quite similar results and all of them are superb. Bullet design, construction and materials have come a long way over the past 10 to 20 years. It suggests these newer options make 9mm fully adequate to provide reliable performance in a critical self defense role. It can now be reasonably argued that 9mm is fully adequate and there may not be a compelling need for choosing a round that is bigger, heavier or faster based on desired a desired level of penetration and amount of expansion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuLoUzplbYQ
It is interesting to note that many of the current premium brands of bonded high performance bullets and loads function with quite similar results and all of them are superb. Bullet design, construction and materials have come a long way over the past 10 to 20 years. It suggests these newer options make 9mm fully adequate to provide reliable performance in a critical self defense role. It can now be reasonably argued that 9mm is fully adequate and there may not be a compelling need for choosing a round that is bigger, heavier or faster based on desired a desired level of penetration and amount of expansion
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I'm a fan of modern designs that do things a little better (and are at this point proven), however I'll echo the Gold Dot recommendation if you want something conventional.
I carry Corbon DPX (and ASYM SDX, which is the same bullet, deliberately loaded to go a bit slower). They both use the Barnes TAC-XP bullet, which is an all copper bullet. In my ballistic testing they penetrate to an ideal 14.5-15" in calibrated gel. They also expand to .65" maximum diameter, with an aggressive profile with a large outer profile line (maximum cutting area). They perform this way through bare gel and also gel with heavy clothing in front of it.
I carry Corbon DPX (and ASYM SDX, which is the same bullet, deliberately loaded to go a bit slower). They both use the Barnes TAC-XP bullet, which is an all copper bullet. In my ballistic testing they penetrate to an ideal 14.5-15" in calibrated gel. They also expand to .65" maximum diameter, with an aggressive profile with a large outer profile line (maximum cutting area). They perform this way through bare gel and also gel with heavy clothing in front of it.
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mikelawtown
NES Member
Fed HST 124
Just ran a box through my XDS last week to test ,0 issues.
Just ran a box through my XDS last week to test ,0 issues.
This. I prefer the 147 gr.
