![]() ![]() There are many excellent bullet designs on the market right now. If those are unreliable or inaccurate in your guns, choose another round from Dr. In almost every caliber you’d carry for self defense, the Speer Gold Dot and the Federal HST top the lists of most effective bullets for stopping human aggression. Penetration will be a little deeper in the clear gel and the bullets will expand a little less than in the original FBI tissue simulation. Keep in mind that the tests on that site were done with Clear Gelatin which is not exactly the same as the FBI calibrated ordnance gelatin. Almost every bullet you would be considering has been tested there. I’ve highlighted a whole lot of public ballistic gelatin testing results with that description over the seven years I’ve been covering the issue on this blog.Īnother excellent resource to study is Lucky Gunner’s handgun gelatin testing study. If you want more information on the topic, do a search for “gelatin testing” on my website. If you can shoot the +P (as contrasted from the standard velocity rounds) with roughly the same speed and accuracy as the standard loads, get the +P load if you are carrying in a short barreled defensive pistol. That little extra bit of pressure helps keep the smaller guns from jamming as often. If you don’t understand the concept, read +P Ammunition: What Higher-Pressure Ammo Means to You.Īssuming recoil control isn’t a real issue, I like the +P versions of the 9mm cartridges, especially in the smaller guns. Some of you might be confused about the +P or +P+ designation that the reader describes. The 124 grain will also work great out of full sized guns as well, but it penetrates less deeply than the 147 grain after shot out of a longer barrel. ![]() If you are carrying a short barreled pistol like the S&W Shield, G43, G26, or Sig 365 you would be better served with the 124 grain bullet. That creates more expansion and less penetration. Looking at the chart in the linked article, you can see how a longer barrel really increases velocity. For an illustration of this fact, read Self-Defense Ammo for Pistol Caliber Carbines. With no energy being bled off in the expansion process, the heavier bullets at low velocities tend to over penetrate. When those bullets are shot through very short barrels, they often don’t expand at all. Heavy bullets need greater velocities to expand. You are more likely to get less than ideal penetration with a light bullet in a long barreled gun. Light bullets at high velocities expand more and penetrate less. When you shoot a light for caliber bullet in a full sized gun, velocity tends to be higher than what the bullet designers anticipated for optimal expansion. Faster velocities make the bullet expand more and penetrate less. Longer barrels allow more powder to be burnt before the bullet leaves the muzzle. Bullets are designed to expand within a certain narrow band of possible velocities. In smaller guns the 147 grain slug occasionally fails to expand because of the short barrel’s reduced velocity. If my carry guns were all full sized, the 147 grain bullet is a better choice. The HST is my choice of defensive ammunition in most handguns. With that said, I think the HST performs slightly better than the Gold Dot. You really can’t go wrong with either of them. These rounds consistently outperform all other bullet designs across multiple calibers. Depending on the gun I am carrying, I would choose either the 124 grain or the 147 grain offering. Having minimal recoil and a low-flash powder are also desirable characteristics.Īs for my personal choice, I would choose either the Federal HST or Speer Gold Dot. I would personally choose a round on the list that is readily available, reliable in your carry gun, and shoots to the gun’s sights. Any of those rounds will perform admirably. All of those rounds passed the ballistic tests recommended by the FBI and exhibit good expansion and optimal penetration even after penetration of several different barrier types. There is a very simple answer to this question. Looking at 124gr +p or 147gr +p for Glock 19 and 17. (Time just flies by) The federal HST seems more readily available. “Quick question: What’s your suggestion for 9mm carry ammo? I’m about to replace my near 10 year old Winchester ranger 127gr +p+. I think the answer will help all my readers better understand terminal ballistics and choose an optimal bullet for self protection. I got a question from a friend and student last week. ![]()
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