[sulaco]

I've been researching defensive ammo for 9mm for a few days now and I think I've settled on Gold Dot 124 +P's for my Glock 34. I may also try out some standard pressure 147gr HST's. The +P HST's don't get as much penetration for a tad more expansion. I prefer the most penetration I can get in a given load.

I am just happy there's so much great technology out there in the bullet world to give us all of these choices!

[RMD]

Originally Posted by sulaco

I've been researching defensive ammo for 9mm for a few days now and I think I've settled on Gold Dot 124 +P's for my Glock 34. I may also try out some standard pressure 147gr HST's. The +P HST's don't get as much penetration for a tad more expansion. I prefer the most penetration I can get in a given load.

I am just happy there's so much great technology out there in the bullet world to give us all of these choices!

There are many good choices out there, and the 124gr +p Gold Dots are among the best. Practice and carry with confidence.

[RevToTheRedline]

I've been carrying but have yet to shoot any of, Winchester PDX1 9mm +P 124g JHP.. is this a pretty decent round?

I picked up a box of 20 last time I was at the gun shop and use it in my daily carry as well as spare magazine.

[RMD]

Originally Posted by RevToTheRedline

I've been carrying but have yet to shoot any of, Winchester PDX1 9mm +P 124g JHP.. is this a pretty decent round?

I picked up a box of 20 last time I was at the gun shop and use it in my daily carry as well as spare magazine.

You should shoot quite a few through all your magazines before trusting it as your carry round. I know they're expensive, but I wouldn't carry anything I hadn't tested.

Just because it's a name brand tested and carried by many, it still might have problems in your equipment.

When I bought a G30 earlier this year, I figured I would carry either Speer GD 230gr or Winchester Ranger 230gr, so I bought 50 rounds of each. The Rangers jammed in 4 of the 5 magazines I tested, although many have fired hundreds of them without issue in the same model. I bought 200 more rounds of the Gold Dot and didn't carry them until at least 100 were shot without issue.

[RevToTheRedline]

Originally Posted by RMD

You should shoot quite a few through all your magazines before trusting it as your carry round. I know they're expensive, but I wouldn't carry anything I hadn't tested.

Just because it's a name brand tested and carried by many, it still might have problems in your equipment.

When I bought a G30 earlier this year, I figured I would carry either Speer GD 230gr or Winchester Ranger 230gr, so I bought 50 rounds of each. The Rangers jammed in 4 of the 5 magazines I tested, although many have fired hundreds of them without issue in the same model. I bought 200 more rounds of the Gold Dot and didn't carry them until at least 100 were shot without issue.

Good point, I can't say how they will perform out of the gun, whether feeding good or accurate because I haven't shoot any, I'm bad about that

[Jackalo626]

I use a few in various guns but 124 Gold Dots is my normal carry but I guarantee that the bad guys can't tell the difference from 124 or 147.

[rattlehead55]

Originally Posted by nickod

federal HST 147gr +p .... just about makes a 9mm behave like weak a .40 , and for a +p round it very soft shooting. both statements are just my opinion.

i USE SAME...

[ABNAK]

Yep, HST 147gr +P in my Glock 19. Chrono'd it at about 1021fps average.

[Bradysmmrs]

I run Speer gold dots, when I was first in the market for them we used old telephone poles soaked in water to see the way the bullet would expand. While all the major brands shot well and expanded, the speer's were the most reliable.

[9mmParabellum]

The 9mm was invented on the 124gr however, the best results in shootings have come from 115gr standard +P, +P+, with the 9mm being marginal I perfer the +P+ I have personal experince with and I carry Corbon's 115gr +P JHP it acts like a +P+ at 1350fps

The best bullet weights are 115-127gr

The 147gr have a poor street record

the 124-127gr have come in second in shootings behind the 115gr

[NG VI]

The 147gr have a poor street record
The 147gr have a poor street record

...in 1989.

[Six4Sure]

Originally Posted by dooga

Federal HST 9mm 147 gr JHP SIM-TEST w/Denim - YouTube

Federal HST 9mm 147 gr JHP SIM-TEST w/Denim - YouTube

I am getting a Gen4 17 this weekend. I think I am gonna use this as a sd load. I have heard nothing but good things.

In my edc, a S&W 442, I carry hornady critical defense 110 grain +p. I like them for the lack of recoil, even in a 15 oz gun. But since this a larger gun which will probably not be concealed, recoil is not as big of an issue. These hsts seem like some badass rounds!

[unit1069]

ATK's side-by-side ammo comparisons give standard pressure 124-grain HST at 13.5" penetration and .66" expansion.

All things being equal I prefer having a higher velocity bullet achieving the same results as a slower one.

Question: If the 147-grain .355 bullet traveling 1005 fps is a good round what does anyone think of the same bullet at 1250 fps? Advantages/disadvantages?

[DocKWL]

Originally Posted by 9mmParabellum

The 9mm was invented on the 124gr however, the best results in shootings have come from 115gr standard +P, +P+, with the 9mm being marginal I perfer the +P+ I have personal experince with and I carry Corbon's 115gr +P JHP it acts like a +P+ at 1350fps

The best bullet weights are 115-127gr

The 147gr have a poor street record

the 124-127gr have come in second in shootings behind the 115gr

Interesting comments given your signature line.

[DocKWL]

Originally Posted by unit1069

ATK's side-by-side ammo comparisons give standard pressure 124-grain HST at 13.5" penetration and .66" expansion.

All things being equal I prefer having a higher velocity bullet achieving the same results as a slower one.

Question: If the 147-grain .355 bullet traveling 1005 fps is a good round what does anyone think of the same bullet at 1250 fps? Advantages/disadvantages?

If your ability to shoot the two are equal, choose the one with the higher velocity. I would caution not to choose ammunition loaded by boutique mills that load bullets past their design window.

[WiskyT]

Originally Posted by unit1069

ATK's side-by-side ammo comparisons give standard pressure 124-grain HST at 13.5" penetration and .66" expansion.

All things being equal I prefer having a higher velocity bullet achieving the same results as a slower one.

Question: If the 147-grain .355 bullet traveling 1005 fps is a good round what does anyone think of the same bullet at 1250 fps? Advantages/disadvantages?

In a short barrel, the 147's will be closer to 1005fps than the 124's will be to 1250fps. That's why I have Ranger 147 T's in my LC9, 950fps just like Winchester intended. They also shoot softer than the 124+P GD that I shot, but didn't chrono. The non+P 124GDHP was barely doing over 1000fps in the 3.1" barrel. So I have a choice between two bullets going about the same speed, one a 124 the other a 147.

Also, heavy for caliber bullets can expand more rapidly and still penetrate. Most heavy bullets have larger HP's than their lighter syblings.

[jaklcrow]

I have been bouncing around a few options lately since I just started carrying a 9mm; I always carried a .40 or .45 until recently.

Right now its between 115g Gold Dots, HST 147g +p, and 100g Corbon Pow-r-bals.

Its probably going to be the HST or Corbons that I go with, and the 200 rounds of Gold Dots will be backup.

I am really on the fence about the Corbons and never would have considered them if I didnt get 2 recommendations for them lately.

Dont berate me for this because I know it could be a dumb reason to choose a round, which is why I am still waiting to test them for myself, but...

I work with 3 former Operators, and the newest guy to come on just got out of it and into the private sector within the last few months. He has been doing military executive protection and special forces firearms training, among other things, for the last 20 years. Hands down his preferred 9mm round are the Pow-R-Balls. He has used them for their intended purpose for quite some time, and knows how well they work.

So that right there is a pretty powerful endorsement IMO.

[unit1069]

Originally Posted by DocKWL

If your ability to shoot the two are equal, choose the one with the higher velocity. I would caution not to choose ammunition loaded by boutique mills that load bullets past their design window.

The company is Hornady and it enjoys a stellar reputation for quality.

The caliber is .357sig, not 9mm. There are a lot of folks who recommend a 124-grain/127-grain 9mm running at 1250 fps in a 9mm, so I was wondering about a 147-grain .355" JHP bullet running at the same velocity.

Does anyone have an opinion on this round and its effectiveness?

[Tiro Fijo]

Originally Posted by DocKWL

If your ability to shoot the two are equal, choose the one with the higher velocity. I would caution not to choose ammunition loaded by boutique mills that load bullets past their design window.

Speer engineers have gone on record stating that Double Tap velocities were within the window of expansion for the Gold Dots.

[xtremetj]

My son and I spent some time doing a bunch of shooting yesterday afternoon. We finished up with shooting some 124 grain +p HST and Gold Dots out of my G26. When we were done, the Gold Dots come out of the gun and magazine and in went the 124 grain +p HST. This is what I'll be carrying from now on. This isn't to say the Gold Dots didn't perform, they are a great bullet and I'd carry them in a heartbeat but based on yesterday, I'll rely on the HST's for now.

Based on yesterday's information I really need to get a hold of some of the 125 grain HST's for my 357 Sig. I know they exist but I just can't find them.

[NG VI]

Unit, I'd say that having a better designed bullet for the target at hand outweighs a couple hundred feet per second. In this case, I think a 147/147+P HST is about ideal for defensive use against people, but I would be much more inclined to pick something like the 147 XTP from a .357 Sig case if I was carrying the pistol on something like a hog hunt.

[NG VI]

try ammunitiontogo.com, tds-us.com, streichers.com, and always mahsupplies.com.

I think it was either TDS or ATG that had them when I got a few boxes.

[LawScholar]

There are probably about a half dozen totally trustworthy self defense loads, if not more. Remington Golden Saber, Winchester Ranger-T and PDX1, etc. come to mind.

For me, I'm a believer in two rounds forsaking all others: The heavy-for-weight Federal HST and Speer Gold Dot. I carry 180-grain HST .40 in my Beretta, and when I get a 9 I will carry either 147-grain GD or HST.

Honestly it's whatever I can find easier at the time. I trust both entirely.

ATK is getting my money either way :D

[Warp]

I suggest Speer Gold Dot

[unit1069]

Originally Posted by NG VI

Unit, I'd say that having a better designed bullet for the target at hand outweighs a couple hundred feet per second. In this case, I think a 147/147+P HST is about ideal for defensive use against people, but I would be much more inclined to pick something like the 147 XTP from a .357 Sig case if I was carrying the pistol on something like a hog hunt.

The trick is one never knows beforehand who and what the threat is. If LEO in a majority of cases are carrying .40S&W with 180-grain JHP with no significant problems what might be the problem(s) with a 147-grain .357sig?

This past September I shot some 125-grain Gold Dot bullets downloaded to 1300 fps by Bitterroot Valley into water-filled Pepsi bottles along with Double Tap 147-grain Gold Dot (from a 2007 purchase when DT was loading Gold Dots). Both ammos penetrated into the third bottle and mushroomed perfectly. Wouldn't the larger, heavier Gold Dot be better than the 125-grain Gold Dot from everything I've read about heavy-for-caliber advantage, especially if it yields a milder recoil?