Topic: The Best 9mm Ammo (Read 35 times)
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Why It Made the Cut
Federal Premium’s HST bullet is a stalwart performer in 9mm ammo for self defense. It expands rapidly and uniformly, maintains weight, and gives optimal penetration and terminal performance.
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There is lots of co*petition in the game of 9mm ammo for self-defense, and lots of excellent choices. However, my favorite defensive load is Federal Premium’s 124-grain HST hollow point. The HST bullet is one of the best 9mm bullets with the most consistent expansion for self-defense on the market. It strikes a nice balance between mass, velocity, and terminal performance.
The HST features a gaping hollow point and scored jacket to direct expansion into six equal-sized petals. It’s designed to maximize performance in the FBI’s testing protocol. It expands reliably through a variety of barriers and is built to retain weight without over-penetration. It’s accurate, reliable, and an excellent choice for any carry gun.
Why It Made the Cut
This 9mm ammo features Hornady’s reliable and deep-penetrating XTP hollow point, and at 115-grains, is softer shooting than heavier 9mm rounds for self-defense—especially in micro-co*pact 9mm pistols.
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Hornady’s American Gunner 115-grain XTP is a quality 9mm round for self-defense at an affordable price. The XTP bullet is a dependable hollow point that has a smaller opening and more limited expansion than some other defensive 9mm ammo. The benefit is that it retains lots of weight and penetrates well. In a 115-grain offering, it has good velocity for both expansion and penetration—and has less recoil than many 124- and 147-grain 9mm rounds.
In micro-co*pact 9mm pistols, this 115-grain load is very soft-recoiling, but still performs and functions well. Some loads with heavier bullets and +P pressures make these tiny handguns beasts to tame, but lower recoil loads like this allow a shooter to be more accurate and effective.
Why It Made the Cut
Nosler’s Assured Stopping Power 147-grain 9mm ammo is made with quality co*ponents and bullets that are designed to expand reliably at subsonic velocities. Fired through a suppressor, it’s pussycat-quiet, and feeds smoothly in every pistol and PCC I could run it through.
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Nosler’s ASP 147-grain load is premium 9mm ammo at a great price. It’s jacketed hollow point is clean and precise, with a notched jacket to direct expansion, even at its slow, subsonic velocities. The bullet has a more rounded profile than some other hollow points which seems to make them feed with great reliability.
The 950-fps muzzle velocity is slow enough to stay subsonic, even when fired through most longer PCC barrels, and is ultra-quiet when fired through a suppressor. That’s where this ammo really shines. It’s a great choice in 9mm ammo for self-defense or home defense in a handgun, but I really like it in my Kalashnikov USA KP-9 with a suppressor.
Why It Made the Cut
Underwood’s 90-grain Extreme Defender load features a Lehigh Defense Extreme Defense bullet at blistering speed. It’s designed for excellent barrier penetration and dramatic wound cavities.
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Underwood Ammo is one of the most popular producers of factory ammo using Lehigh Defense’s mono-metal Extreme Defense and Extreme Penetrator bullets. This load, which features the 90-grain Extreme Defense bullet, is all about speed. It’s loaded to high +P+ pressures and pushes the bullet out at a screaming 1550 fps. Check your pistol’s manual to see if this ammunition is safe to use before buying.
The Extreme Defense bullet is all-copper and has a point that’s fluted and looks like a Phillips screwdriver. The minimal front surface area and solid construction give the bullet great hard-barrier penetration abilities, and the flutes act to direct hydraulic pressure in such a way that it causes a wound cavity like that produced by a hollow point. At such high velocities, it’s certain to be effective.
Why It Made the Cut
Winchester’s USA Ready Defense is a great option for 9mm ammo for self-defense. It feeds and cycles reliably, and has a Hex-Vent insert to prevent clogging of the hollow point and aid expansion.
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Winchester’s USA Ready Defense rounds feature a nickel-plated case and a wide-opening hollow point bullet. The jacket is folded over the edge of the hollow point and notched at the very top. These bullets are more resistant to deformation than others if dropped by accident. The most characterizing feature is the Hex-Vent insert in the hollow point cavity itself.
The cavity of the hollow point is deep and filled with the polymer insert that features six radial slots. The purpose of this insert is to prevent clogging of the cavity itself when penetrating barriers, but also to drive dramatic expansion. This 9mm ammo’s +P pressure rating means it might not be safe to fire in all pistols, but it delivers best-in-class velocities for 124-grain bullets. If it’s safe for your pistol, this is a great option for 9mm ammo for self defense.
Why It Made the Cut
Speer’s Gold Dot hollow point is one of the standard-setters when it co*es to optimal defensive performance. In the 124-grain +P 9mm ammo, it’s a stellar option for your carry gun.
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Speer’s Gold Dot hollow point bullet is one of the best defensive 9mm bullets on the market, and their 124-grain +P 9mm ammo is an excellent choice for self-defense. It features the Gold Dot bullet that has a pressure-formed core, Uni-Cor bonding, and a notched jacket. The bullets expand dramatically and uniformly, optimizing penetration and wound cavity.
Speer’s on-the-box slogan is that Gold Dot is the number one choice of law enforcement, and while we can’t verify that, we can verify that the bullets are accurate and effective, and the ammunition runs beautifully in every gun I’ve put it through. The +P pressures give it a step up in velocity from standard 9mm ammo for self-defense, and it’s an excellent choice for your carry gun.
Why It Made the Cut
Remington’s Golden Saber jacketed hollow points have been on the market forever, and under new ownership, Remington is still rolling them out. They expand dramatically and give optimal penetration for 9mm self-defense ammo.
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Among long-standing choices of 9mm ammo for self-defense, the Remington Golden Saber has held its own. After their bankruptcy debacle, Remington Ammunition is back in business under the ownership of Vista Outdoors and is cranking out quality ammo. The Golden Saber is an excellent 9mm round for self-defense. It is characterized by its brass-jacketed hollow point bullet with spiral-angled notches in the jacket at the point. When expanded, the brass jacket petals peel back, and the core flattens, maintaining most of its weight.
The 147-grain Golden Saber 9mm ammo is subsonic, and excellent for using with a suppressor. The bullet is designed to expand rapidly at low velocities and has a bonded jacket and core to maintain weight and penetrate between 12 and 18 inches.
Why It Made the Cut
Sig-Sauer’s V-Crown jacketed hollow point load is made with quality co*ponents and an ultra-uniformly expanding bullet that’s optimized for self defense
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Neck and neck with the Federal Premium HST, the Sig-Sauer V-Crown hollow point is one of the most uniformly expanding 9mm rounds for self-defense on the market. The open jacketed hollow point has a deep cavity with a six-pointed star-shaped cavity that goes even deeper into the core. The points align with notches on the jacket, and co*bined, they drive consistent, flower-shaped expansion.
This 9mm ammo uses low-flash powder, and quality co*ponents, including nickel-plated cases. It’s right up there with all the best 9mm rounds for self-defense in velocity, terminal performance, and functionality.
Why It Made the Cut
This practice ammo from Federal Premium matches the ballistics and feel of the 124-grain HST 9mm ammo for self-defense. The total synthetic jacket reduces bore fouling and gives minimal splash back on hard targets.
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Since 9mm ammo for self-defense is typically expensive, shooters generally use cheaper, non-expanding practice ammo. This 124-grain 9mm ammo from Federal is designed to mimic the ballistics and feel of the 124-grain HST self-defense load. It has a flat-pointed lead bullet with a total synthetic jacket. This reduces cost and gilded metal fouling in your bore—and prevents the lead fouling that you’d see with simple cast bullets.
The synthetic coating of this 9mm ammo is purple and instantly recognizable. It’s an accurate option for co*petitive shooters and functions well in both pistols and PCC’s. Frankly, it’s a great practice substitute for any 124-grain 9mm self-defense ammo that you might carry.
Why It Made the Cut
Blazer Brass is one of the most available and affordable options for 9mm practice ammo. It’s got reloadable brass, and in 124-grains, is a great practice substitute for defensive loads.
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