For self-defense, shoot your specific 9mm handgun with 115 grain and with 147 grain bullets at 25 yards and less to see if you find, like I did, that the heavier 147 grain bullet hits the target higher almost every time.
What grain is best for 9 mm ammo?
Common 9mm bullet weights normally available at most stores are 115, 124, and 147 grain. The 115-grain loads tend to be higher velocity and the 147s somewhat slower, even subsonic. A good compromise is a 124-grain bullet, this is also super popular with the police and military.
Is 115 grain 9mm good for self-defense?
While this particular cartridge is offered in various configurations, the most common is the 115 gr. full metal jacket (FMJ). This is an excellent round for practice, matches and informal “plinking.” However, it is a terrible choice for self-defense because of its penetration capability.
What is a good grain for self-defense?
Here are our recommendations for each of the most common weights of bullets: 115, 124, & 147 grain. This way you can shoot the same weight of bullet as your more common range ammo. And because these are self-defense rounds, they are all jacketed hollow points (JHP) for reliable expansion.
Is 9mm 124 grain good for self-defense?
The 9mm is a powerful number well-suited to personal defense. The 9mm easily jolts 115 to 124-grain bullets to well over 1100 fps. +P or higher-pressure loadings may reach 1300 fps. The 9mm is not quite as good as some of its fans think, but it is a better cartridge than most of its detractors would have you believe.
What grain 9mm Do police use?
The 9mm round now acknowledged to work the best is a 124-grain to 127-grain high tech hollow point at a velocity of 1250 feet per second. NYPD, with some 30,000 officers carrying this type of ammo, the Speer Gold Dot +P 124-grain, is happy with the performance of its 9mm service pistols.
Which is better 115gr 9mm vs 124gr?
There is not much difference. Certain guns work better with the 115 grain and some work better with the 124 grain . You need to test the different grains to see which one is better . Sometimes the less recoil the better and sometimes more is better .
Is a higher grain bullet better?
If you want effectiveness for defensive situations, larger game, or combat, then higher-grain cartridges will get the job done. The heavier the bullet, the better expansion and penetration you’ll get on impact. This means quicker and more humane kills.
Is 9mm FMJ OK for self-defense?
Self Defence: FMJ ammo is not often used in self-defense situations due to the risk of the bullet striking an unintended target. It is a small-arms projectile, it can be used in concealed carry guns. Hollow point bullets are better for shoot to kill and self-defense situations.
What 9mm ammo has the best stopping power?
The best performing 9mm load was a +P+ 9mm 115-grain JHP. Ironically, it was a 115-grain 9mm hollow-point that failed the FBI in 1986 and launched their search for handgun stopping power Shangri-La.
What is 9mm home defense ammo?
SKU. PHD 9MM 90. 20ct. This 90gr PHD™ ammunition designed for 9mm handguns is an excellent choice for personal protection. After 1.5 – 2″ of penetration four blades are engineered to shear off and radiate out in a star pattern while the Blunt Trauma Base™ continues to penetrate 14 – 16″ in ballistic gel.
Can I shoot 147 grain 9mm ammo?
The usual bullet weights for 9mm Luger range from 115 to 147 grains. Lighter and heavier bullets can be had, but they are not common for factory loads. The heavy bullets are generally 158-grains, but 165-grain bullets can also be had.
Is 100 grain 9mm ammo good?
These 100-grain 9mm loads are well suited for Steel Challenge. The low recoil means speedy recovery to get the sights on target quickly. Accuracy was good enough for Steel Challenge plates—though you’ll need to test that in your gun. The low recoil will be welcomed by non-competitors as well.
Do police use hollow points?
While hollow points are commonly used by police and civilians, they are banned in international warfare under the 1899 Hague Convention’s early laws of war that the United States has followed even though the U.S. government never ratified the agreement.
Does heavier grain mean more recoil?
Recoil also causes the muzzle of a pistol to rise and rotate due to the centreline of the barrel being above the centre of contact (to the shooter). An established fact is that at a given PF a heavier bullet going relatively slowly will produce less recoil (and muzzle rise) than a light bullet going faster.
Do heavier bullets hit harder?
And which should you choose for what kind of shooting? As a general rule, the heavier the game you hunt, the heavier your bullet should be. This is because heavier slugs always carry more energy. In a given caliber, they will also have longer shanks which aid in maintaining momentum for deeper penetration.
Will 9mm stop an attacker?
The 9mm round has about a 34% chance of stopping an aggressor with just one shot.
Will a 9mm go through a person?
It depends on the gun
Experiments using ballistic gelatine to mimic the human body suggest that a 9mm bullet from a handgun will penetrate about 60cm through human fat tissue. A fully jacketed bullet from an assault rifle, such as an AK-47, will go much further and can easily shoot through a brick wall.
What does the grain mean on ammunition?
A grain is a small unit of measurement where there are 437.5 grains in an ounce. Therefore, if you were to purchase a box of . 223 Remington Brown Bear 55-Grain FMJ, the “55” refers to the mass of the bullet itself, not the entire cartridge — just the projectile.
What is lead free ammo?
Lead-free hunting bullets are typically composed of copper or brass (an alloy of copper and zinc) instead of lead. Due to the lower density these bullets are often longer or lighter, and in the latter case need to be faster to transport the same amount of kinetic energy [27].
Do heavier bullets penetrate more?
As a rule, the bigger and tougher the game, the heavier your bullet should be. This is because mass enhances penetration and holds more energy. Lighter bullets shoot faster and flatter than heavy bullets if both have similar shapes, i.e. spire points.
What grain makes 9mm subsonic?
Standard calibers
Subsonic loads for 9mm commonly use 9.5 grams (147 gr) bullets at velocities of 300 metres per second (980 ft/s). For these ammunition loads, balancing bullet weight and velocity are required to ensure that the ammunition will still reliably cycle semi-automatic firearms.
Which 9mm has the least recoil?
Sig Sauer’s New XFive Legion Pistol Is Designed for Lightest Possible Recoil. LAS VEGAS — Sig Sauer is marketing its new P320 XFive Legion at SHOT Show 2020 as one of the lightest recoiling 9mm pistols in the gun industry.
Which bullets are most powerful?
Unlike specialized ammunition types, +P ammunition is simply regular ammunition made more deadly by increasing chamber pressure. Normally, bullets are sent flying out of the barrel of a gun by the burning of gunpowder.
Why are hollow points banned in war?
Legislation. The Hague Convention of 1899, Declaration III, prohibited the use in international warfare of bullets that easily expand or flatten in the body. It is a common misapprehension that hollow-point ammunition is prohibited by the Geneva Conventions, as the prohibition significantly predates those conventions.
What ammo should I use at the range?
The Takeaway:
Hollow point bullets are a more expensive round and best used for self defense situations, and loaded in your Every Day Carry (EDC) defense weapon. They are also best as your home defense weapon. Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) rounds are best used for range shooting since they are much less expensive.
Are faster bullets better?
We’re simply going to get a lot more kinetic energy in a bullet if we increase it’s velocity rather than it’s weight. It’s a win win arrangement. The lighter bullet goes farther, drifts less, is easier to shoot accurately (less recoil,) and delivers as much energy as a much heavier bullet.
Do bigger bullets cause more damage?
Not all bullets are created equal. The energy of a bullet is determined by its mass and speed, and its wounding potential hinges on its ability to transfer its energy to a target; even rounds that are similar in size, or look similar, can cause dramatically different damage.
Can a 9mm go through a wall?
Those defensive rounds tested were less penetrative but tended to not “flower” as they penetrated each layer of sheetrock. Handgun rounds (9mm and . 45 ACP) all penetrated at least six walls of sheetrock and, in the case of 10mm, over 10 walls.
How far will a 115 grain 9mm travel?
Personal Interview. 21 May 2002. “A 9mm bullet travels around 1500 ft/s. It will travel around 2500 yards before it falls.”
Is a 9mm good for home Defence?
While this list includes guns in different calibers, we typically recommend a 9mm as your first home defense handgun. Here’s why: 9mm handguns typically have a larger capacity than handguns with larger rounds.
Why 45 is better than 9mm?
45 ACP is a powerful bullet that offers large expansion upon impact because of its hollow-point design. Because of its heavier weight, it has less velocity. Thus, it won’t penetrate deeply. Additionally, it has 355 lb/ft which is a hefty amount of power since it can hold more gunpowder compared to the 9mm.
Can fat stop a bullet?
HAVE you ever wondered how fat you would need to be to take a bullet and survive? The short answer is morbidly obese. Science shows that a 9mm bullet shot from a hand gun can cut through 60cm of fat before it stops.
Which is better .22 or 9mm?
While the 22lr is accurate and easy to shoot it does fail to penetrate adequately. The 9mm, on the other hand, was specifically designed as a combat cartridge. As the standard round for the US Military and NATO, it is much larger and powerful than the 22lr.
What is better 115 grain or 124 grain 9mm?
There is not much difference. Certain guns work better with the 115 grain and some work better with the 124 grain . You need to test the different grains to see which one is better . Sometimes the less recoil the better and sometimes more is better .
Is 124 grain 9mm good for self-defense?
The 9mm is a powerful number well-suited to personal defense. The 9mm easily jolts 115 to 124-grain bullets to well over 1100 fps. +P or higher-pressure loadings may reach 1300 fps. The 9mm is not quite as good as some of its fans think, but it is a better cartridge than most of its detractors would have you believe.
What are frangible bullets used for?
Frangible bullets are intended to disintegrate into tiny particles upon target impact to minimize their penetration of other objects. Small particles are slowed more rapidly by air resistance, and are less likely to cause injury or damage to persons and objects distant from the point of bullet impact.
What are federal IRT bullets made of?
This Federal American Eagle 9mm ammunition is loaded with a 70 grain Full Metal Jacket bullet. Federal American Eagle 9mm is new production ammunition in boxer primer and brass cases.
| MPN | AE9LF1 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Federal Ammo |
| Caliber | 9mm Ammo |
| Bullet Type | Full Metal Jacket |
| Muzzle Velocity | 1625 fps |
Is 70 grain 9mm ammo good?
Federal loads this round’s bullet to exit a 4” barrel at a velocity of 1,625 fps. That gives a 70 grain bullet ballistic performance which is comparable to that of a regular self-defense round, making this ammo an effective choice for training.
How many grams is a 9mm bullet?
NATO standard
Its official nomenclature among NATO members is “9mm NATO”. Standard bullet weight is 7.0 grams (108 gr) to 8.3 grams (128 gr).