
This causes the round to go clean-through the target and continue on.
#BEST 9MM AMMO GRAIN FULL#
FMJ (Full-Metal Jacket)Ī lot of criminal records and serious tests have proven that full metal jacket ammunition achieves great overpenetration and minimal expansion, making this type less suitable for self-defense. Since most major handgun manufacturers forbid the use of lead bullets in their firearm, the other two are most often found in our arsenals. In the market, you usually have the following types of bullets: lead non-jacketed bullets, FMJ or full-metal-jacket bullets, and finally, the JHP or jacketed hollow point bullets. 45 ACP in terms of wounding capabilities. On the other hand, many experts have advocated for years the "bigger is better" theory of defensive handgun rounds, but with engineering and performance of modern 9mm cartridges, lighter and faster 9mm projectiles can rival the slower and heavier. For training and even plinking, you can purchase FMJ ammo cases or buckets of 500 or more in order to lower the cost per round. However, you have to differentiate between the 9mm ammunition intended for defensive purposes and the practice ammo that you would use for the range. That same lower cost also encourages handgun owners to practice more for less money. In the world of personal defense, the 9mm has become the most popular concealed carry caliber due to the solid ballistics, wide selection of self-defense ammunition, lower recoil, and affordability.īut in a gunfight, the guy who wins is the one who can place well-aimed shots at the right time and we recognize that training and practice are mandatory to every handgun owner.Ĭompared to other high-powered handgun cartridges, 9mm ammunition is less expensive, especially when purchased in bulk. The 9mm caliber is having something of a renaissance these days because people are more interested than ever in concealed carry compact pistols purpose-built for constant wear and reactive use. However, recent technological developments in bullet and propellant design have contributed to the 9mm's skyrocketing popularity. It is precisely the firepower factor that has led many American police departments, as well as sporting shooters worldwide, to prefer the 9mm. Its modest dimensions permit the use of high capacity, double-column magazines in pistols. While many harbor well-founded doubts about the 9mm's terminal effectiveness, actually, the 9mm Parabellum`s virtues in the last century were largely logistical. the bullet has to stay in one single piece while it penetrates light or heavy clothing and travels through the soft tissue. All well-made defense rounds should demonstrate excellent weight retention i.e. Weight RetentionĪ heavier bullet penetrates barriers better and causes more damage if it remains in one piece. This type of projectile designed for expansion is usually a JHP, as the opening in the bullet’s exposed, soft nose will enhance expansion once the bullet hits the target, creating a larger wound channel. ExpansionĪnother notable 9mm ammo feature is a bullet’s ability to enter a target and expand to create as large of a wound cavity as possible. The perfect 9mm self-defense load for sidearms, according to the FBI, must provide penetration depths of 12 inches minimum and 18 inches maximum when fired in 10% ballistic gel. Many thanks to Lucky Gunner for allowing the use of their data and many of their photos for this article.A 9mm bullet has to achieve adequate penetration to disrupt the vital organs, stop the bad guy, and not cause any collateral damage. They have extensive data from their in-house ballistic gel testing on many calibers complete with photos, video, and specifics for over 100 different self-defense handgun ammunition loads! If you're like me and enjoy quality, well-researched information on ammo performance, I highly recommend the Lucky Gunner Handgun Self-Defense Ammunition Ballistics Test at the Lucky Gunner Labs. The cost of one or two boxes of cartridges is a small price to pay for the peace of mind that it brings. These are both things that are best discovered before you must depend on that gun/ammo combo to protect you. By shooting 50-100 rounds you can determine if it is going to be reliable as well as how much recoil you can expect. It's important to test any ammunition that you plan to use for self-defense in the gun you plan to use. Generally, you can count on most any quality hollow point round from any of the major ammunition manufacturers to work well for your self-defense needs. That rounds out our top recommendations for self-defense 9mm ammo.
