I have nearly shot up all of my Speer gold dot 124 gr. JHP that i bought in bulk a while back and looking to stock up on some more.

I haven't been shopping yet but i would like something that is available at my local academy or cabelas, i have never seen the speer there. I haven't bought any SD ammo in a while so not even sure whats available.


What are some good recomendations? I will be using the ammo in a shield and a glock 17.

Federal HST in 147 grain or 124 grain is my suggestion. I'm partial to 147 grain.
The 150 grain Federal HST at Walmart is made for short barrels, but I hear it's performance is right on par with the 147 HST regular loads.

I second the 147g HST, especially in the short barrel Shield.

This. I'm about our if 124gr gdhp +p as well.

Picked up 500 147gr hst as well. Good stuff.

Txl

I'd recommend Federal HST in 124 gr. I feel that 147 gr is too slow. The 147 gr is below 1000 fps. Shot out of a 3 inch barrel in a carry pistol and the velocity is cut down even further. Heavier bullets penetrate soft tissue further but lighter bullets in the same caliber with higher velocities penetrate hard objects better.

If you look at the video linked below,  all rounds that have a muzzle velocity below 1000 fps, failed to penetrate the frying pan. The 147 gr would have a similar velocity to the .380  at about 900 fps which failed to cut through the pan. That extra 200 fps makes a huge difference in penetrating hard objects.

There may come a time when you have to shoot through a hard barrier. To do so you need speed.

Intermediate Barrier Test

Wikiarms is a pretty good site for ammo....even if you don't like to buy ammo over the net, you can use it to price check and see the going rate

HST.

/thread

People can argue this till the end of time, but I still stick with Gold Dots. After taking a vehicle course and seeing how the different rounds reacted, I don't see any reason to change what ive always gone with. YMMV, but I personally think any quality HP ammo made today will do you just fine.

All handguns are relatively poor 'stoppers' regardless of caliber or bullet used. Shot placement and sufficient penetration are paramount, all else is secondary. I doubt a bg would notice the difference between any of the quality SD loads currently available.
With that being said, I carry Hornady's std pressure Critical Duty for deeper penetration at the cost of modest expansion.
Tomac

Federal HST 147 +P in all my 9mm's except my Glock 43 which gets HST 124 non +p
I have found the 147 and 147+P the most accurate out of my 9mm. Speer gold dot 124 +P is a good round too.

I really like the Federal old school +p+ 115 JHP. (9mm BPLE)It's available, cost effective and has a good track record in some large city PD's


At less than $340 a case you can practice and keep a prudent reserve of

The 150 gr HST for the small barrels looks good

I am a big fan of Gold Dot though.

Thanks for the input guys. Not trying to spark off A ballistics debate, just trying to find a starting point of what to try. Availability is my number 1 concern atm, I don't want to stock pile much so it would be nice to just grab a box here and there, which I can't do with the gold dot I have been using.

The Federal HST in both 124 grn and 147 grain are excellent, and appear to work well in all available barrel lengths.  The GD 124+P also appear to work great in all barrel lengths, but the 147 grain and 124 grain standard pressure don't seem to work as well in shorter barreled guns.  

"The List" is a great starting point for quality ammunition, but it's also centered around using a duty sized pistol.  It also doesn't make a secret of that fact, as there's a disclaimer that the performance out of barrels under 3.5" hasn't been established.  So, as far as the Glock 17 goes, you're golden with just about anything on the list, as those have been tested and vetted.

But you've also got a Shield, which has a 3.1" barrel.  A lot of us, me included, carry this kind of subcompact pistol now that they're much more available and easier to carry CCW.  ShootingTheBull410 has done a lot of testing with these short barreled pistols, and found that some of the rounds that perform brilliantly in a full size pistol, don't perform as well through a short barrel, because the velocity is different from a 3" to a 4.5" barrel. The Gold Dot 124 standard and 147 grain rounds are an example of this.  Like you, I also carry a Glock 17 regularly, so I want one that performs well out of both barrel lengths.  The HST 124/147 are great, as well as the GD 124+p.  So, I would take any of those three as the top choices.

I'm a fan of 124 Speer Gold Dot and 124 Gr Federal HST.  Use ammoseek.com to find the best prices.  If you like a different  weight bullet that's fine but still from the same family.   Buy a little of each and find what your gun likes or doesn't  like and then stock up on 50 rnd LEO packaging from the net for best pricing.  I suggest  Ammunition Depot, or Mass Ammo, or SGAmmo as GTG.

Great post.  I also concluded that barrel length matters a lot.  I carry HST 147gr (P9HST2) in my Shield, but I wouldn't have any issues with the 124gr HST either.  At 40cpr from Target Sports USA for P9HST2, this is a real bargain for one of the very best defensive 9mm rounds for 3" barreled guns.  Molon's testing shows this round as being quite consistently accurate as well if the shooter does his job correctly.  Dr. GK Roberts and ShootingtheBull410 terminal ballistics testing shows effective penetration and expansion.  IMHO, looking at all the factors, I don't know if there is any better carry ammo for my Shield.

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/#9mm

I go with
http://www.luckygunner.com/9mm-p-50-grain-schp-liberty-ammunition-civil-defense-20-rounds#geltest

I don't want a lot of penetration in the house.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr6h44Pu4sM

Your shorting yourself if you limit your ammo selection to local stores, and you will overpay.  Online is the way to go.

HST 147gr
Gold Dot 147gr
Critical Duty 135g+P

Any of the above are solid performers.  I get mine from SG Ammo usually, and there are several good retailers mentioned above.

Here lately I have been getting Hornady CD since I qualify for "blue label" pricing @ $21.95 per 50rd box

That's what I use when I carry my M&P9c because it's an excellent performer in short barreled pistols.

My store sells 147 +p hst for $32 a box of 50. Besides adding one or 2 to a case of training ammo from sgammo I dont have a problem buying it for that price since I dont need a lot

I never figured out the 147 grain 9MM thing. I don't shoot suppressed so it is never really on the radar.
147+P and 124 grain HST is all but a dead heat in muzzle velocity and energy, so it really adds to the head scratching.


Anyhoo, the HST 124 is good stuff, and works well in short barrels. Gold Dot for when you want to send the best, is a standard. I have heard the G2 bullets are troublesome, but have no real idea. Bonded Golden Saber 124 +P have long been a favorite of mine as well. Never tried them in a really short barrel though.


I second the SG Ammo thought. Good folks to deal with and their prices are very fair.

Thanks for the input guys. I think I'm going to just say screw it and order some ammo online this friday from SG.

I am going to get some more 124 GD along with some 147 GD. The GD has been reliable and accurate fore me out of both of my pistols so like they say, if it aint broke don't fix it.

I would definitely look at Underwood if buying online. They make excellent 9mm defense loads. I buy their  124gr. +p.

I happen to have a supply of Remington Golden Sabers in 9mm. When it runs out I will replace it with 124gr HST.

Make this another vote for HST. 147 +P in full size barrels and 124 +P in short barrels.

Does anyone have any experience with the Gold Dot 124 +P short barrel? There was a significant difference in expansion between this and the regular 124+p fired out of a Shield.I saw a gel test comparison yesterday on line and also a velocity comparison and there was no question the short barrel ammo performed better out of the short barrel. Bullet expansion depends on velocity and there is enough lost velocity on the shorter barrel to effect bullet expansion of the regular +P ammo. Would it still probably blow a hole in you? Yes, but the short barrel ammo had the bullet doing what it was designed to do in the way it was designed to do it. Problem seems to be there is no Gold Dot short barrel 124g +P anywhere to be found. Did they quit making it?
The reviews I've read put the Gold Dot ammo at the top overall. If I can't find any short barrel, I'm stocking up on the Gold Dot 124g +P.

TIA