After very brief research I'm getting the feeling that 9mm 115 grain JHP is not a popular choice.
So, should I be getting 124 grain JHP instead?
If so, that's a shame, because 'upgrading' to 124 grain appears to cost about $0.25 more per round.

What you guys say?

would you let your friend shoot you with a 115? No? sounds like it fits the bill then.

This has been hashed out over and over, I can't give expert advice but I can say you should just shoot whichever you enjoy.

Would you let your friend shoot you with a bb gun?  No?  Then it is perfect for HD!



To the OP, get good ammo, preferably something listed in the tacked threat and do not worry about the cost.  Life ain't a flea market and no one is going to care whether or not you saved a buck if/when you have to shoot a guy.

The trend is to heavier bullets for better penetration.  It used to be the 147 gr JHPs could not be trusted to expand.  New bullet technology like the HST is much improved so you can get the expansion and the penetration.

The 115 gr bullets will penetrate less but can still be sufficiently lethal so don't kid yourself they are not.  If all I could get my hands on were 115 gr bullets the the Fed 9bp or WWB JHP I would not lose any sleep.

Bottom line- keeping the above in mind, shoot what functions 100% in your gun and mags.

4073

Geting shot sux.

Shot placement is everything

End of story

Unless you plan on shooting a ton of bad guys, "'upgrading' to 124 grain appears to cost about $0.25 more per round." $12.50 extra for 1 box shouldn't be a concern. Keep that box for your carry/home defense, and use the 115 grain for target/practice  

Appropriately designed 115, 124, 135 and 147 grain 9mm JHP SD ammunition is plenty lethal. Parsing the minute differences in their respective performances is a waste of time and barely rises past an academic pursuit.

Research your potential selection as thoroughly as possible employing solid logic and common sense and carry what fits your particular needs best.

TK

I think so, I stick with 147 gr.

124+P and 147 gr HPs have better penetration than 115 gr HPs.

You must get really tired of writing that over and over.

115gr Corbon DPX all-copper bullet

That was the 1st place I checked out (great info!)
The reason for this post was because there is only one 115gr 9mm round listed out of 12 recommended ones.
That's what got me questioning 115gr 9mm.

I know it sounds like I'm a being a tight-wad, but this purchase will be 500 rounds minimum.
That's at least a $125 difference between 115gr and 124gr.
It all adds up.

Ask yourself this question: Do I NEED 500 rounds of defensive ammunition?
Obviously, your answer is no, unless your profession involves escalating force and handguns.

Now ask yourself this question: If I only buy 50 rounds of defensive ammo, how much MORE practice ammo can I buy with my savings?
That should satisfy your need to save a little in these fiscally scary times.

If those don't  get you anywhere in your decision-making, one more: Do I know where to shoot a man, and can I get combat-accurate hits with the ammo in question?

Better yet, ask yourself how much are you and your safety is worth.

Quality, ergo performance, costs.

124gr +p ranger bonded and 147gr ranger bonded are 200.00 per 500rds here in tampa where im at. Its not the top dog round but its comperable to gold dot. If you can show me good 115gr jhp for 125.00 less im down for alot of it

After another hour of researching I can see that I asked a question to which there is no correct answer.
There are arguments and counter-arguments to almost everything 'ballistic'.

Some of the more interesting debates I've read about:
- there are too many variables in a self defense gunfight to be able to match a specific round to a specific shooter.
- plastic water jugs / ballistic gelatin / dead goats, are not and do not, behave the same as a human body, ballistically speaking.
- don't choose your load based on what FBI agents use. Statistically, an FBI 'gunfight' is more likely to involve a vehicle and the FBI uses ammo with this in mind.
- skip the 'two to the chest' and proceed directly to the 'one to the cranio-ocular' area because a dedicated opponent can shoot back at you after multiple hits to the body.

The only things I think everyone can agree on:
- there is no single 'wonder' caliber / bullet / grain for self defense.
- the only guaranteed 'one shot stopper' is the bullet that hits (and severs) high up in the spinal column or hits the brain itself, thus....
- a hit to an eye socket from a .22 will probably stop the threat better than a .45 to the chest
- type of ammo is irrelevant if you don't hit the target
- ammo is useless if it's not reliable in YOUR firearm
- the best ammo and the best firearm are useless if you don't have the training and tactics to survive a gunfight

The question I should have asked was:
What 9mm ammo should be avoided because it's basically crap.

Words of wisdom!

[/quote]
Unless you plan on shooting a ton of bad guys, "'upgrading' to 124 grain appears to cost about $0.25 more per round." $12.50 extra for 1 box shouldn't be a concern. Keep that box for your carry/home defense, and use the 115 grain for target/practice  
[/quote]

I know it sounds like I'm a being a tight-wad, but this purchase will be 500 rounds minimum.
That's at least a $125 difference between 115gr and 124gr.
It all adds up.
[/quote]



I understand what you're saying, but you could use that extra $125 towards another 550-600 rounds? If you can find it that is

The reason for the price difference right now is demand for the 124gr and 147gr ammo is very high.

Some things in life you can get away with being cheap about, self-defense ammo isn't one of them.  

.02

Actually he probably does need 500 more than someone who's job is "escalating" force.

1 gun––100-200 rounds to ensure proper feeding in his gun.
75 rounds for a basic load and a few spares
shooting a mag of carry ammo at least twice a year.

The guy with the escalating use of forc3e job carries what the boss gives him(usually I once had to buy my own duty ammo).  If it does not work in his gun he buys a new gun or gets a policy exception from the boss or gets issued a new gun(despite rumor to the contrary most agencies do not issue you a gun).

115Gn Silvertip under performed in the Miami shoot out and led to modern handgun ammo testing.

I have 115 grain Speer Gold Dot for defensive ammo.  

I chose that particular round because the most readily available 9mm ammo for me is the Winchester 100-round value packs of 115-grain 9mm.  That way I can practice with cheaper ammo that has the same firing characteristics as my defensive ammo.

That - and not a heavier bullet - makes me feel more confident and comfortable with the ammunition I carry.

My self defense/carry round in 9MM is Cor-Bon +P 115 grain JHP.
Pretty hard to argue with 1350fps & 466 ft lbs of energy.

Not really; but there's not much point to it.

Ive reloaded the 115 Silver tips
They would Mushroom nice  in wet paper
and PANCAKE when hitting sand

but I drove them Hot

Plus Im sure you will shoot until threat is down

some guys think a 115gr 9mm will just bounce off


I carried 115 +p  for years back in the 80`s and early 90`s

how ever I do use 127 ranger


to many guys here are caught up with wich Flavor of the month
When they should be at the range shooting

I trust my life to some Cor-Bon 115gr. JHP.  Their a +P load and claim 1,300FPS.  I'm not really worried about a 9 grain difference.  A 9mm JHP screaming at you under 10' at 1,300fps will get it done.

I like to cycle my self defense ammo and I think I'm going to switch up to some Speer Gold Dots or that new Hornady "critical defense"