Self defense loads for 9mm

My gut feeling, would be to err on the side of caution. If you can go to jail for firing warning shots at people trying to kill you, my guess is that they will use anything and everything to try to convict you if you actually shot someone in self defense.

This is the bottom line, you will be charged no matter what until laws are improved or public opinion changes enough to sway the legal system. So I figured why not use the good stuff? Might make a precident and save the next guy.
 
People are not pure water. Use a better medium and you will get expansion.

Water jugs are a terrible indicator of bullet performance because they are brittle and can be torn open by hydrostatic pressure.




Winchester Ranger (the old Black Talon) which is quite difficult to find these days.


A few years ago I did a whole battery of terminal ballistics testing on a wide variety of 9mm JHP bullets and a few other calibers. All the data was posted on this website at the time.

What I found after numerous tests was that 147gr JHP of good quality offered the best combination of penetration and expansion. The lighter stuff tended to explode, shed weight and not penetrate as deeply. The epitomone of that being the 110gr JHP 357 Mag which created a one inch entry hole and failed to penetrate hardly at all.

On the other end of the scale were the high performance 45 ACP bullets which tended to open up so big that their penetration was reduced.

Of the 147gr JHP 9mm, the high end factory ammo was all fairly close. The best of them being the Remington Golden Sabre which opened up the same every time no matter what we shot it into or through.

Reloaded bullets tended not to expand as well as the premium stuff but they would penetrate to the same depth.

We also tested some extremely exotic stuff as well as an RCMP issue level 2A kevlar vest to determine what will penetrate kevlar and what won't.

FWIW IF, hypothetically I was to choose ammo for self defence, my choice would include the Rem Golden Sabre 147gr interspersed with some high velocity frangible rounds capable of penetrating kevlar. That combination gives the ablility to penetrate body armour with the best possible combination of penetration and expansion in soft tissue.

I sincerely hope that I can live my entire life out without ever having to shoot someone. It is simply not something I want to experience. But that doesn't mean I am not prepared nor willing to defend myself or my family.

Do you have a link to that thread?
 
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What self defence here in Canada?
This is not USA this is Canada and we do not live in Hollywood world!
What the heck is wrong with us now these days?
Do we fear from some invisible enemy?
For target defence I recommend anything from 115gr to 147gr.
Cheers.
 
What self defence here in Canada?
This is not USA this is Canada and we do not live in Hollywood world!
What the heck is wrong with us now these days?
Do we fear from some invisible enemy?
For target defence I recommend anything from 115gr to 147gr.
Cheers.

This attitude annoys me. Just because we live in Canada does not make us immune to criminal violence or acts of evil. Just because we are Canadians, does not mean we are required to die on the alter of political correctness . . . except in Toronto. Violence can come to us anywhere at anytime.

We as Canadians are no safer than the folks who were shot in by a deranged gunman in Norway. Naturally none of those victims were armed either, which sadly tends to be a common theme in these incidents. By all accounts the gunman stood in the open and would have been a easy target, so solving that particular problem would not have been technically difficult. While being armed is no guarantee that you will not be injured or killed in a violent encounter, your chances are far better when your situation is raised from being a lowly victim to being a combatant.

If your life is threatened, it's not about the $20 in your wallet, the issue is that instead of getting home to your family, you are left bleeding and dying in some dirty alley. So what are you going to do about it? Its up to you. No one else is going to come to your aid when the action is fast and violent. And it might not be just about you; what will you do to protect your wife and children during the course of a violent assault? Have you considered that meekly complying to your attacker's demands might actually embolden him/them to a greater degree of violence, while fighting back draws attention and creates a problem for them. The less time they have to hurt you, the less severely injured you will be.

The rules of this forum preclude our advising anyone to break the law, but if the law can't or won't protect you, or worse if the interpretation of the law actually endangers you, and you believe that in your particular circumstances you need to take extraordinary measures to ensure the safety of you and yours, you'll get no argument from me. Until we get a Canadian Castle Doctrine, its the best we can do.
 
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... no matter where you use self defense ammo and in what ever jurisdiction if its self defense against another fellow person you use only, and consider only using factory ammo. You NEVER used home loads, as any Judge, Jury or Prosecutor will tear you up for loading those evil, killing, bombastic, incredibly hot, malicious rounds. you use ONLY FACTORY AMMO, EVER, period, end of story. Anything else opens a whole can of worms you don't want open.

Just opinion, and fwiw, not gospel, and not advice, just hearsay.

Actually, I've read that a few times over the years in various American gun periodicals. The one that sticks out in my mind is an article where the author states that you have no idea there are 4 syllables in the word "magnum" until you hear the prosecution use it against you while describing you as some sort of firearms Angel of Death, loading super-special man killer rounds in your basement whilst salivating at the opportunity to use them on some hapless soul. I thought that was good advice at the time, and think it still is (for those able to use a firearm for defensive purposes, that is)!
 
What self defence here in Canada?
This is not USA this is Canada and we do not live in Hollywood world!
What the heck is wrong with us now these days?
Do we fear from some invisible enemy?
For target defence I recommend anything from 115gr to 147gr.
Cheers.

Newbs be trollin'.
 
What on earth is a "dealier than most" round? Who decides what round is more deadly than another and how exactly is that measured? How does one quantify the relative deadliness of a cartridge?

Your posting is utterly ridiculous and full of fail. :(

Really? Why don't you try doing some research on the subject? You obviously don't have the slightest clue about self defence or how warped the justice system is.

You sir are just another keyboard commando who gets a testosterone rush from posting on topics you have no knowledge of.

So you go ahead and load up some real hot defense loads, and if you should ever use them, you can tell us all how it feels to become "Bubba's #####".
 
Lastly, no matter where you use self defense ammo and in what ever jurisdiction if its self defense against another fellow person you use only, and consider only using factory ammo. You NEVER used home loads, as any Judge, Jury or Prosecutor will tear you up for loading those evil, killing, bombastic, incredibly hot, malicious rounds. you use ONLY FACTORY AMMO, EVER, period, end of story. Anything else opens a whole can of worms you don't want open.

Just opinion, and fwiw, not gospel, and not advice, just hearsay.

Well, it SHOULD be Gospel. ;)
In the "land of the free" where CCW is legit in almost every state, it is common knowledge that using anything but commercially produced ammo for self defence is an invitation to a whole heap of heartache.

Speaking as a current CCW holder in the majority of the U.S. states, I have done extensive research as I am not fond of the idea of relocating to a U.S. Federal prison... handloads and self-defence are a recipe for trouble.
 
Wow,

Reading through this thread it has gone in several different directions but the one thing that is clear to me and completely agree with Boomers post above is that the laws are just wrong here in Canada.

I agree that the use of factory ammo is the best way to avoid giving the crown any extra ammo (no pun intended) against you, no matter how good your reloads are. Reasonable comes up in a lot of legal cases and it is reasonable that more people buy factory ammo than reload.

The fact that the gun owner that uses his firearm to protect his life in a home invasion or robbery situation and then faces charges for doing so is absurd. You would think that the crown and the jury would ask themselves the simple common sense question of "what the hell was the robber/rapist whatever doing uninvited in a strangers home in the first place?" and should the home owner or resident not have the right to protect their life and that of their family using whatever reasonable force is available / necessary?

This is where IMO the laws fail all of the law abiding citizens because I don't think it would matter much in terms of being charged if you cracked the intruders skull with a bat, rather than using a gun you would be charged I'm sure. The fact that we are talking about firearms in this case would just give the haters more to charge the intended victim with.

It is sad to think that the laws are so backwards here that people are subject to charges for the most basic acts to defend themselves. What ever happened to reasonable force?

If an intruder gets 2 bullets in the chest for breaking in a home of a gun owner that's reasonable in my eyes. If he gets 2 bullets in the head that's excessive. Just the same as a couple hits in the ribs with a baseball bat is reasonable but a couple home run swings to the head is excessive.

The people making the laws need to use more common sense (wishful thinking on my part)

Cactus
 
Well, it SHOULD be Gospel. ;)
In the "land of the free" where CCW is legit in almost every state, it is common knowledge that using anything but commercially produced ammo for self defence is an invitation to a whole heap of heartache.

Speaking as a current CCW holder in the majority of the U.S. states, I have done extensive research as I am not fond of the idea of relocating to a U.S. Federal prison... handloads and self-defence are a recipe for trouble.

Wow, glad I still have a box and a half of Black Talons for defence purposes.
 
Have not read all the posts on this thread.

The Hornady XTP is a good bullet, but be aware that it comes in different variations. I opened a box the other day and found that it was intended for much higher velocity than my 9mm would generate.

My guess is that they have a hi vel bullet and a stnd vel bullet. Logic says they do the same for the 357 bullets, too, for the 38Spl and 357Mag.
 
My guess is that they have a hi vel bullet and a stnd vel bullet. Logic says they do the same for the 357 bullets, too, for the 38Spl and 357Mag.

That might make sense out of the results I got from a box of XTP's. I tried the 158gr bullet in a 357 mag handgun and the terminal results were TERRIBLE. The bullets wouldn't open up at all in wet media. Your post makes me wonder if those particular bullets were actually meant for use in a carbine and not a handgun?
 
.45 acp hardball doesn't need to expand to be effective.

There really is no substitute for 230 grains of round nose solid bullet traveling 825 feet per second, delivered via 1911 with the aid of steady hands and a resolute mind.
 
From a law enforcement perspective.......

If someone breaks into your home and you fear imminent death or grievous bodily harm to yourself or anyone else, you can use an amount of force necessary to stop the threat. i.e. deadly force

Hearing a noise outside and blasting away.......probably going to be in some trouble for that.

Intruder in the upstairs hallway......depends on the circumstances.

I can't speak for all law enforcement, but the majority of us aren't looking to charge innocent civilians protecting themselves from harm.

I can't imagine anyone getting charged with unsafe handling/storage of a firearm if they use it to save someone's life. However, we are in Canada and stranger things have happened.

I might be opening up a can of worms with this post, but that is not my intention.

My point is, from my experience, most police officers are not looking for any excuse to punish the average person (except traffic cops :) )

Stay safe out there
 
If someone wanted to load up some 9mm ammo for self defense, what would be a good type of bullet to buy and where is a good place to buy them?

Moot point as a regular citizen can't use a handgun for self-defense in Canada.

If you put on the application anything but "target practice" or collecting, I am positive you would be denied the permit.

Why 9mm? .45 with 230 jhp would be better imo.
 
Federal 115 grain JHP (9BP), read the 9mm Parabellum section

Remember that we live in Canada not in Texas and that a 9mm pistol is not a 357 magnum revolver or a 357 Sig pistol!

To be fair, all the anti-147grain articles are based on the OLD 147grain loads, when they first came out.
That Chuck Hawks report is out of date. Look at his bullet selection, they are decades out of date. No HST? No Gold Dot? OLD golden sabre rounds? No SXT or T-Series????

All the newer reports all generally favour heavier loadings nowadays. 147grain 9mm bullet design has come a LONG way. Note more updated lists that actually includes modern bullets.

If you take all of these criteria into account, the lists should come as no surprise. Please note that all of the recommended pistol loads listed below have been personally tested and vetted by Dr. Roberts. THEY ARE NOT IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE, SO ANY BULLET ON THE LIST IS CONSIDERED ACCEPTABLE.

9mm

Barnes XPB 115gr HP (35515) loaded by Cor-Bon (DPX09115)
Winchester Partition Gold 124gr JHP (RA91P)
Winchester Ranger-T 124 gr +P JHP (RA9124TP)
Winchester Ranger-T 127gr JHP +P+ (RA9TA)
Winchester Ranger-T 147gr JHP (RA9T)
Winchester Bonded 147gr JHP (RA9B/Q4364)
Speer Gold Dot 124gr JHP +P (53617)
Speer Gold Dot 147gr JHP (53619)
Remington Golden Saber 147gr JHP (GS9MMC)
Federal Tactical 124gr JHP (LE9T1)
Federal Tactical 135gr JHP +P (LE9T5)
Federal HST 147gr JHP (P9HST2

9mm 147-gr. load opinions boil down to two groups of shooters:

1. The old school folks who have outdated / 10 year old bullet performance in mind.

2. The new school folks who are amazed at how far 147-gr. loads have come and currently perform today.

The top 9mm 147-gr. loads have been enhanced to the point where they outperform the average 40 S&W load out there (with some 180-gr. being the exception).

Example of the top two 9mm SD loads:

* Double Tap's 147-gr. +P Gold Dot load is under SAMMI specs (only 200 psi over standard ammo) and yet it achieves 1,135 fps in a Glock 17, using specially blended cooler burning powders not commercially available.

http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=121

* Winchester Ranger T (Talans) in 147-gr. +P at 990 fps (Glock 19 - 4" pipe) consistently achieve around 15" penetration and almost 3/4" expansion in clothed gelatin tests. This load also outperforms many 357 Sig and 45 Auto loads as well, but not all.

http://glocktalk.com/showthread.php?threadid=419125&goto=newpost

Time to get with the times! Out with the old technology and in with the new!
 
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