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Self defense ammo best 9mm

Sig 9
Please comment on the best self defense ammo for a Sig Sauer P228 9mm.
If you have other suggestions please comment.

Corbon 9mm Luger 115gr DPX (Deep Penetrating X-Bullet). This is Barnes' XPB (X Pistol Bullet) solid copper bullet at 1250fps for 399 ft-lbs.

9mm Black Hills 115gr. Barnes XP +P Hollow Point Ammo. This ammo has the Barnes all copper hollow point. Rated muzzle velocity: 1250 fps.

9mm Corbon Thunder Ranch DPX 115gr. +P Hollow Point Ammo. Thunder Ranch Training Center and Cor-Bon have teamed up to produce this deep penetrating, 100% weight retention ammunition.
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • Mossbergboogie
    Every gun is different and guess what your 228 may not even shoot any of those well, but your buddies same model may. It's something you have to experiment with.
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  • Nwcid
    Yes.

    Any quality defensive ammo will be good, you just need to make a choice.

    As stated each gun is different, so make sure YOUR gun likes the ammo you choose.

    I carry Corbon PowRball in all my carry guns.
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  • wpage
    Be certain what you select is legal in your state.
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  • beantownshootah
    First of all, looking at foot pounds alone is misleading. Since kinetic energy is a function of the square of velocity, kinetic energy measurement favor lighter-faster bullets, when real world experience suggests that heavier-slower bullets (ie more MOMENTUM, or "power factor") offer more penetration and MAY work better.

    As a mental exercise, 115 grain ball 9mm and 230 grain ball .45ACP both yield similar kinetic energies. . .about 350 ft-lbs. Does that mean they'll perform exactly the same?

    For a long time Corbon had the hottest 9mm luger rounds on the market, and pretty much all of its products are good. I think in recent years some of the other smaller specialty ammo companies (eg Buffalo Bore, Double-Tap, etc) have come out with fairly similar rounds too. Black hills also has a reputation for good ammo (particularly rifle). I don't have personal experience with its PISTOL ammo, but I'm sure its fine.

    Personally, I used to carry the (non-DPX) Corbon 115 grain 9mm +P, which yields 1350fps, getting you somewhere around 75% of true .357 magnum ballistics. I think that's "pretty good" for a gun with relatively low recoil that holds 16 rounds.

    To answer your question, in my opinion, **ANY** of the loads you mentioned should work great. In terms of pure effectiveness, there really probably isn't that much of a difference between them, and I really wouldn't get hung up over this.

    Not only are none of the above likely substantially better than the other two, determining which (if any) of them is better (let alone by how much) is probably not even possible. Where you put the bullet is going to be a LOT more important than what type of bullet it is.

    So I say pick whichever one you like best (ie is cheapest, most readily available, most accurate, runs your gun the best, has the coolest-looking box, etc) and then move on to something important.

    I'm not sure why you are concentrating on 115 grain loads (as opposed to 124 grain), but other rounds that are probably pretty good include the 124 +P Winchester Talon/Ranger/SXT (or whatever the hell they call it this week), Speer Gold dot, Double-Tap, Buffalo Bore, and their 115 grain counterparts.

    The only thing I'd add (and its more important than ALL of the above) is:

    a. Whatever round you pick, make sure you run at least 1-2 boxes through your gun to ensure it will run 100%. SIGs are pretty good this way; I doubt you'll have a problem, but hollowpoint type rounds can make some guns choke. You don't want to discover this problem during an emergency.

    b. Stay away from the 147 grain rounds. While those will run just fine in many guns (and I've actually carried some), the heavier bullets are longer, and they are more likely to cause reliability issues in some guns. The original intent of these rounds was to be subsonic for use with suppressors. I don't think there is really a terminal ballistic advantage, meaning that there probably isn't a good reason to run 147 grain 9mms over the lighter bullets if you aren't using a suppressor.
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  • p3skyking
    If you can find them, GECO BAT or Exploder is the best I've ever seen.
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  • 32 Magnum
    Check out the figures on the NEW Hornady Critical Defense FTX ammo.
    The "flex tip" supposedly sheds clothing scraps and uniformly expands in soft media.
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  • dcs shooters
    I like 124gr. XTP'S or Gold Dots for my 9mm's.
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  • 5mmgunguy
    My two favorites in 9MM are both 124 grains. They are the Gold Dot and the Golden Saber
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  • midnightrunpaintballer
    I like gold dots and winchester rangers. whatever grain your gun likes best.
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  • ruger41
    I have used Corbon in various calibers and it is top notch ammo. The Thunder Ranch stuff is nice but a bit overpriced IMO. It is overpriced because it is environmentally friendly ammo which costs more to produce--so if you don't require that stuff then just stick to their DPX or even their regular hollowpoint line. I currently use the Hornady Critical Defense and it is pretty good stuff. Your best bet is buy a few boxes from various makers and try what works best in your gun--although you have a very high quality made firearm that will most likely work with any of the premium defense ammo.
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