What is the best standard pressure 9mm load?

[Doug S]

I'm having a hard time deciding which load to carry. So far I'm leaning toward Federal's 115 gr hollowpoint(9BP)or Federal 124 gr Hydra-Shok. I've also tried Winchester's Silvertip and liked it. Any opinions on which is best would be appreciated.

 

[Greg G]

I've had good luck with Speer Gold Dots in 115 gr and 124 gr. They feed well in my "nines" and the Gold Dot bullet is supposed to be a good performer.

 

[VictorLouis]

I'd go w/9BP, but if you can find it, 9BPLE is certainly preferable. If recoil is your concrn, I honestly cant't tell the difference between them. There is more flash/blast in the LE load though. I also like the 124gr Golden Saber. Are you restricted to standard loads for some reason?

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. The "fastest" standard pressure load is the WW 115 gr Silvertip at something around 1200 ft/sec. Possibly the most accurate and with a good "street record" is Federal's 115 gr JHP (9BP). Just a point or so above it in OSS (if you believe in such stats) is Federal's 124 gr Nyclad HP. I'd pick whichever of the three mentioned loads fed reliably and was most accurate in my firearm(s). Any of these three are "good."
Best.

 

[Doug S]

I was told by a factory rep that my Taurus PT111 was capable of +P loads, but I'd rather stick with standard pressure. I like to target shoot often and I'd rather practice with what I want to carry. I'd be a little concerned about the increased stresses on this gun if I was constantly shooting +P ammo. So far I've tried Federal and Winchester hollowpoints, and all have been 100% reliable (so far). I have about 140 hydra-shoks, 100 9BP, and 50 Silvertips through this gun.

 

[7th Fleet]

(but there's nothing like the stunned look on a Glock-owner's face when his gun pukes LOL)

Because its such a rare occurance for a Glock to choke up, its a tremendous surprise to its stunned owner.

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[Bob C]

Having read for years about the consistent accuracy of the federal 9BP, and which are also usually available at Wal Mart at good prices, I've found them to be good in some pistols, and terrible in others. The Silvertips are also good in some, not so good in others. Best thing is to get a couple of hundred rounds of whatever you think you'll like, and put them through your pistol.

 

[Russell92]

right now i have federal 9BP loaded in both my S&W 669 and beretta 92FS. i'm not sure how great this stuff is since when i bought it i though it was hydra-shocks (it's hi shocks) and i never bought more HP ammo.

i do however think it's good ammo but would rather have 9BPLE. also i would carry federal 124gr hydra-shocks or speer 124gr/124gr+P gold dots. i think all these loads are great quality bullets and will all perform well.

i don't like silvertips since they don't penetrate enough (miami thing) but i'm not sure if 9BP does any better. i do know that 9BPLE has a great street stopping record even though people say it underpenetrates. i might switch to 124gr but it's not likely.

 

[Mike H]

It is now recognised that the 115gr silvertip performed just as it was meant to in Miami, a side shot through the guys arm (I think) and into his lung which eventually killed him, would a .45 in the same place and to the same depth have made any difference, I doubt it. A lot of fuss was made of the fact that it stopped short of his heart, but it was taking the long route in after all.

Federal 9BP is generally accepted to be the best SP load, 9BPLE which is boxed as +P+ is indeed a superb round but shooting LEO only ammo has to be a bad move when the gutter slime District Attorneys get wind of it in court. If penetration is an issue go with 124 grain gold dots, golden sabers or hydrashoks thay all perform similarly, the golden saber is available to non-LEO's in a +P load and this for me would be a very capable round. With the short barrel length and light weight of your PT-111 however, I think you are better served with standard pressure loads, hope this helps.

Regards,

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A Person Is Smart
But People Are Stupid

Mike H

 

[WESHOOT2]

Check "Caliber Corner" posts on GlockTalk.com. MarkCO will be running 9mm ammo tests shortly; already completed excellent series of 135g 40S&W testing.

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"