Depends on what caliber is in question. I'm no expert. I just carry jhp (partially due to price of good pp rds). I figure most any bullet is gonna stop someone, so I carry 4 clips of 15 rds. ea. That quanity should be enough to stop most anything. Hornady makes a good personal protection round though.
Whichever one my gun likes the best. In my opinion, they are all good if you can put them were they need to be. So I use the one that shoots the best out of my gun.
I have three 1911's and each one likes something different. I was lucky to have all three before the price of ammo got out of hand. So I could afford to try many of them in my guns.
S&W 1911Sc likes the Federal EFMJ 200 gr +P
Kimber Eclipse Pro Target Pro likes the Federal Personal Protection Hydra Shock JHP in 165 gr.
Caspian Custom likes Remington Golden Saber JHP in 230 gr.
Normally it's Remington Golden Saber in every caliber I carry. However, my .380 is currently loaded with Fiocchi Extrema 90gr HP (uses the Hornady XTP bullet), due to lack of availability of the 102gr GS (and most other brands/types) in that caliber.
In .40 I have Magtech, Ranger, Speer, and Hydrashoks. 9mm I have Ranger, Silvertips, Blackhills. Just a heads up, you do not need to spend $20+ for 20 rounds of sd ammo.
I'm carrying a 125 grain Hornady XTP-HP .357 Magnum reload until I can find some Winchester PDX1 .38 Special +P. Or maybe until I go buy myself the 130 grain +P Winchester SXTs I can get my hands on. The SXTs hit to point of aim, and seem to perform well for a home defense round in gelatin tests. I've not found any examples of real world uses.
My wife is carrying 230 grain Winchester PDX1s in .45 ACP.
I like hornady tap ! of course i have never had to use them but i read good things on them and they shoot well in sig 226 40 cal and in bushmaster varmint special! 4 what its worth!
in the 1911 185 gr+p hydrashocks in the gun, and 230 gr hydra shocks in the spare mags. In my G30 either hornaday XTP 185 gr, golden sabre 185 gr, or 165 gr efmj federals.
In my 9mm Speer Gold Dot
In my 45 Winchester Silver Tip
Those are what my guns like best. So that is what i carry. I have also had good experience with the Remington Golden Sabre.