What weight bullets do you carry in your 9mm sub compact pistols

[U.S. Patriot]

I personally carry 115 grain Hornady Critical Defense in my Kahr PM9.

 

[Slim400]

Carry Ammo

I personally carry 124gr I feel that it is at this accuracy and energy delivery award for situation I find myself in I also should say that carry only factory ball ammo

 

[rooster3654]

I carry a 9mm though I'm not the biggest fan of it. I carry 147grain jhp. I feel comfortable with a little larger grain bullet. I don't want to have to empty a mag to stop the bg. I am not however an expert in ballistics and just recently started carrying a 9mm. If anyone has better exp/or knows of any research done on 9mm I would appreciate a link.

 

[Jeremy1066]

I personally carry 124gr I feel that it is at this accuracy and energy delivery award for situation I find myself in I also should say that carry only factory ball ammo

Uhhhhhhh......wrong! U should never carry ball ammo (also known as FMJ or TMJ) for self defense!!! NEVER!!!

 

[Jeremy1066]

147gr. Speer Gold Dot here in a Glock 19. Missed the "subcompact" part.

 

[goinggreyfast]

I personally carry 115 grain Hornady Critical Defense...

This^^^

In my XD9SC

 

[civicisaye]

Before my brief experiment today, it was Winchester PDX1 124gr +P in Kahr CW9.

 

[Plinkuh]

I usually go with 115gr Hornaday Crit. Defense or +P 124gr Remington Golden Sabers.

 

[dak109]

Before my brief experiment today, it was Winchester PDX1 124gr +P in Kahr CW9.

Please do tell.

I carry 124 gr Red Star with Gold Dot's. Bought some PDX1 to try out but haven't gotten there yet. Before anybody tells me about reloads, I suggest you try Andrews stuff. I figure it is good to go from the standpoint I bought from a manufacturer.

 

[rimfire_crazed]

My small 9mm's get standard Federal 9BPLE. 115gr. I have complete confidence in the rounds capabilities.

The myth that you need a heavier bullet for "stopping power" is hogwash. There isn't a standard handgun round out there that is going to be the silver bullet, stopping a BG with one shot no matter where you hit him. It just isn't going to happen. Shoot until the threat not longer exists.

 

[philagothon]

I don't have a true subcompact. But, I carry 124grn +P Gold Dots in my XDm 3.8 compact. I have complete confidence in my caliber, my ammo, and my handgun. Now I just need a little more confidence (ie, training) in myself.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

For my CM9 I use the 115 Crit. Defense and 124 Gold Dot primarily.

I like the Crit. Defense very much - especially in winter when plugging from clothes can be an issue, and in marginal calibers that might not expand reliably anyway. That said, I think 124gr is the best all-around size for 9mm, a great balance between size and speed, and most likely to function in a broad range of guns. I will probably switch to the Gold Dot 124gr Short Barrel in summer (assuming it feeds reliably in the CM9 - haven't tried it yet.)

 

[Jeremy1066]

Before my brief experiment today, it was Winchester PDX1 124gr +P in Kahr CW9.

U can't post this and then not explain...come on man! Did u have a problem with the PDX1? Or found something better? I used to carry those in my Glock 19 but found the 147gr. more accurate and controllable.

 

[mrfjones]

I do not carry a sub compact. That said I carry two different rounds, the critical defense 115 in the late fall to early spring and the rest of the time 147 tap. I do this for one reason, proper expansion if I ever had to use it.

 

[derrickgoins]

I run 124gr Speer Gold Dots or 147gr Remington Golden Sabers.

 

[Adamz04]

I carry federal hst 124 standard pressure in my lc9. Sometimes 115 dpx+p

 

[WebHobbit]

I carry an XDm 3.8 compact 9mm. My carry load is usually the Federal 124grain +P HST JHP. Sometimes I carry the Gold Dot 124 grain +P JHP. Just depends on the deal I find. I know I may sound like a broken record on this next point but I think a lot of new folks still don't get it - that is it's almost never a great idea to buy defensive ammo locally. With rare exceptions most brick and mortar stores will ONLY sell you 20-25 round boxes of premium defense ammo. This is a TOTAL AND COMPLETE RIP-OFF. What you want are the so-called LEO ONLY 50 round boxes. If you buy from a good online vendor they are usually about 2-3 dollars more than the locally priced 20 round box.

I usually get mine from Kyle's Gunshop, Inc..

Oh and I just don't trust any bullet weights that are "heavy for the caliber" that is a round that is beyond the normal/traditional weight of the standard loading. The standard/original loading of the 9mm was/is 124 grain. In my way of thinking a little lighter (115) is OK...a little heavier and then you're just losing velocity and increasing penetration. Increasing penetration is not something I'm interested in from my home/street defense gun loading.

I go with +P over standard pressure for two reasons:

1) a little more velocity is usually helpful for expansion (especially in a gun with reduced barrel length)

2) the 9mm (IMHO, coming from the world of magnum revolvers) has more or less little to NO FELT RECOIL anyway so +P aint a bother to my hands/arms or ears so -WHY NOT?

 

[LongRangeBushy]

Ditto :: on the 115 gr. Critical Defense

 

[Diesel24v]

Uhhhhhhh......wrong! U should never carry ball ammo (also known as FMJ or TMJ) for self defense!!! NEVER!!!

I do agree that ball ammo is not the best for self defense and you should use some type of hollow point or expanding round, but wouldn't it be better than nothing at all? Or are you saying this because of penetration issues?

 

[billybob44]

Ditto :: on the 115 gr. Critical Defense

^^^Same here, only in Full Size=G-17--CZ-75's