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I am looking for recommendations for 9 mm hollow point ammo and where to buy

4K views 25 replies 9 participants last post by  lowrider12 
#1 · (Edited)
I am looking for recommendations for 9 mm hollow point ammo and where to buy. 500 to 1000 rounds

I have one box each of Hornady 124 Grain XTP and DRT / Dynamic research Technologies 85 Grain HP

Shooting through a Tafoglio EAA Witness P

Brownells? Graf and Sons? Sportsman's Guide? Cheaper than Dirt? Natchez?

This may affect what I shoot: Are the Hornady 124 grain XTP's in this prohibited category?
Reliability and Durability
Unfortunately, the Witness is not rated for +P ammunition, which some may see as a suggestion of a weak design. For compact handguns where size constraints might prevent a pistol from safely shooting SAAMI-specification +P ammo, there is no reason why a full size handgun could not be built to handle these slightly higher chamber pressures. In addition to limiting ammunition selection for your self-defense, the inability to handle higher pressure loads also may suggest the gun could wear out more quickly than other brands.
 
#3 ·
For practice rounds, I would stick with ball ammo as it's cheaper. For defensive rounds, obviously HP's have an advantage, BUT.... hand gun velocities are often too low to effectively expand hollow points. Do research on any defensive ammo you decide to buy to make sure it obtains the manufacturer's claimed velocity from your barrel length, and that the bullet performs as needed. Is the Witness designed for no Plus P ammo, or just a steady diet of such ammo? Some manufacturers say Plus P can be used but recommend against it's steady use.
 
#24 ·
#4 ·
What exactly is Plus P ammo? I've been away from anything new in shooting for a long time.
 
#9 ·
Many years ago, a group was formed with the acronym of SAMI to determine what safe pressures guns of specific types and calibers can be used. This not only varies from caliber to caliber, but even from type of firearm, such as rifle vs pistol. So if you go to the store and buy a box of 44 magnum cartridges, they will be safe to fire in your handgun and your rifle, but if you hand load, you can increase the pressure on rounds to be used in the stronger action of the rifle. The limits SAMI establishes are considered safe in any modern weapon. Modern weapons however are capable of handling great pressures than SAMI specifies. Manufacturers use higher pressure rounds called 'proof' rounds to test their firearms and verify their safety. So there are two pressure ratings guns can operate at: SAMI specs and proof rounds. Typically, there is a large difference between the two, and while guns are safe enough to withstand proof rounds, they are not designed to use them constantly, which would shorten their life span significantly. Several years ago, ammo manufacturers, in quest of the almighty dollar, devised Plus P rounds. These are rounds that exceed SAMI specs but are still far below proof pressures. These rounds (to my knowledge) are only offered in pistol calibers for reasons I'll get into later. Some gun manufacturers rate their guns as being Plus P safe, while others recommend against their usage. In either event, Plus P rounds, and the even hotter Plus P Plus rounds will effect the longevity of the firearm. So why did they make them in pistols? Due to short barrel length, pistols do not perform as well ballistic-wise as their longer barreled rifle counter part. Speed becomes and important factor when defensive/game use is anticipated, because many hollow point bullets will not expand below a certain speed, and penetration is also negatively effected. So in an effort to regain some of the lost speed suffered by guns with only 2 or 4 inch barrels, ammo manufactures came up with Plus P, ammo loaded hotter so the speed will be higher and the bullet perform better.


Plus P rounds are good if you are limited to the size and caliber of firearm you are using. If you decide to carry a 'pocket pistol' in .380 caliber, you'll want the best performance this fairly weak combination of low power and short barrel can give you. Just don't make the mistake of thinking Plus P will turn your gun into the equivalent of Dirty Harry's .44 magnum though. At best, a Plus P round might get you a 5 to 10% increase, and that's at best. The far more important factor in either case of self defense or hunting is shot placement. As I saw posted elsewhere, one .22 to the heart is more effective that 10 holes in the wall.
 
#5 ·
Overpressure ammunition, commonly designated as +P or +P+, is small arms ammunition that has been loaded to a higher internal pressure than is standard for ammunition of its caliber (see internal ballistics), but less than the pressures generated by a proof round. This is done typically to produce rounds with a higher muzzle velocity and stopping power, such as ammunition used for defensive purposes. Because of this, +P ammunition is typically found in handgun calibers which might be used for defensive purposes.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the info. From what I have read here. I would say using the Hornady XTP would not be a good idea.

Would the Federal Premiums be a good choice? They look good to me. But then so did the Hornadys.

It's not a gun i will target shoot much. I will likely shoot it to see how I perform with it and to see how I like the trigger pull.

After that it will just ride around with me or not
 
#8 · (Edited)
I only shoot my expensive HP enough to make sure they keep feeding. So far, 100%. Normally I'm plinking with ball rounds.

I started buying my Federals back in 1995 based upon an article / study / test in this book.
Awe man I just realized it's been over 20 years, not 10 :wtf: - Damn I'm getting old...

 
#10 ·
I can honestly say I've seen thousands upon thousands of handgun ammunition fired mostly Federal ammunition, in every conceivable caliber, and I can count the number of failures due to ammunition on one hand. The only ones I can recall were a small lot of 40S&W that were introduced when the cartridge was first developed and the case heads would separate from the case, sometimes plucking the extractors out of the guns. There may have been others I can't recall, maybe long ago. Anyhow I have all my stuff full of Federal ammunition. Practice with FMJ carry HP. Stay Safe!
 
#11 ·
Federal Premium Law enforcement 9mm Luger 147 grain Hydra-shok JHP Tactical
 
#13 ·
The Federals are +p
FEDERAL P9HST4 9MM 147 +p GRAIN HP 50 ROUND BOX
Regular price: $32.00
Sale price: $29.99
Availability: Usually ships the next business day
federal-p9hst4-9mm-147-grain-hp-50-r92914750

Hornady said the ammo I originally bought was NOT +P

9mm Luger 147 gr XTP

9mm Luger 147 gr XTP®

Ballistics
9mm Luger 147 gr XTP®
Test Barrel (4") Velocity (fps) / Energy (ft-lbs)
MUZZLE 50 100
975/310 935/285 899/264

Features:
High Performance Hornady Bullets
All Hornady Custom pistol ammo is loaded with either the famous Hornady XTP (Extreme Terminal Performance) bullet, our FMJ or our new FTX bullet. All are supremely accurate, and deliver maximum knockdown power.

Select Cases
Hornady produces most of the brass for Hornady Custom pistol ammo. All other brass is chosen to ensure it meets our unusually high standards for reliable feeding, corrosion resistance, proper hardness and the ability to withstand maximum chamber pressures.

Powder
Each cartridge is loaded to ensure optimal pressure, velocity and consistency from lot to lot.

Primers
Like the powder, each primer is carefully matched to individual loads, and specifically selected for their ability to quickly, completely, and reliably ignite the powder charge.

Depending on the caliber, Hornady handgun ammunition is loaded with Hornady XTP, FMJ-RN, XTP Mag, FTX or FP (flat point)-XTP bullets.


FTX®
XTP®


Details
Item Number 90282
Weight 0.85 lbs
H.I.T.S. # (100 Yard Value) 230
Ballistic Coefficient (G1) .212
Sectional Density .167
Test Barrel Length (inches) 4
Quantity 25/BX
Price: $24.95
 
#14 ·
+P To me is a little over rated. Putting multiple shots down on target is what counts. Recoil and muzzle blast at night can effect you with some +P stuff so stick with ammo that suits your need.

If you got to have +P get a bigger gun. 45's leave big holes :snipersmi
 
#15 ·
+P To me is a little over rated. Putting multiple shots down on target is what counts. Recoil and muzzle blast at night can effect you with some +P stuff so stick with ammo that suits your need.

If you got to have +P get a bigger gun. 45's leave big holes :snipersmi
But you can get 45's in +P too, so why not go really big: S&W 500? After all, that gun's so big that you can still use it as a club if you shoot all 5 rounds. :HiHi:
 
#16 ·
I have a .444 Marlin pistol. Compare the ballistics on that to the .500 S&W
 
#20 ·
Both have advantages/disadvantages.

444 Marlin: You can carry the pistol and rifle and use the same cartridge in both. However to gain the maximum from each, the cartridges need to be loaded differently as maximum performance depends on powder burn rate vs barrel length. That is to say what works well on the rifle could end up throwing unburnt powder out the end of the barrel on the revolver. Another advantage to the 444 is there appear to be a better selection of bullets for hand loaders than the 500, but that is a double edge sword. The rifle bullets for the 444 may not expand properly at the lower velocities of the pistol, and the pistol based bullets may fragment at the higher rifle velocities. So while having a rifle/pistol combination that use the same caliber is useful, the only common components they will share are cases and primer if you wish to obtain maximum performance from both firearms.

500 S&W: Unlike the 444, there are no 500 factory chambered rifles that I'm aware of. When you encounter a well stocked ammo seller though, you will find ammo designed specifically for the 500 pistol while anything you find for the 444 will be designed with rifles in mind. Additionally, this means any bullets you find for the 500 were designed for the pistol and not rifles.

In straight up comparisons, both cartridges perform admirably, but the ballistics I've seen (note they've been from the web as I have no written ballistics on hand loaded 444 Marlins for pistols in any of my reloading manuals) indicate the 500 still has the edge. Straight up comparisons are also hard because both cartridges use different weight bullets and there aren't that many that can be directly compared. Here's a sample on one comparison from the Magnum Research Website:

.444: 240 grain Remington Soft Point, average 1831 FPS and muzzle energy 1787 FT/LBS
.500: 275 grain Barnes X CorBon, average 1856 FPS and muzzle energy 2104 FT/LBS

Both results are from 10 inch barrels. You'll note that while the average velocity are similar, the extra weight of the CorBon results in considerable more muzzle energy. This corresponds to other comparisons I found. I also noticed that most .444 rounds were 350 grain bullets or less, while most 500 loads start at around this range. This also makes direct comparison of the rounds difficult.

Last but not least is a disclaimer. You can find idiots people who will load both rounds beyond the SAAMI maximum recommended pressures, which is 42,000 for the 444 and 58,000 for the 500 (Note here, the S&W started out with SAAMI pressure specs of 60,000 but was later lowered). In either case, these loads should be avoided and disregarded. Also question loads that appear to exceed factory specs as very few hand loaders have access to pressure barrels to verify such loads are safe.
 
#17 · (Edited)
This what I use.
Barnes 21551 TAC-XPD 9mm+P 115GR TAC-XP. The hollow point is very well defined and does a great job of destroying flesh and muscle.
 
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#18 ·
The website I use is ammoseek.com
 
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#19 ·
I found that while searching. Great site.
 
#21 ·
#22 ·
My S&W 500 is the 4" version so it shoots like a &^$%#! :hehe:

I bought it as something to play with and carry in places known to have dangerous critters like bears. I must admit, it's fun to see the looks on people's faces next to me at the range when I touch one off. :HiHi:

My latest range gun is a S&W Performance shop 44. It looks like this one only with out the light on the bottom rail:

Firearm Gun Trigger Revolver Product


Took it out two days ago for the first time to get the red dot sighted in. Shot some 240 grain polymer coated lead SWC bullets at reduced loads (6.2 grains of Winchester 231). Very mild and six shots into one large hole. I like the bullets a lot. No leading, nice easy to see holes and accurate, at least at short ranges. I also have some hot 240 JHP's to try out next trip to the range, which given our unseasonably mild weather may be soon.
 
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#23 · (Edited)
With the .444 I shot an 8 shot 2 1/2" group at 100 yards. That includes adjusting the scope one click every shot to try to bring it to center. You could see the holes in the target moving with each click.
 
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