For those looking for a reliable and effective round, the 9mm is one of the most popular and versatile options available. This round has been used for target practice, self-defense, law enforcement, and more due to its relatively low recoil and powerful performance. This has led many firearm owners to use their 9mm pistol’s as a dual purpose firearm for both the shooting range and self-defense.
Picking the right ammo to use for different purposes is very important to shooters. Spending a day or afternoon at the shooting range should not turn your wallet into a desolate wasteland. It should be fun and exciting to get better at your craft.
We’ll discuss two of the most common 9mm bullet types: hollow points and full metal jackets. We’ll also compare 115 grain bullets to 124 grain 9mm bullets in order to help you find the best ammunition for target shooting or self-defense. Finally, we’ll provide a few recommendations on some of the best 9mm ammunition out there. Let’s jump into comparing some different 9mm rounds, specifically the similarities and differences between hollow points and full metal jackets.
Hollow Points (HP) vs Full Metal Jackets (FMJ)
Hollow points (HP) are designed with a hollowed-out tip that causes the bullet to expand when entering an object or target. This creates a larger surface area, resulting in increased damage potential.
HPs are typically seen as more effective at stopping targets than FMJs because of their larger surface area after expanding. The fact that they expand can help prevent over penetration through multiple layers or objects such as drywall or auto glass windshields as well, which makes them more ideal for home defense.
FMJs feature a solid copper jacket that surrounds lead core material within its nose region. While FMJs do not expand upon contact like HPs do, they offer better penetration capabilities due to their slim and solid design. Plus, they are more aerodynamic, allowing them to travel farther than HPs on average.
Because of their increased penetration ability, FMJs tend to be favored by law enforcement personnel. Officers may have targets behind cover or other obstacles that an HP may not penetrate. However, It is widely known that hollow points are the preferred type of 9mm round for self-defense, while full metal jackets are best suited for the target range and shooting in high quantities. Plus, full metal jacketed rounds are usually much cheaper than hollow points.
115-Grain Bullets vs 124-Grain Bullets
Another factor when choosing 9mm ammunition is bullet weight. For 9mm, this ranges from 115 grains up to 147 grains. The two most common weights found in 9mm cartridges are 115 grains and 124 grains. A lighter 115-grain bullet typically has more muzzle energy compared with heavier 124-grain bullets due to its higher velocity ratings. However, the lighter bullet may not penetrate as far as you would want for self-defense scenarios as it tends to decelerate faster after leaving the barrel of a firearm.
On the opposite side of things, 124-grain bullets have slower muzzle velocities compared with lighter ones but they generally penetrate deeper into objects. Because of this, they are ideal for self-defense situations where increased stopping power is needed.
Taking these performance variables into account, the shooter must make their own choice on which grain weight of the 9mm bullet to use. It is important to remember that each 9mm pistol may fire different weights of bullets very differently. We suggest that you purchase multiple weights and types of rounds to find what works best for your specific firearm.
FMJ for the Shooting Range
The first major feature to look for in 9mm FMJ ammo is the velocity of the bullet. The faster the bullet moves, the better the trajectory it will have when shooting at long distances. High-quality 9mm FMJ ammo should have a muzzle velocity of around 1150 feet per second, which will provide shooters with a flat-trajectory path over longer distances. FMJ’s are also known to be fairly accurate, letting you wear out that bullseye again and again.
Off the shelf 9mm FMJ ammo should also be around 99% reliable. When combined with quality firearms, high quality 9mm FMJ ammunition should cycle reliably without any malfunctions or misfeeds due to its clean burning propellant and reliable primer design. The FMJ remains stable across temperature extremes and does not suffer from excessive wear or tear over time.
Best 9mm Ammo For The Range
Here are our picks for some of the best ammunition to take to the shooting range and get that practice in. We chose these rounds based on a number of criteria including price, performance, accuracy, and reliability.
Winchester USA Full Metal Jacket
This economy line offering from Winchester features non-corrosive Boxer priming. It is an excellent choice for high volume range shooting sessions when accuracy isn’t necessarily needed as much as reliability of function. It is available in both 115gr FMJ and 124gr FMJ variants.
Federal American Eagle
This round is designed with reduced fouling technology. It provides shooters with great accuracy at an affordable price point. It also produces significantly less felt recoil allowing you to shoot longer periods without getting fatigued. Both 115gr and 124gr variants are available.
Magtech 115-Grain
This Brazil based company offers a very affordable FMJ ammo for the shooting range that, despite its lower cost, burns fairly clean. They are known for more complete burns, which leads the firearm to stay cleaner and have fewer functional issues.
Hollow Point for Self Defense
Hollow point 9mm ammo is one of the most popular choices for shooters looking for effective self-defense ammunition. Its superior stopping power and accuracy can be a great deterrent against potential assailants. The primary benefit of 9mm hollow point ammo is its increased expansion upon impact. When it comes to life and death situations you need to know you are choosing the best 9mm ammo for self-defense.
Hollow Point After Impact
When an HP strikes a target, the bullet expands to create a larger wound channel. As it expands it causes more tissue damage and greater shock trauma than standard rounds. Additionally, the design of the hollow point ensures that the bullet will not over-penetrate, thus reducing collateral damage and risk to innocent bystanders.
The 9mm hollow point has a shallow penetration depth when compared to full metal jacket bullets. This is better to use in indoor environments where there is a higher risk after over-penetration due to nearby walls or other items.
Bullet Construction
Due to their construction, hollow points also tend to have less recoil than regular rounds, resulting in better control and accuracy while shooting. In addition, many modern 9mm hollow points are designed with a polymer tip which helps with aerodynamics, as well as reducing the chance the bullet doesn’t expand.
Additionally, some self-defense ammunition may also contain weight additives such as copper or tungsten powder for improved penetration. These features can provide shooters with an additional level of safety during times when they need it most.
Best 9mm Ammo For Self Defense
Here are our picks for the best self-defense ammo on the market today. We chose these rounds based on a number of criteria including price, performance, accuracy, and reliability.
Speer Gold Dot LE Duty
This round has been long considered one of, if not, the gold standard when it comes to law enforcement grade handgun ammunition. Speer Gold Dot LE Duty rounds deliver consistent expansion upon contact ensuring maximum damage potential on targets. Available in both 115-gr Jacketed HP (JHP) and 124-gr JHP versions.
Winchester PDX1 Defender Bonded Core
This bullet features superior barrier penetration characteristics while still providing adequate expansion upon contact. This bonded core effectively transfers maximum energy into target tissue causing devastating wound channels even after being shot through hard barriers like steel doors & car windows. Available only in 147-gr JHP variant currently.
Hornady Critical Defense
The Critical Defence round offers superior terminal performance even through intermediate barriers such as car doors & walls. This premium defensive offering from Hornady was specifically designed for personal protection scenarios where lethal force may be required. Currently, this round is offered only in the 115-gr FTX variant.
Making A Choice
This shouldn’t come down to choosing either hollow points or full metal jackets. Rather choose which rounds will be the most effective in the firearm you plan to use. We suggest that you narrow down your options by trying some of these rounds to see what works best for you.
Choose a couple of different ammo options and give them a test session at the range. That includes hollow point ammo that is intended for self-defense. You want to make sure that any round you plan to use as self defense runs well through your firearm.
The initial process of testing different munitions might be a little expensive and time consuming. It is completely worth it to find the best operating ammo for the 9mm firearm of choice. The operation of the ammo in the firearm and getting accurate groupings on target should be the highest focus of this testing period.
Once the testing period is over, a good full metal jacket round should be settled on for use at the shooting range while a good hollow point should have been settled on to use in self defense situations. In the future, use the full metal jacket ammo as the main practice round, but do not forget to practice with the self defense hollow points from time to time as well, as they may shoot slightly differently.
