# Never use 147 grain ammo in a 9mm?



## XD_Hokie

I have only been a gun nut for a little over a year now and I have read a lot and in particular about self defense ammo for 9mm. Some of the material I have found on the Internet I have found to be dated in regard to the best round for self defense and from this forum I have been able to determine that in fact some of what I had read was indeed dated.

Back to my question, I also read that using 147 grain ammo in a 9mm was not good for the firearm and it was just a fad and should not be used as a self defense round in a 9mm. Your usually wisdom and knowledge would be appreciated to shed some light on this comment. Valid? Was valid, but not now with improvements in firearms and ammo? Just some guys opinion, no basis in fact ever?

What grain 9mm self defense round do you carry? Why? Also seen some comments about the "light and fast" ammo craze, not sure what that is about, obviously sounds like the other end of the spectrum I think. Is this craze come and gone, where are we now? Why? Popcornsmilie


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## fivehourfrenzy

I read the same thing from an article on Chuck Hawks' website. According to Mike, who is pretty experienced on the subject, Chuck Hawks does not give sound advice pertaining to handguns and handgun ammunition.

Different handguns like different bullet weights. Being that I'm rocking a 9mm as well, I keep it loaded with 124gr. The best of both worlds...better momentum than a 115gr, and better velocity than a 147gr. Being that my XD has a 3" barrel, I would rather not use a 147gr as it won't get accelerated very much. On the flip side, Speer only makes a short-barrel Gold Dot in 180gr in .40S&W, which is the heaviest of those bullets...they don't have them in 165gr or 155gr.

Whether you're using a 115gr or 147gr, a few well-placed shots of 9mm HPs will take someone down. Your handgun might not like 147gr bullets, or it may love them. Shoot a box and see how well your gun puts them to POA and how it feeds/ejects. Just don't go below 115gr as you won't get adequate penetration.


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## submoa

Barnhan and I got into it already here regarding the efficacy of bullet weights. I and the FBI like 147gr for 9mm, Barnham and some mag writers do not. http://www.handgunforum.net/showthre...t=recoil+147gr

In the end, Barnham and I agree items such as bullet weight and caliber are infinitismal compared to proper training yielding consistent superior shot placement.


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## fivehourfrenzy

submoa said:


> consistent superior shot placement.


The lighter the bullet is, the less it kicks, and the easier it is to properly place followup shots. That's why I carried a 155gr in my .40...less muzzle flip = faster target aquisition after a shot.


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## Mike Barham

fivehourfrenzy said:


> The lighter the bullet is, the less it kicks, and the easier it is to properly place followup shots. That's why I carried a 155gr in my .40...less muzzle flip = faster target aquisition after a shot.


I thought the same thing until *submoa* methodically disproved my assumption in the thread he referenced. He was and is correct, and I was in error. I appreciate him correcting me, and I will give 147gr 9mm bullets a reevaluation when I return to the States.


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## fivehourfrenzy

Mike Barham said:


> I thought the same thing until *submoa* methodically disproved my assumption in the thread he referenced. He was and is correct, and I was in error. I appreciate him correcting me, and I will give 147gr 9mm bullets a reevaluation when I return to the States.


If I remember correctly, the argument he made was a heavier bullet that produced less momentum upon leaving the barrel would produce less recoil?


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## soldierboy029

It Sir Issacs Newton's law of gravity that for every force there is an opposite and equal reaction, so the it goes to show you the less energy you have at the barrel the less recoil you will have, basic physics


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## fivehourfrenzy

Yeah that's what I was thinking. Go check out the video I posted in the general semi-auto forum. Apparently that thing has a lot of kick. Lol.


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## submoa

fivehourfrenzy said:


> If I remember correctly, the argument he made was a heavier bullet that produced less momentum upon leaving the barrel would produce less recoil?


No. The argument I made was that comparing the same ammo with different bullet weights in the data set provided by Barham, the measured recoil was less on loads with 147gr bullets than 124gr.

Again when using quality equipment (gun, bullets), *differences in equipment matter less than regular disciplined training.* If you train with the same gun and same ammo load regularly, your performance on follow up shots will be better than someone using stuff they are not accustomed to.


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## XD_Hokie

*Thanks*

Thanks guys for your usual wisdom. I have been carrying 124 grains to find middle ground. I had read that the 115 grain in +P was the best, but had my doubts, so went with 124 grain. I have been looking at some Federal Tactical HST, and bonded and they have some 147 grain and a 135 grain +P that has good ballistics data from what I see and understand on their charts.

Thanks again for your insight, I knew I would get a good education.

Love the site and enjoy the intelligent discussions and humor.

Love my XD9SC and now my XD45 Compact!

:smt066


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## fivehourfrenzy

135gr sounds like it'd be a good load. Doesn't push quite into the weight of the 147gr, but has higher velocity. submoa...?


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## submoa

not all guns can use +p and +p+ ammo. For those that can't KB events are a risk. Read the manual that comes with your gun.

For those that do, a prudent measure would be to upgrade mag and slide springs to avoid jams.

Handguns are close range, SD weapons. Not assault rifles or sniper weapons.


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