Best 9mm Ammo: Self Defense & Range Shooting

Find out the best 9mm ammo for self-defense based on ballistic gel tests that cover penetration depth and expansion.

Plus the best range plinking ammo for bulk shooting.

*Update*:This year has been up and down in terms of demand…but currently things are holding steady. Here’s what we’re seeing in stock at the time of writing with AAC going in and out of stock. “CPR” = cost per round.

9mm

• AAC 115gr 9mm for 28 cpr or AAC 124gr 9mm for 28 cpr
• CCI Blazer Brass 115gr 9mm for 30 cpr (free ship & only FL tax)
• Venatum 115gr 9mm for 30 cpr
• SAR USA 124gr 9mm NATO for 32 cpr (tested and it’s hotter)
• Tula Steel Cased 115gr 9mm for 28 cpr
• Norma 108gr 9mm Hollow Point for 45 cpr
• Sig Sauer 124gr V-Crown 9mm Hollow Point for 80 cpr

PSA is doing a decent job of stocking up during weekdays. See all their 9mm.

The following ones are also great for more obscure or defensive loads:

• Optics Planet
• Lucky Gunner
• True Shot Gun Club
• GunMagWarehouse
• Brownells

How We Picked The Best Ammo

Read on to see how we chose them and the best place to buy them for cheap!

Testing Procedures

The below pictures and data are from a super in-depth post from Lucky Gunner plus a few of our personal criteria. Here are some details of the test which closely mimic FBI protocol:

• Shot 10 feet away
• 4 layers of fabric in front of the ballistics gel to simulate a “worst case” scenario of clothing

• Ideal penetration of 12-18 inches. More than 18 inches might go completely through the target and hit something beyond. While a 12-inch minimum protects against thicker targets and possibly hitting something like an arm first before the torso.
• 5 shots for more data

• Shorter barreled gun. Most tests are run with a full-size pistol, but Lucky Gunner used an S&W M&P9C which has a 3.5″ barrel. Their thought was most people carrying a handgun most likely have a compact-sized one. So for those of you with a longer barrel, the penetration and velocities might be slightly higher.

Here are our recommendations for each of the most common weights of bullets: 115, 124, & 147 grain.

This way you can shoot the same weight of bullet as your more common range ammo. And because these are self-defense rounds, they are all jacketed hollow points (JHP) for reliable expansion.

We personally prefer the 124 gr since it is less “snappy” than the 115 gr to us. But we recommend you try a couple of weights and make sure they cycle 100% in your self-defense gun.

Best 9mm Ammo

Best Range Ammo

Range ammo is more about reliability and cost-effectiveness.

Here are a couple of our recommendations for the common 115 and 124 gr bullet weights. We’ve shot thousands of these and they are reliable, clean shooting, and economical. We suggest trying out both weights to see what you and your gun prefer.

1. AAC 9mm 115gr and 124gr

I’ve shot a lot of AAC this year since it’s been the most affordable and probably more important…most available.

And so far it’s been great…every time I wanted it to go bang it did in a variety of handguns and pistol caliber carbines (PCCs).

2. CCI Blazer Brass 9mm

When pennies count…one of the most reliable and affordable brass cased 9mm. However…the brass is a little difficult to reload. 

Perfect for ranges or classes where you can’t pick up brass.

One of my favorites and what I used to shoot the most until this year.

3. American Eagle 9mm 115 gr

One of my favorite through the years.

4. PMC 9mm

I’ve shot A LOT of PMC ammo through the years in both pistol and rifle cartridges.

They always go bang and the brass is great for reloading.

Self Defense

These are hollow-point rounds that expand when they hit something. They range much higher in price since they are what you should load in your defensive guns.

However, I recommend buying more and trying them out at the range too.

Right now there’s not too much selection and these are the ones mostly in stock:

• Federal HST 147gr 9mm Hollow Point for $2 cpr
• Federal Punch 124gr 9mm Hollow Point for 80 cpr
• Sig Sauer 124gr V-Crown 9mm Hollow Point for 85 cpr

However, here are my picks of my favorite self-defense rounds.

5. Federal HST 9mm 147 gr

Penetration in the sweet spot zone, great expansion, and good velocity for the bullet weight. 

My personal favorite since I like the shooting impulse of 147 gr bullets.

• Average Penetration: 15.2″
• Average Expansion: .61″
• Average Velocity: 973 ft/sec

What do you think of Federal? Rate them below!

6. Gold Dot 9mm 115 gr

Penetration depth is right in the middle of the zone, great expansion, and good velocity for a short barrel.

• Average Penetration: 16.4″
• Average Expansion: .55″
• Average Velocity: 1143 ft/sec

7. Federal HST 9mm 124 gr

Great penetration, the biggest expansion, and velocity for those who like shooting the slightly heavier 124 gr rounds. Try these out if you don’t like the super heavy 147 gr HST.

• Average Penetration: 18.3″
• Average Expansion: .61″
• Average Velocity: 1135 ft/sec

8. Magtech Guardian Gold 9mm 115 gr

The sweet spot of penetration, expansion, and velocity.

• Average Penetration: 15.2″
• Average Expansion: .56″
• Average Velocity: 1175 ft/sec

Conclusion

These are our favorites for 9mm self-defense and range ammo. If you want to see the full results from Lucky Gunner, check out their post here. Want more calibers and choices…check out Best Places to Buy Ammo Online.

The post Best 9mm Ammo: Self Defense & Range Shooting appeared first on Pew Pew Tactical.