Which 9mm to buy ?

In smaller 9MMs with barrel lengths like the G43 (mine is a PPS 9MM), I prefer 124gr +P Speer Gold Dold JHP Short Barrel ammunition.

https://www.sportsmansoutdoors...t-short-barrel-20box

Some people will tell you the Short Barrel stuff is the same as the regular, but it isn't - visually the bullet is different, as is the performance.

http://mousegunaddict.blogspot...old-dot-vs-gold.html

All others I go to Federal HST 147gr +P.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:

In smaller 9MMs with barrel lengths like the G43 (mine is a PPS 9MM), I prefer 124gr +P Speer Gold Dold JHP Short Barrel ammunition...

Same for me, and this ammo only comes in the 20rd box.

Presume you're focusing on defensive loads. Federal HSTs is what I settled on. Tried 124gr, 147gr +P and 150gr Micro. I don't do gel tests, but the gun does eat them with aplomb. They also blow up 1gal milk jugs but good. When I carried my G43 whatever weight I can conveniently find was what was in the mags.

124gr +P Speer Gold Dot JHP Short Barrel. Great stuff.

Here's an excerpt of something I first posted about ten years ago. Short barrel Gold Dot is the round on the right:

9mm PPS Gold Dot testing into wet phone books

Like my equally unscientific fall 07 projects, I soaked four 2” books overnight. They doubled in size, and I ended up with about 15” of phone books which I put in a cardboard box. I fired all five rounds into the same end.

Target box:




9mm from my PPS at 5 feet: Left, Ammoman’s reclassified 124gr Gold Dot penetrated about 8 inches and expanded to about .5 inch. Right, 124gr +P short barrel Gold Dot penetrated about 8 inches and expanded to about .5 inch.




Summary: It was fun, very unscientific, and I’m comfortable carrying short barrel Gold Dots in my PPS.

One of the most reliable 9mm loading out of short barrels is the Federal HST line.

I'm a big fan of the Federal 9mm HST 147 gr +P load. Use this in G43 and G26. Here is a Gel test of it in a 3 inch 9mm.

At the moment, in the G43, Winchester's Defend (from their Train and Defend line).

No experience with the short-barrel stuff (which everyone seems to be recommending), but I feed my G43 regular Speer 124 gr +p GDHP, and it loves it.

I like HST 124g standard pressure. I carry +P in larger guns (G19 P2000) but they are a bit much in the little G43.

Yes, the Federal HST 124 grain standard velocity. The 147 offerings seem to be vastly superior to previous generations in that weight class, but I think the 124 is the perfect balance of weight and velocity in the G43. I'd avoid +P offerings in this pistol. The standard velocity stuff will be more controllable.

HST 124 grn. It is. Thanks to all.

I carry this in my Beretta Nano. http://www.hprammo.com/catalog/jhp/9mm-16/

thats impressive.