9MM 147 gr or 124 gr JHP

5mmgunguy

Which is a better self defense round? The 147 gr moving slower or the 124 gr moving faster?

charliemeyer007

The one that functions perfectly in your gun. The 125 has about 380 ft lb vs the 147 256. Normally I like big heavy bullets but maybe not in this case.

rufe-snow

Their is a guy on U Tube that posts under the name of "tnoutdoors9". His videos show the results of both bullet weights on ballistic gelatin covered with 4 layers of denim. The bullet type, weight, etc. and how it's manufactured has a great baring on penetration and expansion.

v35

The 147 grain bullet gives you ballistics of the .38 special standard velocity. I believe the 147 grain 9mm bullet loads were developed for subsonic, supressed shooting not for greater effectiveness.
124 grain handloads can take you to 1250fps and significantly greater muzzle energy.
124 grain 9mm Parabellum truncated cone bullets were used in the original DWM loads.

Txs

The weight of a 147 gr. bullet will give deeper penetration, but from what I've seen they give a very narrow wound channel and travel straight through with minimal tissue disruption.

Also, a hollow point on such a slow moving, jacketed projectile is really nothing more than a marketing gimmick. Unless it strikes bone this bullet will exit a human with pretty much the same profile as it entered with.

EDIT:

quote:Originally posted by v35
I believe the 147 grain 9mm bullet loads were developed for subsonic, supressed shooting not for greater effectiveness.It's true that the 9mm 147 gr. bullet was originally designed for suppressed use, but it's perception as a more effective bullet came due to FBI use for a relatively short time following a disastrous Miami shootout in '86.

In public they chose to blame their agent's deaths on poor penetration of the bullet they were carrying rather than admitting the issue was in fact just poor planning/tactics.

Based on FBI endorsement this round's use by LE agencies quickly became widespread, but only a handful of agencies worldwide continue to carry it except in suppressed subguns.

dcs shooters

I like a 124-125gr. standard or +P [;)]

beantownshootah

As mentioned, the 147 grain round was designed for suppressed weapons. There is no real anti-personnel advantage other than that.

124 grain +P ammo is the standard for 9mm luger anti-personnel use.

A good 9mm +P round will launch its bullet at 1250fps from a standard service auto pistol, yielding about 75% of the kinetic energy of a .357 magnum with effectively identical bullet weight and caliber, in a gun with less recoil and nearly triple the capacity.

5mmgunguy

Thanks for all the information 124 gr it is.

Riomouse911

As was earlier stated, whatever the brand/bullet you choose, make sure it's reliable in your gun and you'll be well protected.
I personally use 124+P Winchester SXT in my 9mm's. I find them reliable and accurate in my Ruger LC9 and Glock 19.

I was also very impressed with the performance of Hornady's 135 gr +P Critical Duty rounds in a multiple barrier/gelatin test I took part in last year (sponsored by a Winchester dealer, no less).

The Hornady rounds performed just as they advertised, and the recovered bullets looked like the magazine photos. If I wasn't already carrying Winchester SXT, these would be in my guns.

Mobuck

I've shot both 124 & 147 GoldDot HP from 4-5" pistols into water filled jugs and/or wet newsprint. The 124's showed good penetration(average 12-14") with excellent expansion. The 147's penetrated around 20-24" through water and into the wet newprint showing somewhat less expansion vs. the 124. For this reason, I carry the 124's and relegated the 147 to carbine use(where it performs approximately equal to the 124 in a pistol).