Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Defense ammo

I'm just an ordinary Joe on the street trying to survive the day to day life in the american jungle.I have no military or law enforcement experience.I am no weapons or ammo expert.I'm just a regular working stiff.I like hunting and target shooting with rifles,shotguns and handguns but by no means even close to an expert shooter.
Now to my question.
My carry weapon of choice is a S&W 3913LS 9mm single stack.Yes I said Lady Smith.I went down to Bass pro shops and bought a box of 50 Remington 115gr jhp that set me back about $45.Is this a good defense round or should I get something like Speer 124gr Gold Dots or Black Talons or some such Zombie ammo?Most of this type of ammo cost a fortune and you only get about 20 rounds per box.I am looking for ammo that I can afford to shoot on a regular basses without breaking the bank yet feel confident using as a carry round.Is there any such animal?

The Federal CLassic JHP's are a decent bullet in a non-premium line. They are available in both 115 & 147 gr. loadings & can be found for around $16-17 for a box of 50.

They are not Gold Dots or Federal HST quality bullet, but they cost half as much & I wouldn't want to get hit with one.

I don't use them for carry myself, but I do use them for range work in some calibers I don't like to reload for, namely 40 S&W.

MM

what you bought will work fine, I carry Corbon DPX in all my 9mm's BUT bullet placement trumps any kind of bullet you may carry

Another vote for the DPX's, what's your life worth? I want all the help I can get with a 9mm.

Practice with cheap FMJ ammo, The Corbon's mentioned use the 115gn Barnes X hollow point bullet, extremely effective on the bullet testing I have done.

And they run like a sewing machine through my Sig P 239.

Gunner

I happen to like Speer Gold Dots and they are the duty handgun ammo specified for my agency, but just about any of the premium defensive ammo available today is going to perform consistently downrange and [bleep] up bad guys' medical records.

Your concern is to find out which feeds and functions reliably in YOUR pistol and go with it.

Practice with the same weight hardball from the same manufacturer if you can, ie....Speeer Gold Dots/CCI Blazer or Blazer Brass, Winchester SXT/ Winchester White Box etc.

A few thoughts:

As others have said, any decent JHP from a reputable manufacturer will likely be G2G. If it functions in your gun, then go for it.

The 124 grain Gold Dots work well and have a good track record if you are looking for a recommendation.

The 3913 Lady Smith is a fine, slim little DA gun and was at one time state of the art. It has since been surpassed by other designs, but it will serve a person very well and I would carry one without hesitation.

One final note. I really really like your intro. In a place where many puff up, make bold talk and saber rattle, I enjoyed it.

Cheers and be safe!

Good post, Mackay. As long as the ammunition the OP picked functions fine in his pistol, he should be good to go.

The Third Generation S&W Series is one of my favorite semis... I carried a 6906 the last ten years I spent in LE...and it was by choice. The agency I worked for allowed ANY 9mm or .45 that was at least DA on the first shot to be carried...no SA semis...and you had the choice of carrying their Ruger .38 revolver or buying your own gun.

Nothing wrong with a 3900 LS or standard 3913. I just prefer the rounder grip of the 6900...

As to 9mm ammo...they all get the job done. My personal favorites are from CorBon, the 100 grain PowR'Ball or 115 HPs as with .35 caliber guns I like speed and both these rounds have it. The Speer Gold Dot HPs and CorBon DPX are excellent especially if you have to shoot through something like a car door or window glass as the bullets will stay together better...

Bob

I appreciate every ones advice.
I understand the importance of bullet placement.That is why I want an ammo I can afford to practice with on a regular basses. Ya"ll gave me a lot of good information to work with here.Thanks guys.
One more question before I go.
Should I stick with hollow points?

I would think the Remington ammo you purchased should work fine and myself i would use it and not worry . Just shoot them twice if the first doesn't work.

buzardbait:

No need to be embarrassed about your pistol. I once had a 3913, and the ONLY difference between that one and yours is mine didn't say LadySmith on it.

Accurate and reliable with anything I put through it. I'd still have it today if I hadn't used it in trade on something I don't remember and probably don't even have anymore.

Hornady!
I started with Critical Defense and now carry Critical Duty.
GREAT perfoming ammo
But way too pricy to practice with.
Reload ( or find a reloaded ) round that hits to the same POA.
And burn those during practice.
A couple times a year shoot your carry ammo to make sure.

9mm is right at the price level of making or buying ammo.

Others can load with huge machines, very cheaply.
I do it as a hobby.

( also with my Hornady Lock N Load !)

buzardbait,

In self-defense, penetration is crucial. When I used to carry a 9MM, we used 147 grain W-W Subsonic, which worked well. I don't own a 9MM, so I don't know what all the rage is now in terms of self defense ammo. I will add this though. While I have more than a couple boxes of .45 ACP LE ammo that I have been given by my former agency, I have never felt the least bit vulnerable carrying ball ammo in my .45 ACP. I am not sure how it would work in a 9MM.

DocRocket does have lots of research material on 9MM, so you might want to send him a PM.


Good Luck,

R

Hornady will not list the bullet weights of the Critical Duty ammo
They designed it to meet the FBI penetration tests.
And it does with flying colors

( BTW the 9mm is about 138 grain )

Hornady Critical "DUTY"....only make em for 9mm and .40S&W and the only round to pass ALL FBI urban test barriers

http://www.hornady.com/store/Critical-Duty/

i heard it said more than once that the word "ladysmith" on the side of the firearm is a good idea. If you are ever in an incident you can bet some attorney is going to be reviewing it, and ladysmith sounds so much better than "slayer of dragons"
by the way, you should be able to get practice ammo for about ten to 11bucks a box.

So you think the "My Precious" inscription I have on my Glock 19 would be a problem?

I like the 3913 and could care less about Lady Smith stamped on the side and another great pistol for defense is the Lady Smith in 357 magnum. Just use the Remington Ammo and don't look back. Lots of people have went under with 9mm Hardball. Nobody wants to get shot with anything. I would much rather have your 3913 with the Remington HP you have than the 380 with the other bullets mentioned in the other post. Try filling three or four plastic gallon jugs with water , line them up and shoot your load and see how well they expand in the water and it will give you some idea how well they work, it isn't the same as flesh and bone but if they don't expand in the water then forget them expanding in the human body unless you hit a major bone. Myself i have two loads i carry in the 9's one is the Speer 124 gr Plus P Gold Dot and the other is the Horandy 115gr Critical Defense

My 3913 LS is loaded with 124 Hornady XTP, as is my Browning P35. I am comfortable with most any decent expanding bullet. My personal preference is 124 grain but I have no problem 115s and I still like WW Silvertips.

Ernie