Ok time to chime in again. To bring back my question when i first started this thread .In my opinion in self defense you are going to be uber close to the perp. Maybe I am wrong but in my thinking at a distance of a few feet my 9mm armed with 115 gr Winchester SXZ JHP should work just as good as a .40 or .45.
You are correct. IIRC it's the rule of 3's, most self defense shootings happen within 3 feet, 3 seconds and 3 shots. Your 9mm with hollow points will do just fine.
Unless you are talking about 50-100 yards away, distance to the target is not relevant to impact velocity. Distance can affect how well the bullet can be placed/aimed, but that is independent of the caliber used.
Don't worry about distance. For ammunition, concern yourself with caliber, projectile design, velocity, manufacturing quality control, and (IMHO) mag capacity.
My answer is no, I would not use lightweight (for the caliber) hollowpoint ammo. To me, 115gr is too light for serious 9mm JHP. The only exception to this are the corbon DPX rounds; they have proven to penetrate enough in testing. However, they are expensive compared to other suitable ammo.
I wouldn't want to be shot with any of them.
The one that is going to allow you to send the necessary amount of lead into the bad guy in the fastest amount of time, accurately. By necessary I mean stopping the threat. May take one bullet, may take twenty-one bullets. a plus for 9mm is also the extra 2-3 bullets in the magazine.
I love a good 1911 as much as anyone and do think it my duty our of respect to Saint. JMB to own one or two. My CCW has mostly been a full sized HK USP 45. Lord only hows how many of what I have had over the years. Then I shot a Sig 229 in 9mm. I can shoot it just as well as my 1911 and more that twice as fast. All pride aside from whatever camp I thought I might be in. That combo works "FOR ME". To each their own. Also, when I was 14 a friend shot me down the outside of my right foot with a .22 LR. That had my 100% undivided attention, lucky for us both it just cut the outside of my foot and trashed one of my dad's old combat boots. 9mm - 45 either one and you are in a world of hurt if you happen to be on the wrong end.
I used to be in the bigger is better camp, now I carry a G19. I feel with modern bullets the difference is moot. I carry a J frame when I can't carry the G19. Corbon DPX in 38 special. 124 gr +p+ gold dots in the 9mm. I'm getting the urge for a G36 though.
Bullets do funny things upon entering the human body, after passing through one or multiple layers of clothing, so the two major things that have to be focused on is "Shot Placement" and "Penetration". The best hollow points in the world won't always expand in human flesh like they do in the ballistic gelatin tests. Thats where penetration comes into play, cause if vital areas can't be hit, chances are the threat won't stop.
And is why I feel it's better to start with a bullet diameter that you HOPE one of the 9mm's might expand to.
Similar threads
