At 15 to 25 cents a pop, pretty soon you’re burning up a week’s worth of grocery money before you even shoot enough to merit cleaning your gun… and that’s the cheap ammo! Throw a few defensive rounds down range and you’re wallet just got a whole lot lighter. Where was I? Ah, yes… Ammunition is expensive!Įven the cost of practice ammo can add up over time, especially if you shoot on a regular basis. So for now, let’s just focus on what we came here to do, shall we?!? While all of that may or may not be true, I’m not here to argue about the merits of different calibers and why some are better than others. It’s too light, too slow, too fast (yes, they say both), and other reasons. As common as 9mm is, there are still those out there (again, it’s hard to find a non-opinionated gun owner) who argue it’s not a good defensive round because, well, for a lot of reasons they cite. I want to pause here for a second and address something about calibers before I go any further. But we can still find out what makes a great defensive round without putting on our lab coats and eye pro. I’ll leave the science up to the experts. That’s a tough one, but here’s how I’m going to define “best” for this 9mm ammunition round-up: Does it do its job and not break the bank? I’m not going to get into the minutia of overall velocity or how far a round penetrates into ballistic gelatin. Have you ever noticed how folks in the gun industry tend to be just a bit opinionated? You know, kind of like the way the sun is a little warm? Anyone who has hung around the range or gun store for longer than a minute can tell you how many various opinions there are about the “best this” and the “best that”– from guns to holsters to knives to defensive rounds. Pretty sure I’m about to stomp on a murder hornets’ nest but here goes nothin. Still, the 38 Super has never reached what many would consider mainstream acceptance for personal protection.Bound to create a brawl in the comments, this article highlights the best 9MM Self-Defense Ammunition to ensure your personal protection!

That could be done with 38 Super handloads and that power combined with its success in competition bled over to the self-defense world. The 38 Super only saw moderate success until it became a favorite for competitors seeking a capacity advantage over the 45 Auto with a pistol that would make the major power factor. Essentially, they did nothing more than return the cartridge to its original 1900 ballistics, which were a bit too much for the M1900 pistol it was designed for. In 1929, Colt introduced a redesigned/improved version of the 38 ACP, and called it the 38 Super, which was loaded to a higher pressure: 36,500 psi as opposed to 26,500 psi. Initially, it fired a 130-grain bullet at about 1200 fps, but due to issues with the M1900 pistol, most factory loads were substantially less powerful. In 1900, before the 9mm Luger was invented, Colt introduced the John Browning-designed 38 Automatic Pistol-38 ACP. 38 Super The 38 Super made its name in competitive shooting, but it did so with compensated pistols and handloaded ammunition that far exceeded the performance of factory 38 Super ammo. It’s doubtful that firing a single round of 9mm +P, +P+, or 9mm NATO ammunition in a non +P or +P+ rated pistol will cause a catastrophic failure, but it could lead to one, so don’t do it. There’s no SAAMI standard for 9mm NATO ammunition either, but it’s essentially 9mm +P+ ammo loaded to government bullet weight and muzzle energy specifications. And +P+ 9mm Luger ammo is loaded hotter than that, but there’s no SAAMI standard for +P+ 9mm ammunition. 9mm +P ammo is loaded to a maximum SAAMI standard of 38,500 psi. Standard 9mm Luger ammo is loaded to a maximum average pressure of 35,000 psi, which is established by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI). There are three-arguably four-power levels of 9mm Luger ammunition. The 9mm Luger is the most popular self-defense pistol cartridge in the world, and it’s been around since 1902. 9mm: Table of Contentsĩmm Luger There are hundreds of different 9mm loads to choose from in either standard pressure, +P, or +P+ power ranges.

9mm the answer is a firm “it depends”-it depends on what you want to do with your pistol. Like with most any other cartridge comparison, when it comes to the 38 Super vs. Generally, 38 Super ammunition is more powerful than 9mm Luger ammunition, and this causes many to wonder why the 9mm Luger is so much more popular. The 38 Super and the 9mm Luger cartridges use the same diameter bullet and are often fired from handguns that are nearly identical in size. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.

Best 9mm ammo for home defense