SD Ammo

[King1886]

What 9mm Self Defense ammo expands the most and what will expand the most consistently?

[Cuda66]

Go here, read this:

Best Choices for Self Defense Ammo

Choose one of the 9mm loads listed (they are in no particular order), and see if your pistol likes them--which means you'll want to put at least 50, or a minimum an entire magazine of every magazine you intend to use for HD/carry. See how well they function (if it's not 100%, choose another off the list), and if they are accurate and controllable out of your pistol in your hands in rapid fire.

All of the rounds listed will reliably expand, especially after going through things like heavy clothing. As to what expands the most...they are all going to be within a few hundredths of an inch of each other...really, it's a non-issue.

[Keltyke]

You are asking two questions that depend so much on situational variables that a specific answer can't be given. The best bet is to Google some ballistics tests from several sites and do some comparison. You will soon find the top 3-4 places filled by the same ammo, over and over. The next thing you need to do is make SURE the ammo you choose is 100% reliable in your gun. I never load an ammo for carry that I haven't shot AT LEAST 200 times through that weapon. Yes, that's expensive, but a jam in a gunfight might be deadly. I'd rather pay the bucks to a gun shop than to a funeral home.

All that being said, I've done some extensive research and in my carry caliber, 9mm, I like the Speer Gold Dot 124 gr. - either the Short Barrel or the standard, and Corbon's DPX 115 gr. Both are 100% reliable in my gun, shoot to POA, and have some great ballistics with almost 100% expansion.

[agalindo]

As Cudda said pick any from the list. The list is not in order so no corbon does not expand better than any others.

If you are going to research on google make sure you only use tests done using IWBA or FBI protocols to make your decision. If the test media isn't calibrated properly it will not show you expansion and penetration properties that will correlate with tissue. Water tests will not show expansion and penetration properties that you can compare to tissue so don't use those as a good reference for expansion and penetration.

Note: Water test using the McPherson Water Test Method will predict penetration but should no be used to predict expansion.