best 9mm ammo for camping protection - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

swatch76 · 06-29-2005, 09:09 PM

I will be going out in the woods for a week of camping. There has been some couger and bear sightings. What 9mm ammo would be best to take in my xd service pistol. I am thinking of hydrashock or wwb 147 grain. any other suggestions?

thanks

The Tengu · 06-29-2005, 09:13 PM

Yeah, go with something in 147.

poortrader · 06-29-2005, 09:42 PM

I just saw some negative reviews on hydrashocks. They were not expending.

DigMe · 06-29-2005, 09:48 PM

Dude...don't shoot the bear with your 9mm, you might wake him up. :P

Seriously though...if 9mm is all you got load it with 147gr quality jhps. I'd go with Gold Dot or Winchester Ranger RA9T.

I'm not a fan of Hydrashocks myself.

brad cook

Hawaii-5-O · 06-30-2005, 02:08 AM

Sorry, but the 9MM does not have enough fire power to protect you from a Black bear or a Grizzly. You need ammo designed for hunting and the 9MM is not designed for hunting. Not bears anyway.

A man and his wife were just killed up in Alaska by a 300 pound Grizzly this past weekend. They were attacked in their tent and did not have a chance to use their firearm. See www.adn.com for more details. Note: In Alaska the Brown Bear can easily exceed 1000 pounds!

The maximum energy that you can get out of a 9MM round is about 465 ft lbs. at the muzzle. This will barely get it through the bear's hide.

I'm heading up to Alaska in two weeks and my insurance policy is a S&W 629 44 Magnum. My load is 242 grain Linotype (BHN 22) SWC bullet with 25 grains of WIN296 powder. Estimate velocity is 1560 fps with 1308 ft lbs at the muzzle. Now this is the minimum caliber that you will need to stop a bear. First disable it from attacking (shoulder joint/leg), then killing shot through heart and lungs.

You need a bullet that will penetrate the hide, break bones and still blast through the heart/lungs. A 9MM Jacketed Hollow Point will just expand and stop before it reaches any vital organs. It will give the bear a bee sting and will p--- him off even more.

If you really want a big bad bear gun, look at the S&W 500 Magnum. 440 grain HC bullet, 1625 fps and a whopping 2580 ft lbs! Note this load has a recoil of about 52 pounds too! Just remember this is a BIG GUN!

swatch76 · 06-30-2005, 04:34 AM

thanks for the replies i am only going camping in washington so no big bears around here. i forgot to mention i will also have a buddy with me and he will have his 357 magnum blackhawk revolver with 240 grain bullets. I think i will pick up a box of the ranger RA9T

DigMe · 06-30-2005, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swatch76

thanks for the replies i am only going camping in washington so no big bears around here. i forgot to mention i will also have a buddy with me and he will have his 357 magnum blackhawk revolver with 240 grain bullets. I think i will pick up a box of the ranger RA9T

240gr?! In a .357?! I'll believe it when I see it.

brad cook

DigMe · 06-30-2005, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawaii-5-O

Now this is the minimum caliber that you will need to stop a bear. First disable it from attacking (shoulder joint/leg), then killing shot through heart and lungs.

Riiiight. I would love to see you so surgically disable an attacking griz who has just woken you up by caving in your tent in the middle of the night. Or who has just started charging you unexpectedly out of the bush from 20 yards away. I know I sure don't have those kind of capabilities.

brad cook

bd · 06-30-2005, 07:09 AM

The best round to keep in your pistol for self defense under any circumstances, whether you're in grizzly country or in a bad neighborhood is the one that you shoot the best.

A 147 gr. JHP is no better than a 115 gr. FMJ if you can't hit with it.

bd

poortrader · 06-30-2005, 08:39 AM

Some people get so excited when they starting talking about guns to other people, they don't realize the knowledget that the other person might have. Especially, around my family and friends, it's a very secret society.

This past weekend, my brother-in-law was telling me about a 250 grain .45 that his smith and wesson shots. I'm assuming that he's the type of person that doesn't own a cowboy gun his S&W doesn't shoot .45LC. But I went along with it. He was telling me the shotgun size holes that his 250 grain .45 makes. I almost started to ask him about the ballistics and physics factors of his 250 grain rounds.

Instead, I showed him a NRA pistol booklet and asked him about CCL's. I didn't offer anymore. The secret society of our families.

06-29-2005, 09:09 PM	#1
swatch76 XDTalk Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 87	best 9mm ammo for camping protection I will be going out in the woods for a week of camping. There has been some couger and bear sightings. What 9mm ammo would be best to take in my xd service pistol. I am thinking of hydrashock or wwb 147 grain. any other suggestions? thanks __________________ Sprinfield XD 9mm 4 inch More to come

06-29-2005, 09:13 PM	#2
The Tengu XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 1,908	Yeah, go with something in 147. __________________ The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard. United States Code, Title 10, section 311, paragraph (a)

06-29-2005, 09:42 PM	#3
poortrader XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Philly, back to school Posts: 232	I just saw some negative reviews on hydrashocks. They were not expending. __________________ Stupid people will Always be stupid. XD-40 SC Les Baer PII, Kimber Warrior,Kimber Ultra Carry II/SS Walther P22 5" Sig P226R, Sig P225 DSA STG 58 Para, Colt 6721, RRA Entry Tactical

06-29-2005, 09:48 PM	#4
DigMe XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Waco, TX Posts: 1,540	Dude...don't shoot the bear with your 9mm, you might wake him up. :P Seriously though...if 9mm is all you got load it with 147gr quality jhps. I'd go with Gold Dot or Winchester Ranger RA9T. I'm not a fan of Hydrashocks myself. brad cook __________________ This space for rent. .jpgs and .gifs need not apply.

06-30-2005, 02:08 AM	#5
Hawaii-5-O XDTalk Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Hawaii Posts: 35	Sorry, but the 9MM does not have enough fire power to protect you from a Black bear or a Grizzly. You need ammo designed for hunting and the 9MM is not designed for hunting. Not bears anyway. A man and his wife were just killed up in Alaska by a 300 pound Grizzly this past weekend. They were attacked in their tent and did not have a chance to use their firearm. See www.adn.com for more details. Note: In Alaska the Brown Bear can easily exceed 1000 pounds! The maximum energy that you can get out of a 9MM round is about 465 ft lbs. at the muzzle. This will barely get it through the bear's hide. I'm heading up to Alaska in two weeks and my insurance policy is a S&W 629 44 Magnum. My load is 242 grain Linotype (BHN 22) SWC bullet with 25 grains of WIN296 powder. Estimate velocity is 1560 fps with 1308 ft lbs at the muzzle. Now this is the minimum caliber that you will need to stop a bear. First disable it from attacking (shoulder joint/leg), then killing shot through heart and lungs. You need a bullet that will penetrate the hide, break bones and still blast through the heart/lungs. A 9MM Jacketed Hollow Point will just expand and stop before it reaches any vital organs. It will give the bear a bee sting and will p--- him off even more. If you really want a big bad bear gun, look at the S&W 500 Magnum. 440 grain HC bullet, 1625 fps and a whopping 2580 ft lbs! Note this load has a recoil of about 52 pounds too! Just remember this is a BIG GUN! __________________ XD9 Tactical & S&W629

06-30-2005, 04:34 AM	#6
swatch76 XDTalk Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 87	thanks for the replies i am only going camping in washington so no big bears around here. i forgot to mention i will also have a buddy with me and he will have his 357 magnum blackhawk revolver with 240 grain bullets. I think i will pick up a box of the ranger RA9T __________________ Sprinfield XD 9mm 4 inch More to come

06-30-2005, 07:09 AM	#9
bd XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 3,864	The best round to keep in your pistol for self defense under any circumstances, whether you're in grizzly country or in a bad neighborhood is the one that you shoot the best. A 147 gr. JHP is no better than a 115 gr. FMJ if you can't hit with it. bd

06-30-2005, 08:39 AM	#10
poortrader XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Philly, back to school Posts: 232	Some people get so excited when they starting talking about guns to other people, they don't realize the knowledget that the other person might have. Especially, around my family and friends, it's a very secret society. This past weekend, my brother-in-law was telling me about a 250 grain .45 that his smith and wesson shots. I'm assuming that he's the type of person that doesn't own a cowboy gun his S&W doesn't shoot .45LC. But I went along with it. He was telling me the shotgun size holes that his 250 grain .45 makes. I almost started to ask him about the ballistics and physics factors of his 250 grain rounds. Instead, I showed him a NRA pistol booklet and asked him about CCL's. I didn't offer anymore. The secret society of our families. __________________ Stupid people will Always be stupid. XD-40 SC Les Baer PII, Kimber Warrior,Kimber Ultra Carry II/SS Walther P22 5" Sig P226R, Sig P225 DSA STG 58 Para, Colt 6721, RRA Entry Tactical

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