[Senegat]

I live in an apartment and have an XDSC 9mm for self defense. I'm very concerned about shooting people that literally live all around me. The guy at the store told me 147 gr. Winchester Supreme SXT is the best option. He actually told me to get those in place of Glaser Safety Rounds. Another guy told me the round with the least penetration would be Federal 124 gr. hydra shock JHP.

So what do you guys think? Which round is least likely to kill someone on the other side of the wall? I'm tempted to just go with Glaser rounds. The only reason the guy at the store told me not to get Glaser rounds is because they are +P, but I've read enough on here to gather the XDSC can handle +P rounds, so maybe those are the best after all.

And by the way, I really don't care about stopping power. I'm willing to lower the chances of the bad guy going down if it means ensuring the safety of those around me.

 

[DigMe]

I wouldn't mess with frangible rounds. For me first priority is stopping bad guy. I think the chances of the round going through a wall and striking and killing someone are slim. Yes, I know it's possible and it has happened but it's so rare that first priority is good ammo for stopping the bad guy. Winchester Ranger or Speer Gold Dot either in any weight.

If you really insist on something with low penetration (which equals way less effective in doing the job it's designed to do) then I'd go with a light weight Cor-bon...like 115 grain or so.

brad cook

 

[panther308]

I have tried aguila IQ ammo (9mm flavor) did not impress me as far as penetration

 

[ampleworks]

Regardless what you are shooting, its going to have the chance to penetrate unless we're talking about a 22 or birdshot. Even then, 22s can chop through drywall pretty easily.

 

[BrokenArrow]

You are confusing penetration of the intervening barrier w penetration after the barrier.

The Aguila IQ ammo is intended to stay together through hard stuff, then separate in soft stuff; it does. It will blast through a wall/door just fine.

Glasers, contrary to popular belief, do not blow up on contact w walls, doors, leather jackets, etc. Glasers penetrate std iinterior walls and doors almost as well as FMJ ammo.

we tested the 9/40/45/38/357 Glaser by shooting them through a piece of plywood, paper and melon. The Glasers went through the plywood, left a little round hole in the paper, then blew up in the melon.

The std pressure 115g 9x19 Silvertip penetrates about 12 - 13 inches after wallboard, plywood, and steel in the FBI tests. a 155/40 and 125/357SIG JHP about 14 - 23 inches. A 45 JHP about the same.

In gel after penetrating std interior walls:

147/9 23"
180/40 25"
230/45 30"
12g buck 23"
12g slug 23"
223/5.56 55g FMJ 16"
223/5.56 62g FMJ 11.5"
223 69g BTHP 12"
223 75g BTHP 13"

 

[Senegat]

Okay, so I still don't know the answer to this question...

Everything else being equal, are heavier rounds more likely to penetrate walls and kill someone on the other side? Or is it the opposite?

I'm just wondering why the guy told me to get 147 gr. instead of Glasers. I'm assuming it's because he thought the heaviest bullet would penetrate less. Then again, he told me to get hollow points, so maybe he thought the hollow point would stop penetration, and he wasn't paying any attention to the grain. :?:

 

[MTEagle1]

You didn't say what kind of store so was it a gun counter at a range or at a multi-purpose store? Selling guns doesn't make one an expert in their use. If you want to make sure the bullet wont go through the wall & hit some else then practice until you never miss or buy a shotgun & load it with birdshot. But at 10-15 feet 12ga birdshot still makes a big hole through both sides of an interior wall without insulation between them.

Ask your local police department what they use.

 

[Senegat]

You didn't say what kind of store so was it a gun counter at a range or at a multi-purpose store? Selling guns doesn't make one an expert in their use. If you want to make sure the bullet wont go through the wall & hit some else then practice until you never miss or buy a shotgun & load it with birdshot. But at 10-15 feet 12ga birdshot still makes a big hole through both sides of an interior wall without insulation between them.

Ask your local police department what they use.

It was basically a gun shop that sells primarily guns, and the guy was old as hell which made me think he was wise concerning bullet selection.

 

[DigMe]

All things being equal in 9mm generally a 147gr round will penetrate slightly deeper than 124 or 127 gr and both will usually penetrate deeper than a 115gr.

brad cook

 

[Senegat]

All things being equal in 9mm generally a 147gr round will penetrate slightly deeper than 124 or 127 gr and both will usually penetrate deeper than a 115gr.

brad cook

Thanks. I suppose this means I'll get 115gr. in hollow point for minimum penetration.

 

[BrokenArrow]

It gets tricky...

A 55g FMJ .223/5.56 will go through most levels of soft body armor, a 147g JHP will not. OTOH, the .223/5.56 will not go as deep after penetrating a std interior wall.

There are few things that won't go through most std interior walls.
The 40/45g HPs in .223 least likely from tests I've seen. Some of the exotics (Magsafe has a load designed not to penetrate walls).

In any pistol caliber, the lightest/fastest loads will reduce penetration after the wall. They will also be the loads least likely to go deep enough by some other folks standards the rest of the time.

 

[Tempest]

Broken Arrow:

Do you have a link for the FBI penatration information?? I have been trying to find this data but have not been able to locate it.

As an aside, I have been thinking about trasitioning from a handgun for home defense to an AR because of exactly this reason. HOWEVER, if I did have to shoot a BG, I would probably be toast in a court room after the fact because I used such a "powerful, military weapon that shoots AP ammo". IF I (or anybody else) had FBI penatration test results to demostrate that I/we are just doing what the government recomends (since the government nows everything :roll: ), it would go along way in helping people defend themselves in the aftermath of court.

 

[BrokenArrow]

KISS: keep it simpler silly.

Just use what the local cops use in their pistols/rifles/carbines.

 

[David_4]

A bullet going through an interior wall of a house or an apartment and injuring or killing a person is a very real possibility. This Winchester ballistic chart shows penetration in bare gelatin and through different mediums and then into gelatin. If you look at the numbers, 12 to 14 inches of penetration after going through the wallboard is certainly enough to injure or kill a person. The RA9T is a 9mm 147gr bullet, the RA40T is a .40 180gr bullet and the RA45T is a 45 230gr bullet and all are std velocity. Not on the chart are several others, one is the 9mm 127gr +P+ which has 12.1 inches of penetration after going through the wallboard. In testing I have seen Hydra Shocks and Gold Dots have their HP's plugged by drywall and fully penetrate 18" of gelatin. I sure wouldn't want to be on the other side when any of these rounds are fired. There is no magic bullet. No matter what type of ammo you chose, you have to be sure of what is behind what your shooting at.

If you want the full test results listed in the 2005 Winchester LE catalog PM me with you email, unless your "masterofg3" that is.

http://www.winchester.com/lawenforcement/testing/testing_t.aspx

 

[hipower]

Check out the Box of Truth

http://www.theboxotruth.com/

Interesting results not a true scientific test but hella fun!

 

[WARHEAD'Z]

Which 9mm ammo has the least penetration?

:idea: Blanks do, of course. :lol: