Fmj's in the autos, and whatever is handy in the revolvers. I think they whole concept of the competition within the bullet industry is totally blown out of proportion. I have shot hundreds of coons, hogs etc... with fmj's with good results.

Any quality hollow point, or hardcast around the farm.

agree

lots of marketing

like they say, keep shooting till your dry

I use Federal HST and Winchester Ranger.

x2 above from AZ!

Federal HydraShocks and Winchester SilverTips for me.

Lucky Gunner's tests are worth time to review, but please note the authors' conclusion:

Conclusions
Looking at all of this data, it’s tempting to try to sift through the numbers and determine once and for all which load is The One Bullet To Rule Them All. If that kind of data analysis gets you excited, then go for it. If, on the other hand, you just want to find a decent load for your carry gun, you probably don’t need to go through all of that trouble. To the contrary, we did all of this work on these tests so you don’t have to obsess over the ballistic performance aspect of your carry ammo.

If the self-defense load you use is listed here, and you’re not confident in the results you’re seeing, just pick another one that performed at a level you’re more comfortable with. But keep in mind, even though the gelatin tests can tell us a lot, there’s plenty of things they don’t tell us. Ballistics testing doesn’t tell us anything about the felt recoil of a load. We also haven’t addressed accuracy or muzzle flash (which can be an issue in low light). And maybe most important of all, no gelatin test can tell you if a given load will run reliably in your own self-defense pistol. This is all stuff you’ll have to test on your own at the range with your gun.

Once you find a load that works, whatever you decide, try to keep all of this in perspective. Choice of caliber and bullet are not the most important aspects of successful self-defense. Awareness, proper mindset, marksmanship, and discernment of when to use your firearm are generally far more critical to your survival than choice of gear. Having said that, knowing your carry ammo works not only provides peace of mind, there’s a chance that choosing a solid defensive load could be the one factor that tips the scales in your favor in a fight for your life.


Honestly answer a few questions:

1. Have you taken any professional defensive pistol training?

2. How often do you practice drawing from concealment?

3. How often do you practice more than standing in place and just shooting?

4. How often do you practice drills that require thinking about shoot/don't shoot?

5. How often do you practice malfunction drills, weak hand, or shooting in the dark?

Link to the ammo tests for review:

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/#conclusions

fwiw - I carry Federal HST or Winchester Ranger T's - .45 ACP, 230 grain.

This is what I load into my .38 snubby.

Got some of these new Black Belt 9mm from Remington. Will test for accuracy and function. Gotem really cheap at a local store, last two boxes.

My 9mm's have Gold Dots
My 45's have HST's

my gold dots are 124gr the HSTs are 230gr.

May change up my 9mm though. At the range the 124gr reloads I make tend to go left about an inch. I have an XDS9 3.3 and Taurus Millennium Pro PT111 both do the same thing.

Winchester LSWCHP 158gr for the 38 Special J-Frame.

124+P Gold Dots and 124+P HST in the Glock 19s.

230 Grain HST and Barnes 160 grain TAC in .45 ACP.