What is best commercial 9mm ammo for concealed carry?

[300grJHP]

What is the best ammo for a 3" barrel 9mm that will be used for concealed carry?  The gun is a Kahr CM9.

Thank you,
300

[S.S.]

the most accurate one in your gun.
I normally carry my own loads but
the best factory round is either the hydra-shock
or the old federal Nyclads (if you can find some)

[mcwoodduck]

I think you should figure out if you want 115 grain Hollow points or 147 grain.
Most of the commercial ammo be it Winchester, Remington, Federal, or CorBon will all work for what you want.
I would buy a couple boxes of each and run them through the gun.  I would carry what functions and what you and the gu nshoot best at practical ranges.  Personally I would go with the 115 grain so you can use standard ball ammo for practice and shoot the gun often.  The more you shoot it the better you will get with the little gun and the more confidant you are going to be with the gun.
Again buying a box and loading it in the mags and sticking them in the gun may not help you.
The Khar is a good gun but may be fickel about ammo and if it doesn't feed when you need it out of every mag..... then it is just a  very egonomic rock.

[Bigeasy]

I like the Gold Dot bullet.  Very consistent expansion, and they hold together.  147 grain bullets had a bad reputation after they first came out for not expanding, and basically acting like a FMJ.  That may have changed with newer bullet designs, but I would still be leery out of a 3 inch barrel.  As others have said, using a 115 / 124 grain bullet allows for cheap practice with hardball ammo that should shoot close to point of aim of your carry stuff.  Of course, reliability is the most important factor, and as expensive as it is, you are going to want to put at least 100 rounds of your chosen ammo thru your new gun to ensure function, and more would be better.

Larry

[SD Handgunner]

In my Kel Tec P-11 I am using Remington / UMC 115gr. Jacketed Hollow Points. They seem to shoot good in my Kel Tec and functioning is 100%. I buy them in the 100 Ct Boxes at Walmart for $25.97. I too use 115gr. Full Metal Jackets for practicing and the point of impact is the same.

Larry

[drdougrx]

http://www.stoppingpower.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20087

I have to with Evan Marshall and the guys there.

[Spirithawk]

I carry Hornady Custom 124 gr, JHP/XTP's in my Kel Tec PF-9, but there is no right answer to your question. What shoots well in one handgun may not in another. Even if the same make and model. Each individual shooter figures into the equation too. My advice is to try a variety of quallity ammo and then choose for yourself what works best for you and your firearm.

[mcwoodduck]

If you have a range that will let you shoot bio degradable targets.  Hit a road side stand and buy three or four water melons and shoot them with each brand or bullet type. You may be suprised at what happens.

[PAHUnter04]

I like the Cor-Bon 115 grain 9MM in my Kahr PM9 and S&W 3913... FAST and accurate, but cheap they are not.

PAH

[drdougrx]

Hey PA....love the 3913....wouldn't part with mine!

[Mohawk]

Speer Gold Dot any weight. Readily available and versitle bullet design.

[parkergunshop]

Speer Gold Dot, is my choice.

[Mikey]

300gn:  I think the load you should be looking for, regardless of manufacturer, is a 124/5 gn hp at around 1150 - 1200'/sec.  This is either a +P load or a +P+ load.  The standard load for a 124/5 gn 9mm is around 1100'/sec.  The +P gets you to about 1150'/sec and the +P+ gets you up around 1200'/sec or a bit better.  It really does not matter.  All you really need from a 9mm with a 124/5 gn slug is the +P level.  I recommed the 124/5 gn slug for deeper penetration, especially from a short barrelled pistol.
 
If you carry a sidearm for personal protection, not for a job, then the idea of a one-shot-stop won't matter - you will continue to shoot until your assailant is down and out of action, so get the ammo that functions best in your carry piece and practice with it.  You can also practice with NATO loadings which, if the 124/5 gn fmj, are at about the +P level, and then carry your hps. 
 
As the guys have said, there is a lot of ammo out there that improve the hit capability of the 9mm; before there were hps and soft nosed slugs, the routine was usually 2 shots to the chest and I do not recall ever seeing anyone get up after collecting a couple of 9s like that, so whether the assailant is immediately incapacitated or in the process it won't matter unless you feel he/she is still able to shoot you or get to you, in which case you simply add a few more rounds to the target area - as I said previously, you will most likely continue to shoot until he/she is down. 
 
You really do not need the fastest and bad-est, you simply need what works and what will function best in your piece. jmtcw.

[WyoStillhunter]

I skimmed this thread rather quickly so apologize if I missed something but it looks like Mikey is only one to mention functional reliability.
 
To me the real question to be answered about any semi-auto is, "What ammo functions with 100% reliability -- firing, ejecting, and chambering -- every time?"
 
If more than one brand/bullet will do that then, "Which delivers hits to point of aim at the distances you will most likely shoot in a defensive encounter?"
 
The third issue, not the first, is, "How does the bullet perform on target?"  The bullet has to get to the target before this matters.
 
A great bullet that jams or misfeeds is potentially more harmful to you than to an assailant.  A great bullet that that functions well but sprays all over the place is of little use.  However, even a FMJ bullet can be effective if it functions reliably and hits the target.
 
In a day-long Intermediate Defensive Pistol course last Saturday we fired about 300 rounds.  Each of the five semi-auto shooters had at least two malfunctions (Glocks, XD-M, Kimber), some had more;  One of the pistols was disabled and retired early in the day.  That shooter used a Glock "loaner" the rest of the day.  My Model 10 functioned perfectly all day and I was second high scorer on the Wyoming LEA Qualification  even though I fired one less round due to fumbling a timed reload.  That counts as a malfunction for me and my handgun.
 
Reliable function and hits on target are what counts.  My personal choice is standard velocity .38 Special ammo with high quality lead bullets fired from a S&W revolver.  I must admit that I am very impressed with the Glocks and used to be quite proud of a 1911 I shot extensively in the early 1970s.

[WyoStillhunter]

I skimmed this thread rather quickly so apologize if I missed something but it looks like Mikey is only one to mention functional reliability.
 
To me the real question to be answered about any semi-auto (or revolver) is, "What ammo functions with 100% reliability -- firing, ejecting, and chambering -- every time?"
 
If more than one brand/bullet will do that, "Which delivers hits to point of aim at the most likely distances in a defensive encounter?"
 
The third issue, not the first, is, "How does the bullet perform on target?"  The bullet has to get to the target before this matters.
 
A great bullet that jams or misfeeds is potentially more harmful to you than to an assailant.  A great bullet that that functions well but sprays all over the place is of little use.  However, even a FMJ bullet can be effective if it functions reliably and hits the target.
 
In a day-long Intermediate Defensive Pistol course last Saturday we fired about 300 rounds.  Each of the five semi-auto shooters had at least two malfunctions (Glocks, XD-M, Kimber), some had more;  One of the pistols was disabled and retired early in the day.  That shooter used a Glock "loaner" the rest of the day.  My Model 10 functioned perfectly all day and I was second high scorer on the Wyoming LEA Qualification  even though I fired one less round due to fumbling a timed reload.  That counts as a malfunction for me and my handgun.
 
Reliable function and hits on target are what counts.  Each person will make choices and some degree of compromise will result.
 
I must admit that I am very impressed with the Glocks and was quite proud of a 1911 I shot extensively in the early 1970s.  My choice is standard velocity .38 Special ammo with high quality lead bullets fired from a S&W revolver. 

[Mike in Virginia]

No doubt the Winchester Ranger +P+ 127 grain is the best 9mm round ever produced, if your gun can handle it.  Pressure is high.  Velocity is over 1200fps.  I know from testing that it equals the .357 Sig.  The 115 grain ammo is nearly useless in any configuration, +P or not.  It's just not heavy enough.  It's similar to the old Super Vel 110 grain 38 spl. that was developed before +P came along.  Very fast, but not much happened to the target. 
 
Next up would be the Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P.  It shows the same expansion and penetration in ballistic gel as the +P+.