What SD ammo are y'all running in your PPS?

Sinistr said:

Was going to ask this same question. I was considering the Ranger T 147's due to the Lucky Gunner ( a great company BTW) gel test. However, Paul Harrell did a test with the "meat target", and the results were unimpressive to say the least.

Most of the other rounds that were considered the most effective were $1+ per round , which for me, is unacceptable. It is understandable why copper rounds are that expensive though.

I think I'll just go with my normal 9mm carry ammo, Gold Dot 124 +p, and call it a day.

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I like the way you think. I too checked out Lucky Gunner's ammo review, and I must say, they did a great job with objectivity and scientific method. From that, I picked the five loads I felt were best and did some youtube searching. There are channels I respect, and those I feel tried, but failed in their methodology. I really like Tim on Military Arms Channel and a couple others. Then, through work, I have access to the FBI testing information and use that too.

This way I have meta-data (data for same thing from multiple sources), and I can look for a certain round that has vastly different results vs. the rounds which are consistent. I then did some of my own testing, but simply added that to the data from other sources.

In the end, out of medium to full-size or even long-barrelled pistols (like my G-34 I keep in the bedside table), I like high-velocity rounds (Underwood/Lehigh 90gr +P+, Winchester Ranger-T 127gr +P+, Hornady Critical Duty 135gr +P, Federal HST 124gr +P).

Out of short barrels, I like Federal Micro HST 150gr, Federal HST 147gr, and Hornady Critical Defense 115gr. These are all low-recoil options. Why? Well, at 6'01" and 280, I'm not recoil-shy (44 Mag being my favorite caliber, followed closely by 10mm). It's follow-up shots and shootability. No matter how hard I grip a micro-pistol, high-energy rounds cause it to twist and shift in my hand. I'd rather be aiming and squeezing instead of re-gripping in a real self-defense situation... The above rounds are still engineered to perform well in expansion and penetration even at slower velocities. Other rounds will certainly work, but I like quick follow-up shots over 50-100 FPE.