[HydroR]

My Hellcat, with Hogue slip on rubber grip. She carries 115 grain Hornady Critical Defense.

 

[HydroR]

Past experience has made me Leary of 9mm PARA 115 grain performance on Large Caliber Individuals, but that was not with Today's current performance loads. Yet penetration was usually problematic and I'm not confident that expanding rounds will penetrate deeper than yesteryear's FMJ's. While testament to 100% reliability goes a long way, heavier projectiles usually penetrate deeper than lighter projectiles, As long as they are both 100% reliable, the velocity difference from a 3 inch barrel will probably be 300 FPS at best, that also influenced why my Hellcat has Win Defend 147 grain loads in the mag. YMMV. But since they are less costly than Hornady CD over the counter, have you taken a box of 20 to the range to compare with your current selection? This is a Quest, not a debate. If what you have meets your expected needs that's comforting. But if there is something that is as reliable and it performs better in the Jello Olympics don't you owe it to yourself ( possibly others or loved ones) to at least give it a trip across the range? If you don't like it, $h!tcan IT. Now 124 HST is costly, but if it's best does the cost for a couple of rounds outweigh the safety of a loved one or yourself? Sometimes I'm to much of a cynic.......

Based on testing I've seen, the 115 grain CD rounds after going through 4 layers of denim, penetrated a gel block about the same as the 124 and 147 HST did on bare gel. Of course, I can go find videos that show differences across them all, but the differences aren't significant enough to make me feel the 115 grain CD is lacking in any respect in comparison. I chose the CD and after shooting them and comparing impact differences with my 115 grain FMJ handloads, I've got those dialed in such that they shoot nearly identically. I can now practice with my hand loads and be confident I can place my CD rounds where needed if I have to.

One of the biggest complaints in pistol calibers is lack of expansion. The CD's do well in this respect in the videos I've seen. Other hollow points, not so much, especially after passing through clothing. Speed plays a role in expansion and the 115 grain has an advantage there over the heavier bullets.

I'm perfectly satisfied with my choice of carry ammo.

 

[HydroR]

Oh, in-home defense...that's a different ball of wax than carrying concealed in public. I;m not using my little Hellcat for defense in the home unless as a last resort.

 

[HydroR]

Hang on a sec...let me put on my fire proof suit here for a sec...

First, ask yourself why, over so many years, has so many articles, so many tests, so many videos been made to discuss, test, and show "proof" that all of these various pistol cartridges and bullet designs matter so much? Why are companies working so hard to create all these new whizzbang bullets in the mainstream pistol cartridges?

The answer is simply that the mainstream pistol rounds, 9mm, 380, 40 S&W, 45 ACP, etc are weak from a ballistic perspective. Indeed, one is not significantly better than the other in performance...and that is backed by years of statistics on gun shot wounding and deaths.

In terms of pistols, shot placement plays a far bigger role than caliber. You even alluded to it when you mentioned putting one in their noggin. In fact, the entire debate over "stopping power" has been something that has raged on since guns were invented. I know the Miami-Dade event is one that is often brought up when discussing pistol calibers, but the conclusions there were narrow and based to some degree on a lot of "ifs."

There are plenty of videos and cases of people hit multiple times with all the pistol calibers that kept on fighting. Why? In most cases, they eventually do stop, but the stop isn't immediate. Even mortally wounded they can continue to fight and that is where the issue lies. Realistically, the only "one shot stop" you're likely to make with a pistol is a head shot. That, however, brings in other factors. How likely are you to make that shot vs a center mass shot? What's better? A shot or two in the body or a couple misses at a head shot? This is why when I practice defensive shooting, my regimen is two center mass, one to the head, rinse and repeat until the threat stops or I run out of bullets.