That thread concerning the most up to date list for duty loads here: https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....duty-load-list

For civilians, there are certainly better loads available than the +P Critical Duty loads. The pink elephant in the room is the over-hyped and marketing based use of the +P designation. As someone who has been handloading for over 35 years and testing most JHP bullets in realistic dfense calibers, putting a +P label on a 9mm 135 gr. defense bullet rated 1110 FPS is strictly marketing. It doesn't take +P pressure to reach 1110 FPS. Further proof of this obfuscating practice is that this particular load will not chronograph 1110 FPS from a 4" barrel, nor even a 4.5" barrel. And when you get right down to it, it seems apparent that the best way to increase profit for a company's defense ammunition is to get it tested and accepted by the FBI?
I chronographed this 10 rounds of this load on 11/15/18 from a 4.5" barrel that typically provides velocities on par with the Glock 17 where the 10 rounds averaged 1090 FPS.
The problem with the barrier testing phenomenon is that it is sometimes necessary to lower velocity to accomplish the desired result of the bullet. And often times the end user doesn't spend much time thinking about the performance of a load that won't be passing through any barriers other than the clothes a villainous felon may be wearing. Strange that with all statistical data thrown at us that we don't see much on the number of civilian defense shootings where barriers beyond clothing were ever a component of the event?
And while velocity and energy are constantly de-emphasized, it becomes clear that the only true lesson we've learned, specifically in regard to the 9 x 19mm, is that better bullet technology is a requirement for lower velocity loads, some of which erroneously carries a +P label. Bullet weight x velocity squared /450436 will give you muzzle energy, and simply a variation of Einstein's E = MC˛. A far more revealing equation is the one that also requires mass and velocity with a divisor for bullet mass for the calculation for Momentum. And the expansion of JHP bullets relies on either, and has been overlooked since the Caleberites and the Capacitonians first met on the battlefield.
Many of the stories from the past involving JHPs not expanding, or their noses getting "clogged" almost always have a common denominator: lack of velocity. So if you're going to ASSume anything, assume that you need to deduct 50 FPS or more than the ammo manufacturers velocity spec. I would also remind you all of all of the less than successful protocols by the FBI that came after the big 1986 event, and some very overlooked, maybe even ignored solutions.

So let's step back to where it all began: the FBI accepting the Winchester 115 gr. SilverTip for duty use. Here's why I believed it failed while we know that if it had penetrated just 1/2" more in the shooting of the perp named Maddox, the outcome might have been significantly different.
Winchester's stated velocity for the 115 gr. SilverTip was 1225 FPS, and still was at the time of a velocity test I'll provide a link to. From someone I'm acquainted with via the net.
So let's put thist to the test of Momentum with the result in Lb-seconds. The simple calculation is bullet weight / 225218 x velocity. And yes, bullets of greater mass tend to fair better while they may have significantly less muzzle energy.
Momentum for the 115 gr. ST at 1225, according to WIN spec, is 0.6225 Lb-seconds. The YouTube reviewer, know by his handle of tnoutdoors9 did a chronograph test several years back that you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HztD9GKtLUw and chronographed 5 loads from the Glock 19 that has a barrel length of 4" (or just a few hundredths of an inch longer) and similar to the S&W 459s some of the agents were using in the 1986 Miami Shootout. And yeah, a G19 would likely get you a few more FPS than a 4" 459 by virtue of its polygonal rifling, but that's far less significant than the hype, provided you actually chronograph. What tnoutdoors9 found was that five rounds from the 4" G19 actually averaged 1135 FPS. Momentum at 1135 FPS lowers Momentum to 0.5795 Lb-seconds. And from my experience, which I've stated in articles I wrote for the Western Powders emag, unfortunately gone now since after Hodgdon Powder Co's acquisition of Western Powders, is that regardless of any handicap related to recoil, 0.6000 Lb-seconds of Momentum is the least I could recommend, while 0.6500 Lb-seconds is the minimum for my personal use. I'm talking about the primary carry pistol and not smaller calibers used in back-up pistols like .380 ACP even while some state that with the new advanced bullet technology, .380 ACP is considered by some as acceptable for concealed carry. Doesn't work for me, and I'm not here to berate anyone who finds that acceptable for their own use. But with subcompact 9mms, there are loads that can still achieve 0.6000 Lb-seconds of momentum, and greater than the actual performance of the 115 gr. ST from a 4" barrel.

Let me go further, while I'll just mention a couple of facts here. In 1986, the Illinois State Police and the US Secret Service accumulated a very successful track record with conventional, or old-tech 115 gr. JHPs. And yeah, they were labeled +P+ @ 1350 FPS but actually traveling around 1300 FPS from 4" barrels. In the case of the ISP, their load was also made by WIN using their standard, and still available 115 gr. JHP while the USSS chose the Remington version, and they worked. Period. But if you've ever looked at penetration tests in gun rags you likely saw that the REM standard pressure load didn't expand very well, but will certainly meet today's FBI standard for penetration. I've loaded and tested them at higher velocity, but 115 gr. JHPs in 9mm aren't what I would use regardless of technology. But that applied to the REM 124 gr. JHP as well: relatively low velocity, little expansion and very deep penetration. So, yeah, the old "clogging" phenomenon might come into play here. But we are dealing somewhat with reciprocating results here which I have investigated thoroughly to corroborate my personal hypothesis resulting from reviewing several such gun rag expansion and penetration articles. At 1200 FPS or higher, but still well within the 9mm +P pressure max of 38,500 PSI, it's fairly easily accomplished through proper powder selection and handloading to the specific chamber dimensions of YOUR pistol, and not one-size-fits-all ammo for the 50 most commonly used 9 x 19mm pistols, has proven the former hypothesis of reciprocating elements. I increased velocity to increase expansion while reducing penetration that would still easily meet the FBI standard of today.
The debate concerning using handloads for self-defense is a debate for another time, and I'm not advocating their use here, just dealing with the ballistic realities. And because of the good prices of years past, when bought in bulk, I have loaded over 10,000 rounds with the REM 124 gr. JHP and a lesser amount for the REM 124 gr. Golden Saber. My preference was for the former simply based on accuracy of those 2 bullets, and most of my testing was done with the SIG P-226 and it's barrel just over 4.4". And yes, unless you're within a narrow window of velocity, the core and jacket of the Goldn Saber will separate. But how you view that is up to you. In my testing, the jacket still penetrates to near the depth of the core turning one permanent stretch cavity into two.

I will also say that newer bullets that have come along since, and do well by anyone's protocol, bullets like the 124 gr. HST, or the Gold Dot are not in any way handicapped by greater velocity up to 1250 FPS, or even meeting the factory spec velocity that is NOT reality from 4" defense pistols. If you can get it from a 4.5" barrel you're lucky. But without chronographing your personal defense load form YOUR pistol, you're using a load based on assumption.
One particular area of my 9 x 19mm research, using several of the best performing bullets have been with 147 gr. JHPs. The 147 gr. HSTs were provided to me for these tests as "Pulled Bullets." They worked admirably nonetheless as does the 147 gr. Gold Dot, but with a slight difference. They were loaded to, or above the original Cor-Bon spec for 147 gr. +P @ 1125 FPS. That load was not investigated by the FBI even after several incidents of sub 1000 FPS 147 gr. JHP loads over-penetrating and even striking innocent bystanders as a result, along with the corresponding lawsuits. And yes, these events pre-date better tech bullets like the HST, Gold Dot, or any newer WIN variation of the Black Talon. Those bullets used in the over-penetration events would have, in fact, behaved very differently had they been loaded super-sonic, or around 1120 FPS at sea-level. Funny that Peter Pi is barely remembered today. And before the FBI "wrote the book," the Texas Dept of Public Safety, that includes the Texas Rangers were around 10 years ahead of the FBI in penetration after barrier research. That came about in conjunction with their search for an auto-pistol and ammunition to replace their 4" .357 Magnum revolvers. And regardless of anyone's pet theory, the TX DPS never had any problems ending gunfights with a full power 125 gr. JHP load. And in many cases, penetration test results in FBI properly spec'd gel showing 10" of penetration.
Different calibers with different bullets that were available and tested at the time where no .45 ACP or .40 S&W load passed through all of the various tests. And most of you know that the .357 SIG passed them all and was adopted along with SIG pistols based on the P-22X. They were not mandated for all troopers, however, except that the SIG P-22X series became the designated platform while officers not issued .357 SIG chambered pistols at their training academy were allowed the choice of pistols chambered in .40 S&W and .45 ACP, and so far as I heard last, that practice remains the same except for the pistol being the SIG P-320 series in the 9 x 19mm chambering now being furnished to academy cadets. Not so commonly known was that another caliber passed all of the test requirements. A 9 x 19mm 147 gr. JHP load that was rejected mostly because it carried the +P+ designation while the DPS had concerns about perceptions of the news media.

Another factoid that arose from the DPS test was their determination of an acceptable level of recoil based on persons ranging in size from small female to large male troopers. The level decided on was 160 Power Factor, the same momentum based indicator as used for competition shooting, resulting from the formula of Bullet weight x velocity / 1000 and most of you know that 125 PF is the minimum required for the minor PF category while 165 PF is the minimum requirement for major PF that was formerly 175 PF. Kinda makes one stop and think about the relevance of shooting underpowered ammo in supposed defense scenarios, but practice is a good thing. Using real-world level defense ammo is better, and has been the practice in other forms of competition typical of professionals, not gaining much traction with civilians.

So can we put all of this together in a practical sense? Let's start by asking if 160 Power Factor is an acceptable level of recoil for YOU. In terms of the 9 x 19mm, that will mean 1290 FPS with a 124 gr. JHP and we know that's not the norm, but such ammunition is available. Recently, Double-Tap ammo has changed their designation from the spec of 124 gr. Gold Dot they used formerly, and rated +P+ at 1300 FPS to +P with the current 124 gr. Bonded Defense JHP at 1300 FPS, and at the lower rating of +P, or within the Maximum Average Pressure limit of 38,500 PSI. And since I was handloading 9 x 19mm ammo before the creation of the pink elephant known as +P, I'm more familiar than most concerning the velocity potential from the older pressure testing method that resulted in a value based on Copper Units of Pressure where the MAP for the 9 x 19mm was 35,700 CUP. But what you won't typically read is that 9 x 19mm ammo tested by the CUP method to the MAP limit of 35,700 CUP will result to a very similar result when testing in PSI, albeit with the larger numerical value of 38,500 PSI. What you can find however, are the current MAPs for 9 x 19mm standard pressure ammo where most of you are aware is 35,000 PSI or 33,000 CUP. Sane exact load, two different test methods. Unfortunately, SAAMI does not use the even better test method known as CIP as used by the Europeans where pressure can be expressed in different values including PSI, Paschal units and BARs. The perception that 9mm +P is bad for 9mm pistols is just that, and supposedly, SAAMI lowered the pressure rating to 35,000 PSI because of older pistols or those of questionable quality. 9mm +P was not created by increasing the value of 35,000 PSI by 10%: just the opposite. The ammo you decide to use is entirely up to you, but consider this. Yes, there were successes and failures in development of .40 S&W pistols. Increased slide mass was believed to be the solution, but not the path always chosen. One thing that is always done, with or without a significant increase in slide mass is the addition of a heavier recoil spring. What I'm suggesting here is that if you like to practice with a load that has a similar Power Factor as your chosen defense +P load, increase the weight of the recoil spring. One simple solution when in doubt, when Brand X makes essentially the same in both 9 x 19mm and .40 S&W is to get yourself a Wolff recoil for your 9 x 19mm at the pistol's factory weight rating for the .40 S&W version of that pistol. Typically about 2# heavier. When a 9 x 19mm pistol is not rated for +P ammunition, it never visits my house. And if pistols are still made to the same standards of pistols past while the 9 x 19mm's MAP was 35,700 CUP, and most are, increasing the weight of the recoil spring should not pose any problem. There have been exceptions however, and in one particular case, it was related to MIM'd slide stops. Fortunately, most quality pistol makers have seen the light of day and understand that most folks that carry a 9 x 19mm pistols will be using 9mm +P ammunition. They may, however, be sprung for standard pressure ammo, hence the advice to use +P on a limited basis. And if there's any question of structural capability, there are, of course, aftermarket parts to address this. I'm not here to debate the virtues or limitations of MIM'd parts. I do have technical education and training in machining technology and will just say that I prefer forged steel parts for structural components that might be susceptible to breakage. And most of you, I'm sure, are aware that your pistol's slide and barrel are usually made from forged steel with the exception of companies like Ruger investment casting their slides in some previous pistols.

I apologize for the drift, but let's get back to the subject of 147 gr. JHPs and Power Factor. At 160 PF, a 147 gr. JHP will need a velocity of 1088 FPS and still subsonic. What is commonly called subsonic ammo today is typically below 1000 FPS, an a bit more obfuscation. Doesn't mean much to me because the only ammo I'll be using that's subsonic will be in the .45 ACP caliber, anyway. When I was shooting .40 S&W more often, it was with good defense JHP's weighing 155 or 165 grs. and not "subsonic." I'm really quite befuddled concerning the lack of interest in 1347 gr. +P 9mm loads. And very few of them achieve the 1088 FPS that reaches 160 power Factor. I've been shooting handguns for more than 40 years, and I did start out with double-action revolvers progressing rapidly to magnum revolvers. I still maintain proficiency with my personal 4" Combat Magnum, and in double-action mode. Not for the attention it brings at the range, but because of my confidence in the .357 Magnum as a defense caliber. I don't care what you heard about CHiPs, I'll stick with DiPS. And with all of the conversations about tactical tupperware having lower bore axis, I do not find them at all uncomfortable shooting 9 x 19mm +P including the 147 gr. weights where mine run at the original Cor-Bon spec, and super-sonic at 1125 FPS. Even better, all steel pistols like the CZ 75 and it copies that are easy to shoot with 160 PF loads, or my 147 gr. +P type handloads where that extra bit of weight that many people find objectionable on their hip translates into some fast and accurate shooting with 9mm +P loads, including the 147 gr. variety, readily available but rarely tested regardless of their incorporation of excellent JHPs like the Gold Dot, and yes, I'm aware that it is technically a plated bullet. I might also be able to enlighten on where that technology evolved from that started out as SPEER's Hot-Core process, and was common for bullets when I began handloading in 1986.