The Best Ammo for Glock 19: Our Top 5 9mm Ammo Picks for 2024

So, you just picked up a Glock 19 and are wondering what 9mm ammunition you should feed it. Well, you’ve come to the right place!

With so many different 9mm ammunition options available, it can be hard to understand which factory loads work best for your Glock 19 handgun. That’s where I come in!

I’ve tested these rounds in various Glock 19 models I borrowed from my buddies and ranked them according to how they performed.

Below, you’ll find my top 5 picks for the best 9mm ammo you should be loading into your Glock 19 mags.

If you simply cannot wait, the best overall 9mm Luger ammo for your Glock 19 is PMC Bronze 115gr FMJ.

The Best Ammo for a Glock 19 On the Market in 2024

Best Overall Glock 19 Ammo	PMC Bronze 115 grain FMJ
Best 9mm For Self Defense	Speer Gold Dot 124 gr GDHP
Best for Target Shooting	Winchester Target and Practice 115 gr FMJ
Best Subsonic Round	Federal American Eagle 147 gr FMJ
Best for Bulk Ammo	CCI Blazer Brass 124 gr FMJ

Testing Procedure

During the ammo testing process, I consider many critical factors, including, but not limited to, the following.

• What was the round designed to do?
• Ballistic performance
• Price
• How well it cycles in a Glock 19
• Accuracy

When discussing the best ammo for any situation, we must consider what the round was intended for; was it designed for target shooting, self-defense, or as a subsonic round? Each of these applications will require a different bullet style, weight, and price point. So, I think the best Glock 19 ammo should take every shooting application into consideration.

Ballistic performance will vary from gun to gun, even though it’s a Glock 19. The best ammo for a Glock 19 Gen 5 will slightly vary in ballistic performance compared to the best ammo for a Glock 19x. So, with this in mind, I tried to rank these rounds accordingly.

Let’s face it: Our budgets are a large contributing factor to which ammo we ultimately purchase. However, I’m less concerned about price when buying personal defense rounds than I am when buying plinking ammo. Some rounds are simply more important and worth spending more money on.

Unless I’m training for how to clear malfunctions while using dummy rounds, I want my ammo to cycle flawlessly. This is why I shoot at various speeds to determine how well the round will cycle in a Glock 19.

Lastly, if I can’t hit the broad side of a barn with the round, what good is it? I want a round that’s fun to shoot, which means it’s also accurate because not knowing where your bullet will hit is dangerous and not fun.

Best Ammo For Glock 19 Overall

PMC Bronze 115 grain FMJ

Specs

• Casing: Brass
• Bullet Type: Full Metal Jacket (FMJ)
• Bullet Weight: 115 grains
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,150 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 338 ft-lbs

Pros	Cons
Accurate	Some indoor ranges require TMJ bullets
Inexpensive
Reliable

Why I Chose It

When you’re picking the best ammo for your Glock 19, you want a round that is inexpensive to shoot, has low recoil, and goes “bang” every time you pull the trigger. PMC Bronze 115 grain FMJ ammo fits that bill to a “T.”

While shooting this ammo, I found that it has low recoil thanks to its 115 grain bullet weight. The lower recoil also allowed me to be more accurate. I also appreciate the lower overall cost per round compared to many competitors. I love this range ammo because you won’t feel bad about blasting through more than one box at a time!

The only minor downside I found to PMC Bronze is that they use a traditional full metal jacket (FMJ) bullet instead of a total metal jacket (TMJ) bullet. Some indoor ranges require TMJ ammo to minimize lead contamination, so if you plan to shoot indoors, it would be a smart move to call ahead and ask what type of ammo is permitted.

However, the low cost per round more than makes up for the standard FMJ bullet and I found this ammo to be 100% reliable in all my Glock pistols.

Overall, PMC Bronze 9mm Luger 115 grain FMJ ammo offers an incredibly high-quality round that is great for target practice and maintaining your marksmanship skills for concealed carry.

Honorable Mention

Magtech 115 gr FMJ – Although a hair more expensive, Magtech 115 grain FMJ ammo is a close second choice for the overall best Glock 19 ammo. I found these factory loads to be incredibly reliable and accurate in all my Glocks. The Magtech brass cases are also reloadable if you enjoy handloading like I do. This puts Magtech 115 gr FMJ ammo in a close second-place finish and a great alternative if PMC isn’t available.

Best Self-Defense Ammo for Glock 19

Speer Gold Dot 124 gr GDHP

Specs

• Casing: Nickel-Plated Brass
• Bullet Type: Gold Dot Hollow Point (GDHP)
• Bullet Weight: 124 grains
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,150 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 364 ft-lbs

Pros	Cons
Proven self-defense track record for CCW and law enforcement	Cases not the best for reloading
Extremely reliable
Amazing terminal performance
Reasonably priced for hollow point ammo

Why I Chose It

Picking the best self-defense ammo for a Glock 19 is a tall order as there are so many good choices (and we have a lot of honorable mentions below). However, we simply could not find a better option than the Speer Gold Dot 124 grain JHP ammo.

The Gold Dot hollow point (GDHP) provides exceptional terminal performance with deep enough penetration to punch through the thickest fabrics. This ammo is often carried by law enforcement officers (many of my police buddies swear by it) as well as CCW permit holders and has a proven track record in both FBI ballistic gel testing and real-life police shootings.

I found this personal defense ammo to be extremely accurate from shot to shot, with a thorough powder burn that makes cleanup a breeze.

As an avid reloader, I’ve found that nickel-plated brass cases can be somewhat problematic for reloading. However, thanks to the smooth feeding, enhanced reliability, and corrosion resistance of the nickel plating, I didn’t have any jams while testing these rounds at the range.

As I’m sure you can imagine, defense rounds aren’t cheap when compared to FMJ ammo. However, the added bullet expansion, over-penetration protection, and stopping power are well worth the few extra dollars that Speer Gold Dot 124 gr JHP ammo offers.

When it matters most, reach for a box of Speer Gold Dots to load up your EDC Glock 19…You won’t be disappointed.

Honorable Mention

Hornady Critical Defense 115 gr FTX JHP – Hornady Critical Defense FTX offers top-of-the-line performance thanks to features like the patented polymer Flex Tip. This tip allows maximum penetration while eliminating hollow point clogging that can occur when a bullet passes through clothing.

Winchester PDX1 147 gr JHP +P – Descended from the legendary Winchester Ranger hollow point bullet, the newer PDX1 Defender represents the company’s latest advancements in hollow point technology. Featuring a notched hollow point design, the PDX1 is designed to expand rapidly into six even segments when it encounters soft tissue. However, as many shooters understand, sometimes you have to pay for performance, and the PDX1 is a real powerhouse self-defense ammo.

Federal HST 124 gr JHP – The Federal HST hollow point has become a mainstay for concealed carry and law enforcement. Descended from the mighty Federal Hydra-Shok, the HST represents the next generation of hollow point bullet technology. Designed for rapid expansion through multiple barriers, the Federal HST boasts a nearly 100% weight retention to transfer the maximum amount of kinetic energy into the target and prevent over-penetration. An excellent choice for concealed carry, home defense, or EDC, the 124 grain Federal HST JHP will deliver when your life is on the line (just at a slightly higher cost per round).

Best Range Ammo for Target Shooting

Winchester Target and Practice 115 gr FMJ

Specs

• Casing: Brass
• Bullet Type: Full Metal Jacket (FMJ)
• Bullet Weight: 115 grains
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,190 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 362 ft-lbs

Pros	Cons
Inexpensive and plentiful	Poor self-defense performance
Accurate
Cases are reloadable

Why I Chose It

Ah, the classic Winchester White Box ammo…I can almost remember the smell of the burnt powder from when I got my first Glock pistol oh so many years ago. Winchester has rebranded their classic range ammo into new packaging, but don’t kid yourself; this is the classic white box ammo many of us grew up shooting.

For more options, check out our Winchester 9mm ammo page!

In multiple range trips, I found this ammo to be an excellent choice for punching holes in paper targets. It’s inexpensive, accurate, clean-burning, and has low recoil, making it a perfect choice for your next trip to the shooting range.

The full metal jacket (FMJ) bullet is also exceptional at exploding cheap 2-liter soda bottles, popping tin cans off fence posts, and clanging steel targets with insanely boring regularity. FMJs are great for working at the range but a poor substitute for jacketed hollow points when it comes to self-defense.

However, when it comes to practicing with your CCW pistol, Winchester Target and Practice 115 grain FMJ ammo is unbeatable for its accuracy, value, and reliability.

Honorable Mention

Sellier & Bellot 115 gr FMJ – If you’re looking for an alternative to Winchester, Sellier & Bellot 115 gr FMJ range ammo is an excellent choice. We found that this ammo was a little less expensive than Winchester but also had higher recoil. This is common for European ammo manufacturers as they will load their cartridges closer to NATO spec. As such, this S&B ammo has about 90 FPS higher muzzle velocity compared to Winchester, which translates into slightly higher recoil. However, it’s a great option if you can’t find any Winchester ammo to run through your 9mm pistols.

Fiocchi Range Dynamics 115 gr FMJ – If you’re looking for high-quality target practice ammo, then Fiocchi Range Dynamics is an excellent alternative choice to Winchester. For over 100 years, Fiocchi has been producing extremely accurate and consistent target and defensive ammo for the American consumer. Loaded with Boxer primed brass cases, Fiocchi ammo is great if you enjoy reloading but cheap enough that you don’t feel bad blasting through a few boxes on your weekend range session.

Best 9mm Subsonic Ammo for Glock 19

Federal American Eagle 147 gr FMJ

Specs

• Casing: Brass
• Bullet Type: Full metal jacket (FMJ)
• Bullet Weight: 147 grains
• Muzzle Velocity: 1000 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 326 ft-lbs

Pros	Cons
Heavier bullet weight	Arching trajectory
Designed for subsonic velocities
Perfect for a suppressor

Why I Chose It

If you like running a suppressor on your Glock pistols, then you’re going to love Federal American Eagle 147 gr FMJ 9mm cartridges. This stuff is extremely accurate and, when fired through a silencer, is 100% hearing-safe.

Designed specifically for suppressor use, Federal’s subsonic ammo checks all the boxes: clean shooting to keep your silencer healthy, extremely accurate, and designed to reliably reciprocate semi-automatic slides while maintaining a subsonic muzzle velocity.

The only downside to subsonic ammo is its trajectory, as it cannot compete with its supersonic brethren. However, this is a small price to pay for the joy of hearing nothing more than the 147 grain bullets impacting the target and the reciprocation of the slide while shooting suppressed!

If you can get your hands on it, Federal American Eagle 147 gr ammo is our go-to choice when you want Hollywood-levels of suppressed 9mm Luger shooting from your Glock 19.

Honorable Mention

Sellier & Bellot Subsonic 150 gr FMJ – If you want the absolute heaviest 9mm bullet available, look no further than S&B. These 150 grain bullets shoot well below subsonic velocities to ensure hearing-safe shooting while using a suppressor. The 150 grain bullet is not as common as the 147 gr option, making this ammo a little harder to find. However, if you can get some, make sure you snap it up because this round felt silky-smooth in my Glock 19.

Best Bulk 9mm for Glock 19

Blazer Brass 124 gr FMJ

Specs

• Casing: Brass
• Bullet Type: Full Metal Jacket
• Bullet Weight: 124 grains
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,090 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 327 ft-lbs

Pros	Cons
Inexpensive	Not good for self-defense
Cases are reloadable
Reliable

Why I Chose It

When you’re looking to buy bulk 9mm Luger ammo for your Glock 19, or any 9mm for that matter, you want to get the lowest cost per round possible. And if you’re looking for an amazing value 9mm bulk ammo option, then look no further than CCI Blazer Brass 124 grain FMJ bulk ammo.

Although this ammo is nothing fancy, it goes bang every time you pull the trigger and holes appear in your targets downrange. It’s not the cleanest ammo, in my experience, but it works well if you want to stock up on range ammo for any potential supply chain interruptions (and the cases are fine for reloading, to boot!)

In my experience, shooting more for less money is awesome.

Therefore, the main benefit of this ammo is its low price point. This makes it easier to buy in bulk and put away for a long day of fun at the range or just to have some extra ammo on hand for any situation.

Although FMJ ammo is not ideal for self-defense, CCI Blazer Brass 124 gr FMJs make excellent target ammo to keep marksmanship skills high without breaking the bank.

Honorable Mention

Remington UMC 115 grain FMJ – You can’t go wrong with Big Green! Another extremely popular ammo to buy in bulk is Remington UMC 115 grain FMJ 9mm cartridges. Only slightly more expensive than Blazer Brass, Remington UMC ammo is awesome for high-volume shooting thanks to its low cost per round, reloadable brass case, and rugged dependability.

Parting Shots

Congratulations! You made it all the way to the end of the article. By now, you should be nothing short of an expert in all things 9x19mm ammo and know EXACTLY what defensive ammunition, range factory loads, and bulk 9mm ammo you need to load into your Glock 19.

To check out all the 9mm Luger ammo we have in stock, check out our full 9mm ammo page.

For those interested in larger quantities, be sure to visit our bulk 9mm ammo page for great deals on bulk purchases.