Went to the range today and a friend of mine who works there gave me a box of Glaser Pow'RBall. He said it was "great SD ammo" but I didn't get a chance to shoot any of it. It's 100gr 9mm JHP with a polymer(?) tip that is supposed to make it feed more like a FMJ round. Looks pretty interesting... just curious if anyone has had any experience with this stuff and how it stacks up to other SD ammo?
Glaser Pow'RBall 9mm
- Thread starter Sixer
- Start date
riggins_83
New member
In my experience it's great stuff. Hard to find right now however 
I keep a magazine of it around in case I have to dispatch a critter in the groundhog to large dog weight class. It's really kind of a varmint bullet, kind of odd in the world of 9mm ammunition. High velocity, explosive fragmentation more than expansion, and relatively low penetration.
I don't use it as carry ammo, but there are probably worse choices for the job.
I don't use it as carry ammo, but there are probably worse choices for the job.
Superhouse 15
New member
It will feed in anything that feeds hardball, but it's typically lighter than a conventional JHP so you still must test it in your particular gun to make sure it cycles. It was originally intended to be a lower cost practice load for the Glaser frangible.
SigP6Carry
New member
I've actually heard a lot of stories about how the Glaser rounds won't cycle automatics and that it should be relegated to revolvers for the sake of reliability. I'm actually quite interested in hearing the opposite right now. So, you guys have had good experiences with it cycling in autos?
orionengnr
New member
A 100 gr 9mm is too light for me.
I've used the .40 ammo, and I can say this. It feeds fine, has velocity to spare, and when it hits, wow. I don't know about penetration and what it would do in a self defence situation, but when it hits a melon, wow. I wish I had taken pics.
I think that B. Lahey is right, it's more fragmentation than expansion, and I don't know if it would penetrate enough for people, but I know this, if they had been around thirty years ago, "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" would have ended differently.
It feeds fine, has velocity to spare, and when it hits, wow. I don't know about penetration and what it would do in a self defence situation, but when it hits a melon, wow. I wish I had taken pics. I think that B. Lahey is right, it's more fragmentation than expansion, and I don't know if it would penetrate enough for people, but I know this, if they had been around thirty years ago, "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" would have ended differently.
wnycollector
New member
I bought a few boxes for my father-in-law to carry in his Walther P1 since it was picky about feeding JHP's. The stuff has been flawless in his Walther thus far. If I used my SIG P6 as a CCW I wouldnt hesitate to load it with powerball.
CorBon makes both the Glaser and Pow'RBall rounds.
Both of which suck, by the way. Sorry to put such a fine point on my opinion.
The only way I'd ever consider using Pow'RBall is if my gun refused to feed/cycle a quality JHP reliably. In that case I'd probably buy a better gun.
The round doesn't come close to passing the FBI ballistic tests. There are soooooo many better JHPs on the market in 2009 that I just can't see a valid reason to use these things.
| I've actually heard a lot of stories about how the Glaser rounds won't cycle
| automatics and that it should be relegated to revolvers for the sake of
| reliability.
My experience with Pow'R'Ball in my S&W Model 60 was quite poor. It fired just fine, but for whatever reason it expands the casings so much that the ejector rod won't remove them after I fire five shots. I have to poke each casing out individually with a long, thin rod. That rules it out as self-defense ammo in a revolver, IMHO, because anything that keeps you from reloading quickly is a non-starter.
| automatics and that it should be relegated to revolvers for the sake of
| reliability.
My experience with Pow'R'Ball in my S&W Model 60 was quite poor. It fired just fine, but for whatever reason it expands the casings so much that the ejector rod won't remove them after I fire five shots. I have to poke each casing out individually with a long, thin rod. That rules it out as self-defense ammo in a revolver, IMHO, because anything that keeps you from reloading quickly is a non-starter.