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Which 9mm loads?
- Thread starter Dr45ACP
- Start date
Quantum Singularity
New member
Cor Bon 115 grain +P
Remington 115 grain +P
Remington 115 grain +P
Quantum Singularity
New member
Dr 45,
115 grain +p's expand very rapidly even in short barrels.
Their downside is less penetration. It sort of depends on what "camp" you belong to. I prefer expansion over penetration in most loads...
115 grain +p's expand very rapidly even in short barrels.
Their downside is less penetration. It sort of depends on what "camp" you belong to. I prefer expansion over penetration in most loads...
Quantum Singularity
New member
Dr .45,
This is just IMO, but in general the lighter/faster bullets (such as 115 grain) are better expanders, while the heavy bullets (such as 147 grain) expand little but penetrate well. The 124 grainers are a happy medium. The +P loads simply improve velocity. I hope this helps.
This is just IMO, but in general the lighter/faster bullets (such as 115 grain) are better expanders, while the heavy bullets (such as 147 grain) expand little but penetrate well. The 124 grainers are a happy medium. The +P loads simply improve velocity. I hope this helps.
Stephen A. Camp
Staff In Memoriam
Hello. I chronographed the following from a Glock 26, a short-bbl'd 9mm:
Triton 115 gr JHP +P ~ 1280 ft/sec
Triton 125 gr JHP +P ~ 1245 ft/sec
CorBon 124 gr JHP +P ~ 1229 ft/sec
Glaser Silver 70 gr +P ~ 1514 ft/sec
I am told that Triton tries to "optimize" their ammo for the shorter barreled guns commonly used in concealed carry. My G26 is carried with Triton 125 gr JHP.
Best.
Triton 115 gr JHP +P ~ 1280 ft/sec
Triton 125 gr JHP +P ~ 1245 ft/sec
CorBon 124 gr JHP +P ~ 1229 ft/sec
Glaser Silver 70 gr +P ~ 1514 ft/sec
I am told that Triton tries to "optimize" their ammo for the shorter barreled guns commonly used in concealed carry. My G26 is carried with Triton 125 gr JHP.
Best.
Clayton Hufford
New member
I've tested just about every 147gr. JHP there is, and whether fired from a 4.5" or a 3" barrel, performance is almost identical. The most consistent load I've ever fired from any 9mm handgun is the Winchester 147gr. JHP load, referred to as the Olin Super Match. It is extremely accurate, reliable, exihibits almost no muzzle flash, and consistently penetrates to 13.5" of gelatin(26" of water) and expands to .58 caliber, even through clothing. It is also very inexpensive when compared to the sexier brands out there. In research conducted by the IWBA, it was noted that this load performs almost identical in upper toro shots that were studied. Consistent expansion to .58 caliber was noted. Another load that I've had good luck with is the Remington Golden Saber in 147gr. It penetrates 12.8" of gelatin and expands to .66 caliber. Bullet design affects more than velocity. Once a bullet is travelling fast enough to cause it to expand, more velocity will only cause it to underpenetrate and fragment in most cases. When driving a bullet like the Hornady XTP or the Speer Gold Dot bullet in the heavier weights to +P velocities, such as done by Georgia Arms and Cor-Bon, the result is overpenetration and underexpansion as the bullet holds together too long without expanding. The best velocity for a given type of ammo is never the highest velocity attainable. There is no use for +P and +P+ ammo, as ammo at standard velocities works fine, and causes no extra muzzle flash and no abnormal wear and tear.
Your statement:
Seems to conflict with your next statement:
Once a bullet is travelling fast enough to cause it to expand, more velocity will only cause it to underpenetrate and fragment in most cases.
Seems to conflict with your next statement:
When driving a bullet like the Hornady XTP or the Speer Gold Dot bullet in the heavier weights to +P velocities, such as done by Georgia Arms and Cor-Bon, the result is overpenetration and underexpansion as the bullet holds together too long without expanding.
My vote for compact 9mm only is 115gr because they are shorter and would feed more reliably. For bullet selection, Gold Dot is my favorite and I found no evidence of over-expansion (Speer loading at least requires a longer barrel than a Kahr 3.5-4" to fully expand). My second choice is S&B cheapo JHP because they have no muzzle flash and expand decently in spite of shedding jackets. Silvertips work, too -- no flash but also less velocity.
Here's some interesting data:
http://www.firearmstactical.com/ammo_data/9mm.htm
The Gold Dot does NOT perform well on clothed geletin in the FBI tests, very little expansion and way too much penetration. However, in the "Other Performance Data" section it did very well.
Based on this data, the Remington JHP/GS and Federal HS in standard velocity seems to perform the best in the FBI tests. Wonder why all the LEO/wonder bullets are loaded to +P in the face of data like this?
http://www.firearmstactical.com/ammo_data/9mm.htm
The Gold Dot does NOT perform well on clothed geletin in the FBI tests, very little expansion and way too much penetration. However, in the "Other Performance Data" section it did very well.
Based on this data, the Remington JHP/GS and Federal HS in standard velocity seems to perform the best in the FBI tests. Wonder why all the LEO/wonder bullets are loaded to +P in the face of data like this?
Shawn Dodson
Moderator
For compact handguns: 124gr +P from any of the major ammo manufacturers. Speer Gold Dot would be my last choice because it doesn't expand very well after passing through heavy clothing.
For full size handguns: 147gr JHP from any of the major ammo manufacturers.
For full size handguns: 147gr JHP from any of the major ammo manufacturers.