[NewShooter78]

So when I picked up my new gun I got a couple of boxes of the Federal EFMJ 165 gr. rounds to go with it. I read an article about the ammo and figured I give it a try. I like the fact that it starts to deform as soon as it makes contact with any barrier and not needing fluid to start its expansion.

So any of you have any experience with this ammo? Pro's Con's?

[mete]

For actual police use there haven't been enough shootings to give good performance data. However all the test data shows very satisfactory performance. If you have a gun that doen't like to feed hollowpoints the EFMJ is the way to go.

[Lone_Gunman]

If you have a gun that doen't like to feed hollowpoints the EFMJ is the way to go.

Not really...

The profile of the EFMJ is very much like a JHP.... It has a flat nose.

In my experience, if a gun can't feed JHPs, it wont be able to feed EFMJs any better.

[AK103K]

I just picked up some of the 200gr +P's. I read the same article and figured I'd give it a try. The one thing the article didnt show was an unfired bullet, which I was also taking to be FMJ profile. Lone_Gunman is right, the EFMJ have a flat point, and side by side with 230gr Hydra Shoks have pretty much the same profile. It looks like a HS without the hole. I've never had any trouble with the HS feeding in any of my 1911's, even the ones that havent been throated, so I dont know if it will be an issue. I do like the idea that the bullet will still perform, reguardless of a hollowpont being clogged or not. This is one reason I carry the 230gr HS's, I figured if it decided not to expand, at least it was still a big heavy bullet. The article was describing the 165gr EFMJ as the "civilian" round and the 200gr +P as "police only". The only place I found the +P's for sale was at AMMOMAN.

https://www.ammoman.com/webstore_home.htm

He has them for $27/box of 50(5 box min). He has good service and the price seemed pretty good.

I'll let you know how they work out as I'll probably give them a try this week end.

[NewShooter78]

AK103K,
I'll probably fire off a few this weekend if I get to the range. I couldn't find any in store that were heavier than 165 gr, otherwise I would have got those instead. Let us know how your's perform.

[Dorrin79]

I've fired some of the +P 124gr 9mms in my P89. Noticeably hotter than 115 WWB FMJ, very accurate.

I think it's an interesting idea, and there's certainly nothing wrong with it. Not sure it really offers any advantages over a traditional JHP though.

[Al Thompson]

We tested the 9mm on a deer last year. Very good expansion and penetration.

[SodaPop]

I carry the 124gr +P 9mm as a winter carry ammo.

[PCRCCW]

Im impressed with the theory and design..but in ALL of my 9mm's the boxes I had shot low. Very accurately....but low.
After that I wasnt impressed with it. It may be worth getting a couple more boxes before a final ruling.

Shoot well

[Double Naught Spy]

The ammo may be shooting low because of the higher velocity. Basically, the slug leaves the barrel quicker and before as much recoil/muzzle rise issues have occurred as much. A slower round means there has been more time for the gun to be influencing during recoil and so the rounds tend to impact higher than faster rounds.

[DigMe]

There has been talk of this round here several times. Here's one where it was brought up. Scroll down to the comparison photo.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=42409&highlight=efmj

brad cook

[George Hill]

Ammo of choice if you are in an area that forbids the use of JHP ammunition.

[PCRCCW]

Double....thanks but not necessary. I understand how guns work.

I shoot the same weight rounds that are much faster and they shoot POA/POI...so do 115's and 147's. BTW, FEDERAL's idea of higher velocities simply ARENT.....most +P rounds are standard pressure velocities....as are the +P+ Hydras I have currently...my Corbon of the same weight smoke the Hydras in speed....just a reference.

What Im saying is these bullets shot low in my gun. Nothing else does.

Shoot well

[Tomac]

The 200gr +P are for Police only? I picked up 4 boxes of the 200gr +P from my local shop @$18/bx (all they had). It's very accurate/reliable in my Rock Island Armory milspec .45 and I like not having to worry about a damaged/clogged HP reducing/eliminating expansion.
Tomac

[Avery Goodschott]

The 200 gr is now designated as Police ammo...mostly to differentiate it from the lighter Personal Defense loads...ala Power Ball.

[AK103K]

I finally got out to shoot the 200gr +P's I got. I shot them out of my Commander, which has had a throat and polish job and will feed anything, and out of a Series 70 Government Model that is stock and hasnt been touched. The Commander had no problems at all and shot point of aim at 10 and 15 yards. The stuff is definitly hotter than 230gr Hydra Shoks, as after a 100 rounds of the +P my hand still knows it was shooting. The Government Model had some trouble with it and had 2-3 fail to feeds each mag, so i dont know how well it will feed in your gun if it hasnt had a throat and polish job. It too shot point of aim with stock sights. It didnt have any trouble feeding two mags worth of Hydra Shoks. It may be a FMJ, but it doesnt feed like hardball. I've shot the Hydra Shoks in all my pistols and never had any feeding problems with them, throated gun or not, so I'll probably just use these in my throated guns for now. I'll have to see how they work in all the others.

[David Park]

My Kahr PM9 does feed the EFMJs (124gr +P, I think) better than most hollowpoints, so I think they do help in a finicky gun. Pow'R Ball would probably be better for guns that only like FMJ-profile rounds, though.

[NewShooter78]

Well I can't afford to shoot 100 rounds of it, but I shot off a couple of mags worth, and I didn't have any problems with if feeding. It shot point of aim for me, and that's good enough for me. I will probably try the powr ball at some point too. I've now got a rifle that needs some love so that's where the ammo will be going the next couple of weeks.

[cool45auto]

Read an article about the EFMJ's today at work. The 9mm, 40 and 45 all expanded really well after being shot thru several barriers. Looks good to me.

[Zip06]

Haven't seen any locally for sale. Never know until you test it. Has anyone tested 9mm against Gold Dot 124 +P or Winchester 127 gr +P+?

[SodaPop]

Haven't seen any locally for sale. Never know until you test it. Has anyone tested 9mm against Gold Dot 124 +P or Winchester 127 gr +P+?

I'd really like to know that, too!!

[Tomac]

Depends upon what you want the bullet to do as in some ways traditional JHPs & EFMJ behave differently.
JHPs are more likely to be clogged/damaged after passing through light cover with reduced/no expansion. The good news is that this gives you max penetration for reaching the BG on the other side of the cover. The bad news is that this gives you max penetration that could endanger others downrange and a non-expanded rd that does less damage.
EFMJ expands upon impact, *any* impact. The good news is that this gives you an already expanded rd when it reaches the BG on the other side of the cover and reduces the chances of overpenetration. The bad news is that this initial expansion can reduce penetration of cover.
The better JHPs have the potential for greater expansion than EFMJ but so far EFMJ seems to expand more consistently under a wider variety of conditions.
Pick the load that feeds reliably and does what you want it to do. I'm happy with the EFMJ 200gr +P for my needs.
Tomac

[Oracle]

www.ammolab.com has tested the EFMJ, the Winchester 127gr. +P+, and the 9mm 124gr. +P Gold Dot, along with a bunch of other ammunition. Just go to their website and check out the Test Results section. Lots of good information there.

[Zip06]

Oracle - Thanks for the link.

[Jack19]

I've been carrying the EFMJ for the past couple years and it's expanded reliably in the all the testing I've done with it.

I know a guy who put down a deer with a head shot using 9mm. The deer dropped like a stone.

Ammoman sells it......

Ammoman (http://www.ammoman.com)