9mm 147gr flat-nose fmj vs. 9mm 124gr NATO round-nose fmj

[peacebutready]

Hello All,

I noticed there seems to be a good amount of NATO spec 124gr 9mm ammo for sale. I'm pretty sure the NATO spec is equal to about a regular +P. I think they are good for about 385 ft/lbs in a service-sized arm.

There is, of course, the 147gr flat-nose fmj which is good for about 320 ft/lbs in a serviced-sized arm.

I'm wondering which is better for stopping power, barrier penetration, and avoidance of bullet deflection, and by how much, if that's a realistic thing to know or have an idea about.

The 147gr has more momentum going for it, all things being equal. But the 124gr NATO spec has about 65 ft/lbs more energy/power.

Have a pleasant and safe weekend, all.

 

[NG VI]

Energy is a largely useless figure for service caliber handguns, typically any well-designed medium or heavyweight bullet loaded relatively to potential will behave exactly the same.

All service pistol caliber FMJ behaves exactly the same, intuitively the flat nose FMJ appears to be more capable of creating serious wounds, but in reality it doesn't really make a difference. None of the non-expanding pistol bullets will create a wound as wide as the bullet itself, because tissue is elastic and will stretch before the bullet tears enough to create a pathway, and it snaps right back into place with a very small wound channel.

The best bet for defense ammunition in my opinion is either the Federal HST or Winchester Ranger-T in 147 or 147+P if you feel like it. Speer Gold Dots in 124+P or 147 are also a gold standard defense round. Some people like the light and fast for caliber loads, mainly because back in the 1980s it was the only way to reliably get any bullet expansion. The 1000 feet per second rule for expansion you may run into across the webz is a relic of those days, it really has no bearing on current design JHP bullets.

I think the HST is good to go for expansion all the way down to about 700 feet per second for instance, and I believe Remington claims that their Golden Saber is about the same.

If you want FMJ because you aren't sure if your pistol will reliably feed JHP, I'd advise that any modern pistol that won't feed anything but a specific nose shape is a broken pistol. Every gun will have its preferences, some will be uncannily accurate with a specific bullet, some will occassionally choke on an oddly shaped bullet, but for the most part pistols don't really depend on the tip of the bullet for feeding. As long as the sides of the bullet are shaped in a fairly smooth way and the overall length is within normal range, it should feed well in anything.

 

[peacebutready]

Thanks

NG VI: Thanks for your generous response.

 

[TonyT]

I shoot several 9mm pistols in the usual pistol games. I have used both 124 and 147 gr. reloads (124 gr. at ca 1100 fps & 147 gr at ca 900fps) and prefer the heavier bullet in terms of the recoil sensation.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Either will punch a hole through a paper target just fine. I would not personally use either of them as a carry load. There are plenty of good hollowpoints out there.

 

[Poohgyrr]

Sometimes the penetration of 9mm ball can be a good thing, especially if something else is not available. I keep a mag of it for just that reason.

 

[JTQ]

Here is how different non-hollow point bullet shapes penetrate. These are rifle hunting bullets, but the concept is the same for pistol bullets.

http://www.gsgroup.co.za/articlepvdw.html

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

It is beneficial to have your practice load have the same point of impact and, more importantly, recoil characteristics as your carry load.