Since Barnes makes excellent bullets and ammunition I figured I'd try some of their TAC-XPD 185gr +P ammunition in my XD-S which I use as my CC pistol. I started out by shooting two rounds into milk jugs filled with water from a distance of about 10 feet. This isn't the best test for a bullet but it's easy for most to try at home. Expansion was decent at 0.781" and 0.698" (FBI method of average of max and min dimensions) with 100% weight retention and the petals of the solid copper bullet are razor sharp. I certainly wouldn't want to absorb one of these.
Next up was to shoot ten rounds over a chronograph. I have a CED-M2 and set it up at a distance of about ten feet from the muzzle. I was impressed with the results. An EV of 36 fps is pretty darn good from a pistol with a 3.3" barrel.
Avg: 879.6 fps
Max: 899.7 fps
Min: 863.9 fps
EV: 35.8 fps
SD: 9.9 fps
I've mostly shot Remington 230gr MC and 230gr JHP through this pistol and have found it to be very manageable but I must say that TAC-XPD is particularly pleasant to shoot. It's accurate and felt recoil is surprisingly soft for this +P round and a 21.5 oz pistol. I've only shot 23 rounds of TAC-XPD so far but haven't had any issues. They feed, fire and eject just fine and so has Remington 230gr MC and JHP. I've shot 175 round through the XD-S with zero problems. The only oddity I observed with this ammunition is the presence of tiny brass-like flecks inside fired cases and the chamber. I wonder if this has something to do with reducing muzzle flash. Anyway, I think I'll be using TAC-XPD as my CC ammunition. I even like that it comes in 20 round boxes since I have a 5-round magazine in the pistol (5+1) and carry two 7-round magazines for backup. 6+7+7 = 20 .... perfect!!
Next up was to shoot ten rounds over a chronograph. I have a CED-M2 and set it up at a distance of about ten feet from the muzzle. I was impressed with the results. An EV of 36 fps is pretty darn good from a pistol with a 3.3" barrel.
Avg: 879.6 fps
Max: 899.7 fps
Min: 863.9 fps
EV: 35.8 fps
SD: 9.9 fps
I've mostly shot Remington 230gr MC and 230gr JHP through this pistol and have found it to be very manageable but I must say that TAC-XPD is particularly pleasant to shoot. It's accurate and felt recoil is surprisingly soft for this +P round and a 21.5 oz pistol. I've only shot 23 rounds of TAC-XPD so far but haven't had any issues. They feed, fire and eject just fine and so has Remington 230gr MC and JHP. I've shot 175 round through the XD-S with zero problems. The only oddity I observed with this ammunition is the presence of tiny brass-like flecks inside fired cases and the chamber. I wonder if this has something to do with reducing muzzle flash. Anyway, I think I'll be using TAC-XPD as my CC ammunition. I even like that it comes in 20 round boxes since I have a 5-round magazine in the pistol (5+1) and carry two 7-round magazines for backup. 6+7+7 = 20 .... perfect!!
