Best 9mm bullet for target?

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Ruger 15151

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What is the most accurate 9mm bullet (weight, RN or HP, FP, etc...)

I want to develop some target loads for my M&P CORE w/ 5" Storm Lake barrel and would like to narrow down the number of bullets I should purchase to start testing load workup data.
 
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XTPs perform the best for me. I prefer 124 grain, but I have used 115s to good effect as well.

The price tends to add up quickly though. I use cheaper options for bulk reloading.
 
USPSA Production Nationals equipment survey...

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Accuracy and recoil feel would be the primary reasons. 115s feel more violent at the same power factor than 147s.
 
"...number of bullets..." One box of 100 is sufficient for working up the load.
"...Hard to beat a 124/125 LSWC..." Cast 121 grain TC with 3.5 of Bullseye. snicker. My Inglis BHP still isn't accurate enough for bullseye shooting. The shooting games are not the same though. Bigger target.
 
I'm USPSA biased as well, but the Zero 147gr JHP is considered the most accurate available among people I know and would trust to test such things extensively.
 
The 115 JHP and 147 JHP are the winning bullet when it comes to accuracy. The Sierra and XTP are the main choice.

However some bulk brands like Precision Delta put out an awesome bullet for much cheaper.

Inside of 25-30 yards you won't know the difference.
 
My 9mms seem to prefer 124s. I have 4 and each seems to have it's favorite load. Guns are just different, some just prefer one bullet/powder charge better than another. I have had good results with the RMR Target 124 HPs in 9mm a plated bullet and MBC 125 cones both coated and uncoated. (get the coated ones) Some guns like lead some don't. Both RMR and MBC offer THR members a 5% discount with a code. PM me if you need them. Some bullets just seem to be happier with some powders than others. I would say pickup 200 - 250 of something you want to try, do some workups with a fast powder Titgroup/Bullseye/HP38, something a bit slower say Universal/BE86 speed then something maybe slower still WSF or CFE-P. (I happen to really like WSF even though it is not on of the more popular 9mm powders) With those bullets and powders do some workups and see if you you get a load that meets your needs. If not try another bullet and repeat.
A load that works well for me is 4.4gr of WSF with the RMR 124gr Target HP at 1.09, but your gun might not like it at all. (this load gives about 1030fps, enough to make 125 PF) The RMR plated tend to run .356 so you get better bore sealing. One thing when looking a 9mm cal bullets in USPSA a lot of the guys are shooting 38 super or 9mm major so they are happier with the heavier bullets. There is just a different feell shooting 115 vs 124 vs 147 all at the same power level, only you can decide what feels best for you.
 
I've always been a fan of Steven Camp's favorite 9mm load (he wrote many articles, and founded the hipowersandhandguns site. I liked his writing.)

I don't necessarily believe in the magic Pet Load that works for all guns, but his favorite load always worked extremely well for me in 9mm.

NOTE that the load slightly exceeds max from some loading manuals:

Hornady 124-grain XTP
6.0 grains Unique
Winchester or Federal Small Pistol Primer
Federal, Winchester, Starline, or IMI Cases
LOA: 1.11"
Average Velocity: 1243 ft/sec

He often wrote about this load, I tried it, and it shoots very will in my CZ-75, Kimber Ultra Aegis II, Springer EMP, and Browning Highpower. One of the few they all like.

He has it listed at http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Handloads.htm as the load he shot most in 9x19.
 
Loading over max for competitions where the powerfactor for 9mm is 125 is a little odd...that round makes 153pf. No thanks
 
I have read and been told by others that people shooting 9MM in bullseye competition use a fast FMJ bullet. I don't know why 9MM needs a rather fast velocity to equal or exceed 45 ACP accuracy. I'd think a 9MM would behave much like a 38spl in velocity and accuracy. For some reason 9MM needs much more velocity to achieve winning accuracy. Perhaps the tapered case and getting obduration on the bullet?
 
Each gun/barrel has its own "favorite" weight. You have to just try several to see what YOUR barrel prefers.

The reason you want a 9mm bullet to go FAST, is to remain supersonic beyond the 50yd point. When low b.c. Bullets like the 9mm go "transonic", they do strange things and accuracy suffers. .38spl and .45acp typical target loads run 700-800fps, so they don't tread close to transonic velocity (~1,050-1,100fps).

Sierra's are generally the most accurate, but you pay for what you get. Hornady XTP's are very good, but the 115gr HAP is very close, and much more affordable.
I shoot NRA PPC, and since they have removed the factory ammo requirements from some matches that did, I exclusively shoot a Lee 105 SWC at 1,200fps. Very accurate from all my 9's.
 
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Each gun/barrel has its own "favorite" weight. You have to just try several to see what YOUR barrel prefers.

The reason you want a 9mm bullet to go FAST, is to remain supersonic beyond the 50yd point. When low b.c. Bullets like the 9mm go "transonic", they do strange things and accuracy suffers. .38spl and .45acp typical target loads run 700-800fps, so they don't tread close to transonic velocity (~1,050-1,100fps).

Sierra's are generally the most accurate, but you pay for what you get. Hornady XTP's are very good, but the 115gr HAP is very close, and much more affordable.
I shoot NRA PPC, and since they have removed the factory ammo requirements from some matches that did, I exclusively shoot a Lee 105 SWC at 1,200fps. Very accurate from all my 9's.

Great answer. Just to repeat what you've already said using slightly different wording, there's nothing about the 9mm bullet that makes it more susceptible to issues when going from supersonic to subsonic. It's just that in common loadings, 9mm is generally just a hair above supersonic, which means it's easy for it to drop into subsonic territory. So you either want to start out pushing enough velocity to keep it supersonic, or use something heavy like a 147 and keep it subsonic the whole time.

Regarding bullet accuracy (Sierra), would you say it's the manufacturing consistency that makes the XTP / HAPs accurate choices, or their profile (or both)?

You hear often about hollow-points being the most accurate choices (over FMJs). This doesn't make sense to me. I'm assuming it's the consistency of certain hollowpoint brands compared to the FMJs rather than the profile itself. Does anyone know if this assumption is correct?

I'd also add to the general discussion that you can't just single out bullet weight as something one gun might prefer over another. At the very least it's the combination of weight and velocity.
 
Yes, the accuracy of JHP's has mostly to do with their manufacturing, not aerodynamics. The longer bearing surface (if you hollow out a cylinder but keep the same weight and diameter, the cylinder has to get longer...) may also contribute. Maybe.
 
It's also weight distribution, and consistency of the heel of the bullet that determines accuracy.
Sierra bullets are more accurate for a reason. Attention to details, quality materials, and near perfect execution of construction. Exactly why they're more expensive. You do get what you pay for.

Re: hollow points; By moving the mass of a bullet away from the center of axis, it improves the gyroscopic stability, and hence accuracy. Also by moving center of gravity rearward, it also enhances stability and therefore accuracy. It's the back of a bullet that steers it. If it wobbles, it'll veer off like a Greg Maddox curve ball. Only never the same way twice... Try playing with a child's top. Notice that it's wider towards the base (top). Small point on bottom to reduce contact surface drag... so it will spin longer, similar to hollow point rifle bullet, only also factoring in frontal drag from wind resistance.

Sierra has never pursued the pistol bullet self defense market, because thin jackets and soft lead cores make it easier to make an accurate bullet, but such tends to over expand and limit penetration. Not in vogue these days.
If I'm looking for an accurate jacketed pistol bullet, I use Sierra. Shot a couple of national records with them and won many matches.
For an accurate self defense load, controlled expansion; give me a Hornady XTP or Speer GoldDot.

I didn't imply that any of the characteristics of the 9mm bullets were unique to the 9mm. The .22lr does exactly the same thing. Ditto 7.62x51, only at dramatically longer distance. Just that it can happen before reaching a 50yd target with undesirable results.
When bullets go transonic, a multitude of things happen. Drag increases exponentially, also increasing wind drift, and instability. Meaning accuracy (actually precision, but also predictability of point of impact) becomes random or worse. And it's not just going transonic; witness the .38spl with 148gr wadcutters at 775fps m/v. Beyond 60yds, the bullets slow below the stability threshold for the typical 1/ 18-3/8" twist of a S&W revolver or 1/16" twist of a custom Douglas PPC match revolver barrel . Often even 50yd targets show wadcutters starting to "tip" or keyhole. By 85-100yds, the bullets are tumbling and won't reliably hit a silhouette target. But at 50yds, they'll shoot 24rds under 2".
Welcome to the wonderful and wacky world of pistol competition shooting.
 
I have spent quite a bit of time trying to develop my loads in 9mm. for G17s and a S&W 929. Big difference in those guns and the loads I use are also different. As much time as I have spent I still feel that I'm making some compromises in accuracy for budget. If money were no issue then, as others have said, I would concentrate all of my time and efforts on loads using JHPs and I would tend towards fast powders. But there is no shortcut to the process.

I think, or at least try to convince myself that more trigger time in practice is better than bullet accuracy in my attempts to improve my scores. I can better afford to shoot more if I spend a little less on components. The Hornady HAP 125s are very accurate but cost twice as much as coated bullets. The main thing I'm looking for in ammo is small group sizes. I shoot a lot of steel, I don't really need to put the bullet in the center of the steel, all I need to do is hit it somewhere.
 
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