Best Ammo Weight for a 9mm with a 3 inch Barrel?

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Ben86

Ben86

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Most of my 9mm concealed carry pistols have 3 in barrels. I can't decide whether I should stick with my 124 gold dot ammo that I use with all my other pistols, or carry 115 grain gold dot for the 3 inch barrels because using a faster load will help make up for some of the lost velocity and maybe help insure expansion.

I'm leaning more towards using the 124 grain for everything, because I trust it the most for reliable expansion AND penetration. But, I am worried that it won't expand much if at all out of a 3 inch barrel.

Any advice?
 
I'm with Shawn. I've finished off big hogs with a G-27 loaded with Georgia Arms 124 gr +P Gold Dots. Good penetration and expansion, based on the exit wounds - head mostly, some rib shots. :)
 
For myself I carry either Federal 124 +P HST or Winchester Ranger T 127+P+. Both work well in all my 9mm.
 
124gr Gold Dots were specified for all 9mm somewhere in the Bible, weren't they?

Yup...
 
Penetration is second in importance only to bullet placement, if I were to carry a 9mm it's be with 147 gr ammo.
 
Splitting hairs between 115 and 124 gr bullets in a short barrel is barely measurable in a laboratory situation. If you're happy with the reliability and accuracy of the 124 gr why change it. There is no magic bullet in any caliber.
 
As long as the 124s will perform well even in 3 inch barrels I'll stick with them. From all accounts I can find they do for the most part. I've got an extra 50 box of 124gr Gold Dots on the way. ;)
 
Most 9mm rounds performance is tested in a 4" barrel. 1" doesn't reduce velocity very much. Somewhere between 25-50 f.p.s.. Any of the better Winchester, Federal, or similar ammo should work fine.
 
147gr+p in my PF9, second choice would be 124gr+p, then 147gr non+p.

Barnes Tac-XP is the only 115gr I'd want to use.

I'd choose those loads for both long and short barrels.
 
I'm not really a big fan of +P and especially not +P+ ammo. To me, it just doesn't seem like the marginal gain with +P ammo is worth the extra recoil, bang and wear on the gun. There is no way I'm shooting +P+ ammo in any of my guns, even my glocks, because there is no saami spec for it. That stuff is was meant for sub machine guns anyway, right?

I'm quite content with standard 9mm velocity.
 
speer 124gr +P gold dot....it's no longer hard to find....and it is commercially boxed in 20 rd. boxes now and part of their regular consumer line. Been using it for years....it's actually not as accurate in my guns as Federal 9BPLE and some others but I trust it to actually expand reliably and work right/hold together. And there aren't many rounds in 9mm I'll say that about. 9mm needs to be +P...it was originally desgned hotter and in 124gr afterall! It's not a HUGE difference in recoil or wear but it's enough to make it less anemic and help the HP's have a fair chance of expanding better. I also like the 230 gr. GD bullet in .45...the only thing I preffer over the good ole' Fed. HS 230gr. flying ashtray! GD makes a great deffense HP in most cailbers...Hornady XTP usually leads for reliable cycing in finnicky guns and in accuracy...plenty of other good choices out there...but that's all I carry in 9mm given a choice.
 
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I'm leaning more towards using the 124 grain for everything, because I trust it the most for reliable expansion AND penetration.
Click to expand...

I agree. It is a good compromise, and should expand just fine from a 3" barrel. I have had good short barrel expansion test results from Golden Saber, Gold Dot, Corbon, and HST's. Most modern bullets are designed to expand well at a broad range of velocities.

I'm not really a big fan of +P and especially not +P+ ammo. To me, it just doesn't seem like the marginal gain with +P ammo is worth the extra recoil, bang and wear on the gun.
Click to expand...

I hate to break it to you, but American made +P is no hotter than what the 9mm was originally designed to be. Most "standard pressure" domestic stuff is watered down, and the +P just brings it back to normal. Don't believe me? Try comparing some standard pressure domestic ammo with some from Europe... or better yet, compare it to some 9mm NATO ball.
 
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kokapelli said:
How does that work?
I'm not a reloader so I don't know what that means
Click to expand...

A 147gr 9mm is a bit longer than a 115gr 9mm so it takes up more space inside the case. Space that would otherwise be taken up by powder. Powder burns at a constant rate, so if you have 2x as much powder, it takes 2x as long to burn up. Since there's less powder in a 147 you get a much faster complete combustion of the powder to gas. The gas is what pushes the bullet. So for a 147 the bulk of the pushing is done early. In a 115 or 124 +P+, your powder pushes for longer, and needs more time (hence a longer barrel) to get the bullet up to speed. In a nutshell.

Not touching different powder burn rates and mixes.

KBintheSLC said:
I hate to break it to you, but American made +P is no hotter than what the 9mm was originally designed to be. Most "standard pressure" domestic stuff is watered down, and the +P just brings it back to normal. Don't believe me? Try comparing some standard pressure domestic ammo with some from Europe... or better yet, compare it to some 9mm NATO ball.
Click to expand...

+1 to that. As I recall in WW2 the Britts had the problem of American 9mm being so UNDERLOADED that it couldn't cycle their STEN guns, and was labeled "Not For Sub-Machine Gun Use" - which somehow trans-volved into the idea of Atomic SMG-Only ammo existing.

Most domestic 9mm regular is underloaded, and domestic 9mm +P is loaded to the same level as the original 1901 9x19 Parabellum design specs.
 
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My EMP loves 124/125 Gr bullets, but dislikes (accuracy wise) 115 Gr bullets, so that is what I would choose. I have kind of settled on 124 Gr 9MM stuff over the years, except for dirt cheap plinker loads.

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1" doesn't reduce velocity very much.
Click to expand...
I disagree. I want as much advantage in my favor for life threatening SD situations.

Often, terminal effects on a target depends on variables like shot placement/size of target/amount and thickness of clothing/armor than bullet weight/shape and velocity even when shot from full-size barrels.

Any reduction in velocity inversely and exponentially effect temporary/permanent cavity generation and the resulting ability to disable your attacker especially for the lighter mass 9mm projectiles.

+1 for 125 gr JHP 9mm for Remington Golden Saber and Winchester Ranger T.
 
I hate to break it to you, but American made +P is no hotter than what the 9mm was originally designed to be. Most "standard pressure" domestic stuff is watered down, and the +P just brings it back to normal. Don't believe me? Try comparing some standard pressure domestic ammo with some from Europe... or better yet, compare it to some 9mm NATO ball.
Click to expand...

Interesting, I didn't know that. That is so strange given the old timer's emphasis on stopping power and dislike of anything smaller than .45 You'd think they would have tried to load it hotter.
 
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