Question about Federal 9mm +P 147gr HST

[fadetoblack73]

I know this forum is about Autoloading Handguns. My question deals with ammunition typically used in an Autoloading Handgun, but in this case is being used in a carbine. But that fact has no bearing on my question. It is just info for anyone curious as to why I am asking the question.

I have purchased Federal 'Tactical' HST 9mm +P 147gr ammunition (P9HST4) to use in my 9mm carbine. I have a new red-dot electronic sight for the carbine that I need to zero. While I would love to blast through my actual stock of HST ammo to zero the sight, availability and cost prevent that from easily happening. Also, unfortunately, I cannot find any FMJ training type ammo to substitute. The obvious choice would be to look at Federal's American Eagle line. I did not see anything comparable. I emailed Federal and they confirmed the fact that they do not manufacture a training round with similar ballistics as the P9HST4.

I have looked at all of the brands that I could think of (Winchester white box, Remington UMC, CCI Blazer, Speer Lawman, Magtech, etc.) I did find one round on Midway USA's site that matched perfectly. According to Midway, the Fiocchi 9APD loading matched the HST ballistics exactly. However the product was out of stock. So I searched other sites for the same Fiocchi round. I discovered something odd. Some sites listed the same ballistic info as Midway USA. Some sites listed ballistics that were totally different. So, I decided to look at the Fiocchi website. Even more odd... the Fiocchi website listed a third set of ballistics that were different from the other 2 sets.

To wrap this up... can anyone help me find a cheaper and more readily available round to zero my sight and train with?

The ballistics for the Federal HST P9HST4 are:

Velocity:
Muzzle - 1050fps
25 yds - 1020fps
50 yds - 994fps
100 yds - 949fps

Energy:
Muzzle - 360ft/lbs
25 yds - 340ft/lbs
50 yds - 323ft/lbs
100 yds - 294ft/lbs

Bullet Drop:
25 yds - 0.0 inches
50 yds - (-)1.2 inches
100 yds - (-)10.3 inches

Ballistic Coefficient: 0.2

Barrel Length for Above Data: 4 inches

 

[timothy75]

HecK i'd just fire one hst at 50 yards to make sure its close enough, and train with whatever you want. Good luck

 

[moxie]

Just get the fastest 147 gr. you can find. The difference between it and the HST +P will be next to negligible in terms of "feel" and bullet drop for training purposes at relatively short ranges. But, compare it to the HST at the range to be sure. Only other choice is to work up a FMJ handload that matches the HST. I'd start with the Fed. AE. I bet POI is very close to the HST.

 

[JamieC]

Ahh, the benefits of reloading your own! Since you're not reloading, I'd find the closest ammo on paper, then shoot a box and see if it's close to what you want.

 

[FortyFiveAuto]

For combat training purposes, getting something that will hit within an inch or two at 50 yards is fine.

 

[moxie]

Yeah! If you can hit within an inch or two at 50 yards with a 9mm is mighty fine. Very much mighty.

 

[Rock185]

fadeto, I was out chronographing Federal 147 +P HST just a few days ago. I used a Browning Hi Power with ~4.6" barrel and a Dan Wesson with 5" barrel. I didn't think to bring my Marlin Camp 9 with 16" barrel, or 9MM semi-auto pistols with other barrel lengths along for chronographing. The P9HST4 averaged 1006 fps in the Hi Power, and 1017 fps in the Dan Wesson. I have to take with a grain of salt that this load would actually produce 1050 fps in the quoted 4" barrel, unless Federal used a revolver. Doubtful. Revolvers routinely produce velocities higher than autoloaders with similar barrel lenghts. This held true here with a 3" 9MM revolver averaging 1052 fps with the HST load. If my admittedly small sample is any indication, I might be tempted to call the P9HST4 load +P Lite. I also chronographed the Speer Lawman 53620 147 grain ball, and had previously chronographed the Federal AE9FP 147 grain ball. Both of these are standard pressure loads. In the Dan Wesson 5" gun the Federal 147 ball averaged 948 fps, the Lawman 147 averaged 1066 fps. I doubt you're going to find a load that shoots exactly to the same POI as the HST, but perhaps the Speer Lawman or Federal American Eagle would be close enough for all practical purposes....