SD 9mm Ammo for Short Barrels

[Winkman822]

Okay folks, I'm doing something new, and that's carrying a subcompact 9mm pistol. At the moment I'm carrying it with my standard 9mm carry rounds, Barnes Tac XPD 115 gr. +P. Is this going to achieve adequate penetration and expansion out of a 3" barrel, or should I look at something different like the HST 150 gr. Short Barrel, etc.? Something else even?

 

[BigBL87]

I personally carry 115 grain Speer Gold Dot, seems to be one of the better 115 grain loads out there from what I've read. I got a good deal on them which is the main reason I have them.

When I was looking around, I watched almost this entire playlist on YouTube from ShootingTheBull410, hits most of the major loads and IIRC he uses a short barreled handgun in doing the tests.

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgNSGOEQko_M90AMdRCDMgd-w4Yozc27i

 

[Stubert]

Handgun Self-Defense Ammunition - Ballistic Testing Data These tests were done with short barrel pistols.

 

[Winkman822]

Looks like the Federal HST of some flavor is the way to go based on the two tests posted. Though in the interim, it looks like my current Barnes Tac X PD will suffice. Thanks gang!

 

[C0untZer0]

Winchester 147gr Ranger "T" Series RA9T is pretty good too...

Through denim: 16.10 inches average penetration, .448 inches average expansion

 

[Winkman822]

Only issue with the Ranger T is that it's not something I see a lot of whereas I can get Federal HST very easily about anywhere locally.

 

[C0untZer0]

I was down to just 3 boxes, for a while, I wouldn't practice with the Ranger "T" Series at all. I waited about a year for the ammo to become available again and I purchased 500 rounds. Now I practice mostly with Lawman TMJ, but I fire two mags worth of RA9T at the end of the range session.

 

[Peakbagger46]

After quite a bit of research, I carry 124g HST standard pressure in my Shield. Mild recoil and they actually penetrate slightly better than the +P version. Interestingly, the 124g gold dot seems not to expand in a short barrel while the +P version reportedly does quite well.

Short barrels really do effect performance and you are wise to do some research. The HST should be a very solid choice though. If you look around online, 50 round boxes are priced for about 50 cents a round.

 

[Water-Man]

I use HST 147gr. in my Shield.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

115gr Sig V-Crowns in my LC9s.

 

[JohnBiltz]

Hard to argue against HST in short barrel 9s. I've got a fairly large stock of Gold Dot 124+Ps already on hand so I'm not tossing them out and changing. But if I was starting fresh I'd go with the non +P HSTs.

 

[Edcnh]

I use the HST 124g in my Shield. It got great reviews in the penetration tests and I can find it locally.

 

[BLU]

I carry Federal 115 gr. JHP Hi-Shok, (and have read many glowing reports). I have to say though... I was very impressed with the Ruger ARX. Bought a box for use in .380 & plan to pick up a box in .38 Special as well. If you think you need more penetration in 9mm, (frankly, I'm worried about over-penetration in 9mm), you may wish to add ARX to your ammo count.

 

[azrocks]

I prefer 147 grain something, because you're going to lose velocity with a short barrel, so you're going to want more mass to aid in penetration. Plus, I don't like to run +Ps in small guns, because of the toll it takes on them, and the fact that a lot of the + just ends up as excess flash & concussion.

 

[M1key]

1. Carry a loaded gun of sufficient caliber.
2. Be able to draw and shoot it accurately.
3. Load any of the above recommendations that will cycle reliably in your pistol.

M

 

[JDR]

I use Hornady American Gunner 124 grain +P when I carry my HK P30, this also works great with my Glock19. But I think I like the standard 124 gr. Hornady Custom / AG better in my Walther PPS M2, since I will be carrying this more often now.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

147gr bullets lose less velocity when fired from short barrels. My carry load is 147gr HST. Velocity difference between my Glock 19 and Glock 43 is less than 20 fps.

HST can be purchased in 50 rd boxes for $20. See - https://www.streichers.com/federal-cartridge-9mm-hst-hp-duty-ammunition

 

[Tirod]

Ammo designed to perform admirably in longer 9mm barrels may not be optimal in short 3" barrels. One tester did a study of .380 ammo and it showed the favorites shot from 3" barrels were middle of the road. There were better loads that few were aware of or would use that out performed the most recommended.

I'll go out on a limb and say 9mm is no different. The issue is that one inch of barrel length is a 25% difference in dwell time with the bullet absorbing energy. From that perspective it could be said it's significant. And that is what showed up in the .380 testing - expansion and penetration fell out of the front running or exceeded a known performance standard. LIke the FBI protocol.

Your choice to accept their standard, but the idea is to get the bullet to lose most of it's energy in the target and not just go whistling thru because it didn't have the velocity to expand fully. Hardness of the projectile material and the structure of the tip seem to control that, and it can vary enough that out of shorter barrels they don't do as well.

I choose the bullet first - Hornady XTP's seem to perform well across the board - then what load appears to have all around performance. Not necessarily the most expansion or the most penetration. Frankly when shooting a live target, there are so many variables that it's not going to be exactly what a range test would indicate anyway. And for all the superior gel block results possible, if it won't feed reliably and has extraction issues - it's not a good choice. Far too many pick the one with the biggest numbers when in real life it really doesn't require that. Just consistent performance. What can be far more important is shot placement.

Nobody likes to choose an "adequate" round and places too much confidence on the Bullet of the Month - because they think they can't miss and will get a one shot stop. Better to competently place adequate bullets in the right spot consistently than be forced to shoot more and more "superior" bullets because shot placement was inadequate.

More practice with shot placement is a better answer than more expensive bullets and not practicing. It's hard to see thru the marketing hype but a better bullet can't make you a better shooter.

 

[JohnBiltz]

Ammo designed to perform admirably in longer 9mm barrels may not be optimal in short 3" barrels. One tester did a study of .380 ammo and it showed the favorites shot from 3" barrels were middle of the road. There were better loads that few were aware of or would use that out performed the most recommended.

I'll go out on a limb and say 9mm is no different. The issue is that one inch of barrel length is a 25% difference in dwell time with the bullet absorbing energy. From that perspective it could be said it's significant. And that is what showed up in the .380 testing - expansion and penetration fell out of the front running or exceeded a known performance standard. LIke the FBI protocol.

Your choice to accept their standard, but the idea is to get the bullet to lose most of it's energy in the target and not just go whistling thru because it didn't have the velocity to expand fully. Hardness of the projectile material and the structure of the tip seem to control that, and it can vary enough that out of shorter barrels they don't do as well.

I choose the bullet first - Hornady XTP's seem to perform well across the board - then what load appears to have all around performance. Not necessarily the most expansion or the most penetration. Frankly when shooting a live target, there are so many variables that it's not going to be exactly what a range test would indicate anyway. And for all the superior gel block results possible, if it won't feed reliably and has extraction issues - it's not a good choice. Far too many pick the one with the biggest numbers when in real life it really doesn't require that. Just consistent performance. What can be far more important is shot placement.

Nobody likes to choose an "adequate" round and places too much confidence on the Bullet of the Month - because they think they can't miss and will get a one shot stop. Better to competently place adequate bullets in the right spot consistently than be forced to shoot more and more "superior" bullets because shot placement was inadequate.

More practice with shot placement is a better answer than more expensive bullets and not practicing. It's hard to see thru the marketing hype but a better bullet can't make you a better shooter.

The thing is a better bullet does not necessarily make you a worse shot either. Some exception there maybe with +P or +P+ but I doubt there is much difference between the elite .380 rounds. Shot placement is very important but that is on the individual for the most part not the ammo.

Feeding of course needs to be tested in any gun.

 

[EternalKnight]

I carry Speer Gold Dots in my 3" and Federal HSTs in the rest.

 

[hdwhit]

winkman822 wrote:
At the moment I'm carrying it with my standard 9mm carry rounds, Barnes Tac XPD 115 gr. +P. Is this going to achieve adequate penetration and expansion out of a 3" barrel,...

Since none of us (including you) can know the circumstances under which you would be firing those Barnes rounds, nobody who posts a reply can authoritatively answer your question.

I have loaded some very nice rounds based on both 115 grain Hornady XTP bullets and 115 grain Nosler segmented JHP bullets. I don't EDC a 9mm pistol for a host of reasons that I won't detail here (except to say that the supposed "lack of 'stopping power' - whatever that means in reality - is not a factor in that decision). But, I can say the magazines for my 9mm pistol are loaded with Aguilla (*) 124 grain FMC loads.

I am not an attorney, even though I do portray one at work. Still, even though rare, I do find court filings where prosecutors do allege "intent" or "indifference" when the victim in a self-defense situation uses hollow point ammunition. As stressful and disruptive as it is to have the individual seconds of a self-defense situation analyzed by the court for hours on end, I don't care to have to ALSO defend against baseless assertions as might concern my ammunition use. That means the magazines I will grab off the shelf will have factory FMJ loads in them.

(*) I'm as much a part of the "Buy America" crowd as anyone, but when I first bought ammunition for my 9mm pistol, the local shop only had Aguilla, so it was Mexican ammunition or nothing.

 

[Water-Man]

There are some ballistic tests on utube for the ammo the OP carries.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

When I carry my 3" Beretta Nano I use 147gr Federal HST. To be honest sometimes that's the +P version simply because it's what I usually have around. It works fine in my Nano and is pretty controllable. I will carry 124gr or 147gr standard pressure HST when I have it/can find it. From the tests I've seen it performs pretty well out of shorter barrels. It happens to be pretty accurate as well (in my guns).