Opinions on 115 vs 124 gr 9mm

[LanceOregon]

The testing and research done by Marshall and Sanow pretty much proved that the CorBon +P 115 gr JHP load was the most effective 9mm manstopper. That load offers great rapid expansion, and often even fragments, causing a most destructive wound.

Here is a photo of the ammo, along with a recovered bullet:




CorBon's new PowerBall +P 100 gr load has come out since their testing, and it offers very similar performance. So it should be just as effective. Here is a photo of that ammo, along with a couple of recovered bullets:

[SGB]

Marshall and Sanow's work has been long known as junk science.

[ffhounddog]

Not all 9mm Nato is 124 grain. The US makes Nato round as 124 grain. Looking at Nato Specs the grain of the 9mm Nato round can be as low as 112 grain to 127 grain. I have seen all different type of 9mm rounds by Nato countries and not all of them spec it to what the US specs their round for.

This is why if your gun does not shoot the 115 grain or 124 grain rounds then you should send the gun to get fixed.

[LorenzoS]

The testing and research done by Marshall and Sanow pretty much proved that the CorBon +P 115 gr JHP load was the most effective 9mm manstopper.

In other news, Michael Jackson is still black and Wang Chung is #1 on the radio.

[HK45]

I use the highly scientific method of using 124gr because its in between 115 and 147.

[Texas42]

I use the highly scientific method of using 124gr because its in between 115 and 147.

lol, Yeah, I remember using similar logic when I first started shooting.

If its range ammo, who cares. Get whats cheaper.

Just cause of a case of 124 grain brass for cheaper than I can buy it at the store. . . Never had a reliablility ussue with either. . .unless you cound the reloads that I overexpanded the brass.

[Pistol Shooter]

Most people rarely shoot anything enough to know whether it's truly reliable. And most of them can’t hit anything with a pistol anyway, so if the gun goes BANG most of the time, they consider themselves well armed.


Okie John

You're not talking about members of this forum, are you?

[omega21]

I use the highly scientific method of using 124gr because its in between 115 and 147.

I just laughed so hard that my wife elbowed me in the ribs to get me to shut up!

The testing and research done by Marshall and Sanow pretty much proved that the CorBon +P 115 gr JHP load was the most effective 9mm manstopper. That load offers great rapid expansion, and often even fragments, causing a most destructive wound.

LanceOregon - first, thank you for replying and taking the time to add pics which I appreciate. My original post is really referring to plinking ammo not SD ammo. You can bet your ass when I deployed to Desert Storm I brought a box of CorBon 9mm along for my M9 (no ladies, that is definitly not legal)(never used them, then buried them in the sand prior to returning). So anyway, I really don't want to turn this into a debate of best 9mm SD ammo since my question is really about the relationship of bullet weight to bolt/BCG cycling function (not powder charge as some have mentioned, rather bullet weight specifically). I would comment on your post that no single study "proves" anything, it merely suggests or informs a conclusion. This is why in the research community we say the results of a study "suggest" that a certain conclusion is valid. While I don't believe the M&S study was "junk science" it does have some shortcomings related to its internal validity (certainly different forms of bias) and methodology (no info I could find on statistical significance of any findings). At this link you can find another meta-study (sorta) whose findings are more current than M&S and which directly contradict that study by pointing to "heavy & slow" as being more effective for SD than "light & fast". http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Self_De..._FAQ/index.htm
I couldn't find much about the methodology behind the conclusions here so I certainly only offer this up as a counterpoint, not as irrefutable evidence of anything.

So does anyone out there know some physics? Shouldn't a lighter (115 gr) bullet generate less energy to "push" against the bolt than a heavier (124 gr) bullet given equal powder charges and other conditions? If the answer is yes wouldn't that suggest a more consistant "cycling" potential of the SMG's bolt?

[CAVDOC]

since most 9mm's are euro designs, and the 124 grain is the standard bullet weight in europe, most of the time I find the guns shoot most accurately and reliably with 124.
However, I tested my glock 19 with a variety of ammo looking for the most accurate (it is reliable with everything) and oddly enough the cci blazer 115 was the most accurate out to 25 yards, with it being cheap and easy to find to boot.
Shot a friends brand new gen 4 17 yesterday and saw no functional issues with the variety of 115 grain ammo used.

[ffhounddog]

The IMI 9mm BALL NATO 115 GR cartridge meets all STANAG 4090 requirements. Certified as NATO Qualified in 1999 with NATO DESIGN AC/116-XIIA.