3" Inch 9mm Carry Loads?

[PA PATRIOT]

With all of the Micro 9mm pistols currently the new fade with CCW owners I was wondering what if any of DocGKR's approved carry/duty loads would offer acceptable performance in a 3" inch barrel.

Now most likely the best choices maybe the Barnes XPB 105 & 115 gr JHP (copper bullet) or Speer 9mm +P Short Barrel loading but I have not seen any data to confirm either as a viable short barrel loading.

I remember in a old thread some talk on the now discontinued Winchester Partition Gold 124 gr JHP (RA91P) being a decent short barrel loading but can't find that thread under a forum search.

[brzusa.1911]

HST 147gr or 124gr +P

[PA PATRIOT]

HST 147gr or 124gr +P

Can I ask what data you are basing your choice on that qualify these loadings acceptable with 3.0 inch barrels?

Thanks!
Phila PD

[brzusa.1911]

Can I ask what data you are basing your choice on that qualify these loadings acceptable with 3.0 inch barrels?

Thanks!
Phila PD

Basing on ballistics data I have found when researching for my EMP 9mm.

[Powder_Burn]

Review Molon's chrono posts on this...basically 147's suffer less velocity loss out of short barrels. Federal sells both standard and +P 147gr HST loads that would be a good option.

[kh86]

147 gr doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling when it comes to 3" barrels. I guess I just haven't seen enough data. It just seems too close to the reliable expansion window velocity wise.

[KhanRad]

Review Molon's chrono posts on this...basically 147's suffer less velocity loss out of short barrels. Federal sells both standard and +P 147gr HST loads that would be a good option.

Indeed:


The 147gr standard pressure load suffers the least amount of velocity loss when fired out of shorter barrels. It is a far more efficient loading than +P or +P+.

Going with a higher pressure, higher velocity load is a matter of diminishing returns in shorter barrels. The faster the bullet travels, the faster it leaves the barrel and doesn't allow the charge to burn off inside the barrel and thus.....build up more pressure. Standard pressure ammo, particularly the 147gr load, stays inside the barrel longer allowing more powder to be burned and more pressure buildup. I've often found lots of unburned powder in +P and +P+ 9mm as well as .357sig. Not so with standard pressure loads or slower velocity .40 and .45. The same principle applies to rifle calibers. In 5.56, heavier, slower velocity loads suffer less velocity loss in SBRs and are better for those applications.

[Fail-Safe]

Can I ask what data you are basing your choice on that qualify these loadings acceptable with 3.0 inch barrels?

Thanks!
Phila PD

From Paul Nowack of Winchester"

When we redesigned the Ranger T Series of ammunition we widened the velocity window under which the round would expand to allow for the slower velocities that shorter than standard barrels produce. What this means is that if you own a standard or sub compact pistol the round should have adequate expansion. In 9mm I would recommend the 147 grain bullet as it loses a lower velocity percentage than the faster lighter bullet in shorter than normal barrels. This is because the bullet has more dwell time in the bore and has a greater opportunity to burn the powder before the bullet exits the bore. Powder that is burned outside the bore does nothing for velocity. The lighter faster bullets generally have more powder to burn and since the lighter faster bullets have less time in the bore they are not efficient burners of powder in the shorter barrels.

[PA PATRIOT]

From Paul Nowack of Winchester"

When we redesigned the Ranger T Series of ammunition we widened the velocity window under which the round would expand to allow for the slower velocities that shorter than standard barrels produce. What this means is that if you own a standard or sub compact pistol the round should have adequate expansion. In 9mm I would recommend the 147 grain bullet as it loses a lower velocity percentage than the faster lighter bullet in shorter than normal barrels. This is because the bullet has more dwell time in the bore and has a greater opportunity to burn the powder before the bullet exits the bore. Powder that is burned outside the bore does nothing for velocity. The lighter faster bullets generally have more powder to burn and since the lighter faster bullets have less time in the bore they are not efficient burners of powder in the shorter barrels.

Thank you!

I'M trying to stay away from +P and +P+ loads as my 17oz Ruger LC-9 pistol would have stout muzzle flip with same drastically cutting my accuracy and speed between shots. Now a good 147gr H/P such as the Federal HST looks promising with Paul Nowacks information and I'M hoping DocGKR or another reputable source has some 3.0" barrel testing data to confirm its accuracy.

[PA PATRIOT]

DocGKR,

Have you done any testing with the Corbon 95gr DPX H/P?

Corbon makes the below statement that all of the DPX line meets the FBI standard when tested with a medium of 10% ballistic gelatin with four layers of 10 oz denim barrier.

Sounds like the perfect short barrel 9mm load if independent testing confirms Corbon's claims.

Caliber: 9mm Luger
Bullet Wt.: 95gr DPX
Velocity: 1300fps
Energy: 356ftlbs
Test Barrel Length: 3.1 Inches

Info from http://www.shopcorbon.com/DPX-Handgu...20/200/Product

DPX is a solid copper hollowpoint bullet that combines the best of the lightweight high speed JHPs and the heavy weight, deep penetrating JHPs. Recoil and recovery between shots are similar to the light weight rounds while soft tissue penetration is similar to the heavy weight rounds.

Hard barrier penetration on auto glass and steel are no problem for this all copper hollowpoint round. You get superb performance on these hard barriers while still maintaining safe soft tissue penetration depths.

The research and development team for CORBON products used the protocol from the FBI's testing procedures to develop the defensive line of DPX ammunition. They achieved soft tissue penetration of 12-17", with reliable and consistent expansion. The recovered bullets are 150% to 200% of the original size and 100% weight retention when recovered from the test medium of 10% ballistic gelatin with four layers of 10 oz denim barrier. The permanent crush cavity is also considerably larger than that of a typical JHP.

The all copper bullet construction makes it conquer hard barriers like auto glass and steel while still maintaining its integrity. This is an optimum load for Law Enforcement.
 Deep penetration on soft tissue 12-17"
 Easily conquers hard barriers like auto glass and steel
 Reduced recoil due to lighter weight projectile