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.
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.
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.
My 3" gun is a Kahr PM9. I use the same ammunition in it as in my larger 9mm’s, which is winchester Ranger T series 147 JHP.
It’s been awhile since I studied it. (I’ve had the Kahr since 2005.) But when I looked into it at the time, the velocity loss from the 147 gr loads by going from a 4" to a 3" barrel wasn’t all that much.
I worry more about shot placement with the little guns than I do about losing a few FPS.
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.
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.
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.
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.
a Deep penetration on soft tissue 12-17"
a Easily conquers hard barriers like auto glass and steel
a Reduced recoil due to lighter weight projectile
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Western PA
Posts: 237
From the horses mouth instead of the internet commandos!
The 95 gr standard pressure DPX load in 9mm was designed for use in the smallest compact 9mm pistol. It actually mimics the performance of the 115 gr +P load fired from a full sized gun when the 95 gr load is fired from a compact 9mm. If you shoot the 115 gr +P 9mm DPX load from a gun with a 4-4.5" barrel into ballistic gelatin, it would give you 15-16" penetration with a recovered diameter of @ .60" The same results would be obtained using the 95 gr load in a 9mm pistol with a 3" barrel.
If you use the 95 gr DPX load in a full sized gun, it would give deeper penetration ( probably 19-20" in ballistic gelatin).
Wonder if the 9MM Luger 92.6 Grain Solid Copper Hollow Point that MagTech uses in there First Defense Ammunition line is the same bullet as the Corbon DPX load?
Some time ago I had the opportunity to chronograph (Oehler M 35P at 10 ft) a 9mm Wather PPS (3.2" barrel) with some regular Gold Dot +P 124gr 9mm (part # 23617). Five shots averaged 1179 fps, which is about 96% of the published velocity on the Speer website.
I’m just some guy on the internet so take this with a grain of salt, but I would not worry about velocity loss from a 3" 9mm barrel with premium self-defense ammo.
It is better to select a proven duty round from Doc’s list and test your protection handgun for reliability with it. It is futile to worry about velocity, expansion or penetration if your pocket pistol jams when it is needed most.:fie:
I thought most 147gr would peter out @ 875 maybe 900 fps or something like that.
