A 9mm with recoil like a .380?

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HighValleyRanch

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ARX interceptor 9mm +P polycase solid head round 80 grains?

I had seen an couple of videos of this stuff, and found some at my local hardware store. That's right, even in California, some of the local country hardware stores have good supplies of ammo. So good to see, and they even had this new ARX ammo in 9mm for 21.00!

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Anyone else trying this out in their semi's?

Here's a video of this impressive stuff in .380, but the 9mm review was just as good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc5zSdlyPCk

Here's an article in American Rifleman discussing the round:
https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2015/10/23/tested-the-polycase-arx-bullet/

And what I forgot to mention was that the lighter bullet feels like lower recoil, so perhaps a good choice for recoil sensitive shooters who have gone to a .380, or for speed at getting back on target. We shall see...

1400 fps out of a 3" 9mm and 15 inch penetration with a good wound channel.
Also half the weight of a standard round so a little weight saved on a full ten round magazine. Although the round was developed to go with a poly one time case, the company decided to start with it in a brass case for now to introduce the bullet design to the public. The poly case with the poly bullet is suppose to save considerable weight in a full magazine.

I'm going to have to pick some up and chronograph it, but I'm interested!
 

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There was somebody I corresponded with about their use in the 9mm LCR and they said there was a noticeable difference in recoil, if he had to put a figure on it something like 10-20 percent less.

In the LCP, I haven't noticed much recoil reduction using Inceptor over standard ammo.

Because they're not hollow points, I think the best use for these is in extreme short barrels like pocket .380's, 9mm snub revolvers, and derringers. By best use, I mean they are the best choice.

In standard semi pistols with 3 inch barrels or more, normal JHP is just fine. I'd rather have the heavier projectile in those larger pistols anyway. The point of a small gun is not to fight a war, it's to defend yourself and in that regard Inceptor is about perfect.
 
I have some of the NovX with that bullet in the gimmick composite cases.
Recoil is flat but sharp, report is loud. My LC9s is enough bigger than a LCP that it seems no worse to shoot than fast .380.
 
I tried some ARX rounds in an S&W M&P and didn't notice much difference in recoil. The recoil reduction might have been more apparent if I had used a smaller, lighter gun.
 
Are you saying it will recoil "harder"?

Most 380's Ive shot, other than the Glocks and SIG P238, have had a sharper/harsher recoil impulse than any of my 9mm's.

I think this is due more to the action type than the caliber though.
 
I tried out the 65 grain Ruger branded version. Very light recoil. Averaged 1706 FPS in a 5" barrel, 2005 FPS in a 16" barrel. Haven't tried the 80 grain yet.

BTW, I share AK's opinion on the .380's sharp recoil impulse. The straight blow back .380s demonstrate recoil that,to me, feels out of proportion to their actual minimal power. By comparison, the locked breech SIG P238 I got to shoot was very soft in recoil. Just as I would hope a small pistol chambered in .380 would be.
 
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The delayed blow back HK P7 in 9mm was said to recoil like a 380 .
The other way is to use premium bullet design like the Barnes all copper bullet.
 
I have a P230 as well, and always prefered it over most of the other blowbacks Ive owned. The size and design of the grips I think made a big difference there.

But compared to my lock breech P238 (when it actually worked) or my Glock 42's, even the p230 is noticeably snappier and with more felt recoil.

My smallest 9mm these days is a Glock 43, and I think even it has less felt recoil than my P230. Now I gotta take them both out and do a side by side. Hey, any excuse, right? :D
 
Comparing my Sig 230 with regular loads to my Shield with regular 9mm, the Sig feels much lighter in recoil and less muzzle rise.
But when I shot the Buffalo Bore +P .380 through it, it felt more like the regular 9mm in the Shield. When I shot the +P 9mm Outdoorsman load in the Shield it still felt less than the .40 in my Kahr K40 which is about the same size.
The Sig 230, the M&P Shield, and the Kahr K40 all fit in the same holster and all are almost identical in size and weight.
 
I personally will stay with HSTs or Gold Dots in 9mm. I suppose the reduced recoil might be beneficial to some who are recoil sensitive and who shoot small 9mm pistols.

A bit off-topic, but I do think the round appears to perform well in .380 in every test I've seen through ballistic gel when shot through a small pistol. By that, I mean it penetrates adequately through bare gel or gel with layers of denim but does not over-penetrate. Portions of the permanent wound channel are larger than FMJ.

Just about all the different types of hollow points seem to be somewhat inconsistent in .380; a given round will perform well in one test, but not another. I'm going to have seriously consider switching to ARQ in .380 if they feed okay in my pistols. I had kind of glossed over this round, but this post has made me start thinking. Thanks.
 
I tested a Remington RM380 and there was noticeably less felt recoil with ARX ammo than Monarch FMJ.

ARX performance in .380 is very intriguing. Reported tests show a lot of consistency in penetration, akin to FMJ ammo. Redirecting rotational force appears to produce a more consistent temporary wound channel than some HP ammo. While not discussed at length, the bullets appear to tumble in roughly the second half of their penetration, with the bullet's longer axis producing a larger permanent wound channel.
 
I never give them much thought till I won a case of 9mm at a 3 gun compitition. I have only shot one box ove them. They shot accurately and noticed less recoil compaired to other SD ammo. They would not cycle in my daughters Walther CCP, but that pistol only likes heavier ammo. I have been planning on doing some test but just havnt got to it.

Regardless of the test they will not replace my Gold Dots in my EDC untill they have a proven track record. I'm not going to be there guinie pig. When it has a real life proven track record I will consider them. Untill then they are just neat concept to talk about.
 
Below is a very interesting test done with ARX ammo out of a Ruger LCR9mm and a 38 . I have shot this ammo myself in a number of guns to include the LCR9mm which I carry ARX Plus P.
I would not use the 380 ARX, just do not feel the penetration ballistics meet the required min. However the 9mm Plus P showed good results. It is a very mild shooting round.
That said, I spent 6 months shooting and testing out ever sub compact I could get my hands on and the Beretta Nano was my choice. A extremely mild shooter with very little muzzle flip. Have not tried the ARX in it yet. I imagine that it will feel like a 380. out of a large frame gun.

Here is the test. Scroll down to the middle to see ARX in a 38 LCR and a 9mm.

http://mousegunaddict.blogspot.com/search?q=lcr+9mm
 
^^^^
You're right, I checked a bunch of online retailers and mysteriously, they are out of stock with no availablity update????
This even though I found it at my local hardware store?
 
For the ARX poly round, research some results and tests when the bullet hit something hard, like bone..it sometimes shattered compromising its penetration. Also some shots thru harder materials, like sheet metal or glass...just for info.
 
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