Short barrel ammo choice.

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Xyas

New member
So, I just got a new pistol, springfield xd subcompact for concealed carry and home defense (until a shotgun/ar-15 comes). My question is as follows: it only has a 3 inch barrel and I'm curious if I should go heavier or lighter with my ammunition. My choices were between the 124g +p gold dots or ranger-t's, the 147 in the same and the winchester bonded. My gut feeling tells me I should go for 124g +p's. I'm curious as to what everyone else thought? Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
As far as I'm concerned, the finest defensive load in a short-barreled 9mm is the Cor-Bon DPX. They're what I carry in my Kel-Tec PF-9.

Hornaday Critical Defense is also worth a look, as are Federal Tactical Bonded 124-gr+p.
 
I carry a revolver with a 3" barrel. I carry Speer Gold Dot "short barrel" 135 gr. .38 +P rounds for self defense anywhere but when I'm camping. (Then, I carry a .357 round appropriate to the types of animals that I might encounter, Hornady being a favorite.) IMHO your gun instinct is good.
 
This very question was raised on another gun forum.
The OP messaged Winchester and queried what would be the best bullet weight for his short-barreled 9mm, and their answer was the 147gr. The 147gr burns less powder and has a shorter pressure curve than the +P loads - not to mention less muzzle blast and recoil

..amd as KyJim mentioned, the Speer Short-Barrel load is another fine choice

My suggestion is for the W-W 147gr Ranger T or Remington 147gr Golden Sabre
 
Anyone KNOW the difference between the Speer 124+p golddots and the same flavor with the "short barrel" specification? Different powder?
 
Anyone KNOW the difference between the Speer 124+p golddots and the same flavor with the "short barrel" specification? Different powder?
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Most likely difference is powder. A discussion on another board wasn't clear with re: to the bullet design being a little different.

It pains me to see some recommending the 147 gr. 9mm that's been taking a back seat to the 115 and 124 gr. loads forever.

Admittedly, the HST has made the 147 gr. respectable. Suggesting a bullet that's slower to begin with in standard bbls. for use in shorter bbls. that make it even slower doesn't make sense to me.

Golden Sabers are still good despite dated technology.

But the Speer +P is better. NYPD is VERY happy with that load. It works in short bbls.

CorBon DPX may be the best of all. I carry it.

Jello test show it expanding more while penetrating very well after going thru layers of heavy denim. Obviously, Jello testing only compares bullets with one another, and isn't a substitute for actually shootings. Dang good indicator, however.:cool:
 
They're expensive, but for carry its hard to beat DPX's. I like Pow'rBall. And the Winchester boded stuff is really good. Haven't tried it in 9mm but my 40's and 45's love it. My kimbers group really well with them. Great stuff for $20/box at WallyWorld.
 
They're expensive, but for carry its hard to beat DPX's.
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So what if they're expensive? They're for carry and saving your life. Make sure they work thru your gun and then use something else for practice.

Funerals, lawyers, civil lawsuits, being a paraplegic and a zillion other things are expensive. Ammo isn't, by comparison.

And yet, AhHHHHH! There are still people who choose their carry ammo at WallyWorld because it's cheaper. And even then probably wait for it to go on sale.:p Sorry, haven't had a rant for a while.:cool:
 
ummm...wow. Easy there ,eh, big fella. A whole lot of people don't want to spend $40-50 a box even for carry ammo. I own many many firearms and never skimp on ammo. But the Winchester bonded is awesome ammo at any price. It sure is nice that its so cheap and plentiful at my local Superstore. What's with the attitude?
 
Interesting discussion. I've spent some time this week working up carry loads for my wife's new .38 Special +P S&W 637-2 with its 2" barrel and comparing the results to a companion piece (her 3" Chief's Special). The difference between a 2" and 3" barrel can be surprising at times. Some of the work was chronographed and some was not. The pic below was shot this morning. All firing was done into a pool of water with no other obstructions. I've included the handloaded 158 gr LSWC for comparison purposes.

While it certainly is not the extensive and truly informative work that Mr Downey has done, the pic speaks for itself. Based on these firings, my wife and I are using the Remington Golden Saber 125 gr JHP round for CCW purposes.

Of interest, at least in this water only medium, the Remington JHP 125 gr HP load L38S2B (a bulk 100 count pack from Wally World) expands as well as the more expensive bullets albeit without the serrated edges evident on the others.

Again....all the bullets depicted were shot from a 2" S&W into water. (all are .38 Special +P except the LSWC)

I do have one correction...the Federal Hydr-Shok was chronographed at 840 fps on a previous setup, but I forgot to add the vel. figure to the pic. Interestingly enough, it failed to expand on that particular firing day...but today's firing/expansion was all that anyone could hope for from a snubbie.

JMHO, Rodfac

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What's with the attitude?
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We all have our pet peeves. Mine include movie previews that tell me the whole plot of the movie from start to finish, and people who'd buy less than the best ammo for defense of their lives and those of their loved ones because it "cost too much".

Same goes for stuff like "what's the very cheapest, utterly reliable 9mm in the $300 price range".

OK, I've always had a good job and never had to penny pinch a budget.:D

If you value your life enough to choose bonded ammo by Winchester, then, I'm happy to say, you wouldn't be included in my aforementioned criticism.;)

And I buy Walmart stuff all the time for practice. I even stockpile WWB JHP's in .45 ACP, to keep a supply on hand for when the world ends--- But I carry HST, Gold Dot, or BorBon DPX.

Used to carry Golden Saber in .45 ACP and .40 cal. and it's still good ammo. Technology has just leapfrogged it, that's all. And HST has left the Hydrashok in distant 2d. place. :cool:

Now, I know some one can't wait to point out that shot placement is where it's all at. Go ahead, I know you're out there.:p
 
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rodfac, that's a great pic and very demonstrative. I prefer the Speer loads myself (and they're what I have in my M&P 360 right now), but to each their own.

Cheers!


Jim
 
Jim Downey...thanks for the compliment...That Speer load's really got some sharp edges...about the same as the Golden Saber in the examples I shot the other day. I haven't tried it through the 3" Chief Special as yet...and that's the gun I carry. I'd suspect that the add'l inch of bbl length would boost the velocity another 50-75 fps and give greater expansion.

That said..I shot them all into water...with no other medium to aid or detract from expansion...a jacket or shirt and flesh and blood most likely would produce different results. My purpose was a comparison of the different bullets, shot from the same gun, into a common medium...and also to see the actual expanded bullets...the serrated edges on the more current offerings are a real eye-opener.

BTW, you and your cohorts did some wonderful work testing that number of calibers...I can't begin to guess at the amt. of time spent. Thanks from all of us.

Rodfac
 
Thanks, Rodfac - it's been a fun project, though, as you guess, metric buttloads of work. As a matter of fact next week we'll be doing a big expansion of testing current .380 premium ammos using our "chop an inch" protocols as well as through some 13 current .380 pistols.

We'll also be doing some other odds and ends of things, some of which will be kinda . . . peculiar. :D Hope to have the data crunched and posted next month, but I may post some preliminary stuff on the BBTI blog, and Facebook, maybe even next week as we're going through it.

Cheers -

Jim
 
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