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Tested my 9mm. 'carry load'

4K views 29 replies 17 participants last post by  Area51guy! 
#1 ·
I wanted to see how the Winchester White Box 147 Gr. JHP 9mm. load was to shoot. I have read tests that say "It's pretty good".....but I wanted to try it myself. I've got to say 'This is pretty potent stuff.' I shot 21, of the box of 50, reloaded the pistol, and kept the rest for the future. This is NOT your 115 Gr. 'practice load'!!!! ;)

This is a 'serious load' to shoot in a light Ruger LC9s (17 ozs.). I have to shoot with one hand, because of my bad left shoulder. I'm not really used to it, so the recoil was pretty intense.......a little more than with .38 Spl +P! :eek: ( Maybe I should have gotten a little heavier pistol. ) But at 50', at least most of my shots hit paper. A couple in the Bull's Eyes........wonder how that happened!!!! :roll:happyroller But, I am satisfied with carrying this load! (Makes me think I'm shooting a .45 APC!!!! nvpAN)

I think that I should get a more boxes, to do some practicing, and get used to handling my new carry pistol......so I can hit smaller targets, to stop a threat! Shooting the 115 Gr. is pretty easy, but I've always believed in 'practicing with what you carry'!!! Even if it's twice the price. I'm gonna' spend my money on ammo.....rather than more guns......in the future!

I have 'retired' my M-36 and M-67 no dash, older guns. I'll be shooting the M-10-7, M-66-1, and my new carry.....Ruger LC9s! Movin' on up!!!! Bob
 
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#3 ·
I'm in between you two.......the 147 was designed for subguns like the MP5 with a suppressor...............I have found the best accuracy with 124 grain ammo
 
#8 ·
I guess I'm looking at this from a different angle. Although accuracy is important, it is a by-product of practice and training. You shoot enough, you'll get better.
Maybe my mindset comes from wearing the badge back in the 70's & 80's. I believe you should practice with similar weight ammo to what you carry and every so often shoot exactly what you carry.
My concern here is the Winchester White Box ammo. Fine for practice but over the years, I have had too many of them NOT go bang when I pulled the trigger. This has happened with revolvers as well as semiauto handguns in numerous calibers. High quality components do not get put into low cost "practice ammo". They get used in the stuff that costs $1or more per bang.
I do shoot WWB for practice because yes, it is a little more potent than most other "practice ammo" and closer to the +P I carry. This applies to any caliber. We all like what we like caliber wise. Absolute reliability is first in my book. Should anyone have to press that trigger to defend life and limb, it better go bang the first time. (Mine did) It's hard to be accurate when you're the dead guy with practice ammo in his gun.
My aim here is not to criticize or lecture anyone, just a concern I have. I don't care to hear about someone I know coming in second in their first (maybe) shooting.

Ed

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#9 ·
I have a couple of 9mm pocket pistols (Kimber) and use the 147 grain ammo in them. With the short barrels, you won't get much velocity so you might as well throw a heavy bullet. Also, both of my pocket 9s seem to work better when shooting the 147 gr bullets. Keep in mind, these are not target guns, but are intended to be fired asap after a fast draw without using the sights. I don't think I would pull the trigger unless the offending bad guy was within 20 feet or less. Strictly belly guns! If I want to take time to aim, I will grab a rifle and keep the attacker at 200 yds!
 
#12 ·
My experience with 'Win. White Box' in 125 Gr. JHP .38 Spl.+P has been exactly the opposite!!!! It is excellent ammo, that's very reliable. It always works! The 9mm. 147 Gr. JHP seems the same. It's a powerful load, good for 'close range' shooting. I was rather disappointed in my shooting at the 50' indoor range, but I always used two hands....which I can no longer do.

I will try some 124 Gr. to see how I do. Maybe it will be better. I'm still in the testing mode for the Ruger. So far......it is working out pretty good.......I need to find the 'right load'. kfjdrfirii:roll: Bob
 
#14 ·
osbornk, As I said, my experience with WWB has been the same........for over 40 years of shooting and hunting use. That's with .38 Spl. +P in my revolvers.....it works great, costs less (used to be $10/box at Walmart!!!!) But, I do try other brands of ammo! I think I'll get Fed. 124 Gr. 9mm. later today.

As far as .22 rimfire goes, I like CCI, Win., Fed.........and even in the cheap ' bulk ' boxes. I usually buy 100 rd. boxes of CCI or Winchester I have only had trouble with Remington 'Golden Bullet' .22 LR.....it doesn't feed well, some of the bullets are 'seated' at odd angles, lots of 'Squib' rounds, and misfires. It is the worst....by far!!!! :roll:eek:kfvnail ....And that is with the Premium 100 rd. boxes.....the 'Bulk loads' are crap!!!! :rolleyes: Just my opinion. Bob
 
#15 ·
As far as .22 rimfire goes, I like CCI, Win., Fed.........and even in the cheap ' bulk ' boxes. I usually buy 100 rd. boxes of CCI or Winchester I have only had trouble with Remington 'Golden Bullet' .22 LR.....it doesn't feed well, some of the bullets are 'seated' at odd angles, lots of 'Squib' rounds, and misfires. It is the worst....by far!!!! :roll:eek:kfvnail ....And that is with the Premium 100 rd. boxes.....the 'Bulk loads' are crap!!!! :rolleyes: Just my opinion. Bob
I have had FTF with almost every brand of rimfire ammo. They usually fire on the second time if I turn the cartridge so it hits a different part of the rim. By far, the worst rimfire I have used is various Winchester bulk. The Winchester's problem is they are not the same size. The biggest problem is with my single six that has close tolerances. Some of the ammo will not fit easily into the cylinder and must be forced if it will go in at all. I have also had problems with semi-auto rifles getting the first round chambered. Follow-up rounds go in OK with the force the semi action.
 
#16 ·
Shoot whatever caliber, weight you can shoot the best with
The equation usually works out the same, Heavier bullet, slower velocity. Lighter bullet higher velocity
Then some folks get all hung up on math and ballistic gel tests. Bullet expansion, penetration etc etc.:eek:
 
#17 ·
In the land I come from ... NYC .. I may or may not have witnessed people buying ammunition from the trunks of cars.

You know what choices you had .. whatever was in the trunk of the car.

In the meantime .. people gleefully killed and maimed each other pretty regular back in the day with the cheapest trunk bought ammo that was available. Nice to have choices .. but you can make yourself crazy with all the math and gel stuff.
 
#25 ·
I'll jump on the 124 grain bandwagon here.

I've tested the Hornady Plus P 124 grain XTP against several 147 and 115 brands and gotten better penetration and expansion in general with it.

Penetration is key and a special concern in winter when your opponent will have heavy clothing.

This is out of Glock 19s with the 4 inch barrel. That's the smallest auto/9 I will carry.

I think the original ammo for the German Luger was 124 grain and I figure the Germans probably knew what they were doing.
 
#26 ·
I'll jump on the 124 grain bandwagon here.

I've tested the Hornady Plus P 124 grain XTP against several 147 and 115 brands and gotten better penetration and expansion in general with it.

Penetration is key and a special concern in winter when your opponent will have heavy clothing.

This is out of Glock 19s with the 4 inch barrel. That's the smallest auto/9 I will carry.

I think the original ammo for the German Luger was 124 grain and I figure the Germans probably knew what they were doing.
I picked up a case of 124 grn NATO last year (before the madness) and use them for practice, along with standard pressure rounds. NATO are not rated +P, but in fact they are hot. You can tell they are at least 100 fps faster than standard loads. (verified by people chronographing them also) They match +P JHPs pretty close in power and impact point.
 
#29 ·
I load both 124gr and 147gr bullets for my nines. My Shield seems to shoot to POA more so with the heavier bullets, While my SR9c & SD9Ve do better with 124gr bullets
 
#30 ·
I have a couple of the small Kimber 9mm pistols that I load with the 147 grain hollow points. I figure that since I can't get much velocity from a 2" bbl, I might as well have the extra weight! The 147s work perfectly in both of my Kimbers. For those rare occasions when I need a true "pocket pistol" I have a KelTec P32 that will literally hide in a pants pocket! I keep that one loaded with Silvertips.
 
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