What 9mm Ammunition For Short Barelled Pistol?

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Mike J

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Okay I have a situation that requires deep concealment. So I have ordered a Kahr CM9 from Buds. It is a pocketable 9mm pistol that has a 3" barrel. I am aware that lower velocities from shorter barrels can cause inadequate penetration & expansion from JHP rounds. So my question is what bullet weight & design works well for this application?
 

GunnyGene

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I like Hornady products. Critical Duty (my preference) or Critical Defense - Here's the details: http://www.hornady.com/store/9mm-Luger
 

welder

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Another vote for the Critical defense, a non bonded bullet perfect for the little guns with low flash and as good a chance of expansion as you can get.
 

vaguru

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Do a search on shootingthebull.net, he did many tests of most popular ammo in the 9mm. HST 124 gr was one of the top performers, if not the best, if memory serves. That is what we carry in our LC9S pistols.
 

vaguru

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Just revisited shootingthebull.net and watched the HST tests again. All performed superb, meeting FBI standards. They were the most consistent ammo tested in regards to penetration and expansion. Clearly a great carry round for short barreled 9mms.
 

Slyk Willy

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GunnyGene said:
I like Hornady products. Critical Duty (my preference) or Critical Defense - Here's the details: http://www.hornady.com/store/9mm-Luger
YUP, that's what I carry, when you watch ballistics tests, it's the one to use.
 

NexxusOne

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I prefer to use Fed HST 124gr but my sig is picky and doesnt like them...so I use Critical Defense and it works well.
 

DGW1949

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gramps said:
A 3 inch 9mm barrel, only has 1.5 inches of rifling. Not much less than normal.
gramps

Depends on what you call "normal".
My BHP's have a 4-9/16 or 4-5/8 barrel length, depending on era of manufacture. Either way, that's more than double the effective length of the 3" guns...and yeah, that is most-certainly enough to matter in terms of actual power being generated regardless of "whichever load" we care to talk about, and in more ways than one.

Simple physics is what it comes down to, and wishful thinking won't change physics. Me thinks that the OP already knows that...hence his question...

Just sayin'.

DGW
 

DGW1949

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blume357 said:
So, it sounds to me like a heavier bullet (124 -148gr) is going to be 'better' in a short barreled pistol...

If by "better" you mean "hits harder", I tend to look at it as more of a balancing act than a set rule. In other words...yeah, bullet weight is certainly a factor, but so is velocity.
The problem with the short-barreled Nines is that regardless of "which load" we may be talking about, we're still going to be giving up velocity right from the get-go, and due to it's rather dinky cartridge case capacity, there really ain't no way to get much of it back without flirting with an over-pressure condition. Plus, pressure concerns become even more problematic as we start stuffing-in longer/heavier bullets, simply because the longer the bullet, the less effective case capacity we have left to work with...which like I said, wasn't much to start with.

So what's the best answer to the OP's question?...heck, I dunno.
All I know for sure is that a 124-NATO load being fired out of my full size BHP's exhibit ballistics which are purty-much comparable to a 125-38Spl+P fired from my 4" S&W Model 10. Plus, they shoot through more stuff than the 115's will, and do it more accurately for me to boot...so that's what I use.

DGW
 
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