9mm ammo.

[chief38]

Have you tried any of the newer SIG 365 9MM ammunition yet? It is supposedly tailored for the P365 and other short barreled pistols. The reason I ask is, I just picked up a P365 and was wondering if the ammunition was as good as they say.

When I purchased my Sig P365 a month ago (at the largest Sig Dealer in the vicinity) I also bought a box of Sig 365 115 grain ammo that they recommended. On the box it stated 1050 fps but did not indicate from what barrel length. Out of my Sig 365 it seemed anemic and while I did not Chronograph this particular load (didn't have it with me) it was the slowest and least powerful of all the ammo I fired that day. Even if it did the 1050 fps they say it does I still would not carry it! For a 115 grain bullet that seems a but too slow to me.

I've tested a bunch of different carry loads and settled on the Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P Short Barrel loading. It does an average of 1120 fps put of my Sig P365 and is extremely consistent (did not vary more than 20 fps from high to low), grouped under 1 inch at 21 feet, shoots POA = POI, fed flawlessly, did not have objectionable recoil, and is used by almost all LEA's in the area. Everything I've read, seen and personally tested tells me it's one of the top performers in 9mm out of short barreled pistols. I feel confident in this Shirt Barrel +P GD

NOTE: While I did not Chronograph the Sig ammo and I know the way I am judging it is unscientific, it just did not feel right to me. It is also the slowest velocity 9mm I've seen to date for a 115 grain bullet weight!

 

[gwpercle]

After trying the different weights in several different pistols the 124 grain Truncated Cone has come up as my (our) favorite.
Gary

 

[spirit4earth]

For range ammo, along with Federal and Blazer, what other 115gr brass case ammo is good? Fiocchi, Wolf, S&B, MagTech, Rem?

 

[TX-Dennis]

Fiocchi works well in all my nines. So do Aguila, MagTech, PPU, Remington UMC, CCI Lawman, and IMI. I don't like shooting steel cased ammo in pistols. It makes the action feel "sluggish" for lack of a better term. I believe it's because the cases aren't as slick as brass. Having said that, I have shot Wolf and Tula on occasion, and they did function. I just didn't like the way the pistol felt when shooting them - like the slide moved slowly.

The only brass or aluminum 9mm range ammo I've really had issues with is Winchester white box. It's very inconsistent and causes occasional stoppages.

 

[chief38]

For range ammo, along with Federal and Blazer, what other 115gr brass case ammo is good? Fiocchi, Wolf, S&B, MagTech, Rem?

The American Eagle brand ( owned by Federal ) is always on sale, always available and is excellent ammo! I stay away from aluminum and steel cases - especially when I can get Brass for the same price or sometimes less. AE is available in 115, 124 and 147 grain weights.

 

[Nevada Ed]

If you look up the spec's on the NATO round, you might come to
a section to where it was stated that it should come close to a
energy of around 400 ft/lbs.

The standard 124gr bullet needs to get around 1200fps to get 396 ME.
Todays modern 115gr FMJ bullet needs to get to 1250fps for 399 ME.

Some machine guns would not function with this rated NATO speed and
a round with more energy was made that did around 1300fps,
to work the actions, with the heavy 124gr bullets.
Later on, I believe this hotter load got the +P rating.

Any weapon in "Good" condition can fire the NATO ammo but
like a 38 "Airweight" a lot of +P ammo can loosen it up.....
so use the NATO now and then, over the standard 9mm loadings, if you love your old weapon.

 

[Harkrader]

"A THOUGHT TO PONDER: If the FBI hand gun selection process and selection committee is so brilliant, then how come over the course of their history they have changed guns, ammo, calibers more times than any other LE Agency I know of!?? " chief38

I submit that any user that/who is not constantly evaluating its ammo, firearms and tactics is incompetent. Things change. Do you want the FBI to still be using the .38 Special lead-nose bullets in revolvers the size of artillery, as in the 1930s? You'll be alone on that side of the street.

 

[rockquarry]

"A THOUGHT TO PONDER: If the FBI hand gun selection process and selection committee is so brilliant, then how come over the course of their history they have changed guns, ammo, calibers more times than any other LE Agency I know of!?? " chief38

I submit that any user that/who is not constantly evaluating its ammo, firearms and tactics is incompetent. Things change. Do you want the FBI to still be using the .38 Special lead-nose bullets in revolvers the size of artillery, as in the 1930s? You'll be alone on that side of the street.

Submit what you wish, but is a constant selection and evaluation of ammo necessary? That's like the obsessive element of the concealed carry folks that are constantly on the lookout for the latest and greatest but spend little or no time improving their skills.

As for the 1930s .38 Special revolver crowd, I'd be more fearful of them than I would present day 9mm, 40 S&W, 10mm, etc. shooters that lacked basic shooting expertise, but had the best ammo they could buy, even if they couldn't hit anything with it.

Different ways of looking at all this...

 

[spirit4earth]

I always use 115 at the range. How does using 124 or 147 affect wear on the gun? I have a 2.0 9c.

 

[rwsmith]

Seeing how....

...most self defense is done at close range, a little extra power (and recoil) isn't really needed.

I prefer 125 gr to 147 but stick with 125 gr.

I don't buy 'boutique ammo' but stick with what does consistently well on tests (gelatin or other) and what I've experienced.

My best choices for penetration and reliability have been Remington Golden Saber and Federal HST. Speer Gold Dots are good, but I've seen them fail more often than the Rems and Feds. I've come to believe in a BIG hollow point opening.

Don't use FMJ because they consistently punch clean holes that may not stop an attacker immediately. I did some experiments with bullets that didn't expand bigger than the nominal diameter of the bullet and they zipped through 18" of wet pulp AND the 5 gallon bucket like a hot knife through butter.

Something good about 9mm is that modern bullet construction make the round more effective in stopping ability, which is good to have when the perp is hyped up on drugs or has some other 'extra motiviation'.