Winchester 9mm 124 FMJ Nato Specs?

[Reggie TisFree]

Hey guys,
What is the accurate FPS on this ammo?
On the box, it says 1140 FPS, yet on the Winchester same site where I got the pic from it shows 1200 FPS??? Q4318 | Winchester Ammunition
like so:
Convert Units
DISTANCE(YARDS) VELOCITY(FPS) ENERGY(FT-LBS)
Muzzle - 1200 396
5 yds - 1188 388
25 yds - 1142 359

 

[alwslate]

Depends on the gun it’s fired in. I think the factory spec is 1200 FPS out of a barrel of a specified length what ever that may be. Out of your gun? The only way to know for sure is to chronograph it. The vast majority of factory ammo will chronograph at a lower velocity than what is claimed when fired from typical handguns.

 

[ddixie884]

NATO specs should be the same for all ammo with that bullet weight...

 

[LVSteve]

1140 fps is the spec for USA9MM listed as 9mm Luger, not Q4318 shown as 9mm NATO good for 1200 fps.

 

[rockquarry]

A 60 fps variance is meaningless. There is often discrepancy in such figures for various reasons and usually they are insignificant.

 

[Homie]

FWIW- Q4318- Box says 1140 Muzzle Vel.

My results a year ago @ 15': 5"1911-1190; 4" Lone Wolf-1163;
4" M39-2-1131; Glock 43 3.4"-1088.

 

[LVSteve]

FWIW- Q4318- Box says 1140 Muzzle Vel.

My results a year ago @ 15': 5"1911-1190; 4" Lone Wolf-1163;
4" M39-2-1131; Glock 43 3.4"-1088.

So the Winchester boxes and their website do not agree? Priceless.

 

[MTC(SS)Ret]

I thought I read somewhere they usually test pistol ammo with 5" barrels.
Any way I doubt anyone getting hit in the chest with either round won't notice the difference.

 

[S&WIowegan]

I shoot this Winchester 9mm NATO ammo in my Ruger PCC. I use it for several reasons. First, before the current shortage I was buying this stuff by the case for $8.99 per box. Second, the Ruger runs well with hot ammo as opposed to cheapy 115gr once widely available. Last, I recover the brass to use in my handloads for my S&W Model 929.

You may know that Winchester has the contract to produce 9mm ammo for US armed forces. The ammo from Winchester that sells retail is stuff that failed inspection for minor reasons. I've never had a dud from this stuff.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

It's probably just my age, but I cannot abandon my suspicion that anyone who believes factory-published velocities also believes in the tooth fairy.

 

[WR Moore]

First off, if it was loaded as NATO ammo, the case head should have a cross in a circle stamp. The NATO spec for 9 mm ammunition is between 400 and 600 ft/lbs of energy using a bullet between 108 gr and 128 gr out of a 7 7/8 inch test barrel of very specific dimensions. For a 124 gr bullet, that's at least 1205 f/s.

I expect that out of the official test barrel, it'll probably do 1200+ f/s. OTOH, out of the SAAMI 4 inch barrel, the 1140 f/s sounds about right. You won't know what you're really getting unless you run it across a good chronograph from your handgun.

 

[BE Mike]

It really doesn't matter, as long as the ammo functions in your gun(s) and meets your accuracy requirements. If it really bugs you, you may want to get one of these: LabRadar - Chronograph - Bobcat Armament

 

[Homie]

FWIW- Q4318- Box says 1140 Muzzle Vel.

My results a year ago @ 15': 5"1911-1190; 4" Lone Wolf-1163;
4" M39-2-1131; Glock 43 3.4"-1088.

ADDED:NATO Cross and Circle present, WMA headstamp, from Cabela's.

 

[Reggie TisFree]

A 60 fps variance is meaningless. There is often discrepancy in such figures for various reasons and usually they are insignificant.

I can see that, yet make it a quick fix and be professional and have one reading or share why you have two variants!
I've noticed some of the fly-by-night ammo makers are now opting to NOT listing any ballistic info on their 9mm ammo...what morons!

 

[Reggie TisFree]

It really doesn't matter, as long as the ammo functions in your gun(s) and meets your accuracy requirements. If it really bugs you, you may want to get one of these: LabRadar - Chronograph - Bobcat Armament

It functions splendidly, just curious as to why they have two listings and was anybody else wise to it.
In the bigger scheme of things, I'm good!

 

[WR Moore]

Just for a little historical perspective, back around 1990 I went to a USPSA match while I was visiting my previous home state. I ran down to the LGS and bought a couple of boxes of Winchester White Box (WWB) 9mm. I don't recall the bullet weight. When my ammo was chronod, it didn't make 1000 f/s. In other words, it didn't even make the standard for minor caliber. Since it was factory, they gave me the minor caliber rating.

With the exception of Winchester brown box NATO marked 9 mm, I haven't bought any of their loaded ammo since.

 

[Dave_n]

If you go back before WWI the rating for 9 mm Luger was around the NATO specs for 124 grain, which is what the original Luger ammo bullet weighed after grains to gm conversion. Due to the toggle-link, Lugers need a bit more "oomph" to run consistently. There were some comments years ago that US ammo in 9 mm would not function in Lugers consistently. When looked into, the rounds were 115 grain and lacked the "oomph required". Dave_n

 

[alwslate]

Way back in the late 80s I bought a few boxes of Winchester brown box NATO 124 gr 9mm ammo at a gun show. It was supposed to be true military issue ammo that was not supposed to be available to the public. It chronographed right at 1200 FPS out of my Glock 19’s 4” barrel. It was much hotter than their white box 115 gr FMJ ammo.

 

[LVSteve]

With the exception of Remington's old 9BP load and +P marked SD ammo, all US manufactured 115gr ammo is plinking fodder, little more. Fiocchi and S&B have a lot more zip in that weight. It's not just in 9mm this problem exists. Most US produced .380 and .32 ACP ball ammo barely cycles in a European made weapon.

 

[mckenney99]

I just found my records and when I chronographed various loads through my 7.75 in barreled CZ Scorpion I got the following average velocities (don't know how many rounds I checked or the distance to chrono)
Winchester 124gr NATO 1267fps
S&B 124gr fmj 1168fps
S&B 115gr fmj 1255fps
Federal 124gr HST 1149fps
Federal 124gr +P HST 1403fps

Just to add to the collectives information.