147 grain 9mm vs the 115 or 124 (especially in shorter barrels)

[rabbitt]

Anyone have an issue running 147 grain JHP's in their shorter barrel 9mm?

One of the State's preferred ammo vendor used to offer us (when buying out of pocket) 50 round boxes of the Gold Dot's for 20 bucks in 124 grain, now they're offering the 50 round boxes of 147 grain at the same price.

I got two boxes, and i'm going to try them out, but was wondering if anyone had any opinion.

Right now, i'm using 124 grain gold dots in my duty piece without much of an issue.
Also, i go thru about 150 rounds a month in practice.

I tried 115's out, but find that i shoot low with the 115 JHP's.

[Montkun]

I've shot all 3 sizes in my Hi-Point 995 and haven't had any issues with feeding or function, accuracy does definitely change on all 3 though. 115's tend to be slightly eratic coming out of the rifle, while 147's tend to shoot a little higher than normal for me. I prefer the 124's personally, they seem to have the combo of velocity and force that lays the shots directly where I point them.

147's definitely seem to be the champ as far as power goes, but I don't like aiming center mass and putting shots in the collar bone or higher depending on my aim point. Every gun will behave differently with different weight ammos, so the best advice I could say is to try them out and see what happens at the range before they hit live duty. Maybe yours will shoot them dead on, but in my case I prefer 124's.

[Plano Mark]

I stay away from 115 gr. For long bbls around 5 in, I like 147 gr. For shorter bbls, like my 709 or Glock 26, I like 124 +P.

Just a personal preference from reading, I have not done any testing.

[TexasDeputy]

I have had no function problems with 147gr JHP in either my Taurus 709 of my Ruger LC9. There have been some published concerns about the reduced velocity from a 3" barrel and the detrimental effect that it may have on expansion.

I purchased from a "preferred state supplier" with stores in Austin and Garland/Dallas, boxes of the 9mm explicitly designated for "short barrels". They functioned well, but I have no empirical proof that they outperform the normal loads, but published reviews indicate that they might perform well.

There has also been some discussion in other threads about using +P in the short barrels to offset the short barrel effect, including one post elsewhere here where the person posted his chronograph results showing that his +P muzzle velocity with the short barrel was about the same as a normal load out of a longer 5" barrel. Personally, I have concerns about +P in these lightweight weapons.

Right now in my concealed micro 9mm in a tuckable IWB holster, I have the Hornady 124gr Law Enforcement JHP. (also purchased from a "state supplier")

[mp3mogul]

I use the 124s in short barrels and the 147s in longer barrels.

[Qwiks draw]

From doing some research of the internet and perusing gun periodicals, as well as personal experience, the 115gr. rounds work well. So do the 124gr. and 147gr. rounds as well. There might be some brands or ammo types of these kinds that do not work well and some that will.

Small simi-autos are finicky about what they like.

I would try a box or two of practice ammo with FMJ or round nosed ammo and then try the premium rounds to see what works and what doesn't. With the practice ammo you can get a ballpark idea what will and what won't.

So far my PT709 likes Winchester, Federal, Remington, UMC, and Silver Bear ammo. The Sliver Bear is Russian steel cased with a coating of nickel on the case and the bullet weights are either 115gr. or 145gr..

[dowby77]

The stuff desinged for short barrels doesnt really give you that much of a boost in performance,It just looks good on the packaging.I prefer using 124gr in my 9mm but I shoot alot of 115gr because thats what they have for cheap in the company store.

[rabbitt]

My 609 shoots low with 115 gr ball, pretty accurate with 124 gr ball. (using both WWB and federal)

I carry the 124 gr speer gold dots (the P+ 1150 fps version, not the 1080) as a carry load.

I purchased 2 boxes of the usual, and 2 boxes of the 147 gr. As soon as I get them in, i'll head to the range and try them both out, see how they compare, both in my 609, and my issued beretta.

[DKSlim]

Interesting thread, 115 grains shoot low in my Berretta 92. 124 and 147 grains are spot on. Unfortunately wish I had read this thread before I bought 1000 115 grain for plinking.

[dingo3497]

I have shot/tested the 115gr. FMJ, 124gr HP, 124gr +P, 147gr HP and 147gr +P out of my (2) 24/7 Pro C's. My personal data and experience has lead me to load with PDX bonded 124gr + P ammo. With test yardages ranging from 20 ft- 40 yards.