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There are a lot fo different loadings out there for 9mm. The world's most popular handgun cartridge is certainly diverse, but why? We demonstrated while testing Liberty Ammunition's Civil Defense that velocity beats projectile weight when it comes to generating energy, but are some barrel lengths better with one weight over another?
Shooting is about delivering energy upon a remote target. The more energy delivered the more damage caused. So which bullet weight hits hardest from what barrel lengths?
To test this I needed to find an ammunition manufacturer that offered the same branded loading in several projectile weights and multiple calibers (this test was also done for 45acp) and had them all in stock. I was spending enough money on ammunition that I didn't need to rack up a bunch of shipping charges from various vendors and so wanted it all in once place.
My idea of using the same branded load was to eliminate the possible variable of one projectile weight also being loaded for different performance parameters than another.
The company that met these parameters at the time I ordered was Sig with their Elite Defense line.
Sig did not sponsor this article in any way, I purchased this ammunition at full retail.
Sig Elite Defense 9mm
(priced at time arrticle was written, click links for current pricing)
The next part to make this as fair and practical of a test as possible was to ensure I used common barrel lengths. While barrels are made to different specifications from one brand to the next, I wanted to get a general idea.
Diclaimers /Known Flaws
It would be unfair to see or use these results as an absolute. They do get us started in a direction and should be used as a general guideline for your own deeper exploration. Below is a list of known flaws or factors you should consider before taking this (or any) ammo test as an absolute.
Altitude and Temperature play a role. These results were obtained at 200' elevation and 80f.
Results are from an average velocity of five shots, measured at 7 yards. A higher round count from multiple production lots would yield fairer results, but also require significantly more time and funding.
While many loads offer the same projectile weights, some are loaded specifically for certain barrel lengths. SAAMI specifies a 4" barrel for 9mm loading, but there are specialty loads out there.
This test was only one branding of one manufacturer. It is possible others might have different results like we saw in the multi-load test seen HERE.
This test shows us energy delivered, not terminal performance. It is possible a bullet causes more damage with less energy or the opposite, but since there are too many variable to fairly test that we're sticking to the one thing we can fairly measure: energy.
This test uses the common bullet weights of 115gr, 124gr, and 147gr. Other weights, as we've seen, will have different results, some of which counter results seen here.
I regret not including a 3.7" barrel option for those who prefer the Sig P365 XL-sized pistols, however we do have some results from the multi-load test performed previously.
Firearms Used and Results
Canik METE MC9 represents the micro compacts and single-stack 9mms that proceeded them with a 3" barrel. This is shorter than SAAMI specification which means some hollow points may not get the speed they need to perform properly. Obviously that does not negate that fact that the target was hit. A hollow point going slower than intended typically penetrates farther, but does not open as broadly.
The Canik METE MC9 yielded the most energy from the 124gr Sig Elite Defense with a 7% edge over Sig Elite Defense 115gr and 22% more energy than Sig Elite Defense 147gr.
BUL Armory Axe C Hatchet represents the "Glock 19" size of firearms generally described as "compact". A 4" barrel is what SAAMI uses as the standard for 9mm and so it's safe to assume that is what most US-made ammunition is designed to perform optimally in.
As expected we saw in increase in energy from all four loads over the 3" barrel. Once again Seig Elite 124gr performed the best with a slight edge over Sig Elite Defense 115gr, but an impressive 18% win over Sig Elite Defense 147gr.
BUL Armory EDC represents the growing interest in "Commander" length doublestack 1911s. This is also the barrel length that I prefer to carry not only for the implied increase in energy, but because I tend to shoot better with a longer sight radius and slower-moving slide.
Interesting results here. Again Sig Elite Defense 124gr was the winner, but the 115gr load lost some ernegy compared to how it performed in the 4". The 147gr did better than it did in a 3", but slightly worse than it did from a 4". The energy gain of 124gr over how it performed in the 4" was marginal, but that could just be this specific load or a result of the small sample size.
Conclusions
There are a few things we can take away from this while keeping in mind this was a test of just one branded load from one ammunition manufacturer:
124gr seems to be the overall winner.
147gr was about 17% less energy than 124gr. Although it shoots slightly softer, recoil reduction is not worth 17% less energy on target for me in a defensive use.
115gr was a very close second place in all three barrels tested; close enough to make for an acceptable alternative.
As seen in the videos, Sig Elite Defense may have their 124gr loaded a little hotter than their other offerings to get both speed and bullet weight working for it.
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