DocH
02-08-2007, 05:00 PM
I am happy to say that the long promised testing of various 9mm loads is now complete and the findings will be posted here on the forum within the next week to week and a half.
There are some things that I would like to reiterate to the members here before the results are posted.
First of all,I am not a scientist,nor a professional ballistician.I am just another interested person looking for information that I can use and that will be helpful to me in making good decisions in my load selections.
I used wetpack for this testing. I do not have the money or time to try to deal with ballistic gelatin. I have studied the wetpack testing long and hard and have been careful to perform the testing properly to achieve accurate results.
Mr Steven Camp has a photo on his webset of three bullets,all Winchester 127 gr. +P+ Rangers.One was fired into water jugs,another into wetpack,and the third was used to kill a whitetail deer. The closeup photos of the recovered bullets show them to be almost identical.Any difference in the bullets is certainly not visible to the naked eye.
Wetpack in my opinion can offer us a means to identify the best performing bullets and loads.Though not considered scientific by real profressionakl ballistians and scientists,I still believe we can derive some fairly accurate findings in using it.
I have in the past had the opportunity to photograph many autopsies of shooting victims,and to examine recovered bullets used in these shootings.
I have arrived at the conclusion that once the bullet hits the body,there is no way to accurately predict which direction it will take,if an obstruction suckh as bone is hit.
Recent experiences with bullts recovered from victims has convinced me that the bullet technology of today is wonderfully advanced,and the claims of expansion and penetration of certain loads are true. The ammo companies are monitored by too many shooters these days for them to not turn out a good product that meets the needs of law enforcement,m ilitary,and civilians concerned with self defense.
I have been very picky while conducting this informal testing,so much so that it has turned into a hassle at times.I wanted to do this right both for my own benefit and for the members here,as we are all interested in how our loads perform,as well as getting our hits if the need arises.
There were some surprises along the way,and truthfully,very few dissappointments. I confirmed a couple of things that I have always believed,at least for myself. I hope I don't raise anyones hackles,if your favorite 9mm load is not the top performer.Such is not my intent,and I only desire to share this information in hopes that it will be of some help if you're looking for the best load for your 9mm pistol.
It is also prudent to remember that,as you well know,every gun seems to have it's own personality,a nd some loads may perform slightly better or worse in different pistols. There's still quite a bit of work to do to get this info and the photos up,so thanks for bearing with me for a few more days.
I hope everyone will find it helpful.
Good night and Good luck,
Doc
There are some things that I would like to reiterate to the members here before the results are posted.
First of all,I am not a scientist,nor a professional ballistician.I am just another interested person looking for information that I can use and that will be helpful to me in making good decisions in my load selections.
I used wetpack for this testing. I do not have the money or time to try to deal with ballistic gelatin. I have studied the wetpack testing long and hard and have been careful to perform the testing properly to achieve accurate results.
Mr Steven Camp has a photo on his webset of three bullets,all Winchester 127 gr. +P+ Rangers.One was fired into water jugs,another into wetpack,and the third was used to kill a whitetail deer. The closeup photos of the recovered bullets show them to be almost identical.Any difference in the bullets is certainly not visible to the naked eye.
Wetpack in my opinion can offer us a means to identify the best performing bullets and loads.Though not considered scientific by real profressionakl ballistians and scientists,I still believe we can derive some fairly accurate findings in using it.
I have in the past had the opportunity to photograph many autopsies of shooting victims,and to examine recovered bullets used in these shootings.
I have arrived at the conclusion that once the bullet hits the body,there is no way to accurately predict which direction it will take,if an obstruction suckh as bone is hit.
Recent experiences with bullts recovered from victims has convinced me that the bullet technology of today is wonderfully advanced,and the claims of expansion and penetration of certain loads are true. The ammo companies are monitored by too many shooters these days for them to not turn out a good product that meets the needs of law enforcement,m ilitary,and civilians concerned with self defense.
I have been very picky while conducting this informal testing,so much so that it has turned into a hassle at times.I wanted to do this right both for my own benefit and for the members here,as we are all interested in how our loads perform,as well as getting our hits if the need arises.
There were some surprises along the way,and truthfully,very few dissappointments. I confirmed a couple of things that I have always believed,at least for myself. I hope I don't raise anyones hackles,if your favorite 9mm load is not the top performer.Such is not my intent,and I only desire to share this information in hopes that it will be of some help if you're looking for the best load for your 9mm pistol.
It is also prudent to remember that,as you well know,every gun seems to have it's own personality,a nd some loads may perform slightly better or worse in different pistols. There's still quite a bit of work to do to get this info and the photos up,so thanks for bearing with me for a few more days.
I hope everyone will find it helpful.
Good night and Good luck,
Doc