M&P Shield owners have got to try some 147g!

[Chuck]

Got a Shield? Hopping you win the give-away this month?

I was very much unimpressed with my Shields accuracy until I finally tried out some 147g ammo. At first I just tried some Black Hills FMJ (resting my wrists on a block, target at 50') and that grouped much better than anything else I've tried.

Since that was kind of nice today I tried a mag of something I found buried in an ammo can, Winchester Ranger RA9SXT in 147g:

Needless to say I am ecstatic with the performance of that load. I only had part of a box left and I just found out its not made anymore! Going to have to spend some serious cash on the current version RA9T.

cheers,
Chuck

 

[Contramnky]

I, too, have had great experience with the lower recoil of the 147gr round. To me, it's both more accurate and enjoyable to shoot.

 

[Radtekk]

Gonna have to try that out next range trip...

 

[76Too]

There’s no such thing as a magic pill. Every gun is different and that’s a fact. I’m glad you found something that works well in yours though.

If you REALLY wanna have some fun/spend years of your life researching...get into reloading/casting

 

[MAGA99]

Got 9 147s in my holstered shield and another 8 in my pocket. 147s work well in shields.

 

[AM13]

Hmm, don't think I've ever fired 147 thru my shield

 

[MMArtist]

Got a Shield? Hopping you win the give-away this month?

I was very much unimpressed with my Shields accuracy until I finally tried out some 147g ammo. At first I just tried some Black Hills FMJ (resting my wrists on a block, target at 50') and that grouped much better than anything else I've tried.
View attachment 234543
Since that was kind of nice today I tried a mag of something I found buried in an ammo can, Winchester Ranger RA9SXT in 147g:
View attachment 234545
Needless to say I am ecstatic with the performance of that load. I only had part of a box left and I just found out its not made anymore! Going to have to spend some serious cash on the current version RA9T.

cheers,
Chuck

Bench resting a shield.... mmkay

 

[minininjer]

Bench resting a shield.... mmkay

 

[Zappa]

The 147's don't fit in my Shield. (I got the .45)

 

[Hoon]

147 HSTs are extremely accurate from a shield also.

Don't know about velocity though.

 

[bdb]

1 use the 147 HST's in my 2 carry guns. Split a case of 1000 with a buddy ($400 at target sports) so now I have plenty of carry ammo that I can practice with as well. Accuracy seems pretty good. Good enough for me to carry them anyway.

 

[cockpitbob]

I've always liked the less snappy, more thumpy recoil of 147s in my little carry gun. I never experimented with their accuracy. I'll have to do that.

 

[bfm]

The 147's don't fit in my Shield. (I got the .45)

Don't fit? If you got the .45, there should be plenty of room for a 147gr round, with some to spare even.

 

[DarthRevan]

Don't fit? If you got the .45, there should be plenty of room for a 147gr round, with some to spare even.

It doesn't fill his pipe as much as he'd like it to...

 

[Noreaster]

I was practicing the other day with the shield and some AE 147s. Reminded myself how much i really like that little gun (post apex kit).

 

[nstassel]

Didn't you miss the target with every shot though? (**written without noticing the distance of 50 feet**)

 

[mikelawtown]

Didn't you miss the target with every shot though?

That’s 50 feet with a subcompact

 

[nstassel]

That’s 50 feet with a subcompact

I didn't notice the distance

 

[meh]

I love shooting 147 grain 9mm. Only thing for SD applications is that I doubt 147 grain hollow points will expand with less than a 4" barrel.

 

[nstassel]

I love shooting 147 grain 9mm. Only thing for SD applications is that I doubt 147 grain hollow points will expand with less than a 4" barrel.

As I understand the advantage of the heavy bullet is that they expand more reliably as lower velocity because there's more momentum driving the bullet. Is this incorrect?

 

[jhagberg88]

I reload 147 for my MP5, I’ll have to try it in my shield as well.

 

[And7]

Where do you guys get your 147 9mm, don't think I've seen it at my local shops

 

[DarthRevan]

Northeastarmsammo.com
Try here. Pick up at Northeast Arms in Peabody.

I have some 150 gr I'm going to try out at the range in my shield today. This should be fun.

Buffalo Bore Ammunition 9mm Luger 24J/20 | NORTHEAST ARMS LLC

 

[meh]

As I understand the advantage of the heavy bullet is that they expand more reliably as lower velocity because there's more momentum driving the bullet. Is this incorrect?

I shouldn't have generalized so broadly. It depends on the bullet design, and every bullet is going to have a minimum velocity for expansion. Hornady Critical Duty, for example, uses a hard core and requires a longer barrel to achieve expansion-producing velocities than Hornady Critical Defense, which uses a softer core. The shorter the barrel, the lower the velocity, which makes it more likely that you'll be flirting with the minimum velocity for expansion. Hard to know what that is unless you or somebody else actually tests it. Bottom line, if you're going with 147 grain in a subcompact, it needs to be one that generates enough velocity out of that gun for that bullet to expand, and there are some, e.g. Federal Premium 147grain HST (apparently). Some winners and losers are visible here using an M&P 9c (3.5" barrel).

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/#9mm

I guess just research the SD ammo you want to use out of the subcompact.

 

[Garys]

147gr was the standard LE round from the mid 1980s on. The 3rd Gen S&W guns were designed around it. 124gr will shoot okay, 115gr shoots very low. I find that as long as I do my part 147gr shoots to point of aim.

 

[enbloc]

The 147's don't fit in my Shield. (I got the .45)

You need a 230gn 9mm!

 

[whacko]

Bench resting a shield.... mmkay

I bench rest every handgun I have acquired:

1. the first time I shoot it just to see what the accuracy is and to get the sights zeroed
2. from time to time with different ammo to compare accuracy and point of impact

 

[whacko]

147gr was the standard LE round from the mid 1980s on. The 3rd Gen S&W guns were designed around it. 124gr will shoot okay, 115gr shoots very low. I find that as long as I do my part 147gr shoots to point of aim.

Most handguns have a bullet weight they are designed around. Most 357 mag revolvers are zeroed at factory with 158 grain. Both of my 357 mags shoot point of aim with 158 grain. If I shoot 125 grain they hit low.......if I shoot 180 grain (rare occasions) they hit high. that's totally normal.

 

[Garys]

Yes. My 4" and 3" K frames shoot best with 158gr rounds. My J frames like 135gr a bit better, but the 135gr Speer Law Man I carry in them was designed for short barrel guns.

Just as .45ACP guns were designed around 230gr bullets. That includes 1911s and S&W 3rd Gen guns, as well as Glocks. Probably just about all others as well. I know people that carry and shoot the 3" barreled CS45. They use 230gr as well.

Most handguns have a bullet weight they are designed around. Most 357 mag revolvers are zeroed at factory with 158 grain. Both of my 357 mags shoot point of aim with 158 grain. If I shoot 125 grain they hit low.......if I shoot 180 grain (rare occasions) they hit high. that's totally normal.

 

[gerrycaruso]

My Shield is quite accurate. I regularly shoot it at 100 yards. Mine is a .45 but my son has several 9mm Glocks and loves the 147 grain. He claims it recoils less than 115 and 124 grain.