16" 9x19 AR15 Carbine Chrono Test.... 77 different 9x19 OEM rounds chronographed.

[bfoosh006]

As always... YMMV... so please view my carbines data as just my results... the same barrel, under the same conditions, so as to eliminate variables, .... your carbine might be faster or slower slightly.

I want to make sure everyone realizes my results are from a Colt Pattern Carbine, with a mag block insert..... any feeding issues might not happen in a Glock Pattern, or a designed from the ground up 9x19 carbine ( Beretta, Sig .. etc.. ) So take the feeding issues with a grain of salt.



I realize most people are not really concerned with the velocity of various 9x19 rounds... but ...My goal was to see what will run in my carbine, what the velocities were , and "guesstimating" what the added velocity would do to the various JHP, Bonded HP's, Copper HP's etc.... ( You have to start somewhere... )

A good example would be the Fed. XM9001.... that older design bullet already penetrates to a shallow depth.. and the added velocity will probably make its penetration depth less... kinda acting like a "varmint" 9mm round.

I also know there are various other sites with very helpful info ( BBTI ) ... but, some of their data is kind of dated, and does not include the newest rounds.


Weather.....68 degrees, slightly overcast, chronograph was 12 feet from the muzzle.

18rds of each 9x19 ammo was chronographed...
The reason being, I am going to later conduct a 32rd mag test concerning reliability / feeding and accuracy test... I will include the FTF and FTE , etc from this round of testing.

My "standard" for velocity checks, is GECO Swiss 124gr... I have found it to be very consistent and accurate... so I used it every hour to spot check velocity.
Just to make sure the sun or "murphy's law " wasn't skewing chronograph results.

Rifle info....
PSA 16" 9MM Colt Pattern Hybrid, 1n10 twist, Lantac Muzzle Brake, ALG ACT trigger with JP Springs, 6.75oz Buffer, Tubbs .308 variable power spring.

Competition Electronics ProChrono Pal Chronograph was used....


General observations...

Not all 9mm is created equal... I observed numerous nasty bullet setbacks.. Photos will follow later... but it was obvious some brands use better QC and neck tensions / crimp pressure.... ( Remember YMMV )

Only one 9mm OEM round would not cycle consistently, it should be noted that every other FMJ bullet fed perfectly in my carbine, but not the MaxxTech 115gr FMJ ... and it was VERY low velocity as well ( compared to same weight ammo ) perhaps the low velocity contributed to the feed issues.....

While some of the ammo was expensive, those same rounds were very impressive in function.. I have to say Buffalo Bore ammo was 100% reliable....even while using the same bullet ( Barnes X bullet ) that other manufacturers rounds had trouble with.

I expected some JHP's to choke while feeding, simply because of the HP's profile and the less then perfect feed ramps of a Colt pattern carbine.... and some did.... consistently across the weights.
That is NOT to say it is bad ammo... just not a good choice in my AR15 Colt pattern 9MM... that same ammo might feed perfectly in a Sig MPX... Or a Glock Pattern AR....or such.

As we all know... a blowback 9mm carbine can get filthy quickly, and some ammo burns very clean... while some burns filthy.
If you are running a suppressor..... I strongly suggest you use the cleanest burning, fully coated / "sealed" bullet.... I was just starting to have issues with chambering at the end of the day.. from the gunk that had accumulated. There was no noticeable effect on velocities... just function got sluggish.

Onward to the velocity results.... ( accuracy and 32rd reliability tests will be part 2 )

[bfoosh006]

115gr and below...


Buffalo Bore, +P+ 95gr Barnes TAC-XP..........1880fps, very consistent, Low ES

LeHigh Defense, +P 90gr Extreme Defense... 1773fps, no issues.



Aguila, 115gr FMJ......................................1360fps, low ES
Aguila, +P 115gr FMJ.................................1418fps

Armscor, 115gr FMJ...................................1200fps, very smooth shooting.

Barnes, +P 115gr XTAC...............................1303fps ...4 FTF

Blazer, 115gr FMJ.......................................1335fps

Brown Bear, 115gr FMJ ..............................1398fps... the gunky chamber didn't like the Lacquered case

Browning, 115gr FMJ...................................1392

Buffalo Bore, +P+ 115gr Barnes TAC-XP .....1505fps, very low ES, so much so that it was noticeable , very consistent feeling.

Colt SCHP, 115gr Solid Copper HP...............1360fps.... dismal feeding.. 8 FTF... no setback though

Federal, 115gr FMJ Aluminum cased, .........1326fps... 4 NASTY bullet setbacks resulting in FTF
Federal, 115gr JHP, XM9001.......................1532fps
Federal 115gr SynTech...............................1362fps....3 FTF... found a chunk of the "Poly" jacket in the rifle cleanup

Hornady, 115gr C. Defense FTX...................1340fps

GECO, 115gr FMJ, German made................1334fps

IMI, 115gr FMJ..........................................1427f ps, very low ES, clean

Independence, 115gr FMJ..........................1305fps... 60 ES

Magtech, 115gr FMJ..................................1371fps

MaxxTech, 115gr FMJ................................1198fps, for a FMJ bullet..numerous FTF, underpowered part of the issue ?

PMC, 115gr FMJ........................................1287fps

PPU, 115gr FMJ.........................................1363fp s, NASTY setback in 9rds ( worst of all the setbacks ) This is the ammo that made me realize "not all ammo is equal"

Sellier & Bellot, 115gr FMJ.........................1340, large ES 102, smelled odd ?!
Sellier & Bellot, 115gr JHP.........................1370fps.... 5 FTF, 2 with setback

Sig Sauer, 115gr FMJ.................................1498fps
Sig Sauer, 115gr JHP V-Crown....................1462fps... NASTY setback... AGAIN, setback in my Carbine YMMV !!!

Silver Bear, 115gr .....................................1525fps

Speer 115gr TMJ.......................................1396fps

Winc. 115gr FMJ.......................................1370fps

Wolf 115gr FMJ Polyperformance..............1530fps... 1st lot #,... tested twice because of the high velocities
Wolf 115gr FMJ Polyperformance..............1410fps... 2nd different lot #,... also tested twice because of the very different lots

[bfoosh006]

124gr



Aguila, 124gr FMJ.................................1280fps

Buffalo Bore, +P 124gr JHP...................1470fps

Colt 124gr JHP, by Double Tap..............1332fps , 3 FTF , 3 setback of the setbacks single loaded and fired.. 1419fps
Colt NM 124gr FMJ................................1280fps

Federal, 124gr HST...................................1335fps.. oddly a little smokey
Federal, +P 124gr HST..............................1422fps
Federal,124gr FMJ AE................................1287fps

IMI, 124gr FMJ.........................................1325fp s

Hornady, +P 124gr TAP FPD.....................1378fps, 2 FTF, no bullet setback

GECO, 124gr FMJ Hungarian.....................1242fps
GECO, 124gr Copper Clad Steel Jacket, Swiss.... 1248fps... 8 ES

Magtech, 124gr Bonded JHP.................1392fps
MagTech, 124gr FMJ............................1328, very Low ES

MEN 124gr FMJ....................................1310fps

PMC 124gr Starfire...............................1235fps, Honestly , I thought this would not feed... but it was perfect... soft shooting.
PMC, 124gr FMJ ...................................1195fps

Remington, +P 124gr BlackBelt GS........1398fps... 1 FTF, no setback
Remington, +P 124gr GS.......................1395fps... Perfect

Sellier & Belliot, 124gr FMJ...................1280fps
Sellier & Belliot, 124gr Soft Point...........1290fps

Sig Sauer, 124gr JHP V-Crown..............1430fps... nasty setback 5rds.. 5FTF.. didn't like my Colt pattern feed lips.

Speer +P 124gr GD..............................1458fps
Speer 124gr GD...................................1376fps
Speer 124gr TMJ .................................1304fps

Winchester 124gr FMJ NATO................1340fps

[bfoosh006]

135gr, 147gr, and 158gr


Federal, +P 135gr Tactical Bonded HP......1345fps....

Hornady, 135gr Critical Duty Flexlock......1130fps, very low ES 14
Hornady, +P 135gr Critical Duty, Flex. ....1225fps.. ES 18



AYSM, 147gr "Match"..............................998fps... .

Browning, 147gr X Point.........................1122fps... 2 FTF... no bullet setback
Browning, 147gr FMJ..............................1168fps... smooth as a sewing machine...and clean burning

Federal, +P 147gr HST..........................1182fps
Federal, 147gr JHP "9MS".......................1132fps

Magtech, 147gr JHP...............................1195fps... High ES 98

Remington, 147gr FMJ............................1144fps.... slightly odd bullet profile, but no issues.

Sig Sauer, 147gr V-Crown.......................1165fps, 11rds FTF, nasty bullet setback... I am confident the V-Crown ( Sierra ) bullet is a GREAT design... but it just didn't feed in my carbine.

Silver Bear, 145gr JHP............................1052fps, 3 FTF.. no bullet setback

Speer 147gr GD ( 1st Gen ).....................1184fps... 5 FTF... no bullet setback...

Winc. 147gr FMJ Train & Defend..............1107fps.... very accurate, very clean burning, and very smooth running... My favorite carbine ammo. Hands down.
Winc. 147gr Bonded JHP ........................1167fps



IMI, 158gr FMJ.......................................1018fps. ... low ES 16

PPU, 158gr FMJ......................................1005fps

[GuanoLoco]

MaxxTech 115 uses (IMHO) incredibly stupid stepped brass. A few other mfg's also use substandard stepped brass but MaxxTech takes it to an entirely new level. I'm sure there are benefits from MaxxTech point of view (cheaper case manufacturing, cheaper lighter bullets, prevents bullet setback, less powder required due to reduced case capacity) but from my point of view (a reloader) this is stupid and potentially dangerous.

Why? Lighter bullets require MORE powder, and they are using reduced case capacity to drive up case pressures. They can use faster powders to reduce powder consumption and fit in reduced case capacity, but this again drives up case pressures. The spot at the step is a point of weakness where case separation can occur - potentially leaving the shooter with a ring of brass stuck in the chamber. I suspect you are seeing weak power because they are also running as little powder as they can get away with and still cycle a pistol.



Taper crimping in 9mm isn't going to prevent setback, that will come primarily from neck tension, bullet weight and seating depth. longer, heavier bullets seated deeper in a 9m tapered case will likely resist setback better. For reloaders, a "U-Die" will size a case 0.001" tighter and also help prevent setback associated with the heavy mass of a blowback operated PCC chambering a round.

[octagon]

Thanks for sharing your results.

[Super77]

Great info, thanks for sharing. It looks like the 125gr MEN, Magtech, and GECO are some nice plinking rounds.

I'm trying to come up with a PCC-optimal 9mm load and your testing helps a lot. I wonder if 124gr is the sweet spot for 9mm blowback PCCs. It looks like the 124gr bullets don't lose much velocity to the 155gr and might have a little more bearing surface to help prevent setback as GuanoLoco described. The 124gr components are also generally quite a bit cheaper than 147gr. Also, it's good news that neck tension is enough to hold the bullet in the case, not as much crimp. I like running plated bullets and they don't like much crimp. It sounds to me like a 124gr plated or TMJ bullet over a clean-burning powder and using a U die would be a nice combo, maybe 147gr if you want to keep it subsonic.

[El Cid]

Thanks for taking the time to do all that! I'm wondering if anyone has done the same with shorter bbl carbines. During a class Pannone told us the sweet spot for 9mm is 6" or 8" (I can't recall), and anything longer would rob the bullet of velocity. Your numbers seem pretty fast which makes me wonder about that premise.

[GJM]

Out of my MPX 16 inch, Lawman 147 TMJ chronos at about 1,080 fps (159.5 power factor) and PMC 115 FMJ is about 1,250 fps (143 power factor). My load for my blow back AR9 is an Acme 135 red bullet over 2.8 of TiteGroup, at 134 power factor about 990 fps. These loads are not strong to function my 9mm pistols, which seem to need another full grain of powder for equivalent velocity. PMC 115, for example, is about 129 power factor in my pistols, or nearly 15 power factor less than in the 16 inch carbine.

As I have mentioned previously, I do not find 9mm AR pattern carbines to be anywhere near as reliable as an AR in 5.56.

[bfoosh006]

Thanks for taking the time to do all that! I'm wondering if anyone has done the same with shorter bbl carbines. During a class Pannone told us the sweet spot for 9mm is 6" or 8" (I can't recall), and anything longer would rob the bullet of velocity. Your numbers seem pretty fast which makes me wonder about that premise.

I also wondered about the general speeds... but I cross reference a couple of identical random rounds on YouTube and was comfortable with the compared results.