$100 Field Pistol

[GJM]

The field pistol concept, is a semi auto handgun, that is reliable, can be shot well, and has the ability to launch bullets that penetrate well. I have another thread going, testing two 10mm pistols as field pistols, but I believe this Underwood 147+P coated hard cast load gives your regular 9mm, field pistol capability. The reason I call this the $100 field pistol, is for about $100 you can buy 100 rounds of this load, test four magazines in your pistol, and have a few magazines of it for carry when you want a penetrating load.

https://underwoodammo.com/9mm-luger-...-hunting-ammo/

I shot a ten round group with this load, freestyle from 25 yards, with a Glock 19 yesterday. It shoots POI to other loads like 124 Lawman and 124+P Gold Dot.





Back in 2019, 5pins from PF, tested this load (prior to it getting Underwood's latest coating over the hard cast), and it had excellent penetration. You should peruse his testing results while there, as there is a lot of interesting information.

https://general-cartridge.com/2019/0...allistics-gel/

I have no connection with Underwood, other than I have been buying their loaded ammo for years, with complete satisfaction.

I have shot enough of this load in Glock 19 OEM barrels, and through the Mayhem barrel and comp, to feel good about reliability in the Glock 19, but if you decide to test this concept, I would appreciate you reporting your results here. I would love to capture information on reliability and POI for as many different type pistols as possible.

Previously, I was carrying the Underwood Lehigh Xtreme penetrator load. It functioned in a wide range of 9mm pistols, but it is twice the cost of the hard cast load, and in 5pins' testing, didn't penetrate nearly as well as the hard cast load.

PS, Underwood has a 15 percent off Valentines Day sale today, if you want to try some of this load.

[rjohnson4405]

After getting rid of my HK45C I was running with Buffalo Bore hard cast 45 Supers this is the road I'm headed down.

Planning a hike in the rockies this summer, where I always have a "bear" load on hand so I'll be testing (probably Lost River's version of this) in an M&P 2.0 4.25 9mm.

[ECVMatt]

Thanks for the post.

I have shot/hunted with the 10mm and other BB handguns and still enjoy shooting them. However as I get a bit older, I enjoy shooting my 9mm's more and more. I also like to keep things simpler on trips and don't like to brings tons of different guns, ammo types, magazines, holsters, etc. I am gravitating more and more to my Gen 5 19 and 45 as good companions for most of my activities.

I am not giving up my 10 or any of my BB handguns any time soon, but also don't feel under armed with a vetted 9mm stoked with the appropriate ammo.

[RevolverRob]

I honestly thought this was going to be $100 Field Pistol, because it was going to be the new 10mm Hi-Point...

[luckyman]

Dang it, I had just stocked up on the Xtreme penetrator load.

[Clusterfrack]

I'm still not convinced that 147 lead hardcast is better than XP for penetrating bear skulls without deflecting.

[WDR]

I'm still not convinced that 147 lead hardcast is better than XP for penetrating bear skulls without deflecting.

Sectional density is greater with a 147gr lead bullet, vs a 115gr copper. Depending on how hard the lead is, I don't imagine the differences in bullet deformation would matter much. Sheer penetration in gel may not tell the whole story. Think about rifle bullets and hard armor penetration, where the 55gr M193 penetrates steel better than 62gr M855 with a steel core. Velocity makes the difference, not bullet construction.

Short of actually shooting bears in the face for science, we may not answer this conclusively.

[MickAK]

I'm still not convinced that 147 lead hardcast is better than XP for penetrating bear skulls without deflecting.

I'm not sure that would be the problem.

I'm not convinced it's as reliable in adverse conditions or with a less than ideal grip. My nightmare scenario is letting off a warning shot that provokes a charge in addition to causing a malfunction that I get run over clearing.

But, I spent a lot of money testing the XP for reliability and if I hadn't already done that I might be more interested in testing the hardcast. I'm definitely following GJMs work with interest and I appreciate his thoroughness in solving this problem.

[willie]

Reloaders who shoot 9mm 147 grain cast bullets often discover that CZ pistols will not function with their hand loads. The reason is that CZ chambers are shorter than most other brands. CZ owners might verify before buying this ammo.

Cast bullet penetration requires more than just hardness. Hard can include brittle. Brittle bullets can break up when hitting bone. Too much antimony in the alloy will make a hard bullet brittle. Because lead bullets are "slicker" than jacketed bullets, they create less friction in the bore and thus attain higher velocity with the same pressure. If I wanted a super penetrating jacketed bullet, I would locate the desired shape and weight, squeeze it down to .353 using a special die, and then load the bullet behind a maximum plus charge of Blue Dot. Accurate? I doubt it, but I'd get penetration because this thing would be fast.

[Clusterfrack]

Sectional density is greater with a 147gr lead bullet, vs a 115gr copper. Depending on how hard the lead is, I don't imagine the differences in bullet deformation would matter much. Sheer penetration in gel may not tell the whole story. Think about rifle bullets and hard armor penetration, where the 55gr M193 penetrates steel better than 62gr M855 with a steel core. Velocity makes the difference, not bullet construction.

Short of actually shooting bears in the face for science, we may not answer this conclusively.

Velocity and sharp edges of the bullet were what I was thinking about. Underwood/Lehigh XP 115 +p+ velocity is 1300fps from my P-07. As well as testing those, I made a bunch of 115 XP handloads using AA#7 and didn't have a single malfunction no matter what I did.