Federal 9mm 115gr JHP (XM9001) in Clear Ballistics Gel

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5pins

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Test Gun: Sig P229, Beretta Nano.
Barrel length: 3.9, 3 inches.
Ammunition: Federal 115gr JHP (XM9001)
Test media: 10% Clear Ballistics Gel.
Distance: 10 feet.
Chronograph: Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph G2.
Five shot velocity average: 1190, 1128fps
Gel Temperature 75 degrees.



Number eight in the series is the Federal XM9001 115gr JHP. This load is often compared to the +P+ 9pble and appears to use the same bullet but pushing then with less velocity and more penetration. It also comes in at $13.99 for a box of 50.



With the Sig 229, I got a five-shot average velocity of 1190fps with a high of 1198fps and a low of 1182fps.

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Ten yards off hand five shots with the Sig P229

Out of the Nano, the five shot velocity average was 1128fps with a high of 1151fps and a low of 1114fps.

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Ten yards off hand five shots with the Beretta Nano

The first round from the Sig P229 hit the bare gel block at a velocity of 1191fps and penetrated to 11.25 inches. The recovered diameter was .67 inches and weight was 115.2 grains. The second round's velocity was 1202fps and it penetrated to 11 inches. The recovered weight was 115.6 grains and its expansion was .66 inches.

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In the gel covered with heavy clothing, the first round from the Sig the had a velocity of 1201fps and penetrated to 12.5 inches. The recovered diameter was .65 inches and the weight was 113.1 grains. Round two's velocity was 1220fps and it penetrated to 10.5 inches. The recovered diameter was .67 inches and the recovered weight was also 113.1 grains.

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Using the Beretta Nano the first round in the bare gel had a velocity of 1120fps and penetration of 11.5 inches. The recovered weight was 114.2 grains and the recovered diameter was .63 inches. Round two had a velocity of 1139fps and it penetrated to 11 inches. The bullet weight was 114.4 grains and the diameter was .64 inches.

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Is this some of the 50 rounds to a box or some of the 20-25 rounds at a dollar+ ammo? The performance looks great but I won't buy the high priced boutique ammo.
 
umber eight in the series is the Federal XM9001 115gr JHP. This load is often compared to the +P+ 9pble and appears to use the same bullet but pushing then with less velocity and more penetration. It also comes in at $13.99 for a box of 50.
.......
 
Number eight in the series is the Federal XM9001 115gr JHP. This load is often compared to the +P+ 9pble and appears to use the same bullet but pushing then with less velocity and more penetration. It also comes in at $13.99 for a box of 50.

Thanks. I guess I missed that. just goes to show you don't have to work an extra shift to buy decent ammo. I appreciate the testing you do.:thumbup:
 
5pins, I appreciate your tests with the XM9001. I've used a fair amount of the XM9001 in the last few years, and always wondered how it might perform in gel. I've not done any gel teats, but have found the XM9001, 9BP, and 9BPLE Federal 115 JHP loads to be flawlessly reliable in my guns. All three Federal 115 JHPs have also displayed excellent accuracy in my pistols, revolvers, and carbine. Thanks again for your testing.
 
So, bottom line, it over expands and doesn't penetrate enough.

Average of 11.3", not that bad IMO. It depends if you need it to pass the FBI protocol. There are effective loads... that also fail to reach that 12" minimum.

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My agency found that 9 inches was all you needed. Field experience showed they were correct.

Jim
 
I for one don't hold that the average CCW carrier needs the FBI protocol. It's a good guide, but we're not generally shooting at determined assassins and terrorists. 9 inches, if it expands well, sounds about right to me.

Honestly, I'm impressed with this. I had assumed the venerable 9bple worked because of the velocity. This is good for an older design.
 
One big advantage of this slug is that it will feed in guns when other JHPs will not. Remington also loads slugs of similar profile but cost of their ammo is significantly more.than Federal.
 
I for one don't hold that the average CCW carrier needs the FBI protocol. It's a good guide, but we're not generally shooting at determined assassins and terrorists. 9 inches, if it expands well, sounds about right to me.

It's just that, a standard. Not a natural law. Here's a quote from the 1987 Wound Ballistics Workshop:

"It is essential, however, to bear in mind that the single most critical factor remains penetration. A handgun bullet MUST reliably penetrate 10-12 inches of soft body tissue at a minimum, regardless of whether it expands or not. Penetration up to 18 inches would be even better. If the bullet does not reliably penetrate to these depths, it is not an effective bullet for law enforcement use."

Note the bolded...
 
Thanks for the write-up and pictures (we love pictures). I recently purchased some of these rounds but wondered if it had a chance of expansion after clothing as the hollow cavity seemed a bit on the small side.
 
It's just that, a standard. Not a natural law. Here's a quote from the 1987 Wound Ballistics Workshop:

"It is essential, however, to bear in mind that the single most critical factor remains penetration. A handgun bullet MUST reliably penetrate 10-12 inches of soft body tissue at a minimum, regardless of whether it expands or not. Penetration up to 18 inches would be even better. If the bullet does not reliably penetrate to these depths, it is not an effective bullet for law enforcement use."

Note the bolded...


Since law enforcement officers and self defenders are shooting at the same type targets, ie, bad guys trying to kill them, then seems to me that if its good for law enforcement, its also good for me.

If the bad guys would just stand still and let me shoot them straight on into the chest or head, I may be OK with less than 12 inches of penetration. But they don't. If their arms are in the right location, thats another 4-6 inches of soft tissue and bone you have to shoot through to get to something vital.

9 inches of penetration is just not enough.
 
Since law enforcement officers and self defenders are shooting at the same type targets, ie, bad guys trying to kill them, then seems to me that if its good for law enforcement, its also good for me.

If the bad guys would just stand still and let me shoot them straight on into the chest or head, I may be OK with less than 12 inches of penetration. But they don't. If their arms are in the right location, thats another 4-6 inches of soft tissue and bone you have to shoot through to get to something vital.

9 inches of penetration is just not enough.

But another agency might say 12" is not enough, and they want a minimum of 14 inches. That 165 gr HST that only does 13-1/2"? Marginal at best! And that would be only another standard. And other agencies in America and around the world have had slightly different ideas. Most people will agree that you don't need 24 inches, and 6" is hardly good idea. But the minimum of exactly 12", one foot, is not a fact... it's an opinion. In the end, they just picked a number. As shown in the quote above, the original figure they came up with was "a minimum of 10-12 inches", that, according to the document, based on a side-on shot through arm tissue, and they decided to err on the conservative side of that. I think it's better to err on the conservative side as well, because why not choose a bullet with 14" of penetration over one with 11", but some people (not in this thread) seem to take the FBI's standards and gelatin testing results to extremes. It's not junk and it won't bounce off, or get you killed, because it penetrated 3/4" shallow of the FBI's standard. And in any case certain people spend so much time obsessing over ammo when as long as it penetrates adequately, even so much as a 1/2" difference in the point of impact would be be far more important. The guy with WWB JHPs and good aim beats the guy with HSTs and good, but very slightly worse aim.

The benefits of what I'm complaining about outweigh the negatives, anyways. If it meets the 12" minimum, it is going to be effective, and people are quick(er) to shoot down the gimmick ammo and lightweight super-velocity stuff these days.
 
Thanks for the tests, this is some great information!

I had no idea Federal had rounds like this for such a low price. I need to figure out what other inexpensive but quality rounds Federal has available
 
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