Montana Gold JHP

[Potatohead]

Anyone done any testing on their JHPs? Im especially interested in 9mm but I guess if their design works well in one caliber, it probably works well in most.

They look kind of like the HDY HAP IIRC, which is more of a target bullet than an SD bullet in my mind. Maybe Im wrong there?

Any experience with these. Im about to buy my first batch I think. I mainly target shoot but am also wondering if the JHP's expand well, or if it's just for show..Thanks

 

[LiveLife]

I used a lot of Montana Gold FMJ/JHP for match shooting. Although their bullet-to-bullet weight consistency is good, I would not consider them for SD/HD projectiles. IMO, they were designed for reliable feeding rather than expansion.

For SD/HD applications, I would suggest you consider Speer Gold Dot/Remington Golden Saber with proven expansion performance.

 

[Potatohead]

Gotcha, thanks B, that's close to what I was thinking.

What about NOS JHP for SD? Do we know if those expand decently? I ask because I love shooting them but they kind of look like a cross between a regular looking JHP and a HAP.

 

[alientrainwreck]

I agree with bds, they feed very well and weigh consistantly but a far as hollow point mushrooming performance is not good. I have shot them into gelatin, water, paper and through a test car door and the performace is not there for SD makes a good target bullet though, Don't get me wrong I wouldn't want shot by one and they will kill the equal as others with a little luck. In my opinion for a great expanding bullet that has passed all of my mentioned above test is Barnes bullets for self defense or even killing deer, this past year I killed an average size buck with my CC pistol, 9mm 124gn Barnes bullet at 30 yrds it knocked him down he was able to get up and walked about 15' and fell dead. They are a little pricey but woth it and you won't need to be shooting them all the time just make sure your gun will feed them reliably..

 

[Guilty]

The Montana Gold JHP bullets are designed for match shooting and are an excellent target round.

 

[gamestalker]

I haven't yet tried the MG's, but I think I read something on their site about them not being acceptable for SD/HD.

As for Nosler JHP's, I load them all the time in 9mm and .40 cal., full tilt of course, and they aren't bad at all as a SD/HD bullet. They expand quite well, though they don't hold together as well as Gold Dots. Jackets will separate, well at the velocities I run them at anyway.

GS

 

[Potatohead]

Thanks guys. AlienTrainWreck, I saw the Barnes girl on "Guns and Gear Tv" the other day (she's kinda hot btw) showing off some of the pistol bullets. She commented on how great of a hunting bullet they were too.

 

[41 Mag]

I checked with them when they first introduced them about the possibility of using them for hunting. Their reply was that they were strictly meant as target bullets and would not expand properly for hunting purposes. I took this to mean that they probably weren't any good as a SD bullet either.

My top choice for commercial is the Gold Dot. I have used it in several calibers for hunting feral hogs and have had nothing but good results, most times if they are recovered they look just like they do in the advertisments.

That said, I have of late been pouring the MP 452-200 HP's for my ACP as well as the 454640 which with the large pin drops right at 260grs. It shoots really well from my Colt 1911, but I don't shoot them on a overly regular basis, just enough to keep in practice hitting the target.

 

[1SOW]

As said, the MG JHPs are target ammunition only, and very good target ammo they are.

At 15 yds they will flatten out to the size of a dime when they hit steel poppers and plates at 1060-1070 fps.

 

[Ex]

I'm just finishing a 3K box of .40/165 gn JHPs from MG. They all opened up very well in any media I cold shoot them into, including sim gel. What I did find disapointing in them was that with anything aqueous, they ran a high percentage that experienced some, if not all jacket loss.

Only the loss of jacket/weight was found to be less then I wanted. And they ARE expensive.

 

[ljnowell]

I did some messing around with the Montana golds in 357 mag loads. They never expanded really. Either they slightly deformed or they disintegrated(water).

Surprisingly I have tested Berrys regular old plain hollowpoints in 38/357 and have seen decent expansion in wet pack and water.

 

[Ex]

I go for Zeros every time over MGs.

I will be sending some of a couple types of Zeros to Gamestalker for eval. Perhaps he will be kind enough to share his findings here!

 

[Artofgolf]

Potatohead, I think that Ex had a good suggestion; it's right in your back yard in Cullman, AL.
The Zero JHP is a very good quality bullet. I'll send you a handful to try if you're interested

 

[RugerOldArmy]

I've used a LOT of the 9mmx19 124 Gr MG JHP(s). They're a great target bullet.

I've shot a few railroad ties with them, My impression is that they penetrated very well, and didn't expand like a gold dot or a XTP. Drilled through the ties pretty impressively.

They're an accurate bullet in front of 5.9-ish Gr. of Unique in 9x19 for me.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I really like Zeros and used to use them. Finding them has been a problem. Zeros and MG are about the same price. The free shipping on a case of Montana Gold and ease of finding them lead me to switch. Montana Gold groups 50 yard groups in my favorite .357 better than any bullet I have tried. I shoot a few thousand a year.....For my carry reloads, I use Zero.

 

[lauderdale]

Ditto on what colt said! When the pistol im using agrees w/the bullet and I can get out further I don't mind paying the extra. Just my opinion. 1sow yes they do!