Glock 43 Shooting 147 Gr. HST's - Problem?

[Abraham]

I'm considering buying a Glock 43 (my Ruger LC9S is not dependable as it turns out and I want a subcompact for in house/yard wear - my G19 is just to heavy for such use) and after watching some ballistic gelatin tests shooting Speer 124 Gr JHP, some of these bullets went as far at 32" - man, that's some kind of over penetration.

HST 147 gr JHP's same test didn't over penetrate. So, that's what I now carry, however I read recently that exact cartridge is failing on the last one in the magazine in Glock 43's.

Anyone here have that problem or is this possibly just a one off type situation?

Thanks!

[flechero]

The last round only- heaviest in class... defensive ammo (hot? or +P?) It maybe as simple as a mag spring. I'd dig for more info from the source you found and also look into wolff extra power replacement springs for that mag.

[mrvmax]

I watched some of this guy’s videos and then picked the Speer Gold Dot plus p short barrel for my G43
https://m.youtube.com/user/ShootingTheBull410

[Abraham]

flechero,

Thanks for your reply.

You posted: "The last round only- heaviest in class... defensive ammo (hot? or +P?"

I don't know, but I think standard load HST - JHP.

I'll try to find the person who posted that and ask, but at this point don't recall where I read the post...?

If I can't find out that info, the best I can do is ask around on other gun forums if this is an issue with G43 using HST's.

I'm hoping this is just one person's experience and not across a wide spectrum of G43's as I would prefer to use the standard load HST JHP's as my self defense ammo given what I posted earlier about over penetration...

mrvmax,

Thanks for the link.

I took a quick look (I'm supposed to be cleaning the yard so...) and didn't see anything about Speer Gold Dot +P on the link you supplied, I'll look again... however, at this point given I want ammo that doesn't over penetrate +p I think has a greater chance of over penetration. Of course, I could be wrong, but that's the reason the HST JHP 147 gr is my current choice for self defense ammo, as it has a lower (no guarantee of course) chance of over penetration.

Thanks!

[flechero]

Also the last round sits at a different angle than the rest, so there is also a chance that the profile of that HST is at odds with the feed ramp.

I think there are enough 43's out there that an issue would have been caught by now... but I also think most people are just shooting 115's in them. Usually it's just "gun guys" that jump weight in CC ammo. My brother is a great example- he bought a g43 and when I asked what ammo he chose- he said 9mm.

[Charles L. Cotton]

The ballistic gelatin testing done by LuckyGunner.com didn't show 124 Gr. Gold Dot penetrating anywhere near 32". I don't know if Speer makes any ammo in JHP other than the Gold Dot, but if so that could explain the difference. Also, the LucyGunner testing of the 147gr. Gold Dot was not at all impressive. The expansion was almost nonexistent. All 9mm testing was done with a 3.5" M&P.

The Speer 124 Gr. Gold Dot plus P is my favorite self-defense round for 9mm.

Chas.

[WTR]

My wife carries a 9mm so I did a ton of research and spoke to quite a few Law Enforcement Officers. This ammo is my selection.

[Bitter Clinger]

The ballistic gelatin testing done by LuckyGunner.com didn't show 124 Gr. Gold Dot penetrating anywhere near 32". I don't know if Speer makes any ammo in JHP other than the Gold Dot, but if so that could explain the difference. Also, the LucyGunner testing of the 147gr. Gold Dot was not at all impressive. The expansion was almost nonexistent. All 9mm testing was done with a 3.5" M&P.

The Speer 124 Gr. Gold Dot plus P is my favorite self-defense round for 9mm.

Chas.

Right. Why subsonic 9mm if NOT suppressed?

[Abraham]

Charles,

My favorite sd round has always been a 9 mm Speer Gold Dot, 124 Gr, JHP, standard load, though for awhile I carried the +P, but eventually went back to the standard load.

As to the testing and the 32" penetration: I don't recall the name or who hosted the video I watched, but yes, most of the rounds shot (Speer Gold Dot 9mm, 124 were mostly in the 16" range and some a little over, but then that one (and one only, but it really startled me) did go 32". It went completely through the first ballistic gelatin on into the second for a measured 32".

That's when I went to HST JHP 147 grain, for sd, as over penetration is something I would really like to avoid.

Plus, my thoughts were a heavier 9mm bullet, that is 147 grain, traveling at a fps similar to .45 ACP would get the job done with less chance of over penetration.

If, I'm way off base, please correct me.

[mrvmax]

mrvmax,

Thanks for the link.

I took a quick look (I'm supposed to be cleaning the yard so...) and didn't see anything about Speer Gold Dot +P on the link you supplied, I'll look again... however, at this point given I want ammo that doesn't over penetrate +p I think has a greater chance of over penetration. Of course, I could be wrong, but that's the reason the HST JHP 147 gr is my current choice for self defense ammo, as it has a lower (no guarantee of course) chance of over penetration.

Thanks!

It’s in there, might be under short barrel test. I can’t look for it right now but I know he covered it.

[Abraham]

Charles,

The video with 32" of penetration with Speer, Gold Dot, 124 grain can be viewed on Ammo quest.

The video title is: Ammo Quest 9mm: Speer Gold Dot 124 grain tested in ballistic gelatin test review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9UxDu4smlI

It's only 4 minutes 34 seconds long so it get's right to it.

[Charles L. Cotton]

Charles,

The video with 32" of penetration with Speer, Gold Dot, 124 grain can be viewed on Ammo quest.

The video title is: Ammo Quest 9mm: Speer Gold Dot 124 grain tested in ballistic gelatin test review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9UxDu4smlI

It's only 4 minutes 34 seconds long so it get's right to it.

That's amazing! I wonder how he got those results. That is really strange, especially since his chrono showed no significant difference in muzzle velocity for the 5 rounds.

I've never seen a gelatin test that resulted in two of five rounds of the same ammo doubling the penetration of the other three. To say this is an anomaly would be an understatement. The AmmoQuest video had three of the five rounds penetrating very close to the 16.8" average penetration seen in the LuckyGunner.com test. Even the short barrel version of the Gold Dot only had an average penetration of 18.5". Nothing in the LuckyGunner testing came close to 32" penetration for a 124gr. JHP. The deepest penetration was with Magtech 124 gr. bonded JHP at 26.5", almost 6" short of the AmmoQuest testing of the Gold Dot.

The Gold Dot 124Gr. +P is the standard 9mm ammo for the Houston Police Dept. I'll ask my SWAT buddy if they have experienced any extreme penetration. I'm going to do more research and see if others have seen these results.

Thanks for the video.
Chas.

[dino9832]

Just a thought. But if I was having issues with the last round and certain ammo, I'd put a dependable round in the bottom.
It's not the best solution, but should work.

Plus, Magguts has a flat spring that'll give you and extra round of capacity. I don't have experience with it personally, but plan to buy one soon!
https://www.magguts.com/products/glock-43

[flechero]

I'm willing to bet the 32" round entered in an existing wound channel of the gel and the low resistance of the pre-chewed gel allowed it to travel the extra distance.

That's when I went to HST JHP 147 grain, for sd, as over penetration is something I would really like to avoid.

The odds of overpen are probably much less than a miss in a gunfight. I would worry more about hits and less about a single round gel anomaly. Besides, you hear about bystanders catching strays from leo shootouts every year- but I've never (that I recall) heard of a bystander catching an overpen round. Not trying to imply you aren't a good shot, just that in a high stress, split second reaction with moving targets, we all need to be concerned about hits first.

Why subsonic 9mm if NOT suppressed?

I'd bet pressure. Hard to get 147's going that fast within the normal pressure specs. Hogdon data show 0 of 17 loads being supersonic, while staying under 33,800psi.

Heavy, slower bullets (ie: .45acp) have a good track record of stopping and a lower chance of over penetration, if that worries you ... I think people are using 147's often for the same reasons.

[BHill]

Not trying to be argumentative, but

I am not quite as concerned with over penetration as many people. When considering the hit percentages of LEOs ( I assume civilian as well) in gunfights, being aware of targets background is more import although not always possible.

This is just a quick scan of the internet for statistics but was close to my initial guess (12-15%) but at least 80% of their bullets went on with 100% energy.
https://internationalfreepress.com/2018 ... m-teachers


I shoot WFN solids and expanding FMJ along with the premium Gold dots and HSTs. Just make sure they are reliable and hit where they are supposed to. Best of luck.