When last we saw ShootingTheBull410 testing 9mm Federal Premium HST 124-grain ammo, he was slobbering like a rabid dog over the round’s exquisite awesomeness.  So what happens when we let him near the heftier, 147-grain version of the same stuff? More slobbering.  Check the video for a review of what looks to be a superb load for short-barrel 9mm pistols.

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27 COMMENTS

  1. I’m a huge fan of the HST 147gr. Shoots a little softer than the 124gr +P, and every test I’ve seen has been stellar. When I switched to 9mm one of my top priorities was getting in a good supply of HST 147gr so I could run 100 rounds through new guns to prove function, then have enough for carry loads.

    It can be hard to find, though. If you can’t find HST 147gr, the Winchester PDX1 is a reasonably good civilian-market alternative.

    • Yup. I won’t go so far as to claim that HST is the best round there is – I’m sure there are equally worthy competitors – but it seems to be the one that’s got the most reliable testing that keeps showing exemplar results, so purely from that standpoint it’s my choice.

      I wouldn’t say getting it is all that hard, either. In fact, it is occasionally possible to snag it in large quantities – I stashed away 1k rounds of that a while ago, and that was a single purchase.

      It’s also nice to see this perform just as well in a shortie. Hopefully this will put down all the persistent BS that’s floating around about how 147gr in 9mm is bad because it doesn’t expand well to rest.

  2. I just went through his channel a few days ago hoping to find this video. I can’t wait for .40 S&W.

  3. I’m glad to see this worked well for him also. The 147 grain standard pressure HST has been my carry load of choice for a couple of years now, in both my Beretta Nano and any larger 9mms that might accompany me (although 95% of the time it’s the Nano).

    It is VERY hard to find these days! You guys can thank me later, but it’s in stock in both 147 grain and 124 grain flavors here: link to 147 and link to 124.

    BTW note that in that format it’s sold in 50-round boxes and it’s $29.99. This is WAY less than competitive defensive handgun rounds, which typically come in 20-round boxes and run $24.95 or so…

    • I don’t know what kind of black magic RareAmmo has been conjuring, but they have in fact had all sorts of premium ammo in stock in recent months while their competition had bare shelves. They don’t have everything all the time, but they have the good stuff way more often than anyone else.

      • SGA Ammo has 147 grain Winchester Ranger Bonded not the T Series in stock for like $25 a box, they have the 124 grain standard pressure HST too for $29, and they have both 124 and 147 Gold Dot for $26 and $28 as well. They have 50/20/25 round boxes of the Hornady Critical Duty in pretty much all flavors and calibers too except for 10mm that is a Cabela’s exclusive and the .357 Sig don’t know if that is out there yet or if its somebody else’s exclusive. Here is the link to their 9mm offerings at SGA. http://www.sgammo.com/catalog/pistol-ammunition/9mm-9×19

      • When I checked the other day on Underwood’s website they had some of their 9mm in stock too think with Gold Dot, XTP, or Golden Saber bullets. They have some really hot stuff so depending on your pistol might or might not be able to use it but I know Glock will handle it just fine. I think they had the 115, 124, and 147 grain +P+ in stock maybe some +P too. That 115 is crazy the expansion it gets doing like 1300 or so FPS but with that expansion it only gets like 9-10 inches but as nasty as it is should do the job the 124 doesn’t expand as big as I would think but the 147 gets absolutely huge as well from the tests TNoutdoors9 has done on Youtube with one of his Glock 19s. Think the price is around $30 a box but they come 50 per box loaded in Starline brass. Worth checking out if anybody is looking into some really hot stuff check out his YT page he has tested all 3 bullet weights with the Gold Dot bullet but I know they do load some with others think they use Nosler as well as the Gold Dot, XTP, and Golden Saber. I just looked see they have plenty loaded to just +P levels as well and here is the link to their 9mm offerings. http://www.underwoodammo.com/9mmluger.aspx

  4. I’ll have to try these in my Walther P1, see how they feed. I run Remington jacketed hollow point subsonics(yea, 167gr is hard to find anymore), their nicely rounded nose feeds really nice. Wide aperture/face hollow points tend to hang a bit.

  5. I carry these in my 3.5″ barrel pistol everyday. I wish it wasn’t so difficult to find more.

  9. Amen! Been preaching about standard 147gr ammo for years. But most everyone is still so focused on velocity and +p/+p+ marketing.

    With standard 147gr, you also get the benefits of less muzzle flash, less muzzle flip, less felt recoil, and the option to effectively use a silencer since 147gr ammo is subsonic (< 1070 fps).

    • As I recall, someone actually tested 147gr HST specifically to see how much difference there was between standard and +P, and they found that it was under 50fps… with practically zero effect on penetration and expansion, as you’d expect.

    • Depends I guess on the shooter or the pistol. I don’t care for the Impulse when shooting 147gr loads in my HK P30.
      I prefer the standard pressure 124gr HST because it has less recoil.. I do Like heavy bullets and use 180gr HST in my softer shooting P229.

      In any case according to ATK own testing the standard pressure 124gr HST penetrates more bare gel than the 124gr +P HST. And expands to over 80caliber. And all 3 HST 9mm loads failed the Auto Glass test.

  10. I carry whatever I can find, as ammo in 9mm here locally is virtually nonexistent. Last time I was shopping, one LGS had either HSTs or Hydroshocks(don’t remember which), $30 for 20. I found some reasonably priced Critical Duty, but no Critical Defense. I finally lucked out with a single box of Remington Golden Sabers, 124 gr +P. The lack of ammo makes it really difficult to test ammo before carrying it. Even FMJ is scarce. Interesting regional difference–we have no 9 and no .45, but usually there is .40 sitting on the shelf.

  12. Supporting ShootingTheBull410 is one of the best things TTAG does. This video is the gun media highlight of the day as far as I’m concerned. The last video, comparing the much-hyped G2 Research R.I.P. to the Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P and Federal 147gr HST shown in this post was tremendous, with a discussion of penetration depth that everyone should watch. The content, information, and data are presented excellently and entertainingly in a way that’s easy to absorb and learn from.

  14. I kinda wish this guy would stop talking about my preferred loads and thus making it more scarce.

  16. But do they expand?? Back in ’93 the 147 jhp were more like a semi-watcutter thru the Uzi’s they had from the 1980’s.

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