21 Jan 25

2025 SHOT Show, First Day

Today, I visited booths of a number of makers of serious ammunition.  Most of these manufacturers are personal friends.  Others I don’t know as well.

In 9mm (9×19)

Gorilla makes a 115 gr standard-pressure (non +p) high performance HP round with a solid copper bullet.  Velocity from most pistols will be 1100 f/s.  Gorilla enjoys a good reputation, and this round is very acceptable.

Grizzly, an OR-based ammunition company, makes a 115gr 9mm +p HP round with a traditional cup-can-core bullet.  They list velocity at 1400 f/s, but I suspect that is out of a long, test-barrel.

Underwood’s premier 9mm round is their 90 gr +p, featuring a non-expanding FTM bullet.  Velocity from a G19 (Underwood tests all 9mm ammunition out of a standard G19, not a long, test barrel) is 1450 f/s.  Because the bullet does not expand, penetration is still 9-15 inches.

Cor-Bon’s 115 +p DPX round, featuring an all-copper HP bullet (that they are now manufacturing in-house), exits at 1200 f/s.  Cor-Bon’s 9mm 100 gr +p “Power Ball” round, another excellent performer, exits at 1300 f/s.

TUI Ammunition (Tumble Upon Impact), produced by Ft Scott Ammunition, features an all-copper, non-expanding bullet that starts turning end-over-end after just a few inches of penetration.  I’ve not used this round, but it is preferred by some.

SuperVel continues to make their excellent 9mm 115gr +p SCHP (Solid Copper Hollow Point), with a listed muzzle velocity of 1250 f/s.  I’ve carried this round, and shot a lot of it into gelatin, and some live animals (mostly pigs).  SuperVel has much experience making serious ammunition, and this round is hard to beat!

Black Hills makes several high-performance 9mm rounds, but topping the list is their
115 gr Barnes +p Tac-XP.  Exit velocity is a consistent 1200 f/s.  You won’t go wrong with this round!

Other notes:

I saw many G19 look-a-likes, as the G19 is a continually popular model for a serious concealed-carry pistol.

Most notably:

Ruger’s RXM
CZ P10C
Tisas PX-9
Arex Delta M
Lone Wolf Dusk-19
Global Ordnance GP-QIS (featuring a rotating barrel)

All are very acceptable and less expensive (some significantly) than a genuine G19.  Of course, you’ll never go wrong with a genuine G19!

Miscellaneous:

Staccato’s new HD (for “Heavy Duty”) pistol now features a positive firing-pin lock (pretty “standard” on nearly all reputable serious pistols), which eliminates “drop-safety” issues.  When you want a Staccato (double-column, 9mm, hammer-fired, 1911-style) Pistol, the HD is the one you want.

M+M’s 7.62×39 M10XP rifle is now fully evolved, and it makes an attractive choice for a serious travel-companion.  Takes standard Kalashnikov magazines.  This young, American company is committed to making an excellent product, and the M10XP is now very competitive.

And finally:

I neglected to mention that I saw the “binary trigger,” currently marketed by Franklin Armory, demonstrated during Range Day yesterday.  It’s a drop-in replacement fire-control assembly that makes your M4 fire one round when you press the trigger, and a second, single round when you release the trigger.

It’s popular with some Nimrods who want to approximate full-auto fire, but it is extremely dangerous, virtually a UD waiting to happen.

Highly not recommended!

/John