Ammo Quest 9mm: Speer Gold Dot G2 test in 3 barrel lengths
Twenty-Ninth in a series of a quest to find the overall best defensive ammunition for modern 9mm pocket pistols (such as the Sig Sauer P938, Taurus PT709, the Ruger LC9, Kahr CM9, Beretta Nano, Kel-Tec PF9 or S&W Shield or any other popular 9mm micro-pistol using a barrel length of approximately 3").
In this installment, I am testing the 147-grain Speer Gold Dot G2 jacketed hollowpoint (part #54226). I am conducting the same testing as always from the 3" barrel pistol, but I also conduct testing from a 4" barrel and a 6" barrel in this video.
The Gold Dot G2 is not rated for velocity on the box; my 6-shot average from the shorter 3"-barrel pistol produced an average of 893 fps. Note, that is almost identical to the recently-tested Winchester Train & Defend 147-grain rounds. The longer barrels did add a little velocity; the 2 shots from the 4" barrel averaged 962 fps, and the 2 shots from the 6" barrel averaged 1022 fps.
I am chronographing the rounds as well as firing multiple rounds per block so that we get a more statistically relevant result, rather than the typical ammo test where only one round is fired. Ammo can behave a bit unpredictably, and the results of any one bullet are not necessarily representative of how the ammunition performs overall.
In this test, I fired three bullets from the 3" barrel into a denim-covered gel block, and witnessed three complete fails. All three bullets failed to expand, and overpenetrated to approximately 22.75". I then used the remaining room in the block to test the other guns, firing one round from the 4" gun (which also clogged and failed to expand) and one round from the 6" gun (which performed perfectly and penetrated to an excellent 16.75" depth).
I then fired three more rounds from the 3" barrel into a block of bare gel and witnessed another example of poor performance, with all three bullets only partly expanding, while the rest of the bullet sheared off, leaving chunks of bullet throughout the block. I then fired a bullet from the 4" gun, which performed excellently, and then one from the 6" gun, which also performed excellently.
My conclusions are simple: avoid this ammo if you're using a 3" or 4"-barreled gun. This ammo says right on the box, "Law Enforcement Duty Ammunition." They're not kidding. This ammo appears to only work properly from a full-sized, duty-style pistol. If you have a gun with at least a 4.6" barrel, such as a Glock 17, or, better yet, a 5.3" barrel like the Glock 17L, then this ammo might be great. But for anyone using a shorter barrel, this ammo appears to be a poor choice. Stick with regular Gold Dots or Short Barrel Gold Dots for the smaller pistols.
Note: I'm not making any claims for these videos other than that these are the results I achieved, in my own testing, from the stated pistol. I have no intention to make a blanket endorsement or indictment of any product, only to review and report what I found in a given instance. Obviously it is incumbent upon each individual to conduct their own research and make up their own mind about which defensive ammunition is best for their own purposes, in their own firearms. Also keep in mind that individual firearms can be persnickety; my pistol may feed a particular round consistently whereas your pistol might jam on those rounds, so -- please conduct your own testing before trusting any particular ammo.
The purpose of this testing is to find which rounds of ammo perform well enough from a short 3" barrel that they can reliably deliver the penetration (with expansion) that has been documented and proven necessary in order for the bullet to be able to reach the vital organs of an attacker and deliver an incapacitating hit.
We are NOT talking about 12" of penetration through a body! We're talking about 12" of penetration through ballistic gel.
For those who don't understand why the 12" penetration distance is so important, please see my blog entries on the subject:
http://shootingthebull.net/blog/bulle...
http://shootingthebull.net/blog/bulle...
http://shootingthebull.net/blog/more-...
http://shootingthebull.net/blog/what-...
Subscribe to the channel here to see the rest of the episodes in this series, as well as other ammo tests and equipment reviews. And check out the blog at www.shootingthebull.net.