Buffalo Bore 9mm +P+ 147gr JHP – Exceptional Deep Driving Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 9mm +P+ 147gr JHP is the heavy bullet end of Buffalo Bore’s 9mm range. A 147 grain jacketed hollow point at 1175 fps produces roughly 451 ft-lbs, loaded above SAAMI +P pressure with a flash suppressed powder. One thing to be clear about before you order: this is not the subsonic 147 grain load, which is a separate item running 1000 fps. Twenty rounds per box, item 24C/20.

• Buffalo Bore 9mm +P+ 147gr JHP Overview
• 9mm +P+ Heavy Bullet Ammo Ballistics
• Why The 147 Grain JHP Carry Bullet Drives Deep
• Specifications
• Pressure Notes For This Flash Suppressed 9mm Defense Load

Buffalo Bore 9mm +P+ 147gr JHP Overview

At 147 grains this is the heaviest bullet commonly loaded in 9mm, and the choice is about depth rather than speed. A heavy bullet carries its momentum further once it has expanded, which is why the 147 grain weight became the standard answer for agencies that cared about barrier performance.

Buffalo Bore loads it hotter than most. Typical factory 147 grain 9mm runs around 990 fps. This one runs 1175, which is nearly 200 fps more, and that extra speed is what keeps a heavy bullet from becoming a slow one that fails to open.

The powder is flash suppressed, as it is throughout this line. A defensive shooting is far more likely to happen in poor light than in daylight, and a fireball from a four inch barrel costs you your dark adaptation at exactly the wrong moment, so a flash suppressed 9mm defense load is worth the premium.

9mm +P+ Heavy Bullet Ammo Ballistics

The published real gun figures are honest. A 4.6 inch Browning Hi Power MK III gives 1179 fps, a four inch Glock 19 gives 1165, and a 4.9 inch Beretta 92F gives 1131 fps. Those work out to roughly 454, 443 and 418 ft-lbs.

Note where those numbers sit relative to the speed of sound, which is about 1125 fps at sea level. This load is just above it in most guns and can dip below it in some, which means it is transonic rather than reliably subsonic. If you specifically want a subsonic 147 grain load, Buffalo Bore builds a separate one at 1000 fps and that is the item to ask for.

Compared with the 115 grain +P+ load in the same catalogue, which makes about 500 ft-lbs at 1400 fps, this gives up roughly fifty foot pounds on paper. What it buys back is penetration, and on a defensive round that is usually the better trade.

Why The 147 Grain JHP Carry Bullet Drives Deep

Penetration is the requirement that decides most defensive bullet arguments. A round has to reach the vitals from a bad angle, through an arm, through a heavy coat, and a bullet that expands beautifully and stops at eight inches has failed at the only job that mattered.

Mass is the simplest way to get depth. Once a bullet has expanded, what carries it forward is momentum, and a 147 grain JHP carry bullet has nearly thirty percent more mass than a 115 grain one. Loaded to 1175 fps rather than the usual 990, it also has enough speed left to open properly after passing through a barrier.

There is a recoil argument too, and it runs both ways. The Buffalo Bore 9mm +P+ 147gr JHP produces a slower, rolling push rather than a sharp snap, which many shooters find easier to control even though the total recoil is higher. Whether that suits you is worth finding out with a box.

The trade is energy and trajectory. This deep penetrating 9mm ammunition gives up about fifty foot pounds to the fast 115 grain load and shoots marginally less flat. Neither matters much inside typical defensive distances.

Specifications

Pressure Notes For This Flash Suppressed 9mm Defense Load

Know what +P+ means. There is no SAAMI specification for it. +P is a defined pressure ceiling above standard 9mm, and +P+ sits above that. Buffalo Bore declines to rule on which pistols are suitable, so the judgement is yours: a sound modern service pistol in good working order, not a worn gun or one with a poorly supported chamber.

Do not buy this expecting a quiet load. At 1175 fps it is above the speed of sound in most pistols, so it cracks. The subsonic 147 grain load is a different item, and if quiet is what you are after, that is the one.

Confirm function in your own pistol. Heavy bullets and high pressure both change the recoil impulse a gun is tuned around, and a box of this deep penetrating 9mm ammunition through your carry gun is the only proof that counts.

Expect accelerated wear with volume shooting. Recoil springs and locking surfaces take more punishment at this pressure, so most people carry a 9mm +P+ heavy bullet ammo load and practise with something ordinary.

Deep Penetrating 9mm Ammunition Availability

This flash suppressed 9mm defense load is in stock and ready to ship from MAG5 Firearms, a family owned FFL dealer in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Ammunition orders ship to most states, and local customers are welcome to pick up in the shop. If you need case quantities or another 147 grain JHP carry bullet option such as the subsonic version, call us and we will check what our distributors have on hand.

Manufacturer details are on the Buffalo Bore site. For the fast light bullet at the same pressure, see the 9mm +P+ 115gr JHP. For an all copper alternative, compare the 9mm +P+ 115gr Barnes TAC-XP, or browse our full ammunition selection.