FOG HORN
2017 Twobirds Flying Publication
CREEDMOOR 9mm 124GR XTP +P
Copyright 2017, Towbirds Flying Publication. All Rights Reserved.
CREEDMOOR 9mm 124GR XTP+P
2017
CREEDMOOR 9mm 124GR XTP +P By: Sal Palma There’s no shortage of high performance 9mm defensive loads on the market. The design strategies vary from lighter weight bullets pushed a high velocities to radical bullet geometries. None however can lay claim to having introduced genuinely new technology that combines a significant weight reduction along with exceptional external and terminal ballistics. That condition has come to an end with the introduction of CREEDMOOR’s 9mm 124gr XTP +P. CREEDMOOR’s new 9mm is a load of exceptional consistency; incorporating Shell Shock Technologies’ NAS3 unprimed cases topped off with a 124gr Hornady XTP bullet that CREEDMOOR pushes at 1,175 fps producing muzzle energy of 380 foot pounds.
What makes the CREEDMOOR 9mm 124GR XTP +P something to talk about is its NAS3 case from Shell Shock Technologies. Shell Shock Technologies describes its NAS3 9mm case as 50% lighter than brass cases, offering greater lubricity that will not abrade, clog, foul, wear-out or damage breach and ejector mechanisms. The NAS3 cases offer greater corrosion resistance, higher tensile strength (2x stronger) and more elasticity than brass. NAS3 cases have also been tested successfully by customers to pressures over 70k psi. NAS3 cases eject cool to-the-touch and can be picked up with a magnet. NAS3 cases will not split, chip, crack or grow (stretch) and are fully-reloadable using a set of S3 Reload dies. The author does not own the equipment to scientifically validate all of Shell Shock’s claims but I did validate a couple claims which I’ll discuss next. Weight reduction is a top priority to our military and law enforcement and Shell Shock Technologies claims that their NAS3 case is 50% lighter than brass cases of similar caliber. If true, then it follows that CREEDMOOR’s 9mm cartridge will weigh less than a similar caliber brass cased 9mm offering. To evaluate the weight reduction claim, I compared Creedmoor’s 9mm with another excellent defensive 9mm load, SIG Sauer’s ELITE. SIG’s ELITE 9mm is loaded with a 124 gr Copyright 2017, Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved
CREEDMOOR 9mm 124GR XTP+P
hollow point to a muzzle velocity of 1,165 fps; 10 fps slower than CREEDMOOR’s offering but SIG uses a brass nickel plated case.
To get a sense for round to round consistency, I weighed 10 rounds of the CREEDMOORE ammo which came in at 10 grams with zero variance across the sample tested1.
I next measured 10 rounds of SIG Sauer’s Elite 9mm and they came in at 12 grams with zero variance. As you can see, the CREEDMOOR ammo was 2 grams lighter than SIG’s ELITE 1
Measurements were made with a commercial scale and not a scientific or high precision instrument.
2017
brass cased ammunition. Two grams may not sound like much but be completely assured that ounces count, so this is not a negligible improvement!
I then wanted to get a feel for how a 6 round Glock magazine would fare loaded with each manufacturer’s ammo. My 6 round Glock magazine loaded with the Creedmoor ammo weighed 113 grams, the same magazine loaded with SIG Sauer’s ELITE measured 125 grams.
I observed a weight reduction of 12 grams for the 6 round magazine. With a higher capacity magazine, like that of a Glock 17, you can reasonably expect a 34 gram weight reduction; extending that further, you can expect that a 30 Copyright 2017, Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved
CREEDMOOR 9mm 124GR XTP+P
2017
round SMG stick magazine will be 60 grams lighter loaded with CREEDMOOR’s 9mm than a similar brass cased 9mm. I can’t wait to see Shell Shock Technologies produce 5.56 and 7.62 NAS3 cases – neither can the DOD for that matter. . Shell Shock Technologies also claims that its NAS3 case ejects cool to the touch, a claim that I’ll validate during my live fire session. At the range, my goal was to test CREEDMOOR’s product across a representative set of platforms, including the more finicky suppressed pistols.
Throughout my testing, I experience zero malfunctions across all platforms. The ammunition fed and ejected consistently and reliably. I also tested Shell Shock’s claim that “cases eject cool to-the-touch”, so to the dismay of the range officer, I allowed myself to be hit by the spent cases, which were in fact only warm to the touch – God knows I’ve been showered with enough hot spent cases which are particularly annoying when they manage to work their way into your blouse. The +P load was controllable and comfortable to shoot on both the Glock 17 and P225; however, quite punchy on the Glock 43.
So, I ran a suppressed Glock 17, SIG P225 (a compact pistol) and the Glock 43 (subcompact). All of my testing was done firing unsupported with the target at 15 yards. Group sizes were not awfully important to me. Copyright 2017, Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved
CREEDMOOR 9mm 124GR XTP+P
I achieved about a 3” group firing suppressed which I thought was very satisfactory. Range regulations did not allow the use of chronographs so I’ll have to rely on CREEDMOOR’s reputation for accuracy. CREEDMOOR loads its 9mm 124GR XTP +P with the Hornady 124gr XTP. Hornady’s bullet has some very impressive terminal ballistics. The XTP round expands uniformly and retains most of its mass.
2017
ammunition and improved physical subtleties. Tinsel strength is twice that of a brass case, and the NAS3 case has also been tested to pressures of over 70,000 psi. If you roll your own, the NAS3 shell case can be safely reloaded using the company’s S3 dies. If you are law enforcement or If you conceal carry a 9mm you want to use CREEDMOOR’s 124GR XTP +P. It outperforms everything that I’ve seen being sold as a defensive ammunition product. Try it; I think you’ll like it as much as I do! -SP
Manufacturer Specifications
In screen shot, you can see just how uniformly the XTP expands and its excellent mass retention with 18.5 inches of penetration in ballistic gelatin.
B.C. 0.165 Muzzle 50 yds. 100 yds. Velocity (fps) 1175 1074 1001 Energy (ft. lbs.) 380 317 276
CREEDMOOR’s 9mm 124GR XTP +P is a high performance defensive pistol load from a company with a global reputation for producing loads of superb consistency and performance; however, what makes CREEDMOOR’s 9mm 124GR XTP +P very unique is the incorporation of Shell Shock Technologies’ NAS3 case; making the CREEDMOOR round a full 2 grams lighter than a similar brass cased load. As a shooter, or armed professional, it means a weight reduction of 34 grams, when using a 17 round pistol magazine, or 60 grams (2.12 oz.) with a 30 round SMG stick magazine. The weight reduction comes without any of the limitations associated with polymer cased Copyright 2017, Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved