I’m quite the Barnes fan and I’ve show it here and in various other venues. I’ve moved my hunting rifles exclusively to Barnes ammunition, and I’ve been very pleased with the accuracy and terminal ballistics. So when my day job boss offered to buy me some ammo, I jumped at the opportunity to pick up a box of 9 mm TAC-XPD to try out. I shot it through three pistols and my general feeling now is a solid “meh.” . . .
I’ve long struggled when it comes to bullet selection because I’ve never been able to decide whether accuracy is ultimately more important than terminal performance. This is especially true at bad breath and legal/practical handgun range. And I don’t know if I’ll ever solve that problem. I imagine that I’d take a one shot, man stopper, miracle bullet even if it shot a three inch group at 10 yards. But all things being the same, accuracy is very important to me. And, since I don’t own endless supplies of ballistics gelatin like our boy ShootingTheBull410, accuracy is the easiest for me to test.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIF63GeTZCc&w=560&h=315]
So in the spirit of scientific testing, I arranged three targets at 7 yards on a crisp, windless day after I had warmed up with a hundred or so rounds of practice ammo. I then slow fired some five shot groups out of a M&P 9, XD(m), and FNS-9. All three guns are known, accurate guns in my hand. I loaded each magazine with 5 rounds of 124 gr. American Eagle FM and then 5 rounds of Barnes TAC-XPD. I then shot the five AE and five Barnes loads at 1″ x 1″ black squares on the same sheet of grid paper. The faint blue gridlines on the target are 4 squares per inch. The three targets are below.
I didn’t go to the trouble of measuring the groups, but I can safely say that across the three guns I used for this test, the Barnes ammo is not as accurate as middle of the road FMJ practice ammo. This is a disappointing result given my love for all things Barnes. I had high hopes for this lightweight +P ammo for my peashooter.
While I fully acknowledge that the accuracy displayed here is not horrible, I wish it were better. To solve the question of terminal ballistics, I’ll lean on ShootingTheBull410 to do a full review.
Specifications: Barnes 9mm +P 115 gr. TAC-XPD
Reliability * * * * *
I only fed 20 rounds, but they went smoother than shit through a goose.
Accuracy * * *
I feel that premium ammo, in this case $1.40/round, should provide premium accuracy. I was disappointed.
Ballistics ???
tnoutdoors9 says it went 10.75″ in his ballistics gelatin block and felt that it did not provide adequate penetration. Assuming his gel block was calibrated to the FBI test, the Barnes bullet would fail their standards as well.
>I’ve never been able to decide whether accuracy is ultimately more important than terminal performance
If terminal performance is so important, why are you even considering 9mm?
“If terminal performance is so important, why are you even considering 9mm?”
If terminal performance is so important why are you even considering ammo without “magnum” after the diameter.
Say it isn’t so. I thought all these new laws were designed so that if they “just save one life” ?…
Safe action shooting huh?
“I’ve never been able to decide whether accuracy is ultimately more important than terminal performance. ”
Offered just for thought / discussion:
Both are important. The best terminal performance in the world (whatever that means) is worthless on a shot that misses, and the best place shot is worthless if the bullet does not destroy tissue.
That said, I like to think in terms of “acceptable accuracy.” On-paper differences in group size are fraught with all kinds of data interpretation errors, so let’s just get real practical with it.
My biggest problem with people using inaccurate ammo is that they don’t get the right kind of feedback in their training. If you shoot well (solid fundamentals), your targets should reflect that. If you are doing something wrong, you need to KNOW it is you and not the ammo just sucks.
So, super ‘match grade accuracy’ can serve a very real purpose – in training. If you know the ammo + gun can print 1/2 group at 10 yards, and in your training you are throwing 5 inch groups…it ain’t the ammo + gun….just as an example.
In training, terminal performance does not / may not matter.
As for EDC ammo…’good enough’ accuracy is as personal as what weapon is carried. Same could be said for ‘good enough’ terminal performance. I want as accurate as possible without sacrificing the terminal performance of a “good” JHP. Beyond that, I don’t give a lot of stock to the various heaps of hype that exist about this load vs load.
I think too many of us look at the “numbers” and read far, far too much into them. First rule is, and always will be, “Have a gun.”
Connecticut. “Constitution State” my ass……
lots of meh
So basically, if you’re a business you have to follow the law. If you’re not, do whatever you want. Facebook don’t care. The only change is the requirement to state something about following the laws. And some pop up in instagram that says something like “Reminder: purchasing weapons from a non-licensed dealer without a background check may be against local and federal laws.”
I agree. A rather non-story.
If I have any guns I want to unload, I’ll do it on Facebook out of spite.
Lots of good responses here, and thanks to Tyler for getting to this. I will do a terminal test on it sooner or later; I’ve got a box of it in the ammo can right now. My test would be through a 3″ barrel as part of the ongoing 9mm Ammo Quest.
As for accuracy, I keep meaning to do a pistol accuracy test through the Ransom rest. Maybe some HSTs, some Gold Dots, some DRT (they claim accuracy superior to all other bullets, so hey, let’s find out)… and I can add the Barnes to the list too.
The mitten holding a heater. Awesome!
TTAG
wat r u doing
TTAG
STAHP
Those who forget history, are doomed to repeat it. Folks look and listen up, ask the Germans, the French, even the Russians. They all had their private weapons confiscated, and shortly thereafter Stalin had total and complete control. Hitler took all the weapons, then took over his country, and no one was able to stop him. France being “The Cry Baby Leftist” that they are, took the weapons from her citizens, and guess who then took them over. Yes that’s right, good old Adolph. So, all you Crying bleeding heart liberals out there, keep your heads up your butts, believing that this will never happen in America,, and when your individual rights are usurped for the good of the “Powers That Be” who are you then going to whine and cry your blues to?
This phuckin contest needs to end, and never be spoken of again. Still not entering.
requires that if the owner of a firearm is acquitted of charges or if the charges are dropped, the firearm must be returned in 30 days.
If the owner is acquitted and/or charges are dropped there is no crime, certainly not one they are guilty of, and therefore there is absolutely no reason that their firearm shoyld not be returned to them on their way out of the courtroom. Anything else is an unreasonable seizure of private property.
That 83% increase is less than 10 people out of a state of 9,000,000.
Is that an armored glove on the floor? Maybe a gauntlet?
I’ve noticed that particular picture – dude in red shirt with sign – is obviously photoshopped.
Just sayin’.
50’s? Hell, me and my best friend used to walk blocks through my neighborhood with our air-rifles to go plinking on the edge of the neighborhood (shooting crawdads in the nearby creek) – this was in the 80’s. Now I routinely here of that exact scenario causing alarm and havoc on a regular basis.