Fiocchi 9mm Ammo

[BikerRN]

Howdy all,

Being as decent 9mm ammo is getting hard to find again, and my stock of 9BPLE is dwindling, as well as SWMBO not liking the +P+ or +P stuff I'm considering Fiocchi 124 Grain JHP's for defensive use.

The reason I'm considering it is, it's in stock and I can get some. I'm concerned about it being too over-penetrative given that it's the Hornaday XTP Bullet, which stands for Extra Penetrating IIRC. Also, I can get it in 50 round boxes at a price I can afford.

From my searching the web it seems this is a good consistant ammo and it tends to run a little "hotter" than other standard pressure loads. Am I wrong in my thinking, and would I be better served by using another round due to it being too over-penetrative in bipedal aggressors?

I've always preferred the +P+ stuff in my 9mm, but a friend is talking me out of that and into the 124 Grain bullet, since it would serve SWMBO well. If it runs as "hot" as NATO ammo we are both OK with that.

I called an ammo supplier and he wanted $30/50 for the 9BPLE, which I considered Highway Robbery. I'd pay $20/50 for it, and have the remainder of my stash that I bought at $17/50. I don't mind somebody making a profit, but I have a hard time believing the price of ammunition has gone up that much in two years.

Thank you for your help in this matter and I eagerly await your replies. I have to hurry though, as I don't know how long this ammo will be available. I'd love to load DPX in my guns, but it's too exspensive to shoot, and I train with what I carry. Also, I prefer 50 round boxes. There is something sacreligious to me about 20 round boxes.

Biker

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[kdydak]

How about Privi 147 grain Hollow Point at $15.95 per box of 50 + $12 shipping for up to 20 boxes.

Prvi Partizan 9mm Luger

Privi should be about as good as fiochi.

[BikerRN]

How about Privi 147 grain Hollow Point at $15.95 per box of 50 + $12 shipping for up to 20 boxes.

Prvi Partizan 9mm Luger

Privi should be about as good as fiochi.

Thanks, but I have no use for 147 grain anything. I'll stick with 115 or 124 grain bullets.

Biker

[kdydak]

Well then this might be interesting:

SGAmmo.com

$219 500 rds 9mm +P+ 115 grain Winchester Ranger JHP RA9115HP+

And these are not the "Z" rejects, but the LE grade ammo.

[boscobeans]

Biker,

""I'm concerned about it being too over-penetrative given that it's the Hornaday XTP Bullet, which stands for Extra Penetrating IIRC""

XTP = Extreme Terminal Performance. A combination of expansion and controlled expansion over a wide range of velocities.

From what I have seen it has about the same penetration as most of the other quality SD rounds out there.

I like them because I can buy the XTP bullets and reload them for practice. Just got 500 of each for .40 S&W and 9mm.

OMO

bosco

[retsupt99]

I couldn't tell you about it's penetrative qualities, but I have used various calibers and grains of Fiocchi ammo for years without a problem...I trust it.
As long as it goes 'thru' I do not worry much about how far 'thru'...OMO

[mrog71]

In terms of reliability, I love Fiocchi ammo. It's the only ammo that has never given me a jam in my XD SC.

[jem102]

I have been surprised at the number of people using it so it must work well. Never tried it myself.

[Patti]

I have roughly 2,000 rounds of Fiocchi 9 mm ammo.

Not one glitch.

[varob]

I don't ever recall using Fiochi hand gun ammo. but I do have some in .223 Rem and have had no problems with it.

[forestranger]

The two different lots of Fiocchi 124XTP I chrono'd produced less than +p velocities. The fastest of the two lots avg'd 1027fps out of 4" FNP9 and 987fps out of 3.1"PF9. Actually a little slower than standard 124 Gold Dot or Golden Saber out of same guns?

[Munch]

+1 for Fiocchi....and they seal the primers too.

[torrejon224]

I just bought a case of Fiocchi 124jhp with the Hornandy XTP bullet for my 357sig. $17 per box of 50 which is dirt cheap for that caliper especially in JHP. Great stuff, accurate to point of aim and at 1400fps it's pretty hot. The cases are nickel or stainless and great for reloading. I have shot quite a few cases of Fiocchi in both 9mm and 45acp and it's never let me down, also it's made in the U.S. in Missouri. I bought the sig ammo from Midway, actually backordered it about a month ago, it's up to $31 a box currently! Thank God for backorders!

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. Hornady's "exXtreme Terminal Performance" line of JHP bullets were advertised as being the first designed specifically to "pass" the FBI protocols in bullet performance rather than seeking to turn itself inside-out via extreme expansion.

The XTP bullet is designed to expand to roughly 1.5 x original bullet diameter. In my own informal tests, they have. In the field, I've cleanly taken small to medium game with them with handloaded ammunition in 9mm, .38 Super, .44 Special, .45 Colt and .45 ACP. Be they in factory-loaded ammunition or reloaded, it's been my experience that they do group very well more times than not.

It is my understanding that the XTP design sometimes "fails" the dreaded "4-layers-of-denim" test, one that is described as not representing anything but a "worst case scenario" by researchers subscribing to it, i.e.; if a bullet penetrates 4-layers of denim and still expands, it probably will in about any real life scenario. I am not sure that it is not an overly difficult test and while I place some "value" on it, I am not too terribly concerned with it, either. XTP's do tend to penetrate a bit deeper for an expanding bullet in the same weight range. I would expect the Fiocchi 9mm version to do about the same. Whether it would penetrate an "adult average male torso" completely, I don't know. I think it would lose significant "steam" doing so. My guess is that a standard pressure 124-gr. XTP would probably penetrate similarly to the standard pressure 147-gr. bullets from other makers.


I've used this handloaded for quite some years now. It is probably a bit warmer than the Fiocchi factory load. I am not sure that this will make much difference other than possibly increasing penetration slightly in "soft targets." At higher velocity, the 124-gr. XTP might expand after passing through 4-layers of denim before 10% ballistic gelation; I don't know...and don't much care.

Hornady includes a list of "optimum velocity ranges" with their bullets sold as reloading components. In 9mm, it shows this range as follows:

90-gr. HP-XTP: 800-1400 ft/sec
115-gr. HP-XTP: 800-1400
124-gr. HP-XTP: 850-1350
147-gr. BHP-XTP: 750-1200

While I have no information on the "why" of the slight differences, I do believe that the Fiocchi Extrema ammunition will fall within these limits.


While not Fiocchi brand, here is an expanded Hornady factory-loaded XTP recovered from "wet pack" in an informal "test" I did some years ago. It was fired from a Browning Hi Power. Average velocity was 1143 ft/sec. I expect that Fiocchi loads to at least this velocity...and probably more. (I have seen its velocity listed at 1290 ft/sec but have not personally chronographed any to see if this is true or not. That said, I think it is a safe bet that its velocity will be sufficient at the least.)


If the Fiocchi velocity is in the range mentioned above, it will likely perform like the 124-gr. XTP's in the picture above. This were fired from a Browning Hi Power and averaged about 1244 ft/sec. The one on the left was used to kill a javelina while the one on the right was fired into water.

I would not be "concerned" if using Fiocchi XTP ammunition for self-protection.

Best.

[torrejon224]

Stephen, great info! I'm always surprised that Hornandy does not seem to garner the same respect that the other makers such as Federal, Speer, WInchester, etc get when it comes down to LE/Personal Defense ammo. I do a lot of reloading with the XTP myself and my results seem to be close to yours. While I have never chrono'd any of the Fiocchi Extrema loads when shot side by side with other makers JHP's of the same weight they do seem to run on the "hot" side. I wouldn't be the least bit worried about using the Extrema as a defensive load.