S&W Shield Defensive Ammo Test

There are lots of debates out there about what ammo to use in the new breed of short barreled 9mm guns.  So, I brought a few loads to test from my S&W Shield 9mm.  Here's what I found:

Test conditions: 
-S&W Shield with a 3.1'' barrel

-Test rounds fired from 10 feet 
-"FBI spec" (Their term, not mine...) Clear Ballistics gel block
 

Results:

Remington UMC 115gr JHP

-1065 FPS/292 FT/LBS energy

-18.5'' of penetration

Winchester Ranger 115gr JHP

-989 FPS/250 FT/LBS energy

-16'' of penetration

Federal HST 124gr JHP

-990 FPS/270 FT/LBS energy

-13.5'' penetration

Federal HST 124gr JHP +p

-1071 FPS/316 FT/LBS energy

-12'' of penetration

Speer Gold Dot 124gr +p

-1176 FPS/382 FT/LBS energy

-15.5'' penetration

Brown Bear 115gr FMJ (since some folks say you need FMJ out of these guns for 'adequate' penetration)

-1046 FPS/279 FT/LBS energy

-26'' of penetration

To see the test, the results, and the actual expansion of the round when I pulled them out of the gel block check out the video test below:

Here's the video showing the test, the permanent cavity, both shots into the gel, and a discussion of the results:

Magpul 40 Round PMag Review

I've been using these mags for a couple weeks now and here's a quick rundown of the new 40 round Gen M3 PMag from Magpul...

Pros:

-100% reliable in all of my riles thus far.

-Compatible with HK 416, SCAR 16, SA80, MK 16, Tavor, ect...

-According to Magpul, more durable than Gen2 MOE PMags

-Same marking system as all Gen M3 PMags

-40 rounds is obviously cooler than 30 rounds

-Compatible with the Maglink

Cons:

-Firing from the prone

-They're tough to find currently

-Currently only out in black

Here's a video review with some shooting, a couple drop tests while loaded, and a discussion/demonstration of the pros and cons: