Product Review: Atlanta Arms 147 grain 9mm FMJ (follow up with chrono)

You might remember the first impressions article about this ammo from back in June of this year, which has more background than this writeup (here). I’ve continued to shoot the AA&A Team Glock/AMU 9mm load that Atlanta Arms sent me for reviews throughout the remainder of the summer (into the fall) and it’s still good to go. The black box (new production) ammo is a great option for important matches, and the blue box (same round, remanufactured) is a cost-effective practice round for the range that keeps an identical feel and POI.

VP9 with AAAfter chrono’ing this round, I’ve remained impressed with its consistency, and the feel is on par with match reloads for those of you who either (a) don’t reload at all, or (b) simply don’t have time for it sometimes. The average velocity was about 873 fps through a 5″ barrel, making a power factor of about 128,000. Considering the advertised velocity is 880 fps, that’s right on target and perfect for a match load. Although Atlanta Arms chrono’d the ammo through a Glock 17, chamber variations can account for just as much of a difference in velocity as the extra inch of barrel, so if the gun you shoot has a barrel that isn’t quite 5″ long, chances are you’ll still get similar results at the chronograph. It’s always a good idea to check before a big match, but it certainly shouldn’t be an issue.

AA&A 147 gr FMJ Match (adv. 880 fps)
855
868
873
885
864
894
887
873
859
874
mean velocity
873.2

Accuracy has been more than acceptable in every gun I’ve shot this ammo through, from a Wilson Combat 1911 and a Glock 17 to the recently-acquired H&K VP9. Moreover, although it’s about as accurate off of a sandbag rest as any high-quality factory FMJ (I can’t physically shoot much better than a couple of inches at 20 yards, so minute differences are lost on me anyway), the low recoil definitely makes it a go-to round for solid match accuracy in any practical shooting applications.

In 150 rounds of the new (black box) and over 500 rounds of the re-manufactured (blue box) ammo, I’ve been very pleased with the results. For important matches, I would recommend the new production stuff because it uses new brass, but besides that either type should serve you (and your wallet) well. After my experience with the 9mm, I can’t wait to test out some Atlanta Arms 38 Super! HP

Colt Driver; Atlanta Arms & Ammo 147 grain TCJ Ammunition, MSRP $22 (new), $15.50 (reman)

For more info on Atlanta Arms, or to find a dealer near you, check out www.AtlantaArmsandAmmo.com.

Post Navigation

4 Thoughts on “Product Review: Atlanta Arms 147 grain 9mm FMJ (follow up with chrono)

  1. 803saladshooter on October 7, 2014 at 9:13 pm said:

    Any ability to test the consistency through a suppressed pistol?