38 Special vs 9mm: Nearly the Same Bullet, Double the Pressure
The bullets are two thousandths of an inch apart. The pressure ceilings are more than double. One maker’s line loaded in both settles the energy question.
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10mm vs 45 ACP: 37,500 psi Against 21,000
Same test barrel, same rifling, nearly double the pressure. Federal’s HST in both is 567 ft-lb against 404 — and the 10mm spans 600 fps across the catalog.
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9mm vs 40 S&W: Same Pressure, Different Bullet
Both are loaded to 35,000 psi and tested in the same 4-inch barrel. Hornady publishes both at 1,010 fps — which makes the comparison unusually clean.
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Best 9mm Self-Defense Ammo: What the Published Test Data Actually Shows
Federal HST, Speer Gold Dot and Hornady Critical Duty are the right answers — but the usual reason given for them does not survive the published gel data. Manufacturer specs, third-party test numbers and live prices, all sourced.
