Seismic Disturbance

On the way to SHOT Show Industry Range Day, the question popped up in a Facebook group: “Hey, there’s a company there claiming that they have a 9x19mm 185gr JHP load. Can you check that out?”

After rubbing my eyes and rechecking the screen to make sure it didn’t read “158gr”, the jokes started to be made amongst the RECOIL crew in the van…

“185 grain 9mm? Where does the powder go?”

“What’s the pressure like?”

“I’d really like to shoot… photos of you shooting that.”

We got to the range and the crew scattered, looking for the big stories of Range Day, and I found myself turning away from the food truck coffee joint and staring right at the booth with the banners of Seismic Ammo, makers of said super-heavy bullets. (Seismic, get it?)

Curiosity overwhelmed me, and I wandered over.

There was ammo out for display in the booth, and not only the aforementioned 185gr 9x19mm but also a 325gr hollow point .45ACP load and a 2.5oz 12ga slug. The company was using the tagline “+M” for its ammo offerings, boasting that their 9mm load boasted momentum to rival some .45 Auto loads.

All that was available to be fired on range day, though, was the heavy 9mm offering. The firearms they had for sampling their ammunition were a Scorpion Evo 3, a Sig Sauer MPX, and a full-size HK USP.

Figuring that the recoil-operated pistol would be the most challenging operating environment for the weird loading, we elected to sample that one.

The magazine was loaded with three regular 115gr JHPs followed by three of Seismic’s “QuakeMaker” 185gr hollow points, to demonstrate the lack of excessive recoil in the latter.

I wish I could say that something dramatic happened while firing those magazines, but that would be a lie, unless you consider the gun functioning normally without feeling noticeably different in recoil to be dramatic.

Leaving Range Day, this ammunition is one of the most interesting things we saw there, and not least for the puzzles it raises.

It defies conventional wisdom, in that there’s barely any space left in the case, so surely chamber pressure must self-evidently be off the chain… only it’s obviously not.

Watch this space, for we’re sure to be doing a deeper dive on Seismic Ammo’s 9mm loading in the future.

Visit seismicammo.com