Ammunition for Shadow 2

[Stanseven]

Thanks PA USPSA,

This is very informative.

[PA USPSA]

You're welcome.  I plan on testing additional ammo as money and time permits.  For an ammo that I haven't tested before, the test will consist of plunking at least 10 rounds, chronographing 10 rounds, shooting 5 rounds freehand at 5 yards, and general impression of the ammo.  After shooting at least 50 rounds I'll report if I had any malfunctions.

There's a lot of competition ammo out there, so I think I'll be able to do this for a while.  I'll start testing the ammo that I can get in 50 round boxes and then work up to ammo that is sold in higher quantities.  Stay tuned.

[Wobbly]

Please post your results here....  https://czfirearms.us/index.php?topic=114254.0

[PA USPSA]

I ordered 100 rounds of NC Shooters Supply 9mm 125 grain Minor Power Factor ammunition ( https://ncshooters.com/product/100ct-9mm-125gr-minor-power-factor/ ).  The website claims an OAL of 1.110 inches and 1040 fps out of a 5 inch barrel.  It also says the ammunition is based around CZ chambers.  1040 fps with a 125 grain bullet is a power factor of 130.  My Accushadow 2 has a 4.89 inch barrel, so it is a little shorter.  The minimum fps to make power factor would be 1000.  We'll see how it does out of my Accushadow 2.

I chronographed the NC Shooters Supply 9mm 125 grain Minor Power Factor ammunition.  I shot 10 rounds using my 2022 CZ Accushadow 2 (4.89 inch barrel).  The low, average, and high in fps were:

1029.4          1049.3          1067.9

The low, average, and high power factors were:

128               131               133

A summary of all the ammunition chronographed so far.

Blazer Brass:                            135     138     140
Precision One Remanufactured:  129     133     136
Super Vel Remanufactured:        128     132     135
Super Vel New:                         128     132     134
NC Shooters Supply:                 128     131     133
Excaliber:                                 128     130     133

[PA USPSA]

I purchased a 50 round box of Atlanta Arms Classic Match 9mm 124 grain ammunition.  This is new brass with an advertised velocity of 1060 fps and an advertised OAL of 1.135 inches.  I plunked 10 rounds and 5 out of the 10 rounds did not plunk.  3 of the 10 rounds were sticking up well past the end of the chamber.  I had just cleaned my barrel, so there was no dirt in the chamber preventing the rounds from plunking.  Needless to say I was disappointed and will not be shooting these out of my Accushadow 2.

[PA USPSA]

I purchased a 50 round box of HOP Munitions 124 grain poly ammo ( https://hopmunitions.com/product/9mm-124gr-poly-50-rounds/ ).  I measured the OAL at 1.107 inches.  This ammunition uses a polymer coated round nosed lead bullet.  The company does not say if the brass is new or remanufactured.  The headstamp for all 50 rounds was X-Treme, so it looks like the brass is new but I can't say for sure.

I plunked 10 rounds of the ammo.  All 10 passed the plunk test, but only 3 of the rounds fell freely out of the chamber when I inverted the barrel (7 rounds did not fall freely).  In my experience, polymer coated bullets tend to not fall freely from the chamber.  I'm not sure why.  To make sure the ammo was safe to fire in my Accushadow 2, I plunked all 50 rounds.  All 50 rounds easily passed the plunk test.  I did not invert the barrel to see if they would fall freely.

When I go to the range, I will chronograph 10 rounds to determine the velocity and power factor.  I will also slow fire 5 rounds free hand at 5 yards for accuracy and precision.  I'll use the remaining 35 rounds to run some drills and get a general feel for the ammo.  I'll report my findings and if I had any malfunctions.

[BarBourQ]

Welcome aboard !

You shouldn't really have trouble buying factory FMJ ammo or reloading your own FMJ ammo for your Shadow. CZ's are more particular about their ammo than a Glock or a Ruger, but 99% of the issue is going to be with strange bullet shapes (like conical or JHP)

Quality JHP or Conical bullets (like Zero brand) have been proven to be much more accurate than FMJ.  Has CZ ever shared the leade angle (reamer makers call this the Throat) they use for chambering barrels?  Thanks.

[PA USPSA]

I shot 50 rounds of HOP Munitions 124 grain poly ammo.  There were no malfunctions.  I shot 5 rounds at 5 yards freehand slow fire.  There was 1 flyer which was probably because of me.  The other 4 shots had a group size of 1 3/16 inches, with 2 of the shots touching.  All 4 shots were in the center ring.

The advertised velocity for the HOP Munitions 124 grain poly ammo is 1050 fps.  I chronographed 10 rounds using my 2022 Accushadow 2 (4.89 inch barrel).  The low, average, and high in feet per second (fps) were:

1069.9          1089.1          1113.7

The low, average, and high power factors were:

132              135               138

When shooting quick doubles, the second shot was landing significantly lower than the first shot.  Most likely this is due to the higher power factors causing the muzzle to dip past the original point of aim.  While the HOP Munitions ammo shoots well for slow fire, I wasn't happy with the way the second shot of a pair landed considerably lower than the first shot.

A summary of all the ammunition chronographed so far.

Blazer Brass:                            135     138     140
HOP Munitions:                         132     135     138
Precision One Remanufactured:  129     133     136
Super Vel Remanufactured:        128     132     135
Super Vel New:                         128     132     134
NC Shooters Supply:                 128     131     133
Excaliber:                                 128     130     133