I recently purchased some BPS 124gr FMJ ammunition for $200/1000rd case, so I decided to break out my Xero C1 Pro Compact chronograph today to see how it compared to some other 124gr FMJ loads. I fired ten cartridges of each through my Sig M11-A1TB. It has a threaded barrel that's about a half inch longer than a typical M11-A1 (P229) barrel. Reliability was 100%. Here are the results:
CCI Blazer Brass: 1087fps, 14.3fps std dev, 48fps extreme spread, 325ft-lb
Geco R: 1044fps, 12.7fps std dev, 42fps extreme spread, 300ft-lb
BPS: 1160fps, 20.0fps std dev, 66fps extreme spread, 371ft-lb
Winchester NATO: 1136fps, 25.8fps std dev, 76fps extreme spread, 356ft-lb
Scorpio: 1073fps, 10.5fps std dev, 33fps extreme spread, 317ft-lb
I was surprised regarding how hot the BPS is. It was hotter than the Winchester NATO spec, so it's definitely in the +P range. That isn't noted anywhere on the box. Recoil was noticeably stronger than the other cartridges and the spent cases went the furthest. Primers were flattened and the lettering on the case heads were not as sharp after firing. It was also 4th out of five as far as the consistency of the velocity. This is definitely ammunition that you want to keep away from pistols that were not designed to handle +P 9mm. I'll probably just relegate it to my 9mm pistol caliber carbines.
The inconsistency of the Winchester NATO velocity was disappointing. I've shot a ton of this cartridge over the years, so I know that it's decently accurate.
The CCI Blazer Brass and Geco R are good regular power 9mm cartridges with decent consistency.
In my opinion, the Scorpio was the overall winner from a consistency standpoint. Unfortunately, I only have two cases left and it's now more expensive than it once was at about $250 per case.
