I was gifted a few boxes of 150 grain 9mm HST and have read that it is designed to be optimal for micro carry guns with a 3” barrel and for better felt recoil as seen on the label.

What issues could there be if used in a full size handgun? I’m thinking it would cycle fine but with a longer barrel creating higher velocity would there be issues with expansion or even bullet separation/fragmentation?

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The 150 gr. HST is my preferred defensive ammunition for  my suppressed 9mm, as the bullet is specifically designed to perform at subsonic velocity. It is a shame that it is now discontinued.

The 150 HST is the "weakest" HST offering. Being shot from a 4" barrel could only improve it's performance. Carry it with confidence that it will be ok. Assuming you have enough to function test.

It won't hurt anything, the main thing would be you could get potentially under expansion and/or over penetration from optimal performance velocity.

All I can add is that I've never gotten a bad round of HST while I've had two bad Sig rounds so far, one in .38spl where the primer was in backwards and one 9mm that didn't sound or recoil like the others.  It cleared the barrel but was definitely underloaded.  I'm not even sure how they got the .38 primer pressed in upside down, much less how they let it get past inspection.  IIRC, from someone else's testing Sig seems to be generous with their claimed velocities or is using a long barrel.  I don't have a chrono to check them myself; I've still got a couple of boxes of various loads around.  

That said, I use Speer short barrel 9mm loads in my Shield and they run fine in everything I've tried them in.

Regular 147gr HSTs will expand well even at a pretty low speed - a guy on tested them in gel down to 770fps while still cycling a G48


For my own reloads I aim for around 980-1000fps and they're plenty quiet out of an R9 and cycle every pistol I've got with/out the can

"Regular" loaded HST 147 run around that same 980-1000fps...why reload? (availability of loaded JHP ammo in Germany?) The old 147 +p was getting a solid 1050 from a 4" barrel but I dont think it is made anymore...

One thing I dont like about the Winchester loads using 147 bullets is they load them so slow, under 900. It would be worth re-loading some 147 Ranger-T to 1050fps.

No, it wasn't.  I chronographed three different lots of the +P variant from a Glock 19, with the 4" factory barrel.  The average muzzle velocity was 1029 FPS.  The standard pressure load fired from the same Glock 19 had a muzzle velocity of 1018 FPS.

...

This is my preferred load for most things 9mm.

Was that before or after the reduced the velocity? EVERY chrono test that I've seen using the older 147 +P in a G19 gave an honest 1050+. Federal then reduced the velocity down to the standard non+P version...

I do agree that after the change, there was NO difference between the non +P version and the +P.

I still dont know why Winchester cannot load a 147 to an honest 1000+ FPS!!

One of the reasons heavy-for-caliber projectiles are common in short barrel loads is that they lose (or gain) very little velocity per inch. In other words, 147+gr loads that perform well in a 3” guns usually also perform well in 4” guns.

This statement seems backwards in regard to expanding hollow points and higher velocities.

All else being equal, more velocity does lead to LESS expansion with modern JHP ammo. Some bullets will even fragment resulting in shallow pen.

I remember one of the things with the 150 grain hst was the low flash/smoke. Is there another hst in 9mm that offers that ?

If you say so.

Bullet design and construction has changed a lot in the last few years.  I can remember back when I first started shooting a lot and reloading, we loaded some .357s at the max loading (maybe it's just my imagination, but loading data used to be hotter than it is these days).  Anyways, we were shooting some various objects and the rounds, some jacketed hollow points, were essentially exploding.  We were driving them too fast for the bullet design at that time and the jackets would start separating as soon as the bullet impacted and the lead would then deform.  They made for some impressive holes, but despite the speed I seriously doubt they would have made 12" in gelatin.  A modern, bonded core performs a lot better.  I've seen the same thing happen with rifle rounds, especially a .300RUM that a buddy shoots.  Only a couple of bullets will hold up to the velocities the rifle is capable of (and I think he's on his second or third barrel at this point too).

I have had very good results with the Underwood 90 grain extreme penetrators in my 3.1 inch Shield Plus . In my DIY  none too professional test with 18 inch's of tied together tightly old magazines with 2 layers of old denim jeans the 90 grain Underwood extreme  penetrators' , damage to the media, pentation but expansion was NONE   .