Has anyone heard of an ammunition company named G9 Defense? If not, you may want to educate yourself on this company, as they are seriously onto something with their products. Recently, I had the opportunity to tour their manufacturing facilities in Northern Idaho. Here’s what I learned.
G9 Defense Ammunition
It wasn’t easy getting to the manufacturing facility. I had to meet some people at the base of the mountains, wear a black canvas bag over my head, and be driven to their secret lair, where they make these special bullets. Just kidding, their rep gave me an address that I plugged into my GPS, and away I went.
You would never find this place by driving by, that’s for sure. It’s not advertised—and for good reason. But once I got there, I was greeted by smiling faces and warm hospitality. Even the company president himself, Joshua Mahnke, came out to speak with me about their products and show me around. Hang in there with me as I attempt to describe for you the next generation in defensive ammunition.
Upon looking around their factory, it’s plain to see how much care goes into the operations there. The shop is very clean with lots of machinery cranking out the process of production. A HUGE American Flag adorns the wall at one end of the facility.
After speaking with some of the employees there, you can truly understand their love of country, deep patriotism, and belief in their company. Everyone was smiling, and everyone ate lunch together in their break room. To me, G9 Defense seems more like a working family than a company of separate individuals.
It’s hard to put into words, but it seemed like a very calming environment. Everyone just seemed to mesh together nicely. The G9 Defense team truly seems to work together as a well-oiled machine.
Not a Typical Hollow Point
Immediately upon seeing the type of bullet used for their defensive 9mm, I was very intrigued. It’s not your typical HP (hollow point) bullet. The G9 Defense 80 gr. is what the company refers to as an “External Hollow Point.”
The easiest way to explain it in layman’s terms is that a traditional HP expands and sheds its peddles upon contact with a solid object. In other words, it simply mushrooms out to make a large, solid, sharp mass that enters its target.
A G9 Defense 9mm 80gr. EHP (External HP) has relief cuts made into the bullet itself. So, it doesn’t need to expand any pedals in flight or upon contact with a solid mass, thus holding its shape and creating a deeper, more gnarly wound channel. As stated in one of the G9 Defense official videos, their ammo is “Cleaner, more efficient, and more deadly. The future of ballistics is here.”
Fair to mention as well that the EHP from G9 Defense will not over-penetrate either. It will not penetrate a Level IIIA or “quality Level IIA” armor, per G9 Defense.
G9 Ammunition vs. a Gel Block with a Bulletproof Vest
It’s truly amazing to see their technology at work. I was invited to watch one of their company reps shoot two different types of 9mm defensive rounds into a gel block with an NIJ IIIA vest taped to the front of it.
The first was their 9mm 80 gr. EHP. It was amazing to witness, as the bulletproof vest taped to the front of the ballistic gel seemed to catch most of the impact of this round, and it didn’t penetrate far into the gel block at all. I chalked this up to the vest being seriously used, as it had visible holes in it from these demonstrations.
That became evident when they shot the 9mm 77gr. APC (LE/MIL) bullet into the target. It blew through the bulletproof vest like it wasn’t even there. Then, it penetrated about 80% of the way through the ballistic gelatin block. That was a serious eye-opener.
At first glance, both of the bullets look identical. However, the APC (LE/MIL) bullet has a sharp tip or point on it that the 9mm EHP doesn’t have. Instead, its tip is more rounded with no sharp edge.
G9 Shape Charge Technology
G9 Defense refers to their pistol ammo as “Shape Charge Technology” and their rifle ammo as “Depth Charge Technology.”
EHP line of ammo, according to G9 Defense, “Its unique patented shape employs Shape Charge Technology to reliably penetrate through frequently encountered barriers such as windshields, sheet metal, and drywall without compromising lethality on target or risking over penetration.”
Rifle ammo, according to G9 Defense: “Relatively high ballistic coefficients combine with extremely high muzzle velocities to produce short times of flight and extended supersonic ranges. Short times of flight mitigate wind-effect and produce high hit probabilities. Low friction in the bore extends the life of the barrel.”
Then, G9 Defense also offers a Woodsman selection that is more of a pistol hunting round. It’s got a truly unique, wicked shape.
“Utilizing non-expanding Shape Charge Technology, it consistently provides deep, straight penetration with the power to overcome thick hides and heavy bones, making it an ideal handgun hunting choice.”
Their Long-Range Hunter ammo is truly amazing when you look at it.
“These bullets are specifically designed to penetrate deep and quickly cause phenomenal terminal effects.”
I can see why, and so will you when you really look closely at this ammo.
G9 Defense offers several more selections of specialty ammunition. I encourage every reader to check out their website and educate themselves. My take is that it may be an expensive ammo choice, but you are truly getting what you pay for.
Just look at their Woodsman ammo, it’s gnarly looking. I’d rock that any day while out in the woods or mountains walking my dogs.
9mm APC According to G9 Defense
Joshua Mahnke (Company President) had this to say on the G9 Defense 9mm APC (Armor Penetrating Cavitator) bullet (dictated from the freely available company YouTube video):
“G9 Ammo outperforms other ammunition on the market as it’s a fluted design that doesn’t expand in order to transfer energy laterally or increase the size of a wound. Traditionally, hollow points need to deform and change shape in order to do this.
“Once a barrier is encountered, most times these hollow points do not deform well, and they’ve deformed to the point in the barrier that they will no longer do it in the soft target. This bullet is currently restricted to Law Enforcement and Military sales only.”
Armor Penetrating Cavitator Bullets
The Armor Penetrating Cavitator bullets themselves are made from solid brass. As such, the Federal Government won’t allow the public to have these. I have mixed feelings on this one. Thankfully, at least these rounds are intended for the SWAT types because the average street cop is a scary shot.
That remark is made with nothing but love. However, I’ve had to coach enough of my fellow Deputies/Officers at the range on better marksmanship habits. No worries, though. I highly doubt any Law Enforcement Agency in this nation would issue Armor-Penetrating Cavitator rounds to the average rank-and-file officers. It’s that good and it’s that deadly.
G9 Defense Advances Ballistic Technology
As you can see, G9 Defense is very busy advancing ballistics technology. I’m looking forward to seeing more openly available testing on their ammo as it becomes more and more in demand.
G9 Defense is on to something here, something that isn’t really practiced by the majority of similar manufacturers. Is this the next evolution in the ammunition manufacturing business? It truly seems so after my tour of this intriguing place.
However, as always, I’ll let YOU be the judge. It’s not cheap by any means, but the ammo is solid. Grab some and see for yourself!
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