Last year, at SHOT Show, we talked about the Hailey Ordnance Company and their line of ammunition loaded with very heavy projectiles. This year, we found out that the production of this ammunition has already started but it is transferred to Hailey Ordnance Company’s sister company – Seismic Ammunition.

To be more precise, they have started the production of 9mm cartridges loaded with 185-grain QuakeMaker +M bullets. This 9mm ammo is loaded into Shell Shock cases with the red base color to make it easier identifying the heavy projectile load. These 9mm cartridges should be available for purchase in February and the MSRP will be about $1.38 per round.

When you look at these cartridges and their bullets, one of the first questions that comes to your mind is if there is any space left for the powder at all. I deliberately placed the cartridge and bullet upside down on the table (see the above-embedded image) to demonstrate the amount of powder space that is left in these cases. Nevertheless, these cartridges functioned perfectly in the HK pistol and CZ Scorpion EVO 3 that I shot them through. The secret sauce is the specially formulated slow burning powder.

Besides being perfect for suppressed firearms, these Seismic Ammunition cartridges also pack some punch for non-suppressed defensive use. Here is how the company describes the performance of their products.

HEAVIER HITS HARDER!

Seismic High Mass Ammo is the first +M ammunition. Due to the greater mass of the bullets, our 9mm round delivers the destructive momentum of a .45 ACP; our .45 ACP rivals a 20 Gauge shotgun slug, and just imagine what our 2.5 Ounce 12 Gauge slug can do. How is this accomplished?

Interestingly, despite being loaded with such heavy bullets, the Seismic Ammunition 9mm cartridges have very mild recoil. In fact, the company officials offered me to load the magazines of test weapons with some basic 115 grain loads along with their cartridges and feel the difference. Amazingly, you can’t tell the difference. I don’t know what they did with the powder, but it seems to work (note that I didn’t conduct extensive testing but just shot a couple of magazines).

The .45 ACP Cartridge loaded with a 325-grain bullet is still in development

There are also two other cartridges/loads that are currently in development including a .45 ACP loaded with 325-grain bullets and 12 gauge shells loaded with 2.5 oz slugs. Both are expected to be available by the end of the year.

Seismic Ammunition 2.5 oz slugs compared to a standard 1 oz rifled slug