Competitive shooters can purchase ammunition
Two 9mm loads are produced by the company, one for competitors. The Envy line was designed to deliver top performance in pistol caliber carbines. Norma claims it can shoot groups of less than 1 inch at 50 yards. The Envy cartridge features a 124-grain FMJ-round nose bullet and is rated at 1,345 fps with a 17 inch carbine barrel.
Another load is a Hexagon match grade line that has been optimized to ensure accuracy from a handgun. Norma has three rounds in the Hexagon range: 9mm Luger (9mm Magnum),.357 Magnum (.45 ACP). The 9mm version has a 124-grain Hexagon bullet. It is made up of six stabilizing grooves as well as an aerodynamic shape. Norma claims that accuracy is 1 in 25 yards. The 6-inch barrel is rated at 1,181 fps. Hexagon cartridges have high-performance powders that ensure consistent velocity.
Both cartridges are dual-use, and can be used in both pistols or carbines. They were tested in a 9mm pistol to determine their accuracy and velocity. I tested them in a hybrid pistol that included a Para Ordnance frame and Caspian slide. It also had a 5-inch Kart barrel.
My 5-inch barrel was able to produce minor power factor with both loads. The FMJ bullet, 124-grain, was clocked in at 1,110 fps (137PF), while the Hexagon bullet was at 1,127fps (1139PF). Velocity spread was very limited. The maximum spread for 30 FMJ rounds of 124-grain was only 31 fps and that of 30 Hexagon rounds, 36 fps. Even the slowest bullets had two power factors less than the average power factor.
The accuracy of the 124-grain FMJ round was 1.68 inches. The maximum spread for a 30-round aggregate group was 2.22 inches. Hexagon loads had an average 10 shot group size of 2.15 inches and all 30 shots were in 2.75 inches.
Accuracy was measured at 25 yards using the gun in Ransom Rest. It is the average of three 10-shot group scores. The total group size comes from targets placed below the 30-round 10-shot targets. Velocity was measured with a Shooting Chrony chronograph, at approximately eight feet. It is an average of 30 shots.
During my tests, there were no malfunctions. The FMJ round was preferred by my pistol over the Hexagon bullet. However, individual guns have their own preferences and you won’t know until you actually try your gun. The accuracy difference at 25 yards was only half an inch, which isn’t much.
