Weever82 Posted June 8, 2017 Share Posted June 8, 2017 Hey guys, So i am super green and haven't did my first match yet. Just got the gun, belt, pouches etc... I am going to shoot Production Glock 34 My question is... minor power factor is 125... Does it matter if its 125 or 135... meaning does it all score the same. Do I get more points for 135? Should I find "hotter" 9mm ammo or do you want to make it close to 125 as possible because its the same points anyways... Hope that makes sense... Thanks for reading! Weev- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClangClang Posted June 8, 2017 Share Posted June 8, 2017 Minor is minor. Doesn't matter whether you are at the bottom of the scale or the top of the scale - the scoring is the same. So might as well aim to get as close to 125 PF as possible (without dropping under, of course). If you're new... just buy a bunch of boxes of factory ammo (Blazer Brass, PMC, Winchester White Box, etc) and find out what runs well in your gun. Then shoot that for at least 3-5 matches before you even start worrying about power factor. Just learn to be safe without worrying about all the extra minutiae. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butterpuc Posted June 8, 2017 Share Posted June 8, 2017 don't sweat it, shoot production. "all" production is scored minor, no matter how hot your load is. I assume you are shooting manufactured ammo, you should be fine. Have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weever82 Posted June 8, 2017 Author Share Posted June 8, 2017 Perfect! That is exactly what I wanted to hear. Yeah I bought 10 diff boxes of 115 and 124gr 9mm to check and see which one shoots the best and then grab a few cases of that one and have fun. Just wanted to make sure I didn't buy 2 cases of 115 and 124gr got me more points or something. Thanks for responding guys! Weev- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted June 8, 2017 Share Posted June 8, 2017 generally, i would recommend getting closer to 135 than to 125. you don't get more points, but you have less to worry about and it's more likely still will fall from a marginal hit, and the gun may run more reliably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlm Posted June 8, 2017 Share Posted June 8, 2017 Just make sure that you shoot all 115 or 125 at a match, try not to mis-match at a match. POA will be different. IMVHO Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 Not all 9mm factory ammo comes in at PF 126 - 135. Depending on YOUR GUN, some of it might NOT make minimum PF (125), and some of it is downright HOT - unnecessarily hot. You'll also find that heavier bullets (147 grain) at PF 135 is Softer recoiling than is a 115 gr bullet at PF 135. And, as you mentioned, Your Gun might prefer one brand over the other in terms of accuracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joninwv Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 It seems like some of the terminology might be confusing here to a new shooter. The first number that is important is the weight of the bullet(projectile) and in your case you said you had bought loaded cartridges with 115 grain and 124 grain bullets. That number is not the "power factor". The second number you are concerned with is the velocity of the projectile when shot from YOUR firearm. It can range from very slow (600 feet per second) to relatively fast (1300 feet per second). Again, this number is not the "power factor". You get power factor by multiplying the projectile weight by the velocity and then dividing by 1000. So, for example, a 115 grain bullet fired at 800 feet per second is... (115 * 800) / 1000 = 92 power factor you can make the 125 power factor that is required for production by either firing a light weight projectile fast, or by shooting a heavy projectile slow. Its a personal preference. For your specific case, your 115 grain ammunition would need to have a velocity of 1087 feet per second. While the 124 grain ammunition would need to have a velocity of 1008 feet per second to "make power factor". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shmella Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 21 hours ago, Weever82 said: Hey guys, So i am super green and haven't did my first match yet. Just got the gun, belt, pouches etc... I am going to shoot Production Glock 34 My question is... minor power factor is 125... Does it matter if its 125 or 135... meaning does it all score the same. Do I get more points for 135? Should I find "hotter" 9mm ammo or do you want to make it close to 125 as possible because its the same points anyways... Hope that makes sense... Thanks for reading! Weev- unless youre shooting a major match where they chrono your rounds, none of this matters. Buy a box of whatever you like the most and run it, you will be scored the same as everyone else at your local match shooting production. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 I think you're confusing bullet weight (115 grain or 124 grain or 147 grain) with power factor. bullet weight (grains) times velocity (feet per second) = power factor. While you will occasionally find some factory ammo that's really soft, 95% of the time you do not need to worry about power factor if you aren't reloading. Buy the cheapest stuff you can find in bulk, show up, and shoot it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B_RAD Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 Federal champion 115 gr makes a out 132 pf of of my G34. It's cheap and decent ammo. Just an fyi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankge Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 People will tell you to chase the power factor floor and then add some "overhead". Just know that sometimes a hotter load can be more accurate and on the timer the difference is subjective. A good example is major power factor in open guns. 165 makes major but a lot of guns run better in the mid 170's because more gas runs certain comps better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weever82 Posted June 9, 2017 Author Share Posted June 9, 2017 (edited) Thanks for all the replies guys!! It gets confusing and glad you helped out. I'm gonna get my rig all set up and just go out and see how it shoots with the ammo I purchased below. I guess I need to buy a chronograph and really check it though... Edited June 9, 2017 by Weever82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbit99 Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 YEP.... You got yourself some boolits, that's for sure.! That looks like one good practice day.... well, maybe two short days.?? A chronograph is always helpful. BUT... only a GOOD chronograph. I've owned too many of them to say otherwise.!! Actually, unless you are reloading right now, the chrono can wait. Just use the manufacturers published data for each load. It will get you close enough for almost all occasions. Big matches might be an exception..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 On 6/8/2017 at 1:59 PM, Weever82 said: Perfect! That is exactly what I wanted to hear. Yeah I bought 10 diff boxes of 115 and 124gr 9mm to check and see which one shoots the best and then grab a few cases of that one and have fun. Just wanted to make sure I didn't buy 2 cases of 115 and 124gr got me more points or something. Thanks for responding guys! Weev- Methinks you may be lost a little. The 115gr and 124gr that you bought does not refer to how much powder is in the case, but what weight the bullet is. It is very possible that the 115gr stuff may have a higher power factor than the 124gr stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weever82 Posted June 9, 2017 Author Share Posted June 9, 2017 1 minute ago, GrumpyOne said: Methinks you may be lost a little. The 115gr and 124gr that you bought does not refer to how much powder is in the case, but what weight the bullet is. It is very possible that the 115gr stuff may have a higher power factor than the 124gr stuff. Correct. I think I just typed it out funny, I knew that. I just thought more power factor got you more points but its all the same either the weight is 115 or 124. Basically I'm gonna shoot what I got, find the most accurate and go with it. Hope to God is makes power factor. Maybe shoot a few through someones chrono at the range one day, Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 It will make PF... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R1_Demon Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 1 hour ago, Weever82 said: Thanks for all the replies guys!! It gets confusing and glad you helped out. I'm gonna get my rig all set up and just go out and see how it shoots with the ammo I purchased below. I guess I need to buy a chronograph and really check it though... Now you can do your own head to head cartridge comparison for a magazine. LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 I always got PF 127 out of my BHP with the Remington 115 gr bullets you just purchased Very Consistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotorMouth Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 That may be, but a 115 gr bullet at supersonic speeds will be both annoyingly loud and have a snappier recoil. If you get 147 gr subsonics - like Hush or something - then the recoil feels like more of a push and there's no supersonic crack... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeauxJoe Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 Good information guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeski Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 On 6/9/2017 at 11:15 AM, Shmella said: unless youre shooting a major match where they chrono your rounds, none of this matters. Buy a box of whatever you like the most and run it, you will be scored the same as everyone else at your local match shooting production. I would agree with this to start. Unless you are shooting major matches where they are doing a chrono, you should be safe without one. If you reload then it's a must have. Just find a good bullet weight that works well for your gun. I know my Glock does not like 147grn but runs best with 124grn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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