.45 Loads and perceived felt recoil

[GONZO!!!]

Hi Gang...

this may not be the best forum for this question. Please feel free to move to another forum if warranted.

So a friend asked me this question and I had no real way of answering. Hopefully the question will make sense...

In your opinion, which would FEEL lighter during recoil?

165gr @ 1179fps = 194 power factor

185gr @ 1035fps = 191 power factor

200gr @ 975fps = 195 PF

230gr @ 850fps = 195 PF

Now I know thre are no absolutes and this is not exactly a scientific experiment...let's assume that all things are normal and equal. let's use the following criteria (for what its worth):

1911 5" barrel government model. Straight factory pistol.

.45acp

same brass

same primer

same powder

same bullet type

we're just talking perceived recoil.

Any suggestions or opinions?

GONZO!!!

[ParaGunner]

With the info provided I would say the 230 grn bullet because it would take less powder to hit the same power factor as lighter bullets. YMMV

[Hi-Power Jack]

With the info provided I would say the 230 grn bullet because it would take less powder to hit the same power factor as lighter bullets. YMMV

+1.

In 9mm minor, the lighter bullets feel snappier and

seem to me to have more recoil. The heavier the bullet,

the lighter the perceived recoil to me, at the same

PF in the same gun.

No real reason to load the .45 up to 190 pf, by the way,

for any of the action shooting sports ... You can drop

some recoil by loading lighter.

Jack

[GONZO!!!]

as far as PF goes..I know. I tend to keep mine just a tad on the higher end of 170 just to be sure...but when i checked some loads, they were coming in at 180 or higher...so I found some loads listed on the internet and tried to get some where they were all relatively the same in PF.

Personally, for me, I prefer the 200gr bullet.

GONZO!!!

[want2race]

I'm experimenting with this right now. I shoot 200gr LSWC over 4.3gr of Clays. I just loaded up a box of Barry's 185gr HBRP over 4.9gr of Clays. I have not Chrono'd yet. 4.9gr-5.0gr is what I've read it takes to make 170-172pf. That's close enough for initial testing.

I shot both loads in the same gun, loaded in the same magazine. 4 rounds of 200gr shot first followed by 4 rounds of 185gr. I could not tell the difference at all. I also had someone else shoot the 185gr load right after his own 230gr loads. Again, no felt difference. This was just seat of the pants testing so far. I intend on testing accuracy while on the clock and see if there is a difference in point values (based on my own performance).

I've also tested 165gr vs 180gr in my .40 loads too. Given similar PF, the difference was not noticable. Maybe I'm not recoil sensitive. I know the theory as to why the lighter, faster loads are supposed to feel harsh but my hands can't really tell. Not yet anyway.

185's are cheaper and I don't like shooting lead indoors so I was looking for a training alternative.

[benos]

As a general rule, comparing different bullet weights loaded to the same power factor (with the same powder), the lighter bullets will feel "snappier" compared to the heavier bullets, which will feel "softer."

be