Why not 147gr bullets in open major

[TruStreet]

We have a production shooter thats moving to Open, and want to know why no one uses 147gr bullets in Open. He currently has over 5k of these type of bullets.

[theycallmeingot]

i don't shoot open, but i think:

Power Factor being equal, a light bullet with more powder will create more gases to work the comp, than a heavy bullet with less powder.

[EkuJustice]

+1 lighter bullets mean more powder is needed to make major. More powder means more gas to work the comp. More gas to work the comp means the gun shoots flatter. The common open bullet is either 124 or 115 grain. For open, covered base bullets ie CMJ which is basically a FMJ with no exposed lead on the base and JHP are also the way to go so your not leading up the comp.

[Whitefish]

Most open shooters have found that to get the proper balance between flat shooting and cycling, plus the way the gun feels, the recipe is for lighter bullets in the 115 - 125 gr range and slower burning powders to generate more gas to work the comp and/or ports. Since 147's require less powder to make major, there is less gas to work the comp and therefore, the gun doesn't shoot as flat - plus, the 147's generally make for a "slower" cycling slide and an entirely different "feel". I had 147's on hand and tried them in a 9 major open gun wit several different powders. I didn't like the way it shot and quickly settled on 125 gr JHP's as the best for my gun. As always, opinions vary.

[Hi-Power Jack]

why no one uses 147gr bullets in Open.

I asked the same question when I got into OPEN, even though

I didn't have ANY 147's lying around.

Got responses that experienced OPEN shooters have tried the

heavier bullets and thought they got MUCH better results from

the lighter bullets - so I tried 115's and settled on 124's -

never did try the 147's myself though.

[Guest]

He should try them. A 147gr bullet scooting along at about 1150fps might not be a bad load in his gun and tide him over until he can figure out what he wants to run.

Using 150gr SWCs and 160 gr LRN bullets was fairly common in the early days of super and is actually a pleasant and accurate load that makes major with a lot of margin to spare, but it certainly isn't going to drive the comp like a gassy 115 grainer at 1500fps. I'd be tempted to run them for a while before before transitioning to a lighter bullet just sharpen my open gun chops. When he goes to a lighter bullet it will be like driving a Ferrari!

BTW - I had a 20 year old case (2000) of Remington 130 grain FMJ bullets that was stashed away and just finished them off...nice shooting bullets. Still have a bunch of 150 SWCs and 160 LRNs from the old days. Used them a couple years back in a casual PPC type pistol league and they worked well.

[eric nielsen]

I've tried 147 grain JHPs in a 9-major Glock with 3-chamber Ti comp and they not only shot poorly (for Open) but also had some of the worst pressure signs I had in trying many load combos for that gun. In loads that only made it to 163 power factor. The shape and size of the boat-tail can end up leaving less room for the required powder charge than using a 124gr with lots more powder. The gun jumped around almost exactly like a G35 limited gun, might as well have not had a comp attached. I would save/sell the bullets for Production. See chrono log, last page.

Major9.pdf

Edited September 6, 2012 by eric nielsen

[gng4life]

Last year, I was just getting into Open and the bullets I wanted were out so I had some 147s I used for Production laying around. I loaded them up with some Power Pistol and they were some awesome loads. Especially for a beginner, it will be a good load to start off with and being new, you really need to worry about so many other things in Open than your bullet weight. Tell him to to try them for a while and then when he feels he may be limited by his loads, then it will be time to change. I was shooting them out of an STI Trubor, no signs of pressure and they were very accurate.

[mpolans]

The 160gr LRNs are now a great choice for 9mm in Production. Feels like shooting an airsoft gun.

[CocoBolo]

You didn't say 9 mm or 38 Super. I've shot 147gr in 9 minor thru my open gun, no issues. I've also shot some 147gr 38Super at major velocity. So you can shoot them it probably isn't going to feel great but it will give your friend some dot time. Mastering the dot is step one. Shooting minor you need all A's

Use the same load as for production minor, the fast powder, if the gun is too lazy then go to something like AutoComp, (one of the faster open powders) (4.7 to 5.0gr 9mm) or a little more for 38S, get a good 135-140pf and the gun will cycle a bit better.

He should set aside 2,000 for when he feels like shooting Iron sights.

[bk94]

I have been shooting 124 MG CMJ with 7.1 of AC with and have had great results.