blacklab2011 Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Finishing up my first year of USPSA shooting, up to this point I have been shooting factory 9mm 115gr WWB, Blazer ammo. I probably Shot 4,000 - 5,000 rounds this year. I am starting to reload and prepare for year 2 wondering which bullet weight will be better to move to. I've gotten used to the snappiness of the 115's, has anyone else gone from 115 to 147 and found them to be too sluggish? Are the 125's a better compromise? I plan on getting samples of each to test myself, just curious of others experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Rob, it's all over the lot. Some don't see any difference between 115's and 147's (I personally believe that is a reluctance to spend the extra money on the expensive 147's, but I may be wrong). Few seem to love the 115's in 9mm minor - seems to me, from reading between the lines for the past five years - that the really good shooters prefer the snap of the 124's, and the mediocre shooters (ME) prefer the softer 147's. May be the difference in the strength of your grip also. As YOU said, best to experiment yourself - also see which is more accuate in YOUR gun - mine is more accurate with the heavier bullets, but others are more accurate with the 124's. Your powder will also make a difference ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikerburgess Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 I have a feeling you are going to get many different answers on this. I personally like the feel of heavy bullets, but it is very subjective an the difference is really not that big, that said I run 170gr molly coated bullets in my 9mm. shooting from a bench during practice I notice the difference in recoil and prefer the soft push of the 170's to the snap of the 115's but I have shot matches with a mixture of 115gr fmj factory ammo and my 170gr reloads mixed in the magazines and the biggest thing I noticed while shooting was that the bang was louder with the factory loads. the biggest thing is to get some bullets and see what you like Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A45100 Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Rob, Here is something to consider, what gun are you shooting? I've found my polymer guns seem to like 147's where as my Para 9mm likes 125's better. The other things to consider has little to nothing to do with recoil, it has to do with the cycle rate of your gun. I used to shoot 200gr 40's because I liked the softer feel. At one point I couldn't get 200's for a while so I switched to 180's and I soon discovered my split times decreased. At first I just thought it was a fluke but with the help of a friend and a high speed camera, I discovered that my slide cycled faster with the 180's At this point in your shooting level you may not notice the difference, but trust me now that somebody has pointed it out to you you will...lol Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 I know it sounds strange, but I really like 95-grain MGHPs loaded in 9mm brass to safely make minor (and you're talking around 1350fps). I run this load in my XDs and 1911s. I like a gun that cycles nice and fast, and this load does it for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polizei1 Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 I've tried 115, 124, and 147. I stuck with 124gr and will continue to use them. For me, using Win 231 powder, the 115's were too snappy, and the 147's were too sluggish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Ryder Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 (edited) It all boils down to how many rounds per dollar and what your budget is. 147 cost more, 124 cost less. Pick one and stick to it. Shoot all day and reload all night. There are plenty of GM that shoot 147s. Plenty shoot 124's too. Your choice. Edited December 29, 2012 by Red Ryder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickJ Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 (edited) I found that I really liked the feel of the 124's over the 147's. I shot Hornady 124's from 2900 round bulk packs and found their consistency and accuracy in my Production gun was top notch. See if you can get 100 bullet samples (some will send these out if you ask nicely) from some of the makers you like and try them out. Otherwise, just buy some 100 bullet packs and try those out. Edited December 29, 2012 by DerrickJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Furrer Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 I have shot all three and like the feel of the 147s. However my scores are not better with 147s than the others so I decided to move back to 115s as I have shot some of my best scores with them. Maybe A 45100 is on to something... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A45100 Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 I have shot all three and like the feel of the 147s. However my scores are not better with 147s than the others so I decided to move back to 115s as I have shot some of my best scores with them. Maybe A 45100 is on to something... Joe, thanks for the recognition, you might be surprised what you will find when you try this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeeZer Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 124gr bullets help producing sub-sonic ammo, there is added benefit to having it sub-sonic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glockdude1 Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 A lot depends on whether you shoot slow rounds or whether you shoot in timed events.... In timed events, you want enough recoil so the front sight jumps up and settles back down quickly, so you can get your next shot off faster.. The 115's are too snappy, in timed events, and not as accurate.. The 147's feel soft, and will not get the front sight to settle quick enough, in timed events, thus they are not as accurate.. The 124's are just right....snappy enough to settle the front sight down, in timed events, and wicked accurate...great compromise... A lot depends on fast burning vs. slow burning powders.... Tite Group will add a little snap, so it might work OK with the 147's WW231 is a little slower burning than Tite Group, and it softens the 115's N 320 is a great powder for the 124's and a lot of people run this combination and LOVE it !! ...it is expensive to obtain, since I could not find it in any store, so I ordered it through Brownells and paid a hazmat fee, plus shipping, so it was $52 a pound, but I think that it is worth the cost... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfish Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 (edited) I shoot 147's. I had to switch to a lighter recoil spring to make the gun run reliably, but I like the soft recoil. Cost isnt that big of a deal to me when its maybe a $100-$150 extra over the course of a year. That isn't that much compared to all the little things that nickle and dime you though out a season of competition shooting. Edited December 30, 2012 by bigfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 N 320 , I ordered it through Brownells and paid a hazmat fee, plus shipping, so it was $52 a pound You ordered one pound of powder online?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harm152 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Anyone notice a significant difference in 147s knocking down / moving steel better? I have shot a-lot of 9 and haven't seen the difference myself, just curious if anyone else has. I think the only time I have seen it possibly help is on an MGM Spinner.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Anyone notice a significant difference in 147s knocking down / moving steel better? I have shot a-lot of 9 and haven't seen the difference myself, just curious if anyone else has. I think the only time I have seen it possibly help is on an MGM Spinner.... If you can get creative with the search function you can find plenty of discussion on the subject in here somewhere. I used to sit and read all the debates and wonder myself. But once I started shooting Open and watching how easy a 121 @ 1450 can knock down steel..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdm74 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I also like the extra 750 rounds you get from MG when you order the 124's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gm iprod Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 If plates fell on pure foot lbs on target the 115gr would rule. For any given power factor (regardless of bullet diameter) the heavier the bullet the less foot/lbs (energy) at the muzzle. Less foot/lbs = less recoil. BUT the heavier the bullet the more energy it keeps as it travels down range. The heavier the bullet the less it is deviated by external forces from it's intended path. So in theory at any given ft?lbs the heavier the bullet the better the plates go down. But that is at cross purposes to what your "feel". The faster a gun cycles (the more ft/lbs the faster the barrel-slide assembly wants to get away from the bullet) the quicker it gets back into battery not necessarily back on target, that is the snappiness that we feel. So the compromise is the 125gr. Less snappy, less lift, less energy on target, less effort to return to good sight picture and less over all recoil than the 115gr. More energy, more recoil and more effort than the 147gr. Essentially its a balancing act. and that is not taking into account of the powder choices. In the 9mm, 38Special, 38Super and 40S&W I use the same weight of TG and N320 to get the same velocity using identical bullets in each calibre. 231 is less sharp than the TG and 320, but you use a little more than can make the recoil feel pushy over the other two powders. Feel what is best. In NRA Action Pistol I run 115gr for a comped gun and 125gr for uncomped gun. That is what worked best for me. A few guys are of a similar opinion as mine, but there are others that don't go our way. Your call. The difference in the price is not enough for me to decide one bullet over the other. Choose what works best for the gun (accuracy) and the shooter (felt and perceived recoil), and go that way. Over 5000 bullets per annum the difference in cost is not the worth the hassle of having and inaccurate firearm that feels like a brick or jello in your hand. Go with the best for you and your gun and suck it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkatz44 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Pick one and practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Phil Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I tried a couple thousand 147s after testing with about 500. I felt like the slide was really sluggish. Tried 3.4gr and 3.7gr. Win 231 and settled on the 3.7 charge. Thing was, when I tested the 2 loads against a 125gr @ 4.3gr 231, the results came out that the 147gr @ 3.4 was the fastest. (BTW, I loaded marked mags with each load, stuck them all in my pocket, and loaded them into the gun with my eyes closed. Didn't want to spoil the test based on "opinion". Made a plate rack run for time, and recorded them by number. 6 runs with each load. Also used a .22 with 6 runs for a control. The 3.4 load was as fast as the .22!) My biggest issue is with the long nose on the 147s causing some FTF and other assorted issues. This year I'm testing the 135gr Bayous. Pick one and practice! I shoot all steel BTW. No PF to worry about. Just what runs my guns... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcs Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 A lot depends on whether you shoot slow rounds or whether you shoot in timed events.... In timed events, you want enough recoil so the front sight jumps up and settles back down quickly, so you can get your next shot off faster.. The 115's are too snappy, in timed events, and not as accurate.. The 147's feel soft, and will not get the front sight to settle quick enough, in timed events, thus they are not as accurate.. The 124's are just right....snappy enough to settle the front sight down, in timed events, and wicked accurate...great compromise... A lot depends on fast burning vs. slow burning powders.... Tite Group will add a little snap, so it might work OK with the 147's WW231 is a little slower burning than Tite Group, and it softens the 115's N 320 is a great powder for the 124's and a lot of people run this combination and LOVE it !! ...it is expensive to obtain, since I could not find it in any store, so I ordered it through Brownells and paid a hazmat fee, plus shipping, so it was $52 a pound, but I think that it is worth the cost... SERIOUSLY! $52 dollars a pond! Or typo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ignantmike Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 A lot depends on whether you shoot slow rounds or whether you shoot in timed events.... In timed events, you want enough recoil so the front sight jumps up and settles back down quickly, so you can get your next shot off faster.. The 115's are too snappy, in timed events, and not as accurate.. The 147's feel soft, and will not get the front sight to settle quick enough, in timed events, thus they are not as accurate.. The 124's are just right....snappy enough to settle the front sight down, in timed events, and wicked accurate...great compromise... A lot depends on fast burning vs. slow burning powders.... Tite Group will add a little snap, so it might work OK with the 147's WW231 is a little slower burning than Tite Group, and it softens the 115's N 320 is a great powder for the 124's and a lot of people run this combination and LOVE it !! ...it is expensive to obtain, since I could not find it in any store, so I ordered it through Brownells and paid a hazmat fee, plus shipping, so it was $52 a pound, but I think that it is worth the cost... SERIOUSLY! $52 dollars a pond! Or typo? that sounds about right considering the cost+haz mat+shipping......very expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gm iprod Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Down here. N320 runs about $80NZ a pound if you pick it up. Thats about $60US a pound. But we did pay Hazmat freight on 20 Ton across 12500 miles of water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glockdude1 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 I ordered 2 pounds of N320 and it cost $104......didn't want to order more than 2 pounds in case I didn't think it was better than the cheaper Titegroup... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Anyone notice a significant difference in 147s knocking down / moving steel better? I have shot a-lot of 9 and haven't seen the difference myself, just curious if anyone else has. I think the only time I have seen it possibly help is on an MGM Spinner.... If you can get creative with the search function you can find plenty of discussion on the subject in here somewhere. I used to sit and read all the debates and wonder myself. But once I started shooting Open and watching how easy a 121 @ 1450 can knock down steel..... Why are you guys watching? For real speed call the shot. I know you mean momentum I like light bullets cause they cycle faster and get the 'event" over with quicker Pick one, practice and order at least 6-12 months of powder at a time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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