less powder to reduce recoil

[Keola5o4]

Hi all, been noticing alot of guys i shoot competition with lower their powder loads to reduce recoil, they metioned they tuned there firearms for it, i wonder if they have a problem with key holing the bullet? Im using 4.2 gr of titegroup behind a 160gr fmj made by remington.

[Keola5o4]

I would like to lessen the powder a little bit, more concerned about cycling problems and keyholing

[copecowboy22]

I didn't have a problem with key holing. I loaded some 200 LSWC in 45 down to 690 fps. Dropped to a 12# spring. Still as accurate as ever.

[wgj3]

This all going to be specific to your individual firearm. Generally speaking, most of us use as little powder as is required to make power factor. Or, in the case of 3Gun, just enough to run the gun reliably and knock down steel targets.

[dauntedfuture]

You are not as likely to run into this shooting action pistol types of loads but it happens on occasion. You might see this if you are shooting NRA type bullseye if you load to very very slow velocities. Many aftermarket target type pistol barrels will have a slower twist for optimal accuracy and shooting a 155 LSWC, but a 200 LSWC in there and.... well you know.

[Graham Smith]

Hi all, been noticing alot of guys i shoot competition with lower their powder loads to reduce recoil,...

What kind of competition? If it's USPSA then you have the power factor to consider. But, in general, if you spend and hour or so reading past threads on loads you will start to see a pattern.

Bullet weight, powder speed, powder volume, barrel length, gun springs, etc, all work together. You have to balance them out to find what works best for you.

[dauntedfuture]

Another way to say that or more simply answer your question; yes, reducing powder will reduce recoil to a point. At some point the powder will not generate pressure properly and might not function the firearm well. As such, you generally switch to a faster powder of which you will need less. this produces less velocity with proper pressure and less recoil.

[Big Nick]

Late in the game, but I have a load I worked up for local steel plate matches that I shoot with my .40 S&W Witness Limited Pro. I've changed the stock recoil spring in my LP to an 8lb spring. I shoot a 155 gr. Bayou Bullet over 3.4 grains of Titegroup (I don't recommend this load to anyone else but it works in my gun). Cases fall about a foot from me and there is very little muzzle flip, but there are two dangers with this load. One, the bullet velocity is low and you may stick a bullet in your barrel, which is not good, and two, Titegroup is a very dense powder and it doesn't take up much room in the case. You can very easily put a double, or triple charge in the case if not paying close attention while reloading. I've shot thousands of rounds in my gun but each gun is different so be carefull. I've also had very good results using light powder charges with WST and Green Dot using 155 gr. Bayou Bullets with an 8 lb. recoil spring. Both of those loads use about 3.6 grains of powder, but again, each gun is different. These load will not come close to making USPSA power factors thats why I only use them in steel plate matches.

[zzt]

K5o4, you don't say what you are shooting, but I think you can go even lower if you want. You are about 145PF with that load.

I shoot 40 S&W out of my CZ TS. My two minor loads are 180gr LTC bullet @ 139PF and 165gr HP-HPCB plated bullets @ 138FP. I could go lower, but I want to be able to shoot both minor and major using the same recoil spring, so I don't. The 180 load is amazingly accurate. I'm still tinkering with the 165 load. These loads go 773fps and 841fps respectively, and there is no keyholing.

[Keola5o4]

Sorry to check back so late, got caught up in the holiday mix, i been using my glock 22 in most of the plate matches, i also started using a cz75b that im starting to tweak alittle bit, im am starting to try to load my bullets until it start to not cycle properly, but still gets snappy at moments.

[Keola5o4]

So far i loaded down to 3.5 grains of titegroup behind a 160 gr. Fmj with out any failures just to knock down steel, its a soft shooter btw very comfortable. keeping the 4.2 grains of titegroup load for uspsa "it kicks like a mule btw" if shooting minor for a long period of time. In ending, i havent messed with the factory recoil springs yet, thats a project for another day, just want to enjoy some action shooting when i get the chance