Light or heavy bullets?

[Chillywig]

I have a 627 in 38 super I haven't shot in a long time. I took it to the range and tried some of my old icore loads. I am not sure what powder I used but the bullets were 125 zero 356 round nose moving at 992fps. I also shot some of my pcc 147 blue RN loads moving at 757 from the revo. I think I liked the heavier slower bullet better. So what's the new hotness for revo bullets? Probably just for steel challenge or plinking 

[AzShooter]

It seems people are going with heavier bullets, up to 160 grain with a fast burning powder to make the 125 power factor.

 

Shoot them all and see what groups best in your gun and what feels best for you.

[Dr. Phil]

I have a Steel Challenge load that started at a 105 gr Bayou bullet at around 950fps. Very soft shooting and very accurate. My 929 likes .358 dia. 

I went to my bullet guy's 96 gr powder coated and they shoot great as well.

My friends laugh and claim that it takes a long time for the bullet to reach the 35 yd targets. They may be right.

But there is virtually no recoil or muzzle rise and they will stay on a 6" plate at 50 yds.

You might try a small test batch just to see.

[pskys2]

If you're not serious about competition remember the lighter the bullet the cheaper.  

[NV Guide]

I use 121 gr Montana gold or 125 gr Missouri Bullets in my 38 supers

sub 1.5 with lead sub 1” with MG

shoot them is 6 different revolvers all hold to the grouping 

4.2 gr titegroup

[Fishbreath]

I like heavy bullets over a light charge of fast powder: 160gr coated bullets and 2.8gr of Clay Dot makes about 130PF in my gun. Shoots well, too, although I haven't done any serious group shooting.

[Chillywig]

I may just run with my 9mm PCC 147 grain loads and try it out. I tested accuracy with the 38 super rounds and 9mm. POI was a little different but group size was about 1.5 inches for both loads at 18ish yards

[regor]

I generally prefer the snappier feel of lighter bullets in my 9mm semi autos vs heavier 147s, but haven't tested any in my 929. Would love to hear what anyone running 115-125gr 9mm in their 929 is using.

[matteekay]

I hate to say it but... it's really just a preference thing. I shoot heavy and slow in everything (including my revo's) but plenty of people go light and fast.

 

My loads are:

- 147gr in 9mm

- 160gr in .38 Short Colt

- 200gr in .40

- 230gr in .45

 

One consideration is that you might have to change your sights when shooting heavy and slow. Our beloved Protocall Design has made me custom front sights for my Rhinos in .40 to compensate for my loads.

[pcschwenke]

I prefer heavy and slow as well.   My 9mm revolver likes 145gr and my .38 special shoots 200gr rounds nose Bullets really well. 

[S&W627shooter]

In my limited guns, I prefer heavy and slow.  I feel a difference in the recoil impulse.  A lighter bullet going faster has more muzzle flip.  I use a 170 grain bullet in my 627.

[Dr. Phil]

On 7/30/2021 at 3:43 PM, regor said:

I generally prefer the snappier feel of lighter bullets in my 9mm semi autos vs heavier 147s, but haven't tested any in my 929. Would love to hear what anyone running 115-125gr 9mm in their 929 is using.

I shoot 105 Bayou and 96 gr powder coated in my 929 for SC. I run them about 85 - 85 PF. Almost no muzzle lift. Very nice load. Except (if you use sound as a it indicator as opposed to calling your shots) they take a bit longer to hit at 35 yards. Funny effect!

For USPSA I shoot a 125 gr RN at 135 PF.

For falling plates etc. I use 147 or 150 gr powder coated at around 140 PF. 

They all work. Like mentioned above it's preference.

[pskys2]

I've migrated to whatever my guns prefer.  I look at the accuracy results and availability now as the 2 prime factors.  But then I'm not trying to eke out that last .01th time for a win at the top.

My guns seem to be a shade more accurate with the heavier bullets, 160 RN's can be found at virtually every manufacturer, at least the ones who carry a wide variety, and reasonable costs.

[Boomstick303]

After a bit of testing I found you can make just about any bullet work for your specific gun, but you have to invest a lot of time in testing to figure out what powder load/velocity works best for that bullet pistol (barrel really) combo.  

 

After that it is really preference.  I can say I do not notice any difference in recoil (fast versus slow, or hard versus soft) when I am on the timer.  I can tell subtle differences when off the clock, but I do not think it affects my performance at all when on the clock.  Maybe because I am relatively new is why this is the case, but in my opinion people make way to much of making their gun shoot soft as possible.  Grip the gun and shoot it properly.  I have also noticed using lighter recoil springs is not optimal for my striker fired guns, therefore I tend to lean towards lighter bullets loaded with more powder at a higher PF of about 130-135.  I find the gun runs better with a heavier recoil spring.  

 

[Dr. Phil]

33 minutes ago, pskys2 said:

I've migrated to whatever my guns prefer.  I look at the accuracy results and availability now as the 2 prime factors.  But then I'm not trying to eke out that last .01th time for a win at the top.

My guns seem to be a shade more accurate with the heavier bullets, 160 RN's can be found at virtually every manufacturer, at least the ones who carry a wide variety, and reasonable costs.

My gun prefers .358 bullets. It shoots them all fine and dandy.

 

.01 doesn't sound like much. That's why people are generally too unaware or (to be frank, lazy) to go and get it. But when you consider 39 draws in an SC match, 3.9 seconds is a bunch. Add to that that if the 1st shot is faster and more accurate it stands to reason that the run will be smoother. And smooth is fast.

 

 

Training to "be fast" isn't really productive. Like shooting a ton of ammo without fixing your mistakes. The improvement comes (in my personal experience) from finding the little things and fixing them. That's why a lot of the "experts" shoot 50K or 60K a year. Or maybe it's the free ammo?

 

None of it is wasted if you are improving, learning or doing.

 

Or, you can go on the internet and ask for a load, for a secret to quick improvement or what piece of gear will knock off 10 seconds per run?

I would rather do it through hard work and study and testing all of the variables I can identify.

YMMV