9mm Ammo Recommendations

[scottjackson556]

Do you guys have any ammo recommendations for a lower power factor than factory stuff?

 

I shoot a Canik Rival-S, I have a #15 recoil spring in it. I normally shoot Blazer 124 grain for about 25 cpr. Is it worth trying out "competition" specific loads for 28-30 cpr? If so what companies should I check out? I'm thinking about ordering SuperVel's 147 grain load. 

[George16]

Try Federal’s Syntech 9mm ammo.

 

https://www.federalpremium.com/handgun/syntech/syntech-action-pistol/11-AE9SJAP1.html

 

[Chutist]

Blazer 115 is about a low a power factor ammo that's widely available.  It's also pretty inexpensive compared to the specialty ammo.  

PMC 115 is also popular match ammo for some "known" shooters. 

[scottjackson556]

1 hour ago, Chutist said:

Blazer 115 is about a low a power factor ammo that's widely available.  It's also pretty inexpensive compared to the specialty ammo.  

PMC 115 is also popular match ammo for some "known" shooters. 

 

Is there any reason to go with a 115 grain bullet over 124 or 147? From what I have read, it seems that many prefer heavier bullets. Is there a real discernable difference, or is this something I'm unlikely to notice?

Edited August 16 by scottjackson556

[shred]

115's are snappier feeling than 124s and much more so than 147s which shoot softer but feel slower.  You'll notice it, but on the clock there's essentially no difference so it's going to come down to personal preference, and even that will probably vary over time.

 

[JonasAberg]

5 hours ago, scottjackson556 said:

 

Is there any reason to go with a 115 grain bullet over 124 or 147? From what I have read, it seems that many prefer heavier bullets. Is there a real discernable difference, or is this something I'm unlikely to notice?

 

I have now been loading my own ammo for a couple of years and have tried various loads with 124, 140 and 147 grain bullets.
Lighter bullets have a sharper sound and feel snappier. The sights may seem to return quicker.

A heavier bullet feels a bit softer, more like a "push" and the sound is a little bit more like a "thump".

It's important to note, however, that these differences do not necessarily translate to better scores.

The ammo or load you use is a very minor factor in your overall score (probably less than 1% for the vast majority of people).

 

 

[Chutist]

11 hours ago, scottjackson556 said:

 

Is there any reason to go with a 115 grain bullet over 124 or 147? From what I have read, it seems that many prefer heavier bullets. Is there a real discernable difference, or is this something I'm unlikely to notice?

@shred covered it, it's down to what feel you like and what works with your gun.  

 

I'm running the 115's because they are the cheapest factory and have the lowest PF.  In a Glock or a light gun I think you really feel the difference but in steel frame 9mm's it's pretty negligible...certainly not anything that matters for me once the BEEEEEP goes off.    

 

That said - my minor hand loads are all 124's and I like them but at the price of components right now the factory 115's are cheaper.... 

 

ALL of this is in the noise during a match, just a distraction from actually shooting and moving. 

[LHshooter]

This might be of help to some people re which factory ammo to use. Some time back I chrono'd several factory loads through my Sig P320 X5. This is what I found:

 

PMC 115 gr                          132 PF

Remington UMC 115 gr       132

Fiocchi 115 gr                       138

Speer Lawman 115 gr          138

CCI Blazer 124 gr                135

Speer Lawman 124 gr         135

American Eagle 147 gr        147

Speer Lawman 147 gr         148

LAX Ammo 147 gr                136

Fenix Ammo 147 gr              131

[scottjackson556]

26 minutes ago, LHshooter said:

This might be of help to some people re which factory ammo to use. Some time back I chrono'd several factory loads through my Sig P320 X5. This is what I found:

 

PMC 115 gr                          132 PF

Remington UMC 115 gr       132

Fiocchi 115 gr                       138

Speer Lawman 115 gr          138

CCI Blazer 124 gr                135

Speer Lawman 124 gr         135

American Eagle 147 gr        147

Speer Lawman 147 gr         148

LAX Ammo 147 gr                136

Fenix Ammo 147 gr              131

 

Awesome. I really appreciate that information.

 

If factory loads are already that low of a power factor, I don't know that it makes sense to buy competition-specific loads that are supposed to be at 130 PF when you can get pretty close with something that is much cheaper. Were there any factory loads that you prefer specifically? 

[scottjackson556]

3 hours ago, Chutist said:

@shred covered it, it's down to what feel you like and what works with your gun.  

 

I'm running the 115's because they are the cheapest factory and have the lowest PF.  In a Glock or a light gun I think you really feel the difference but in steel frame 9mm's it's pretty negligible...certainly not anything that matters for me once the BEEEEEP goes off.    

 

That said - my minor hand loads are all 124's and I like them but at the price of components right now the factory 115's are cheaper.... 

 

ALL of this is in the noise during a match, just a distraction from actually shooting and moving. 

 

That makes a lot of sense. I'm definitely someone that overanalyzes everything, and I love nerding out on this kind of stuff, so even though it may not make any discernable difference for me, it's still fun to learn about.

 

It sounds like I should probably just buy whatever is the cheapest stuff I can find so I can shoot more of it! 

[scottjackson556]

13 hours ago, shred said:

115's are snappier feeling than 124s and much more so than 147s which shoot softer but feel slower.  You'll notice it, but on the clock there's essentially no difference so it's going to come down to personal preference, and even that will probably vary over time.

 

 

That makes sense. Maybe I'll pickup a box of 115s and 147s and shoot them side by side with the normal 124s I shoot and see if I can determine a "favorite" for me.

[scottjackson556]

8 hours ago, JonasAberg said:

 

I have now been loading my own ammo for a couple of years and have tried various loads with 124, 140 and 147 grain bullets.
Lighter bullets have a sharper sound and feel snappier. The sights may seem to return quicker.

A heavier bullet feels a bit softer, more like a "push" and the sound is a little bit more like a "thump".

It's important to note, however, that these differences do not necessarily translate to better scores.

The ammo or load you use is a very minor factor in your overall score (probably less than 1% for the vast majority of people).

 

 

 

Yeah, I believe that. I figured it would hardly make any difference, but it doesn't hurt to ask the experts. It sounds like personal preference is going to ultimately determine what I end up liking. 

[Chutist]

4 minutes ago, scottjackson556 said:

 

That makes a lot of sense. I'm definitely someone that overanalyzes everything, and I love nerding out on this kind of stuff, so even though it may not make any discernable difference for me, it's still fun to learn about.

 

It sounds like I should probably just buy whatever is the cheapest stuff I can find so I can shoot more of it! 

Cheapest?  No... there are some "B" brands that I'd avoid.  Blazer is generally "cheap" but VERY consistent.

Go get a box of Blazer 115, 124, - Winchester "White box" and a box of Winchester "Nato" 124's... You'll understand the differences better after you go shoot some.   

 

Even Federal has "Federal", "American Eagle" and "Train and protect" - all very different loads. 

 

That reminds me, I need to go shoot! Bye! 

 

[scottjackson556]

2 minutes ago, Chutist said:

Cheapest?  No... there are some "B" brands that I'd avoid.  Blazer is generally "cheap" but VERY consistent.

Go get a box of Blazer 115, 124, - Winchester "White box" and a box of Winchester "Nato" 124's... You'll understand the differences better after you go shoot some.   

 

Even Federal has "Federal", "American Eagle" and "Train and protect" - all very different loads. 

 

That reminds me, I need to go shoot! Bye! 

 

 

I have been enjoying the Blazer 124's, I've shot about 2k of them now and they seem to be very good value. I stay away from anything that isn't US made as I don't want it to blow up in my hands. If there are any other recommendations for other ammo I should try please let me know!  

 

Heck yeah, I'm jealous. Maybe I'll get to go shoot a bit tonight before tomorrow's match. 

[LHshooter]

Atlas recommends Blazer 124 and PMC 124 for what it's worth.

[scottjackson556]

On 8/16/2024 at 11:08 AM, LHshooter said:

Atlas recommends Blazer 124 and PMC 124 for what it's worth.

That is helpful! Thank you. It sounds like those are both safe bets if I don’t want to go the competition specific route. 

[Gunner66]

On 8/16/2024 at 12:05 PM, scottjackson556 said:

 

That makes a lot of sense. I'm definitely someone that overanalyzes everything, and I love nerding out on this kind of stuff, so even though it may not make any discernable difference for me, it's still fun to learn about.

 

It sounds like I should probably just buy whatever is the cheapest stuff I can find so I can shoot more of it! 

Go with what you shoot best with.  Accuracy matters with minor PF.  you could be the faster person at a match and not win with Charlies and Deltas.

[HesedTech]

On 8/16/2024 at 9:58 AM, scottjackson556 said:

If factory loads are already that low of a power factor, I don't know that it makes sense to buy competition-specific loads that are supposed to be at 130 PF when you can get pretty close with something that is much cheaper

For 115s to make 130 compared to 147s the velocity is significantly higher which means more bang and recoil. The goal is minimizing the time the gun rises, dips and returns for the follow up shots. Power factor is just to keep shooters honest and level playing field.  
 

Choose a bullet weight which optimizes recoil characteristics for your gun and shooting preferences.  

[scottjackson556]

16 hours ago, Gunner66 said:

Go with what you shoot best with.  Accuracy matters with minor PF.  you could be the faster person at a match and not win with Charlies and Deltas.

I do shoot the Blazer 124 very well. I can run a sub 2 bill drill at 7 yards and have very tight groups in the A zone, so maybe the “gamer” loads wouldn’t really make a difference for me. I also have not had any reliability issues with this ammo and it’s readily available at 24-25 cpr which makes it more appealing vs a competition load closer to 30 cpr. 

[scottjackson556]

15 hours ago, HesedTech said:

For 115s to make 130 compared to 147s the velocity is significantly higher which means more bang and recoil. The goal is minimizing the time the gun rises, dips and returns for the follow up shots. Power factor is just to keep shooters honest and level playing field.  
 

Choose a bullet weight which optimizes recoil characteristics for your gun and shooting preferences.  

I have yet to try the 147’s but I may buy a few hundred rounds of SuperVel 147 to try out next to my normal Blazer stuff. I’m almost out of the 2k Blazer so it will be time to order some more ammo soon. 

[Twilk73]

Fenix 147gr is very accurate and soft for me. 
 

PMC 124gr feels just as soft but in my gun doesn’t shoot nearly as accurate. 
 

Federal syntec 150gr shoots just as soft but also isn’t as accurate as the fenix is. 
 

For me I just bulk purchase Fenix it shoots a good bit more accurate than the rest and is still soft. But I honestly couldn’t feel the difference between the three I mentioned. The speer lawman and normal federal 124gr I can feel the difference. 

[MikeBurgess]

I'll chime in with an unpopular opinion.

 

It doesn't matter if your having trouble wit the recoil of 115 grain 135pf factory ammo no change in ammo will fix it.

 

Things that matter with ammo

#1 its 100% reliable in your gun

#2 it makes powder factor in your gun

#3 it's not horribly inaccurate in your gun

 

Yes 147 feel softer than 115s Especially when your standing at a bench trying to feel the difference.

But like many things in life feelings don't really matter, and I have yet to see anyone show data that says feels softer = scores better.

 

years ago I grabbed the last the rounds I had of several different loads from 115g to 170g and dumped them in a bag to use for a match, my mags got loaded with random combinations of loads and I shot the match.

What I noticed was the report between the various loads varied a huge amount, but the sights did the same thing regardless of the noise. the action of the sights was so similar that if I couldn't hear the difference I would not have known there was mixed ammo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CHA-LEE]

11 hours ago, MikeBurgess said:

I'll chime in with an unpopular opinion.

 

It doesn't matter if your having trouble wit the recoil of 115 grain 135pf factory ammo no change in ammo will fix it.

 

Things that matter with ammo

#1 its 100% reliable in your gun

#2 it makes powder factor in your gun

#3 it's not horribly inaccurate in your gun

 

Yes 147 feel softer than 115s Especially when your standing at a bench trying to feel the difference.

But like many things in life feelings don't really matter, and I have yet to see anyone show data that says feels softer = scores better.

 

years ago I grabbed the last the rounds I had of several different loads from 115g to 170g and dumped them in a bag to use for a match, my mags got loaded with random combinations of loads and I shot the match.

What I noticed was the report between the various loads varied a huge amount, but the sights did the same thing regardless of the noise. the action of the sights was so similar that if I couldn't hear the difference I would not have known there was mixed ammo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is very important to understand in the gun games. Pick an ammo you can afford which meets the three things that matter above and order a boatload of it because that is what you need to get good in the practical shooting sports.

[Joe4d]

11 hours ago, CHA-LEE said:

This is very important to understand in the gun games. Pick an ammo you can afford which meets the three things that matter above and order a boatload of it because that is what you need to get good in the practical shooting sports.

In other words,,, buy it cheap, stack it deep.  

[MikeBurgess]

 

Another interesting data point, I shot Single Stack last weekend with factory 230g 45s So likely 190+pf

my splits on the hoser target arrays were the same as those of similar classification shooting Open and CO. 

As long as your gun is properly sprung and YOU grip it correctly recoil mostly doesn't matter.