180 Gr Vs. Others

[Short Bus]

It appears that the predominant projectile weight for competition use is 180 grains. What's the operating theory behind this, as opposed to using 165 or 155 grain projectiles?

[sargenv]

Some also use 200's but they are not as common. A few reasons are that 180's were the standard load made by the manufacturers first. Lighter bullets came along later and it seems in smaller numbers. The heavier bullets tend to recoil less and require less powder to make power factor. Right now I'm shooting 140's in my production gun and revolver mostly due to the fact that I can get them for a good price and that they are round nose. If I could have had 180 gr RN's that were plated or moly coated, and were local, I may have gone in that direction.

You will find that for the same power factor, 140, 155, and 165's will be snappier than 180's.

Vince

[mike4045]

I have tried all the weights out there for a 40 and ended up with the 180 gr. You can make major easily and download when needed. I did use alot of 155 gr bullets but the supply dried up. I never could get a reliable load with the 200 gr bullets. They were just too big and left little space in the case.

Mike

[Harmon]

when i first started shooting limited, i shot 200s loaded with universal clays.

i switched to 180s because they are cheaper and they dont differ from the 200s enough to matter(for me)

[Mousekiller]

Pretty much what everyone said, the 180's tend to be a little less snappy then the lower wieghts. With 200's and a glock it's harder to load them long enough to avoid possible pressure issue's.. although i'm sure some use them(200's) i think you will find most use 180's.. and they are pretty easy to get from various manfacturers.

Really it comes down to personal preference..

My friend who shoots a Brazo's limited gun just switched from 200's to 180's.. said they seemed to be a bit softer and more accurate.. of course this may mean he's found a better combination for his STI.. but he's been shooting 200's for some time.

Jeff.

[SA Friday]

Short Bus, I just went through this with my 9mm (different weights, but same concept). It's a matter of math with a sprinkle of feel. There are only two variables in the PF formula. If one goes up, the other goes down; the higher the bullet weight the less velocity is required to make PF. The less velocity, the less powder in the case. The less powder in the case, the less recoil to manage when the gun is fired. The theoretically leads to faster split and transition times and more accuracy.

This brings up why 180 gr vs 200 gr. The .40 was originally designed for a 165 gr or 180 gr bullet. Some guns have problems with the 200 gr bullet. Other people don't like the feel of the heavier bullet, but still want the above mentioned benefits as much as possible.

I recently switched from a 115 gr round to a 147 gr Zero HP in my Glock 34. I made 128 PF with the load and love the feel; very fast recoveries. It's the same concept of heavier bullet, less velocity, but in the 9mm size.

[cmzneb]

Heavier Bullet = Less Velocity, Less Recoil, Adequate Power Factor