Jachin Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Greetings to all, I'm a newbe to USPSA production and I'm about to buy a batch of bullets. My question is, what is the most popular bullet weight shot by the pros or most shooters in production? I read a lot about the heavy bullet with fast burning power reduces recoil. So should I go with 147's, 135's or 124's? Montana Gold has a 124, 130 and a 147. I have to check Zero. Many thanks, Jachin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayouSlide Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Greetings to all,I'm a newbe to USPSA production and I'm about to buy a batch of bullets. My question is, what is the most popular bullet weight shot by the pros or most shooters in production? I read a lot about the heavy bullet with fast burning power reduces recoil. So should I go with 147's, 135's or 124's? Montana Gold has a 124, 130 and a 147. I have to check Zero. Many thanks, Jachin Dave Sevigny shoots 147 gr out of his Glock 34. Back here on terra firma, even C level shooters like myself like 147 gr Zero JHP over 3.3 grs of Titegroup, also in a G34 or 17. Really depends. Some people like the heavy bullet's "push" recoil impulse over the snappier flip of lighter loads. People that shoot factory loads often go with the 115 gr. Many people swear by 124s, maybe a compromise that gives them the best aspects of both. Some people don't like the fact that the slide may feel a little more "sluggish" with the heavier bullets: personally, I bumped my loads up by about half a grain to get a little more slide velocity and avoid the rare stovepipe from a too-light load. Good luck! Curtis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrClean Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I shoot the 147 black bullets with 3.7 of VV340 behind them. Pretty happy with results. I hope so, since I just loaded up another 3k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Hefta Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I am a tightwad, I like to use 115gr Montana Gold FMJ, 3.9 gr Clays powder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XD Niner Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I've tried all three weights and have settled on the 124/125 grain JHPs. The 147 grain JHPs felt too sluggish for me. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-JQ- Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 (edited) Rumor has it Angus Hobdell uses 124's for his shadow...so I'll probably do that too... What gun? Edited April 28, 2009 by hk_mtbr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle O Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 124 here over 4.2 titegroup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM262 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I like the Zero 147gr JHPs, but the 125gr JHPs are cheaper and that is what I am shooting now. 125gr JHP 4.1-4.2gr Solo 1000 1.130 OAL 128ish PF 5" XD9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I'm planning on loading 147s for my M&P Pro....I bought AA&A 147s (the load Sevigny mentioned above uses) and it's really soft feeling, knocks down steel great and is plenty accurate. 124s felt okay, but snappier and I didn't notice a difference any ability to get back on target quicker so I'll go with the softer feeling load. R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Unless you are recoil sensitive(small frame, bad grip and stance), it really doesn't matter much which bullet wight you go with. You will be shooting Minor power factor loads in any case. Find something that is easy to get, that you like, and that runs and groups well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJDOUBLETAP Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Unless you are recoil sensitive(small frame, bad grip and stance), it really doesn't matter much which bullet wight you go with. You will be shooting Minor power factor loads in any case. Find something that is easy to get, that you like, and that runs and groups well. +1 Just make sure what you get will feed. Try to avoid flat points. As for the bullet weight, the lighter bullets will give you a more snappy feel. The heavier bullets will give you more of a sluggish slower feel. I use: 125 JHP Zero 4.0 grs. Tite Group 1.130 OAL 134 Power Factor, I think 5" XD9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjoy64 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I'm planning on loading 147s for my M&P Pro....I bought AA&A 147s (the load Sevigny mentioned above uses) and it's really soft feeling, knocks down steel great and is plenty accurate. 124s felt okay, but snappier and I didn't notice a difference any ability to get back on target quicker so I'll go with the softer feeling load. R, Bart, Have you loaded and shot any of the 147gr bullets? I thought I might have read where the 147s tumble a bit out of the Pro. I was considering trying to work up a load for the 147 but thought I might have to also buy a different barrel to stabilize the heavier 147 bullet. I have shot some 124gr Montana Golds w/ 4.1gr of Titegroup which seems to work well. I should probably just shoot it because it works just fine but... the quest for the perfect setup always seems to call. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 I'm planning on loading 147s for my M&P Pro....I bought AA&A 147s (the load Sevigny mentioned above uses) and it's really soft feeling, knocks down steel great and is plenty accurate. 124s felt okay, but snappier and I didn't notice a difference any ability to get back on target quicker so I'll go with the softer feeling load. R, Bart, Have you loaded and shot any of the 147gr bullets? I thought I might have read where the 147s tumble a bit out of the Pro. I was considering trying to work up a load for the 147 but thought I might have to also buy a different barrel to stabilize the heavier 147 bullet. I have shot some 124gr Montana Golds w/ 4.1gr of Titegroup which seems to work well. I should probably just shoot it because it works just fine but... the quest for the perfect setup always seems to call. Mike Mike, I haven't loaded any just yet. I've shot factory Speer 147 GDHP's and the Atlanta Arms & Ammo 147gr JHP Team Glock load and didn't see evidence of tumbling with either one. In another thread I posted a nice 1.25" group I shot at 25yds with the AA&A out of my M&P Pro....works for me. I chronographed them on Sunday and posted the data in the reloading section along with a link to the post with a pic of the 1.25" group. Average was 910fps. I wouldn't be surprised if they might tumbe if the velocity gets too low, but so far, so good.....and 910fps works out to 133PF, so it's in the right ballpark all around. R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjoy64 Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 I'm planning on loading 147s for my M&P Pro....I bought AA&A 147s (the load Sevigny mentioned above uses) and it's really soft feeling, knocks down steel great and is plenty accurate. 124s felt okay, but snappier and I didn't notice a difference any ability to get back on target quicker so I'll go with the softer feeling load. R, Bart, Have you loaded and shot any of the 147gr bullets? I thought I might have read where the 147s tumble a bit out of the Pro. I was considering trying to work up a load for the 147 but thought I might have to also buy a different barrel to stabilize the heavier 147 bullet. I have shot some 124gr Montana Golds w/ 4.1gr of Titegroup which seems to work well. I should probably just shoot it because it works just fine but... the quest for the perfect setup always seems to call. Mike Mike, I haven't loaded any just yet. I've shot factory Speer 147 GDHP's and the Atlanta Arms & Ammo 147gr JHP Team Glock load and didn't see evidence of tumbling with either one. In another thread I posted a nice 1.25" group I shot at 25yds with the AA&A out of my M&P Pro....works for me. I chronographed them on Sunday and posted the data in the reloading section along with a link to the post with a pic of the 1.25" group. Average was 910fps. I wouldn't be surprised if they might tumbe if the velocity gets too low, but so far, so good.....and 910fps works out to 133PF, so it's in the right ballpark all around. R, Appreciate the info... probably saved me the $ for a new barrel! I'm going to have to load some and see how it feels. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 FWIW Production National Champion Robert Vogel uses 147g bullets as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 I might agree with Flex... however- they DO feel wildly different to me- 115, 124 and 147 all at the same PF. To each his/her own. I liked the 124 for a while... now I'm using 147. I know some people that can't even tell the difference! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 147's and 3.3gr TG as of late. I like 124's and Clays too. (a lot) Just depends on what bullet I can get the fastest. Angus has had Zero 147 FMJ on hand...so there you go. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jachin Posted April 29, 2009 Author Share Posted April 29, 2009 Many thanks for all opinions. I think I'm going to go with the 124's. No big reason why, maybe a little safer or just a good place to start. I have heard that the 147's may have some issues relative to slow velocities. Being new to USPSA and new to reloading might just be a few to many new's in one place to master the physics behind the 147 just now. So I think 4 or 5 thousand 124's for now and adjust from there. I hope I'm not changing the subject here but I noticed a number of JHP's mentioned. Why would a "hollow point" be favored over non hollow points? It looks like the JHP's are more expensive so there must be an advantage to justify the cost. Jachin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasOPM Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 I like 115 grainers at 1200 fps. 4.8 gr of 700X is one of my favorites. I like the fast slide cycling and flat trajectory. HP bullets tend to have jacketed bases, which means less smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rishii Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Unless you are recoil sensitive(small frame, bad grip and stance), it really doesn't matter much which bullet wight you go with. You will be shooting Minor power factor loads in any case. Find something that is easy to get, that you like, and that runs and groups well. big +1 my preferred load is a 147 hardcast lead over 3.something of 231. crono'ed around 140 pf. about a year ago, loading up to go to our club match, I realized I didn't enough ammo, grabbed whatever factory ammo I had on hand, including 115, 124 and my 147 re-loads. during the match I mixed ammo in the same mag, and after it was all over, I couldn't tell the difference. I can while shooting groups, but during the match I was more focused on hitting the targets and going thru the stage, than on recoil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Knight Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 I really like 147gr bullets in 9mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RH45 Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Many thanks for all opinions.I think I'm going to go with the 124's. No big reason why, maybe a little safer or just a good place to start. I have heard that the 147's may have some issues relative to slow velocities. Being new to USPSA and new to reloading might just be a few to many new's in one place to master the physics behind the 147 just now. So I think 4 or 5 thousand 124's for now and adjust from there. I hope I'm not changing the subject here but I noticed a number of JHP's mentioned. Why would a "hollow point" be favored over non hollow points? It looks like the JHP's are more expensive so there must be an advantage to justify the cost. Jachin JHPs have no exposed lead at the rear of the bullet, which is where it gets the hottest, IE they are the cleanest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cold Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 I like 147s myself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astephenson Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I like the 147's also. 3.1 gr. Titegroup and a Wolf Small Pistol Magnum primer make 136 PF out of my G34. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDeath Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I like 147's over TG too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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