9mm ammo. 115gr vs 124gr?

[Still alive]

can you buy commercial reloads with lead bullets? half the cost.

Great point Ganderite!
Hey OP! Go look up Custom Reloading Services in Maple Ridge seeing as you are in the GVRD. Great ammo and almost half the price of factory in 9mm. I believe they can load both 115 and 124gr. Have fun!

[xdmer]

My preference is 147, when you can get all 3 common weights for the same price. Lighter projectiles are a little snappier (not including +p or +p+) ammunition, the heavier weight is more recoil, but more push than snap. 115 is usually the cheapest. Any range should allow FMJ, its normal, but what you need to watch for is bimetal / steel jackets or cores for indoor ranges or steel targets.

[xdmer]

can you buy commercial reloads with lead bullets? half the cost.

Check out DBX (brass jackets) or Western Metal. Also call budgets shooter supply.

[Grove]

When all the same price I buy 147gr for professionnal reason (train as you fight)

If no 147gr is available, I buy whatever is on the shelves favoring 124gr then 115gr. Some people will say 115gr feels "snappiers" but I haven't noticed any difference.

Buy whatever you find in FMJ it should put a smile on your face once you press that trigger anyway :P

In a CZ SP-01 Shadow can feel the slight muzzle jump difference between shooting 115gr and 147gr, also found the 115gr would pattern slightly higher of point of aim as where the 147gr would hit exactly where you place the sights up to 25 yards, have not tested it past that distance.

Great point Ganderite!
Hey OP! Go look up Custom Reloading Services in Maple Ridge seeing as you are in the GVRD. Great ammo and almost half the price of factory in 9mm. I believe they can load both 115 and 124gr. Have fun!

X2, I'm currently getting .45ACP from Custom Reloading and letting the brass pile up, waiting for my reloading press to arrive from Budget Shooter Supply tomorrow and I'll be pimping out my own ammo and getting components from CR since it is in walking distance for me.

[sunray]

There's no gun fighting in Canada. And no FMJ's are not allowed at every club's range. So other than needing to try a box of as many brands as you can to find the ammo your pistol shoots best(cycling isn't likely to be an issue. Can be with a .22.), it really makes no difference. Mind you, the lighter bullet will have slightly less recoil. Not that you'd notice it though. Whatever 115 grain ammo Found was using must be loaded hot. Physics doesn't allow a lighter bullet to have greater recoil.
Do not buy a case until you've tried a box.
The Barnaul has steel cases, not plated. Steel(mild steel) cases are nothing to worry about unless you plan of getting into reloading(you will sooner or later. Shooting factory gets expensive quickly). They are not reloadable.

[dinsdale]

Physics doesn't allow a lighter bullet to have greater recoil.

Can you explain that to me please?

[VanMan]

It's been quite a few years since my Physics/Dynamics classes, but Force = Mass * Acceleration. So the weight of the bullet is just one component in the resulting force and felt recoil. I will be starting to reload for IPSC soon and playing around with bullet weight & powder charge to meet minimum Power Factors. A 147 gr bullet needs to go 850 ft/s to make the minimum 125 power factor. A 115 gr bullet needs to go ~28% faster at 1085 ft/s to make the same power factor. Net force/recoil would be the same for both bullets, but the recoil for the 147gr bullet may feel less because of the lower acceleration required to achieve the lower target bullet velocity.

There's no gun fighting in Canada. And no FMJ's are not allowed at every club's range. So other than needing to try a box of as many brands as you can to find the ammo your pistol shoots best(cycling isn't likely to be an issue. Can be with a .22.), it really makes no difference. Mind you, the lighter bullet will have slightly less recoil. Not that you'd notice it though. Whatever 115 grain ammo Found was using must be loaded hot. Physics doesn't allow a lighter bullet to have greater recoil.
Do not buy a case until you've tried a box.
The Barnaul has steel cases, not plated. Steel(mild steel) cases are nothing to worry about unless you plan of getting into reloading(you will sooner or later. Shooting factory gets expensive quickly). They are not reloadable.

[CeeZer]

If you cannot see/feel difference - buy and shoot whichever.

If one cannot see/feel difference between shooting 115gr vs 1XXgr bullet in 9mm Para, there are two variables then:
1) shooter is inexperienced enough;
2) loads are very close to each other in way they 'feel' and print on paper.

Theory is (practice proved) that heavier bullets require slower burning powder thus causing more of a 'push' rather than 'punch' in the wrists (holding gun).
Guns' timing will also be affected where heavier bullets 'print' higher. Heavier bullet will take longer to leave barrel due to lower velocity while recoil will lift barrel up higher at the same time regardless frame position.

[PlaidSon]

For what it's worth, I shot 100 rounds of Barnaul 9mm last weekend and they have steel cases not bullets. The bullets are jacketed, but the ones I had had non-ferrous jackets. No good for reloading, but cheap fun all the same. I had no problems with them in my Beretta 92fs, but I picked up two or three dud Barnaul 9mm of the ground for disposal so they aren't top notch.

[jermyzy]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm picking up my Sig from reliable this weekend, will see what they have in stock