The Grains In My Ammunition??

timothydgordon

timothydgordon

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Currently i'm firing American Eagle 180 Grain Full Metal Jacket .40 S&W into my Glock 22.

I've posted in other places that it's too much power for me right now. It fits my hand beautifully as I have large hands/long fingers but the .40 really is over the top, so much so that my fiance won't shoot it and I feel like I'm developing poor technique because i'm curbing myself. So, I plan on purchasing a Glock 19 9mm or a Ruger revolver or a variety of other suggestions and will be looking for lower speed ammunition.

In the meantime, I wen't down to Al Simmons today to buy a few boxes of ammo to last me the weekend and check out some used SiG's I was told that they have (very nice but VERY pricey!) when I noticed they had some Winchester ammo that was 155 grain. I thought I was right in assuming it would be slower, with less snap but when I came home and researched it I dicovered the Winchester .40 S&W 155 grain was indeed faster and seemed to have more snap. ?

Can someone help me understand what to look for in ammunition, I just want something that doesn't run as hot as the American Eagle 180 grain FMJ .40 S&W's so I can enjoy shooting my pistol more.

Thanks for your time reading this and helping someone new to shooting,
Tim.
 
The grains (180 vs 155) is bullet weight, the lighter bullet will likely be faster. A larger bullet with different powder would tame the G-22 the best. As long as it still cycles. I am not sure what powder or how much of it factory ammo uses though, that is what you need to know, but I usually just figure it out by trying dfferent brands, or you can reload.
 
A lighter bullet will almost always be faster, but may produce less recoil. It's a simple physics equation. That being said, I don't find 40 very nice to shoot either. I much prefer 45ACP over any of the others for recoil comfort.
 
Silverado said:
A lighter bullet will almost always be faster, but may produce less recoil. It's a simple physics equation. That being said, I don't find 40 very nice to shoot either. I much prefer 45ACP over any of the others for recoil comfort.
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AWESOME! Someone that relates to me. So, really? You find .45 ACP lighter on the recoil? I know Glock has the Glock 21. I was hoping to make my next pistol purchase to be a compact model, the .45 ACP's don't come in Compact with Glock but then again i'm comfortable with the feel of the G22 so why not try it in .45 right? (By the way I do realize the G21 is slightly larger then the G22 but I have long fingers.)

Any suggestions from anyone else?
 
at the same velicty heavier bullet will always have more recoil....lighter bullets (in the same calibe) will be faster and might feel more 'snapier'...

you need to start reloading or trade your G22 for a 9mm gun...but start reloading anyways ;)

EDIT: .45 doesn't really recoil less, to me it has more recoul....but .45 recoil slower, .40 is pretty snappy.
 
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You can buy downloaded .40 ammo from some of the reloading outfits in Canada, its downloaded to levels similar to 9mm for people to compete in Production Division of IPSC. Combat Masters comes to mind as one place that stocks it, and I believe in the past people have posted that they have had good results with the ammo.
 
:confused: I'm a little confused. Is it recoil or muzzle flip? They're related but, IMHO, different issues. A lighter bullet will give you less felt recoil but more muzzle flip, a heavier bullet will give you a little more felt recoil but less muzzle flip. Most new shooters I've shot with were more affected by muzzle flip then by recoil. When I hand loaded some rounds with heavier bullets they shot better and felt that the rounds were 'softer' because the muzzle jumped less. One of the best benefits of reloading is not saving money but tailoring loads to your preferences. I apologize if I steered you wrong in your last post for recommending heavier bullets.......:redface:

Here's something to peruse...

http://www.handgunsmag.com/ammunition/40lite_091806/
 
misfire said:
:confused: I'm a little confused. Is it recoil or muzzle flip? They're related but, IMHO, different issues. A lighter bullet will give you less felt recoil but more muzzle flip, a heavier bullet will give you a little more felt recoil but less muzzle flip. Most new shooters I've shot with were more affected by muzzle flip then by recoil. When I hand loaded some rounds with heavier bullets they shot better and felt that the rounds were 'softer' because the muzzle jumped less. One of the best benefits of reloading is not saving money but tailoring loads to your preferences. I apologize if I steered you wrong in your last post for recommending heavier bullets.......:redface:

Here's something to peruse...

http://www.handgunsmag.com/ammunition/40lite_091806/
Click to expand...

Yes very true. Most of shooter affected by muzzle flip and jump, not by felt recoil, but I think you are right to recommend a heavier bullet. I personal perfer a heavier bullet in my .357mag.

Trigun
 
timothydgordon said:
AWESOME! Someone that relates to me. So, really? You find .45 ACP lighter on the recoil? I know Glock has the Glock 21. I was hoping to make my next pistol purchase to be a compact model, the .45 ACP's don't come in Compact with Glock but then again i'm comfortable with the feel of the G22 so why not try it in .45 right? (By the way I do realize the G21 is slightly larger then the G22 but I have long fingers.)

Any suggestions from anyone else?
Click to expand...

I don't have a table in front of me, nor the formula at the moment, to say that 45 has lighter recoil per se, but as many will attest to, it is a slower, more controllable, more 'comfortable' recoil.

40 S&W is very very snappy. Like a slap in the face. From an angry, drunk 6 out of 10 who isn't buying your last call pick up lines.
 
timothydgordon said:
Okay, so to get the heaviest bullet I have to go with the highest grain content correct??
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Correct.

This may help clarify the 'grain'. It's just a measure of weight: 7000 grains = 16 oz (1 pound)
In ammunition, grains is used to measure bullet weight and powder charges. So, the more grains a bullet has the heavier it is and the more grains there are in a powder charge means it has more powder weight. Remember all powders burn at different rates so a charge of 5.0 grains of one powder will not be the same as an equal charge with a different powder...
 
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