Those running 9mm, do you run 115-124-147 grain ammo?

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MartyK2500

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Hey, i recently completed black badge in early november. The more i participate into ipsc events at my range, the more i am getting the feeling this sport gets me comming back for more. And i now want to try to up my game, so other that training i can only review my equipment. Reloading is not an option at the moment. I have tried both 115gr and 124gr. 115 was much more snappy than 124. Does the same apply for 147? Would it be less snappy than 124?

I will be running production for a while, and changing pistol will not be an option for now, and i am trying to manage recoil a bit better. I personally feel very comfortable using my setup, but 75% of people around me are using shadows, must be a reason.
 
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I found that my Shadow likes all 3 bullet weights with no exceptions to brand, but my double taps liked 124 and 147 the best. I haven't done a long term comparison between 124 and 147, but if the 1000 rounds of 115 vs 1000 rounds of 124 was an indicator I would say the heavier bullet will help with recoil. (I've read a bunch on it and am still unsure as to the physics behind it, but I know what improved my groups and taps). I only run factory ammo and don't reload so price is a factor though. I'm only shooting in 3 gun and not excessively competitive either. I can get Blazer 147gr for just a few cents more a round than 124gr though so I'll probably just stock up on it before the season starts.

Cheers

Joe
 
So far my ammo count is near 7000, being 6000 with 124gr and 1000 box with 115gr. I immediately noticed and hated the 115gr, they did not worked good for me.
3x 1000 rounds bricks of blazer brass and 4x 1000 rounds brick of american eagle, to be honnest since i tried american eagle i will never go back to blazer brass. Personnal opinion here, but cleanup time was drasticly reduced using american eagle. Blazer stuff burns very dirty in my setup.
 
not sure about in factory ammo, but if you are loading each bullet weight to the same power factor then the heavier the bullet the less recoil. is all factory loaded to the same power factor? that I have no idea.

if you are shooting a shadow (i think you are? cant tell) you need a new front sight with 147gr bullets so keep that in mind
 
Shooting factory loads in a SP-01 Shadow, I found 115's would pattern a bit higher then point of aim at 15 yards, an the 147's would pattern exactly where you point the pistol.

I'll be shooting the Shadow on Monday, we'll see what variety of grains my buddy brings out that day and get back to you on this one.
 
I prefer the 147gr reloaded ammunition. I can shoot the 124gr as well, but since I have been shooting the 147gr for many years...my timing is better with the heavier bullet. If you enjoy the timing of the 124gr than stick with it. I choose the 147gr not necessarily for hitting steel, but rather the timing and the way the gun feels is what I am used to.
 
I'd prefer to shoot 147s, but I am way to cheap for that. There is a fairly big price jump between 124s (which I shoot almost exclusively) and 147s.

Plus, my last purchase was for 15k projectiles IIRC, all 124s....so I will be using that for a while.
 
I forgot to mention i run the rare and uncommon 92fs. Most of you guys reload ammo, but from what i can see so far the 147gr is a very common ammo choice. I will order a box in the next few day, a good box of 1000 so i could actually have time to notice something different.
 
From what I've seen, a lot of 115gr factory ammo and some 124gr factory won't make minimum power factor. It depends on your gun of course, but one shooter here ran a variety of factory 9mm through his Shadow and was quite surprised to find that some brands are a little light.
 
American Eagle factory ammunition is loaded much warmer than the required power factor. I reload mainly 147 grains bullets under a 3.3 grains charge of Titegroup and I make 135 of power factor. If you want to be more competitive, you should definetly start reloading. 50 rounds of ammo will cost you roughly 9$ instead of $15
 
Very cool stats, i am very surprised to see beretta even made the list. I tought it would have been a one percenter and worded as other. Very usefull stats on reloading too, as i will not try to reinvent anything and stick with what works for others. Unfortunately i was suppose to buy reloading stuff in january and had planned the ar15 for may. Since they are getting scarce for some reason i decided to switch my priorities.

I know i will eventually have all reloading equipment before june, until i get there i try to shoot something that could help me.
 
I first bought 115gr. Blazers and American Eagle 9mm in bulk at Cabelas as that is all they sell in quantity. When I got my reloading press I started buying Berrys bullets from Jo-brook Firearms as they had a sale at the time, but the only size bullets they had left were 115gr. as well. I didn't think anything of it so I went with it in my S&W M&P9 all last year. When I took the Black Badge course in September I encountered my first squib so I have decided to shoot factory ammo in competition, and stick with the reloads the rest of the year. Both Blazer and American Eagle make power by a safe margin.
I have shot one box of 124gr. and didn't notice a difference to tell the truth.
 
heavenIsAlie said:
everyone I shoot with needed it when they started reloading the 147 instead of the 124 and putting the 147gr loads through 124gr setup guns ended with rounds hitting high.
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The POI will change will the speed variation, it does not mean you have to change the front sight. I had 2 Shadows, never changed the front sight when I changed from 124 to 147.

Some say that the 147gr bullet is still in the barrel when it starts to move back since its speed is lower, thus creating the higher POI but I think it is just the natural trajectory curve for a bullet with that weight and speed.

It's the same when you shoot at a 5M target vs a 25M target, the POI will move a bit
 
When loaded to the minimum PF plus that little extra for insurance I also found that my Shadow shot a little high with the 147's.

In the end I went with 124's as my standard load as a nice balance between the softer kick of the 147's and the snap of the 115's. That and the cost savings on the bullets. If I get to where I'm at some risk of winning in Production I'll likely review that decision and either practice more or shift over to 147's.

It's fair to say that while 147's will give a difference of a couple of % to a shooter's performance. But most of us simply don't practice enough at proper drills and simply shooting more ammo at such drills will do far more to improve our performance then choosing to use 147's over 124's.
 
BCRider said:
When loaded to the minimum PF plus that little extra for insurance I also found that my Shadow shot a little high with the 147's.

In the end I went with 124's as my standard load as a nice balance between the softer kick of the 147's and the snap of the 115's. That and the cost savings on the bullets. If I get to where I'm at some risk of winning in Production I'll likely review that decision and either practice more or shift over to 147's.

It's fair to say that while 147's will give a difference of a couple of % to a shooter's performance. But most of us simply don't practice enough at proper drills and simply shooting more ammo at such drills will do far more to improve our performance then choosing to use 147's over 124's.
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Exactly my tought that nothing can beat propper practice. That is why i have even taken an ipsc intermediate class lately to learn new techniques and drills. I am very exited that i am actually getting there when it comes time to call my shots. Far from being a pro at it but i do get the point and can see it happen now. It's just equipment wise, i was looking for a way to minimise recoil. If my front post does not go as high it will be readily available for the next shot much quicker. That's why i made the thread, to check if ammo grains makes a considerable difference in recoil.
 
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