Factory Ammo... 147gr. versus 126gr...

[OCEquestrian]

What are the pros and cons of each? I just compared the Blazer Brass 124 gr FMJ with the American Eagle 147 gr FMJ at the range this even and thing there is a noticeable reduction in recoil with the 147gr.

[MontClaire]

147 is subsonic ammo for suppressed use amongst other benefits. So the other would be better penetration in self defense ammo. For example Federal HST 147gr +P. 124gr is the original weight of the bullet in this caliber and all submachine guns made by germans whether it's schmeisser, HK or SIG were made to fire 124gr and 124gr NATO which is a little hotter than commercial. Also if you carry shorter barrel than 4" than you'll benefit from 124gr +P which was developed to address these subcompacts lethality. Try 115gr and you'll notice significant reduction in recoil and better accuracy. There is also 158gr rounds for 9mm but those make more sense in submachine's barrels for they are longer.

[rm1911]

For range fodder, shoot whatever is cheapest. At pistol ranges, and differences won't be noticeable.

For SD ammo however, make sure it feeds reliably in your pistol. Of course the weight, brand, etc of SD ammo opens up a whole other discussion. Most modern SD is pretty good. So really most differences won't be noticeable.

[mtenenhaus]

Interesting, i've thought about this a bit over the years as i've slowly preferentially gravitated from 115 to 124 and 147 gr rounds. Kinetically (if i recall my high school physics) generally most factory 147 should have more energy...but for some reason, to me it feels less snappy. I guess that's perceived recoil vs true kinetic energy.

Haven't played with changing velocity on the various weight bullets....this is merely my perception of recoil from standard off the shelf ammo.

From an accuracy perspective our P7 prefers 124gr.

[floogy]

Heavy for caliber bullets can feel less "snappy". I think the best example is 45 ACP being more a push than a snap like 9 and 40.

I would try to find similar range ammo to your SD ammo. For consistency if you use that gun for defense. If you shoot 115 grain at the range and use 147 grain +P for defense, it will be almost like switching between 9mm to 40. The smaller the gun, the more noticeable it will be.

I prefer 124 grain for self defense ammo. It is faster and will expand more reliably in less than ideal situations, i.e. heavy clothing. Ensuring reliability is most important, so make sure to run 50 rounds or more to make sure it works in your gun and magazines. HST, Gold Dot, Ranger T and Golden Saber are the best and likely make up most of what is currently issued to LE across the country.

[Laurence927]

I used to only shoot 115gr at the range, but made the switch to 124gr because I wanted to be training with the same ammo as my carry/HD ammo (124gr Federal HST). Pricing between 115gr and 124gr can be very comparable so I didn't hesitate to switch and there's not much recoil difference IMO.

I've only used ammo higher than 124gr in sub guns (CZ Scorpion, Sig MPX, etc.) 147gr and 165gr.

[Cortelli]

So I'm curious about opinions on the similarity between SD and range ammo (as some have commented). I've chosen 124 gr for SD rounds (HST). So I've been looking primarily for 124 gr range ammo of similar muzzle velocity and energy - FWIW, I've largely looked at FedAmEagle, Fiocchi, and Fed Independence.

I'm not sure it makes a huge difference, and I have jumped on some great deals of 115 gr cartridges that I know my pistol shoots well. But if I'm not too hung up on spending $10 or $20 more per case am I being silly for trying to have my range and training ammo mimic (as close as possible) my SD ammo?

I've done the same with 40SW ammo since I also shoot 40, and my choices expand to include Speer lawman.

Being too anal, or OK if an extra $10 doesn't sting? Thanks.

[Che762x39]

... I wanted to be training with the same ammo as my carry/HD ammo (124gr Federal HST).

Being a reloader I loaded what is a factory duplicate. I use to carry Federal 115 JHP and you can duplicate it with 6.0 grains of Unique. So all my training was with basically the same as I carry.

Recently I started carrying Winchester 147 JHP.

[floogy]

So I'm curious about opinions on the similarity between SD and range ammo (as some have commented). I've chosen 124 gr for SD rounds (HST). So I've been looking primarily for 124 gr range ammo of similar muzzle velocity and energy - FWIW, I've largely looked at FedAmEagle, Fiocchi, and Fed Independence.

I'm not sure it makes a huge difference, and I have jumped on some great deals of 115 gr cartridges that I know my pistol shoots well. But if I'm not too hung up on spending $10 or $20 more per case am I being silly for trying to have my range and training ammo mimic (as close as possible) my SD ammo?

I've done the same with 40SW ammo since I also shoot 40, and my choices expand to include Speer lawman.

Being too anal, or OK if an extra $10 doesn't sting? Thanks.

More ammo is better than less ammo that exactly matches your defensive rounds. But an extra $10 for ammo that is similar to your defensive ammo is worthwhile IMO.

The difference between 115 and 124 may be small enough to not worry about. It's mainly if you were to jump from a standard pressure practice rounds to +P defensive ammo. I find that my CW9 with +P feels more like a 40 than a 9, so it's a significant difference to me.

[Cortelli]

More ammo is better than less ammo that exactly matches your defensive rounds. But an extra $10 for ammo that is similar to your defensive ammo is worthwhile IMO.

The difference between 115 and 124 may be small enough to not worry about. It's mainly if you were to jump from a standard pressure practice rounds to +P defensive ammo. I find that my CW9 with +P feels more like a 40 than a 9, so it's a significant difference to me.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree that I don't want to mix standard and +P.

[hambam105]

There is a huge difference between 115 and 124 and 147 grain 9x19mm ammunition. Huge. But most 9mm shooters are not paying enough attention to shooting details to appreciate the difference.

[champu]

Kinetically (if i recall my high school physics) generally most factory 147 should have more energy...but for some reason, to me it feels less snappy. I guess that's perceived recoil vs true kinetic energy.

Heavy for caliber bullets actually tend to have less kinetic energy because their increase in weight doesn't make up for the loss of velocity, which kinetic energy is more sensitive to. For example...

Using Federal HST data from Luckgunner's testing the 124 gr standard pressure ammo is 1135 fps and the 147 gr +P ammo is 1008 fps. This yields 355 lbf-ft and 332 lbf-ft of energy respectively. So even with the higher pressure load the heavier bullet has 6.5% less kinetic energy.

[FalconLair]

speaking of which, i just ordered 1000 rounds of 124gr. Aguila ammo from Target Sports USA

$199.80 and free shipping

it showed they still had close to 100 cases left in stock for anyone interested

https://www.targetsportsusa.com/aguila-9mm-luger-ammo-124-grain-full-metal-jacket-092110-p-3401.aspx

[$nake-Eye$]

I'm the most accurate with 147gr

[sigstroker]

Being a reloader I loaded what is a factory duplicate. I use to carry Federal 115 JHP and you can duplicate it with 6.0 grains of Unique. So all my training was with basically the same as I carry.

I am in awe of your ability to get 6 grains of Unique in a 9mm case.

OP, one of the best things about 9mm is the high velocity of 115 gr, which translates to hard cover penetration. 147 gr destroys that. I saw a 147 gr hit, and bounce off, a bowling pin. That was a slow moving bullet.