Does the grains of the bullet matter?

[ShastaCola]

I went pistol shooting with a friend. We were at an indoor range buying 9mm ammo and when he made his purchase, he was very adamant about the grains of bullets. They must 115g. Then he tells me that when you train to shoot, you have to stay consistent with the type of ammo you shoot with. So all he will shoot is 115g bullets.

He asked me what I thought and I said I have never have ever heard of that and I can't tell the difference. I know there is a mental aspect to shooting and if that is what makes him happy, then who am I to argue? As long as it isn't unsafe and do not infringe on my rights and freedom, then do what makes you happy.

Is there a noticeable difference in the grains of ammo you shoot for 9mm?

[ysr_racer]

Meh, not really. I can feel the difference between 115 and 147 in how the slide cycles, but I'll shoot what ever I can find.

[aklon]

I find that there is a bit of a difference when it comes to bullet weight, but the main determinant is which gun it's fired from. I have CZ SP-01 that will put the 115grainers into a 3" bullseye at 12/5 yards 95% of the time (the others are real close) and shooting anything else results in a larger pattern than I'd like. But while my Walther P-88C sprays 115 grainers all over the place, it loves PMC 9G, 124 grain NATO spec stuff. The CZ P-01 does real well with American Eagle 124, but not so good with the PMC stuff of the same weight.

It just goes to show that guns can be quirky when it comes to ammunition. Just shoot different weights and brands until you find the one your pistol does the best with.

[hermosabeach]

When shooting a gun with the extra weight of an RMR
Or other dot sight, the 124 and 147 seem to run the slide better

[hermosabeach]

115 is also the most produced and cheapest ammo

[Featureless]

For some reason my G17 is more accurate with 124 gr.

[bohoki]

i can't tell the difference i just buy what ever is cheapest of what is available

[dfletcher]

Shooting 110 JHP out of a 357 2" barreled gun is easier for me than 158 JHP. I noticed my Ruger SP101 is a lot easier on recoil with the lighter bullet and each was of the "self-defense" type load.

For 9mm in 115, 124 or 147 - I can't tell the difference, not even in a Sig 938 or Smith 940.

[IVC]

There is much more difference between the feel of different guns than between different loads out of the same gun. Also, weight of the bullet is just one part of the equation, the other being the muzzle velocity of the bullet (and this is also different for different barrels even with the same ammo).

In competition, you have to compensate for lower bullet weight with higher velocity. In plinking you shoot whatever you have. The difference is small and you'll notice it mostly when shooting fast follow-up shots because the gun will feel more or less snappy.

[IVC]

As for consistency of the load, there is some truth to it. If you're training for a specific purpose, such as self defense or competition, you want to keep ammo consistent so you know it works well with your gun.

But this is not just the bullet weight. This is the actual load, with specific performance, specific bullet, overall length, etc. Knowing that the gun will perform the same is indeed valuable.

[Sailormilan2]

I’ve read that some people feel that the 115 gr 9mm loadings tend to have a quicker, sharper recoil. While the 147 gr 9mm loadings seem to have a longer, slower recoil. In some guns the 147 gr loads seem to be more reliable. I don’t use them, so I can’t say.
I prefer 124 gr, which is what it was designed around.

[SharedShots]

Unless you reload, consistency between cartridges isn't much you can do about. Consistency overall for brands and weights you can insofar as choosing between them but not really between individual rounds.

For the SD/HD, find what works best, use that. IMHO worrying about bullet weights and even brands is less important than what works as reliably as you can get.

What works for one might not work for someone else. Too many variables. YouGotTubed and what others say should be the last thing you consider when choosing ammo unless it's just a general thing to narrow down a list.

More important is what works for you and just as important, what can you get and shoot to make sure it works.

It does you no good if Brand X with Hyper Z ammo is talked up and even if it works if you can't get it and then shoot it enough to make sure. How does having a box or two and not shooting some ammo because it's precious and you have a hard time finding more work?

[rodralig]

Must be me, but although I find differences between the bullet weights, as seen from the bigger picture, they are insignificant. Whatever I use, 115, 124, 147, 150 - I perform more or less the same for my needs.

Of course, for SD/HD - I just need to be familiar with the POI=POA as they may change depending on weight/brand, etc. I mainly shoot factory 115s for practice, matches and tactical/defensive classes; while my HD/SD is 147GR.

Rather than bullet weight - I would focus on other more important stuff. If you or your friend cannot meet minimum standards of performance with a handgun - the weight, consistency of the bullet will NOT matter.


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[Epaphroditus]

My SD mag load alternates ball and JHP of different weights.

Diversity!

[theLBC]

i try to practice with ammo that has the same recoil as my self defense ammo, and the last mag at the range is sd ammo, but it isn't that important to me and i shoot whatever i can get.