9mm bullet weight preference?

[Abflyboy]

As mentioned prior, it really can't be generalized.

In my personal experience with multiple different 9mm guns used only for USPSA, 147gr bullets are much more finicky to develop than 124gr bullets.

I have ONE gun, a PM9 that runs 147's at just over minor PF pretty well but all my others don't really like them unless I push way beyond 125 PF. On the other hand, I have ONE load with 124 gr bullets that works extremely well in five different guns at 135 PF.

Hope this helps you. I shot several thousand 147 grain bullets trying to find THE LOAD and never got there.

I wish you the best in this endeavor. Getting a 147 grain bullet / fast powder load put together sure makes a soft shooting gun.

 

[PR24]

I don’t want to go off the rails but, I’m NOT a fan of the 147g 9x19mm. My agency used the Speer GDHP 147 in the mid 90’s when I became a copper. Its had less than stellar results especially from the shorter guns; G19’s & G26’s in actual OIS’s against 2 & 4 legged baddies. Before the Speer, it was Fed’s HydraShok also 147. Those were dismal! But you know, in the 90’s it was a love affair with the cursed 147....As you all recall, it was that very bullet weight that gave the 9mm its well deserved reputation as a weak cartridge. Because physics doesn’t lie!!!

Thankfully, about 2003 the range boys decided the 124 GDHP was a better choice. Indeed it was as one of our officers found himself in a one sided shootout with a wanted felon who jumped out & started shooting before the officer could even draw on a traffic stop. Thankfully, he tripped while retreating & the perp missed him buying him time to scramble to cover. His backup arrived at the same time and engaged the suspect with her G19. One round of the 124g thru his thorax ended that fight. Entered on the R side & stopped just behind his left ribs. Full expansion, massive damage per the OME (coroner). One of the range officers was at the autopsy. He said: “worked as advertised!”

We have since upgraded to the Speer 124g +P. As a now member of the full time range staff I have been on several OIS scenes where the +P did just fine. In fact, it worked VERY well.

With the aforementioned, I can not for the life of me figure out why these ammo companies & agencies are once again selling and or buying those rounds. I don’t care how much JHP’s have improved. The 147 is slow, too slow to compensate for the lack of mass compared to its other auto ctg. brethren; .45 & .40. If a slower heavier .35 bullet etc is sooooo good, then why aren’t the .357 Mag & .357 Sig heavier & slower? Simple, they haul butt & dump a ridiculous amount of energy on the target! So, why again is slower & hevier better in a .35 caliber bullet? The smaller bullets need speed simple as that. Same reason the subsonic 5.56 loads are piss poor against human targets except when used with a suppressor. Last a checked, 5.56 rounds tear up tissue when they’re at speed.

I’m curious to see if history repeats itself for all these agencies that are on the 9mm bandwagon. The jury is still out on the new batch of 9’s performance in the real world. The .40 has 25+years of street cred to back up its data. The.45 has quite a bit more.

I will wager this. The lighter bullets in 9mm will do fine as I have plenty of experience with those. I personally don’t think the fancy heavy 9’s will do as well just as before. It’s basically a high cap .38 Spl ballistically speaking. History does indeed repeat itself, I just hope no officers get killed because of it.

 

[ContinentalOp]

PR24,

It's because that was the 90s. The current generation of 147gr JHP, particularly the HST, has been performing very well in police service, including agencies in cold weather climates where heavy clothing can be a factor. Yes, the designs have improved that much. I would NOT carry any 90s generation 147gr JHP, but I carry the 147gr HST and am confident it will perform as needed if I'm ever forced to use it.

Of course, that's aside from the fact that the OP was only asking about competition ammo, not SD ammo.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have always liked, loaded and shot 124/125gr bullets in the 9mm. They seem to perform better and more reliably across many different 9mm platforms, for me at least.

 

[elpac3]

I recently found the 120 coated Bayou 9mm to out shoot theold 124's I have been shooting

 

[Wee Hooker]

115, 124,124,130, 135 &147gr. I load and shoot them all but admittedly, 115 gr is my least favorite ( and least used). With the right powders, I find heavier bullets have a softer recoil cycle yet hold their accuracy better.
If I had to pick one bullet to load for all my 9mm's, I'd go with a 130gr (usually plated, unsually marketed for 38 super.) My M&P pro's and 1911's particularly love this bullet.

That said, if competing, each dicipline/game usually has favorite loads that are shared throughout the communty. I'd research there before starting.

 

[Nevada Ed]

per post #15;

I also like the Fedeal 147 HST for SD work in a 3" pistol.

However the Speer FN with the Plated RN plus a HP design, all
have different overall lengths to contend with and try to workout
with the powders that I test for a accurate target load from low to high.
Each bullet has it's certain fps and pressure area that they work best at
and it adds even more problems when you try to make each bullet
work in different pistols with different barrel lengths !!

Not saying the 147gr has problems..........
just that you need to fit it to each pistol for it's top accuracy be it
at a slow target speed or near the top end loadings.

My pistols just seem to like this BIG heavy bullet at lower speeds
for my target work.

In a 5" I like the 124gr bullets or the 115gr for minimum recoil.

 

[fuzzymcnab]

Thanks again gents. Again, confirmation that I must test all three weights extensively to find what will work best and I will do that.
PR24, really enjoyed your post. So much so I copied and pasted it in one of my ammunition reference sheets. Although terminal performance was not essential to my inquiry, your knowledge and experience was fascinating.
God's blessings to each of you, fuzzy

 

[PR24]

Fun shooting & playing around with accuracy in 9mm bullet weights is fine & pretty interesting. When it comes to fighting, stick with the mid weight/proven JHP designs in 9mm’s that have worked in real world shootings.

 

[snowman.45]

I have no experience with the 147 gr. HST or most others. I have a lot of experience with the Speer GDHP 124+P 9mm. We began issuing it after experiencing jacket separation in the 127 Gr. +P+ we had been carrying. As PR24 said above, our OIS results with the GDHP rounds were exceptional. To this day, I still prefer to carry the GDHP 124+P in my 9mm pistols.