How well have 147gr bullets performed in your FS 9mm

[1sailor]

I normally load 124gr bullets but have been thinking about trying some 147gr. For those of you who have used them what kind of accuracy were you getting. I'm happy with the 124's but wouldn't mind trying to squeeze a little more out if I could.

 

[fcusn1]

I shoot nothing but 147 grain in my 92fs, M9, and 92 Elite II. I shoot maybe 6000 rounds a year. The only time I shoot 124 grain in my M9 is right before I have to requal for military purposes. The 147's as backwards as it may sound shoot a little higher than the 124's and a lot higher than the 115's. I would highly recommend the 147's. I have never seen a malfunction of any kind with the 147's be it factory or reloaded ammunition. Just my personal experiance with it.

 

[OKFC05]

My experienced with the various weights in the M&P 5" Pro showed no advantage with the 147gr, and the 124gr was only slightly better than the 115gr in accuracy with Precision Delta bullets.

When firing all loaded to the same power factor (PF), the 147gr showed incipient instability at long range, making me believe I needed a little move speed. In general, the longer the bullet, the slower the twist, and the lower the speed, the more likely to go unstable.

At distances up to 35yards, I saw no practical difference, and chose to use the 124gr. I know several competitors who use the 147gr for slightly less recoil impulse (at the same PF). Some are using faster twist aftermarket barrels. YMMV

If I remember correctly, the M9 Beretta that FCUSN1 has, above, comes with a barrel rifled 1 turn in 250mm (about 10 inches) which makes it more suitable for the longer bullets than the slower twist S&W.

 

[1sailor]

Thanks for the help.

 

[WR Moore]

Absolutely the most accurate ammo I've ever fired in a full size 9 was 147 gr Hyda-Shok JHPs at a something over 900 fps (listed velocity was 1000 fps). One ragged hole at 25 yards. The gun was a 5906 with stock barrel & 18 3/4 twist. JHP pistol ammo tends to be more accurate than RN in 9mm. The USAF developed a 124 gr truncated cone match bullet for 9mm, Hornaday produced it. I believe they still do as the HAP bullet (Hornaday Action Pistol).

I'll also point out that powder puff loads with low velocities also have relatively long barrel travel times. This makes followthrough much more important to accuracy than when using standard velocity ammo.

Just exactly how much accuracy are you trying to get?

 

[danysw]

I'm not an expert but have the same impression. The best accurate ammo I fire with my M&P 9F and M&P 9C is the Federal HST 147 grain rated at 1000 fps. It goes a little high compared with the 115 or 124 but the groups go smaller.

 

[colt_saa]

In the years that I have owned it, my M&P Spec Ops has only fired 147 and 158 grain FMJ and HPs.

This has nothing to do with accuracy, it has to do with the fact that these rounds are subsonic and easily suppressable.

If I were carrying the M&P for personal defense, I would have a nice hot 124 JHP +P or +P+ in my magazines.

 

[Granddad]

Out of my two 9s (neither an M&P) I find the 147 gr more accurate than the lighter bullets. Besides factory SD ammo, I load 147 JHP from Zero and 147 lead from Bayou Bullets and BBI. Of course that is me and my pistols: that doesn't mean you would have the same results....

 

[Desert Dog]

I found Hilton Yam's take on bullet weights and accuracy in the FS9, as described in a blog post, an interesting set of observations.

The main downfall of the M&P 9mm is the wildly varying accuracy thanks to some QC issues and design flaws. The M&P 9 barrel uses a tragically slow 1:18.75" twist, which does a poor job stabilizing heavier bullets. To add insult to injury, the M&P also unlocks extremely quickly. This early unlocking tends to negate any conventional wisdom on what bullet weights should shoot well with the M&P, and you'll want to do a bit of experimenting. The Glock is inherently more accurate than the M&P, and will shoot 3" or better at 25 yards with a wide range of ammunition. I feel that 3" or less is a good measure for service pistol accuracy at 25 yards. My 3 primary M&P 9mm's will all shoot 3" or better at 25 yards with any 147 grain ammunition that I feed them, and two of them have printed 2 5/8" standing offhand at 25 yards with 147 grain. That works for me. However, all three of the guns shoot about 6-8" at 25 yards using 115 and 124 grain ammo. My solution at this point is just to stick with 147 grain.

The complete Hilton Yam 10-8 Performance blog post can be found here: 10-8 Performance: Glock vs. M&P...or why I shoot an M&P .

 

[Gran Torino]

I've found the 147gr is more accurate in both of my 5" Pro Series pistolas at 10 yards. My groups are much tighter than with the others.

 

[ammodave]

It's always been my experience with handguns that lighter is lower i.e. a lighter bullet will usually shoot to a lower point of aim. I believe it all has to do with muzzle flip and a heavier bullet will produce more felt recoil (muzzle flip) producing a higher point of impact. In the past I've used this in reloading to adjust my target impact with fixed sight handguns.

 

[Bullet Bob]

I think it's actually "dwell time" the amount of time the bullet is in the barrel. Yes, we're talking micro-seconds when talking about the time a heavier bullet is in the barrel (due to reduced speed), but it's enough to make a difference in impact, since the barrel is ever so slightly higher by the time a heavier bullet exits. If a lighter bullet was in the barrel for the same amount of time, it would have approximately the same point of impact as the heavier bullet at the usual handgun ranges of 25 yards or less.

 

[Goathead75]

I've found the 147gr is more accurate in both of my 5" Pro Series pistolas at 10 yards. My groups are much tighter than with the others.

Same experience here with my pro.

 

[jbinbi]

Interesting.I have been shooting low, like 12" at 50' with 115gr. It is me and this gun. (there has been another thread on shooting low with it, and SW sent the guy lower sights). however, this gun is correct, I have had 3 different people try and they have no problem. I am fairly new, but I am pretty sure I have the fundamentals correct, my sig 22 I have about a 5" group at 50'. I am wondering if I went to heavier bullet if this would change my accuracy?

 

[1sailor]

I wouldn't think that bullet weight would make 12" of difference at 50ft. Next time you're out shooting try using the end of your finger on the trigger (not quite the base of your nail). I was having the same problem and found I was pulling the muzzle down when I pulled the trigger. Also, try the next size larger grip. That will help to keep you from wrapping your finger around the trigger.

 

[lamrith]

If I were carrying the M&P for personal defense, I would have a nice hot 124 JHP +P or +P+ in my magazines.

That would not be recommended. I will verify when I get home, but if I recall correctly the M&P manual states it is not rated for +P+ ammunition and not to use anything beyond +P.

 

[danysw]

That would not be recommended. I will verify when I get home, but if I recall correctly the M&P manual states it is not rated for +P+ ammunition and not to use anything beyond +P.

You are right. Manual says not to use +P+ on the M&P.

 

[missiondude]

I was having a difficult time at 50 yards with my 9L under time pressure in a training class I was taking. It occured to me that the gun might not be grouping well at that distance. I took some WWB 115 to the range as well as some Federal HST 147 JHP. Rested on a bag at 50 yards the group went from roughly 14 inches with the 115's to roughly 6 inches with the 147 JHP's. This gun has between 10,000 and 15,000 through it. YMMV

 

[M_E_]

My experienced with the various weights in the M&P 5" Pro showed no advantage with the 147gr, and the 124gr was only slightly better than the 115gr in accuracy with Precision Delta bullets.

When firing all loaded to the same power factor (PF), the 147gr showed incipient instability at long range, making me believe I needed a little move speed. In general, the longer the bullet, the slower the twist, and the lower the speed, the more likely to go unstable.

At distances up to 35yards, I saw no practical difference, and chose to use the 124gr. I know several competitors who use the 147gr for slightly less recoil impulse (at the same PF). Some are using faster twist aftermarket barrels. YMMV

If I remember correctly, the M9 Beretta that FCUSN1 has, above, comes with a barrel rifled 1 turn in 250mm (about 10 inches) which makes it more suitable for the longer bullets than the slower twist S&W.

Uh, you have it backwards. The longer the bullet, the faster the twist needed.

 

[shield]

Uh, you have it backwards. The longer the bullet, the faster the twist needed.

Isn't that essentially what he said?

...In general, the longer the bullet, the slower the twist, and the lower the speed, the more likely to go unstable.

So you need a faster twist to get more stability.