M&P 9mm bullet weight?

[bolewine]

Hi All,

In the next couple of weeks I will be buying a M&P 9. I have shot a Taurus PT92AF for the past 20 years or so,with thousands of rounds through it.this has been one hell of a gun. It eats any and all ammo you feed it!, and through trial and error I have found that a 145gr bullet by far shoots the best, and I have been told that this is the bullet that this gun was desigend to shoot. I reload my own ammo, and would like to know what the MP9 owners on this forum are shooting? most likely I will be loading copper plated lead and tightgroup powder. Any info on bullet weight and charge load would be great.


Thank You

Brett

 

[walkin' trails]

I've never heard of a factory 145 grain load - do you mean 147? I believe the original 9mm load was a 124. That said, the 147 was designed for surpressed SMGs and can be an accurate load. In a 9 for defense I prefer a 115 to 127 grain bullet, but Winchester's 147 grn Ranger T-series or bonded are decent rounds.

 

[bolewine]

Sorry my bad your right it's 147gr

Brett

 

[zerocool]

115g magtech JHP +P is my SD load. I would like to try some 147g though

 

[Knightrider03m]

I would only use 115 or 124 for 9mm.

 

[remat457]

If 147gr shoots the most accurately for you then that is the load to use. I run 147gr Ranger in my fullsize and compact. 9mm is one I don't handload for at this point, but I would be interested in what you find works best for you

 

[Mudcat]

I load 125 Precision bullets and it seems to be the most accurate. I have been trying 115s and 147s and the 147 come in a close second. I am going to order a few k of the 125s this week.

 

[MichiganScott]

I don't handload for the 9mm either. I find cheap Walmart white box adequate for practice.

Both my M&P9C and FS like Black Hills 115gr +P best.

 

[insomniac]

i go toward the middle of the wt. range for almost all my loads. the only exception being .45acp....i like heavy 230 grain bullets because there's not much to gain in velocity with the 45acp.

i look at the wt. range as a bell-curve. very light/very heavy 9mm bullets have the most performance give-away in terms of velocity/penetration. i feel that something around 124 grain blends the pros/cons very well and will probably work the best in most (but not all) situations.

for example, if i was hunting hogs with a 9mm (i wouldn't), i would use 147 grain bullets. for self defense, the corbon 115 grain JHP +P @ 1350fps is a street-proven man stopper.

i carry 124 grain Speer GD +P.

just my 2 cents.

 

[wantmoresmiths]

Brett,
Let me start by saying hello to a fellow Lehigh Valley resident. You don't mention your intended purpose for the ammunition you will be loading. If it's for general target shooting or possibly competition, you may want to stay with the heavier 147 grain bullet. A lot of competition shooters (IDPA and USPSA in particular) like the heavier bullet weights in whatever caliber they are loading. (9mm - 147 gr, .40 cal 180gr, and .45 cal 230 gr)There seems to be a consensus that the heavier bullets shoot "softer", giving more of a rearward push type recoil rather than the snappier recoil of the lighter weight bullets. I for one agree with this assessment, and prefer the 147 grain bullets. In addition, I find my 1911's shoot better with the 147 grain bullet.

The copper plated bullets are a good choice with Titegroup. If you decide at some point to switch to lead bullets you will need to consider another powder, as Titegroup creates lots of smoke with lead bullets. I prefer WW231 for both lead and plated bullets.

Just remember to test different bullet weights and let your gun tell you which bullet it prefers.

 

[357fuzz]

I use 147gr God Dots in my off duty guns. I use and reload 147gr. for practice and IDPA. Easy recoil and good accuracy. I went to an ATK ballistic wound workshop. Witnessed and participated in the FBI protocals. I was very impressed w/ the 147 gr. Gold Dot. Great round and I think great bullet weight.

 

[hoochrulez55]

124g is a perfect balance i think. i also own a 45 and shoot 230g through it.

 

[clcdawg]

I use Speer gold dot 124 gr +p for my defense load.

 

[Shooting Padre]

For practice I use 124 Grain RN which seem to perform well, in my 3913. My M&P is on order and I'll try them in it and see how they fly.

 

[MbWolf]

I just ordered 3K 147gr Berry's to feed mine.
Also loading over Titegroup.

 

[OKFC05]

I have been told that this is the bullet that this gun was desigend to shoot.

The 9mm was originally developed with the 124gr bullet. In WWII, the 115gr was designed to save material, and this load is the darling of the "highest ME" crowd. The 147gr was developed for a subsonic round, but is popular with the "slower heavier bullet" group.

A major consideration with fixed-sight pistols is picking a load that shoots to point of aim. That's why I shoot 124gr in my M&Ps.

 

[jnyav8r]

If I'm printing low with the 115gr shouldnt the 124gr pick it upa little??

 

[Shooting Padre]

I just ran the first rounds out of my New M&P 9 and used both 115gr factory and 124gr reloads. The 124gr shot to point of aim whereas the 115 did print low. As this was first time out, operator error is to be considered.I shot much better the second day after a little trigger time. This is one awesome gun. You will like yours very much.

 

[jnyav8r]

KC what powder/primer combo did you use? Guy at gun store steered me towards clays universal as an alternate to bullseye. Have yet to try it as i'm still waiting for a primer shell holder.

 

[spirit4earth]

Is the 9c zeroed at some particular bullet weight? Does S&W recommend anything in particular? 115, 124+p, 147, etc?