Hey guys,

 

Just ordered a bunch of reloading gear last night and can't wait to get started! Got a question for all of you... Besides the weight of the bullet, is there a big difference in a 115gr load vs a 124gr load? The ammo will be primarily for target practice/plinking at the range. Will the 124gr put more wear and tear on my pistol? Should I just load 115gr instead? I'm going to be shooting it through a Beretta 92A1.

One might be more 'snappier' than the other, for me the 115gr has a tiny bit more kick to it than the 124gr.

 

I highly doubt one would give your pistol more wear and tear than the other. If you are reloading standard loads, then you should be fine.

heavier bullet + less powder = lower "felt recoil" should have no issues on wear and tear

I know with my P38 it is recommended to shoot 115gr only. You might want to see what is recommended for your gun.

In my Nonexpert opinion. I love the 9pm NATO Winchester rounds. If I was to reload I'd probably try to get close to that. I like it a lot more than the 115gr federal or American eagle loads

Whatever's cheaper!

heavier bullet + less powder = lower "felt recoil" should have no issues on wear and tear

 

But the heavier bullet makes up for the reduced charge.

 

In reality I would challenge anyone who claims they can feel the diffrence in recoil between a 115 and 124-125.

 

In actual use. no matter what the use may be, you'll find no discernable difference bewteen the two with the exception of accuracy and that would be an individual gun preference.

I don't know if you can feel a recoil difference but there is definitely something different that even my wife felt without me saying a thing. She shot 15 rds of federal 115 and then when I loaded the next mag with 124gr NATO she asked what was different without knowing about the switch

You can tell there is a difference. I personally like 124.... and will try 147 tonight. Less powder in 124 as ronhonda says.... and he shoots a lot.

 

Big difference will be in the charge and type of powder you are using. A lower charge, heavier bullet with a slower powder such as WSF or N340 will be more of a push than a 115 gr loaded with W231 or N310, which are faster powders and will be more of a snap.

Thanks for the info guys! I'm in the learning stages of all this, so all this information helps a lot. I have to say a special thanks to GlennP as well, who has also been giving me a lot of advice and information too.

I don't know if you can feel a recoil difference but there is definitely something different that even my wife felt without me saying a thing. She shot 15 rds of federal 115 and then when I loaded the next mag with 124gr NATO she asked what was different without knowing about the switch

 

I'm pretty sure the difference she noticed was due to the increased powder charge of 9mm NATO, and not the bullet weight.

yeah, 9mm NATO is loaded around +P spec.

I don't know if you can feel a recoil difference but there is definitely something different that even my wife felt without me saying a thing.

 

There are several things going on here. SAAMI 9mm is 35,000 psi, NATO is like 36,500, and +P is 38,500 psi. All max pressures. That's not to say some SAAMI ammo (the 115 say) is loaded to 32,000 psi and the NATO is loaded to 36,000 psi which would make the NATO give more recoil.

 

Another thing is muzzle blast which bothers (or gets more attention from shooters) than recoil. If the 115 had more muzzle blast it would seem to give more "recoil".

 

She may have been holding the gun a little different one magazine to the next which would affect her perception.

 

You can go to this calculator,

 

http://www.handloads.com/calc/recoil.asp

 

and play with some figures and see bullet weight and velocity play more of an influence on recoil than the powder charge. The difference in powder charge between a 115 and 124 is negligible.

 

A 115 or 124 9mm round of the same spec (SAAMI. NATO, or +P) will genereally be so close in recoil there are other factors (such as muzzle blast) which changes your perception.

 

[iYou can tell there is a difference][/i]

 

If you're saying 115 or 124 and going to a 147 I agree. Calculate recoil on some known loads with chronogarphed velocities and you'll see what I mean.

 

Big difference will be in the charge and type of powder you are using. A lower charge, heavier bullet with a slower powder such as WSF or N340 will be more of a push than a 115 gr loaded with W231 or N310, which are faster powders and will be more of a snap.

 

 

This is true but there is no reason to go to a different powder going from a 115 to 124 gr and you can find a powder to load 115 to 147 grain.