[northark147]

How do you select bullet weights for your Handguns? Currently, I run 90gr in .380, 124/125 in 9mm, 180gr in 40S&W, and 230gr in 45ACP. I based the 9mm and 45 off of what the military uses, and I have no idea how I settled on the other two, I'm thinking I must have looked on the box when I still used factory ammo and followed suit. This seems to indicate to me, that A I am no longer military, and what they use might now be the best for my purposes, and B most of my serious knowledge about firearms and reloading started at just about the same time, so whatever I plunked off the shelf might not be the best either.

I use all for SD/Practice so I'm sharp if SD ever pops up, and the occasional critter who something has happened too and I can't stand to watch suffer. From what I've been able to glean off of Google, there is no real process like matching the twist of your barrel and experimenting with a little variation to get the best group, only an age old arguement on whether you wanna hit them slow and hard or fast and light. Are there any sort of tests your general shooter might use to decide on a bullet weight, or is it just peeing in the wind with handguns?

[rcmodel]

The bullet weights you listed are pretty much "standard" for those calibers.

I don't see a whole lot of reason to switch.

Some folks subscribe to the "lighter & faster is better" theory.
Others to the "bigger & slower" school of fight stopping penetration.

On the otherhand, those "standard" bullet weights are what most guns fixed sights were regulated with, and what the gun design itself was designed around to work most reliably with.

So I guess you pays your money and you takes your chances when going "light or heavy for caliber" bullets.

rc

[bds]

northark147, I pondered the same for years and this is where I am currently for 9mm, 40S&W and 45ACP.

I'll use DoubleTap's (http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/index.php?cPath=21) ballistics data for comparison:

9 mm +P:
115gr Barnes TAC-XP
1275 fps / 445ft. lbs. - G17

124 gr Remington JHP
1310 fps / 473ft/lbs - G17

147 gr Montana Gold FMJ
1135 fps / 421ft / lbs - G17

40 S&W:
150 gr. Nosler JHP
1317 fps / 580 ft/lbs - G22

165 gr Remington JHP (Golden Saber JHP)
1240 fps / 563 ft/lbs - G22

180 gr Nosler JHP
1140 fps / 520 ft/lbs - G22

200 gr Nosler JHP
1100 fps / 538 ft/lbs - G22

45 ACP:
185 gr. Nosler JHP
1225 fps / 616 ft/lbs - 5" 1911

230 gr. Winchester JHP
1014 fps / 521 ft/lbs - 5" 1911
I used Federal Hydrashok JHP in 1980's but switched to Black Talon/Winchester Ranger-T and now use Speer Gold Dot/Remington Golden Saber JHP bullets. I like to reload duplicate SD/HD loads so I can practice with similar recoil/POA/POI. I buy bulk Gold Dot/Golden Saber bullets and use WSF powder for full-power reloads. (Note: Many posted DoubleTap's bullets actually chrono'd slower by 20-30+ fps out of their pistols. I am using their ballistics data for comparison purpose so the velocity/energy data are still good for this thread discussion)

9 mm - I have shot 100 gr 9mm Hirtenberger +P+ soft point out of G17, but my hands/wrists were not fond of the recoil. 115 gr +P JHP loads are better but I really prefer the recoil of 124 gr JHP best. As you can see from the ballistics data above, 124 gr bullet produced 1310 fps / 473 ft/lbs from G17. I reload using bulk 124 gr Gold Dot JHP.

40 S&W - I started out shooting 180 gr TCFP factory JHP but used 155/165 gr Montana Gold FMJ/JHP bullets for match shooting. I think 40S&W full-power loads recoil about the same regardless of the bullet weight - firm/snappy. 165 gr bullet produced 1240 fps / 563 ft/lbs from G22 and I carry 165 gr Remington Golden Saber JHP in my G27. I reload using bulk 165 gr Golden Saber JHP.

45 ACP - I started out shooting 230 gr RN FMJ/Moly/lead in 1911/Glock but over the years have switched to 185 gr JHP (I have always preferred 200 gr LSWC for match shooting accuracy). 185 gr full-power loads produce comfortable recoil and 1225 fps / 616 ft/lbs from 5" 1911. I reload using bulk 185 gr Golden Saber JHP for M&P45/Sig 1911.

[Searcher4851]

Any of the bullet weights you listed will work, and have for years. I have a tendency to load for differing reasons. I load and do some practice with .45acp defensive type loads, but the vast majority of my .45 shooting is done with lighter, and more importantly more accurate and cheaper, 200 gr semi-wadcutters over lighter powder charges. I do likewise in other calibers. This allows me to shoot more economically. I like to shoot, so the cheaper I can load a round, the more I can shoot for a given amount of money. Since financial resources are limited for me, it's what works best to keep me shooting. I also shoot a LOT of .22 rimfire, just cuz it's cheap and fun. Heck, to me, shooting is shooting, and practice is practice. The fundamentals don't change by caliber. That's just what works for me.

[bds]

+1. I find that while practicing with the same recoil/POA/POI full-power loads are good, more trigger time with lighter match loads will help better develop shooting skills due to less recoil concerns so you can better focus on grip/trigger control.

Cheaper practice?

Can't beat cheaper jacekted/plated/lead bullets over premium JHP bullets. I have done some comparison reloading/range testing and have some plated/lead reloads with comparable recoil practice loads to full-power JHP loads.

I prefer to shoot A LOT of target loads (I am shooting more and more lead reloads for practice due to cost) and when I shoot factory/full-power FMJ/JHP loads, I find the shot groups to be comparable but about 1-2 inches higher in POI. YMMV. :D

[Jim Watson]

Most of my loading is for IDPA.
A 135 gr 9mm gets me subsonic performance with lower felt recoil and blast than my defense load which is the 115 gr Federal 9BP. I do keep some 115 gr bullets on hand to load practice ammo for my defensive weapons.

A 200 gr .45 has been popular for match shooting for many years. I wish there were more selection in 200 grain hollowpoints for defense, but since there isn't, I go with 230s.

I don't load .40s and the few .380s I have loaded were with 115 gr bullets because they were on hand, not because of any theoretical advantage.

[northark147]

I generally practice with as close as I can get to what I carry, sometimes my carry ammo as I reload it too. Yes I know there is a possible legal pitfall there, Ive made my decision and will deal with whatever that may entail if needed. If were gonna have a repeated war here I would much rather see one on the effectiveness of bullet weight and velocity than GSR and jurys.

I JUST got my chrono a few weeks ago, and I can't recall my powder charges off of the top of my head, and my loading log and labeled ammunition is back at home while I am at work. Bullet wise i use something like the following.

.380 - Practice:MBC Cast load or Berry's Plated ///SD: Hornady XTP in Summer, Berrys Plated in winter for supposedly deeper penetration through coats. /// Due to my small stature making it hard for me to conceal larger guns, My LCP is the most carried thing I have. Unless I am carrying my LC9 it is always on me even as a BUG if I am carrying something bigger.

9mm - Practice: MBC Small Ball, Berry's Plated 124 HP ///SD: Hornady 124 XTP

40 S&W - Practice: MBC IDP#5, Berry's Plated 180 HP /// SD: Hornady 180 XTP, Speer 180 GDHP /// I have a Beretta PX4 which really does help with the snappiness, The GDHP is actually factory ammo mainly because I haven't had time to fully play with the accuracy of my own loads.

45 ACP - Practice: MBC Small Ball ///SD: Hornady 230 FMJ RN /// I really havent had anytime to do much with a 45 at all since I only recently got my first. (bought it just to have one/try out the 1911 platform, and in 1 weekend of shooting I have already decided I should have listened to the 1911 lovers sooner) I also have some 180 XTP for it, but havent gotten around to loading any of those yet.

The reason I asked this question now is partially because of the acquisition of the Chronograph, Partly due to the introduction of the new caliber to my little world, partly due to not having the 40 ironed out quite as well as I would like yet. I mainly concentrated on getting my little Rugers up to par first as they are the ones that are always on me. With those I developed much like I do rifle. I loaded everything up 10 shots at a time with .2 gr increments and went to the range, selecting the the loads that had the most similar POI and fell on the POA the way the sights on my guns are.

I have limited time with my work to load and shoot, so I ask just to see what everyone has to say for thinking matter even though I know that realistically no big shortcuts are probably going to develop and I'll have to come to what I come too just like everyone else, only slower due to the time I have available but I do have more than plenty of time to think when I'm at work and enjoy seeing what everyone who does have time plus years more of it has to say. It also helps me decide which variable I want to goof with next time I am in the reloading room.

[popper]

Look at the loading tables from Hodgdon. There is only ~25% variation in weight and fps. There is a window of performance of the bullets, Choose the performance by what you want the bullet to do ( HP, FMJ,plated, lead, etc.). None that you mentioned is a hunting cal. For civilian SD, a shot at over 50 ft. is not SD, i.e. how big is your house? For target or SD, you want accuracy - pretty much 'how much gun can you handle'. I generally shoot .40 FP/TC of various weights, whichever is cheapest. At ~20 ft, POI isn't much different.

[northark147]

None that you mentioned is a hunting cal. For civilian SD, a shot at over 50 ft. is not SD, i.e. how big is your house?

SD isn't just for humans. If I have a pissed animal after me, I would prefer to start filling it with lead as soon as possible, especially as these Human SD calibers might not have quite enough oomph for a clean kill on say a bear.

Or say if you are normally able to group 3" at say 25 feet, how much will that group open up if put up against another guy with a gun in the dark after just waking up. The more accurate you are to start with, In my belief would mean the better chances you have at avoiding misses and possible collateral damage should the real thing ever happen.

Lol ok those were the lame BS arguments to try and put actual merit to better accuracy, even if they might have some truth in them.....The real truth is I can be a bit of a showoff at times. Guys who go to the range with me know me as the gun guy, and I'll be darn if Im gonna let any of them even come close to outshooting me at practice time :)

It really boils down to squeezing every last bit of accuracy out of yourself and your equipment can't ever really hurt. You never know what the circumstances such as range, number of BG, shooting conditions, are going to be if you find yourself in an SD situation. My house isn't so very big, and is most likely going to be defended by scattergun or rifle if the BG is inside. Also I am the least concerned with ever needing my handgun at home, for that matter ever needing it in the region I live unless it is against an animal of some sort. I still carry there as I can't predict 100% it will never happen, but the chances are If I run into trouble it will be at work while I'm out in some of the worst parts of our countries baddest cities. I really hope that life continues to the end just as it is and the last shot I fired at a human took place back in Iraq, however I'll keep hoping for the best, planning for the worst, and trying to be as ready as possible in case it ever happens.

[northark147]

None that you mentioned is a hunting cal. For civilian SD, a shot at over 50 ft. is not SD, i.e. how big is your house?

SD isn't just for humans. If I have a pissed animal after me, I would prefer to start filling it with lead as soon as possible, especially as these Human SD calibers might not have quite enough oomph for a clean kill on say a bear.

Or say if you are normally able to group 3" at say 25 feet, how much will that group open up if put up against another guy with a gun in the dark after just waking up. The more accurate you are to start with, In my belief would mean the better chances you have at avoiding misses and possible collateral damage should the real thing ever happen.

Lol ok those were the lame BS arguments to try and put actual merit to better accuracy, even if they might have some truth in them.....The real truth is I can be a bit of a showoff at times. Guys who go to the range with me know me as the gun guy, and I'll be darn if Im gonna let any of them even come close to outshooting me at practice time :)

It really boils down to squeezing every last bit of accuracy out of yourself and your equipment can't ever really hurt. You never know what the circumstances such as range, number of BG, shooting conditions, are going to be if you find yourself in an SD situation. My house isn't so very big, and is most likely going to be defended by scattergun or rifle if the BG is inside. Also I am the least concerned with ever needing my handgun at home, for that matter ever needing it in the region I live unless it is against an animal of some sort. I still carry there as I can't predict 100% it will never happen, but the chances are If I run into trouble it will be at work while I'm out in some of the worst parts of our countries baddest cities. I really hope that life continues to the end just as it is and the last shot I fired at a human took place back in Iraq, however I'll keep hoping for the best, planning for the worst, and trying to be as ready as possible in case it ever happens.

[Cop Bob]

For social endeavors, I'm pretty much lock step with bds... with the exception of a 135 gr handload for my 40... in factory rounds we are toting the same rounds for the same reasons...

I too use a 90gr in the .380, but it is out of the Serria book, for 7625 Dupont.. smokin little number and street proven....

For practice, low pressure, mid-range velocities... it is generally hand loads,... and I stay with mid-range loadings for a reason... when I do shoot factory practice ammo, I tend to stick with the low end FMJ, what ever I get my hand on, just not too heavy or too hot for the caliber... no need to try and "Build in" a flinch with heavy kickers.. under stress you won't notice it.. but if you flinch or pull shots due to recoil in practice, you will do the same thing under stress.... proven time and time again...

[Striker Fired]

45acp works great for bear,it just has to be coming out of a 100 round drum and a Tommy gun:D

[Hondo 60]

How do you select bullet weights for your Handguns?

I've learned to stick with the popular loads.
I bought an odd-weighted bullet & found almost ZERO load data.
Had to search for several weeks, while I had 500 bullets & no data.

So if you're thinking of buying bullets, make sure you can find load data for that weight

[Bula]

As for weights, it's just a matter of preference/need. I cast my own and use several different weights in the same caliber for everything I load. The standard load weights seem to typically stem from original factory offerings. ie, 240g .44mag, 158g .357, 230g .45 acp etc. This flexibility in weights to performance, is really dictated by what I want the round for. example-200g rnfp at 900-1000fps for plinking in .44 mag, 250g Keith at 1000fps for general feild carry, and a 310g rnfp at 1200 for possible encounters with not so freindly creatures. Just another great reason to reload.

[northark147]

So basically the voice of experience here says quit thinking about reinventing the wheel, and stick with the common weights I already use for defense, but I might think about lowering my weights and charges for practice.

[Searcher4851]

If lowering your weights and charges gets you shooting more, then by all means do so. For me, it's a matter of economy. Shooting cheaper loads, means being able to shoot more. Trigger time is king. The fanciest, hottest load around does no good if you can't hit the intended target with it. The more practice one gets, the better the chances of hitting that target.

[bds]

So basically the voice of experience here says quit thinking about reinventing the wheel, and stick with the common weights I already use for defense, but I might think about lowering my weights and charges for practice.
Well, to a point. For me, pistol shooting practice benefits most from trigger time at the range using deliberate practice drills (regardless of the bullet/powder used) as most of your shooting accuracy/consistency will come from your shooting basics (stance/posture/grip/sight picture/trigger control/reset) and less from variations in ammo recoil.

If you want to be proficient with SD/HD ammo, work on your shooting basics first using lighter recoiling targets loads to reduce/eliminate the "flinch" factor and work up towards duplicate full-power loads. Here's a range practice drill you can use to eliminate the "flinch" factor and improve your accuracy - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=7674144#post7674144

Slower burning powders (Universal, Power Pistol, WSF, HS-6, AutoComp, etc.) achieve optimal powder burn and consistent chamber pressures at close to near max load data. If you lower your powder charges too much, powder will burn dirty/inconsistent and your accuracy will suffer, especially with lighter bullets.

Faster burning powders (Bullseye, Promo/Red Dot, WST, Titegroup, W231/HP-38, etc.) are less affected by reduced powder charges and still burn clean/consistent to maintain accuracy. It is for this reason why so many match shooters prefer faster burning powders like Titegroup/W231/HP-38 for match shooting.

I usually load duplicate SD/HD practice reloads with WSF but will use W231/HP-38 for target loads. W231/HP-38 is a moderately fast burning powder and gives you a good compromise between more faster burning powders and slower burning powders in terms of clean burning and accuracy. For most calibers and bullet weights, W231/HP-38 will produce accuracy even at start-to-mid range load data. My match grade target loads are loaded at mid-to-high range load data.

Here's a listing of typical pistol powder burn rate - http://www.hodgdon.com/burn-rate.html

8 Alliant Red Dot
9 Alliant Promo
10 Hodgdon Clays
11 Alliant Clay Dot
12 IMR, Co Hi-Skor 700-X
13 Alliant Bullseye
14 Hodgdon Titegroup
15 Alliant American Select
16 Accurate Arms Solo 1000
17 Alliant Green Dot
18 Winchester WST
19 IMR, Co Trail Boss
20 Winchester Super Handicap
21 Hodgdon International
22 Accurate Arms Solo 1250
23 IMR, Co PB
24 VihtaVuori N320
25 Accurate Arms No. 2
26 Ramshot Zip
27 IMR, Co SR 7625
28 Hodgdon HP-38
29 Winchester 231
30 Alliant 20/28
31 Alliant Unique
32 Hodgdon Universal
33 Alliant Power Pistol
34 VihtaVuori N330
35 Alliant Herco
36 Winchester WSF
37 VihtaVuori N340
38 IMR, Co Hi-Skor 800-X
39 IMR, Co SR 4756
40 Ramshot True Blue
41 Accurate Arms No. 5
42 Hodgdon HS-6
43 Winchester AutoComp