Any truth to the claim 147gr has less recoil than 124gr

I can't claim that. Frankly I don't notice a differance between 115, 124 and 147.

The heavier the bullet...the heavier the recoil...BUT the TYPE of recoil is something else. High velocity has more "snap" to it while low velocity has more of a "push" feel. Many people find a "snap" unsettling and they flinch and miss yet they can shoot better with a big caliber that "pushes." I'm one of them. I have 380s and a 9MM plus two 45s and I can shoot the 45s better. The actual muzzle energy is fairly close in "standard" 9MM, 40 and 45 but the bullet weight varies.
If you have a gun range near you that rents guns you can try 9MM and 45 with standard loads and really see the difference in guns of about equal weight (same model would be ideal, if possible.)

Calculated recoil differences is so relatively small between the 2 loads, even +P vs standard, that its unlikely anyone could tell the difference. There is only a increase or decrease of around 2% maximum depending upon which loads are compared. I used http://handloads.com/calc/recoil.asp and factory ballistic tables.

I use the 147's because they have much less muzzle blast/flash than the lighter bullets. And, the recoil impulse seems easier to control to me. YMMV.

Technically, they will have more recoil. However, in 9mm, the differences are minimal and largely subjective. As Rob said, the lighter bullets are generally loaded hotter and will have more muzzle blast and flash, giving the impression of greater recoil.
Really, there is not a lot of recoil with any of them, especially in the non +P loads.

Some may disagree with me, but I don't think the main problem is recoil, it's muzzle blast. Fast burning powders that burn more efficiently in a short barrel loaded to the minimum charge rate are typically less taxing to practice with, just the opposite with slower burning powders and higher charge rates.

I don't feel the bullet weight is a significant factor in recoil.

Just my .02 cents

recoil?

Faster bullets will generate more barrel torque - twisting the the gun up and to the left with right hand rifling - this is independent of recoil impulse. Try it - hold your gun in one hand and observe the effect with both types of ammo.

Look at muzzle-energy figures for an idea of the recoil a given loading will produce. However, the answer to your question usually appears to be yes for 9×19mm cartridges.

~G. Fink

I don't feel the bullet weight is a significant factor in recoil.

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Well, I think that is subjective depending on what you are shooting. I invite you to shoot my BFR 45/70 with both 300 grain and 405 grain bullets and then tell me that ;-)

s4s4u,

45-70, yes, but we're talking 9mm here. Visit the Rifle Country forum.

The heavier bullets use a bigger charge so they have more recoil. How much? Not much more at all.

However I wouldn't use sub-sonic 147gr for anything but a sub gun or silencer. 115gr-124gr is where 9mm shines.

dpends on what you are doing.

A lot of IDP guys are loading heavy bullets to minimum paower factor.

the difference between a 115gr and 147 gr at 125PF can be significant.

The heavy bullets have less recoil than the light bullets in all handgun calibers.

In picking my self defense round I tested three kinds of Federal HST in 9mm, from highest recoil to lowest I would say it felt like...

HST 124gr +p
HST 124
HST 147

Really 124 and 147 felt very similar. 124 +p I actually noticed more. I also tried 115gr. DPX(+p) and it felt little different than HST 124gr. When I compare it to the recoil of my HST 230gr in 45acp, the 124 +p feels sharper, but less powerful than the 230gr. HST.

Because they are subsonic with a lot less blast and flash perceived recoil is generally less. In the same gun, muzzle velocity (actual in your specific gun) times bullet weight will rank the actual recoil to within an error of the unknown mass of powder used in the round.
124 X 1200 = 148800
147 X 1000 = 147000
124 x 1100 = 136400

So as you can see they are all pretty close, since you "feel" difference in a logarithmic scale, 10% difference is about what it takes to notice for sure, which is why I say the muzzle blast and flash usually dominates your perception in this case

--wally.

I can't tell....its a 9mm.

The amount of barrel rise after a shot that causes a delay in reacquiring the target, I call "Flip".
The push back to my shoulders, I call "recoil". Many things affect these percieved forces, from gun weight/weight distribution, bore axis, proper grip, spring weights, to cartridge load
In my 'Production' CZ 75B 9mm--IMHO: 115gr WWWhite box has more"flip" than 124 gr @ 1080fps.

I've never chrono'd www, but I seem to remember hearing about 1100 fps +/-
Both are FMJ

For my uses, 9mm recoil is not a major factor in speed and accuracy, but flip is.

Right or wrong, I've also convinced myself the 124s knock down steel poppers more reliably than the 115gr www. -

I can't tell....its a 9mm.

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Ditto.

I can't believe there is a thread about the recoil of a 9mm.

+1 for what wally said.

Momentum (mv) (aka: "Power Factor") is a good "rule of thumb" to determine which of two loads within caliber will generate the greater recoil. Of course, there is the subjective aspect of how sensitive a particular shooter is to recoil but, that is easily resolved by firing a few rounds of the load in question to see if it is acceptable or not.

s4s4u,

45-70, yes, but we're talking 9mm here. Visit the Rifle Country forum.

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BFR is a REVOLVER!!!

I can't believe anyone is worried about recoil of 9mm anyway. Land of wussies :-(