9mm Minor PF...Use 147's?

Montana Gold 147gr 9mm bullets have been very good to me. I load to about 950fps so power factor is a nonissue. Accurate and dependable. I load for several 9mm Glock pistols with great success. Yes, I know about no reloads for Glocks-show me a company that reccomends reloads.

I have shot a good deal of 145-147 gr subsonic 9mm. I like the ".38 Special automatic" feel. Some people say the gun feels "sluggish" but I like the softer FELT recoil for a given power factor.

I think the big dividing line is between the 115s and anything heavier. Perhaps it is the shockwave "Crack!" of the supersonic or transsonic light bullet. Even a 125 at 1050 is more comfortable than a 115 at 1150. I have some 135 gr moly coated cast Billy Bullets that I like.

My go to load for IDPA and USPSA is 4grs Unique with 147gr Montana Gold bullet seated to 1.150". You might want to back off a bit for a starting load.

Wait on the gun?
Not me, but I am just a scratch Expert. The Masters might have something to say about it. Although I understand that D. Sevigny shoots subsonics for IDPA and 115s for steel.

I have never felt anything as soft as this load. It even makes pf out of my commander.
9mm
3.1g VihtaVuori 310
147g Berry's
OAL 1.160"
Winchester small pistol
Velocity 890fps

In place of the 3.1 of N310, 3.2-3.2 of titegroup is pretty close. The VV is noticeably softer and also one of the cleanest powders I have ever used.

I find about 3.7gr Unique and the 147gr hard cast lead bullets are very soft shooting and clean burning. You might have to play with the OAL a bit and not all my 9mm pistols will feed them 100% so I suggest starting with 100-500 instead of buying 1000s straight away.

I've been using Missouri Bullets the past couple of years to great success.

I currently shoot 115's at just under 1100 (1087 is the line for 125k pf with 115's).

But, the most competetive shooters I know in IDPA all shoot 147's. I'm planning to try them out after my two remaining matches for the year are done at the end of October.

The best shooter I personally know (multi-state champion) stated it this way (somewhat paraphrasing)... "Could I shoot well with hotter factory ammo? Yes. But it is not the most competetive thing I can do. The recoil difference between WWB and 147's just over PF is probably good for a couple seconds for me over the course of the match, and I've won and lost matches by less than that."

As far as "waiting on the gun", no, I don't think so, unless you can pull the trigger over ~1200 rpm (just throwing out a number on the cyclic rate of some subguns), and I don't know anybody who can do that. A quick split is under .2, and nobody is waiting on the gun.

I would agree with what the others have said. For 9mm loads, 147gr bullets with a relatively fast powder give the least perceived recoil for the power factor. When shooting plated bullets (Rainier) I usually go with Titegroup, for moly coated bullets (BBI) I go with Solo 1000.

A quick split is under .2

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Not if you are a multi-state champion.

Ok... for me, a quick split is under .2.

I think the fastest I ever recall seeing in person that I know about is in the .16 range; I'd say it starts getting hard to differentiate .01 with the human ear however.

I'd say it starts getting hard to differentiate .01 with the human ear however.

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True enough but the timer does every time.

In my experience, shot timers are unreliable at detecting splits much below 0.1sec.

Serious shooters and the pros shoot 147gr bullets for feel at a given power factor, but the best thing is that they will knock down steel with more authority.

In my experience, shot timers are unreliable at detecting splits much below 0.1sec.

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Some are better than others but I have yet to find a commercial shot timer that can catch splits from our SMG’s. However, it is the total of all the splits that counts. I was simply pointing out, as a multi-state champion, .2 splits won’t cut it unless it’s a pretty long shot.

Serious shooters and the pros shoot 147gr bullets for feel at a given power factor, but the best thing is that they will knock down steel with more authority.

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Well, not all the time.
By back channels I came by a couple of boxes of ammunition left over from Team Glock at the Pro-Am all steel match. Atlanta Arms 115 gr JHP. But they shoot 147s at paper in IDPA and IPSC.

Well, not all the time.
By back channels I came by a couple of boxes of ammunition left over from Team Glock at the Pro-Am all steel match. Atlanta Arms 115 gr JHP.

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Excellent point. For sports that don’t have a power factor the heavy bullet concept is out the window.

Right, Steel Challenge doesn't require the Major PF, so the heavy bullet doesn't make sense.

Team Glock now shoots 147 by Atlanta Arms and Ammo. There was an ad that mentioned the bullet speed somewhere, by I can't find it. The number was barely subsonic, if I recall. Something Like 950 fps. Mach 1 in standard conditions is 1125 fps.

for steel and recoil, my junior shooters shoot 147 grainer at 140 PF. For reasons of economy, I have started shooting lead 135 grainers at 135 PF (1000 fps, still subsonic). Rob Leatham mentions the benefits of shooting a subsonic load on his website.

this is in a Glock 34