115 or 124 grainers in 9mm?

[squarles67]

To find what's most accurate in your pistol you'll have to try both. I've found that different bullet shapes and mfg can make a difference with the same bullet weight. Ulltimately it's what works best in your weapon.

I tend to shoot more 124/125g bullets in my 9mm pistols, both for range and self defense.

 

[flipajig]

I have loaded and shot several 1000 124 grn cast with eather HP 38 or W231 accurat enough for punching paper or IDPA matches.. Im now casting my own to get my cost down to around $2.00 per 50 rds..

 

[gamestalker]

I prefer the 124's over the 115 gr. for accuracy. However, velocitiy will be a bit higher with the 115's obviously. A couple of good powders that are working well for me is HS6 and Longshot. Both are on the slower burning side of the spectrum so far as 9mm is concerned, and both will produce a decent full velocity load and accurate load, when properly worked up. In terms of published data, go to Hogdons loading pages and you'll find some useful load data.

GS

 

[Uniquedot]

A couple of good powders that are working well for me is HS6 and Longshot.

I'm curious as i have used neither in the 9mm. How much flash is there with these powders?

 

[Upstater]

^
I just looked this up in Speer #14, you are right, velocities can reach almost 1100 fps w/ HS6 that's pretty good if you ask me.

 

[bubbacrabb]

I went out and shot my glock 17 and LC9 with my 115 grain handloads loaded over unique and they were all on target. I just pop beer cans and paper plates. I ran thru a drill that we have to do for qualifying with our agency with the 17 on the paper plate and placed them all in, shots at 3,7,15,25 yard lines. At work we use a human target so it would of been much better, I figure thats pretty dang good on a paper plate.

 

[LiveLife]

FWIW, I have used HS-6 and prefer WSF for full-power loads.

Hodgdon load data:

125 gr Sierra FMJ HS-6 .355" OAL 1.090" Start 6.4 gr (1131 fps) 25,600 CUP - Max 6.8 gr (1169 fps) 27,100 CUP

124 gr FMJ WSF .355" OAL 1.169" Start 4.7 gr (1015 fps) 27,700 PSI - Max 5.3 gr (1115 fps) 32,700 PSI

 

[Bullseye25]

I prefer 124 over 115. They tend to operate my slide more reliably, especially in light to medium loads.

 

[J_McLeod]

I'm curious as i have used neither in the 9mm. How much flash is there with these powders?

I use HS-6 a lot in 9mm and have never noticed much flash, if any. I use it almost as much as 231. Haven't tried WSF.

 

[bluetopper]

Cast lead bullets is all I load for my 9mm 1911's and no powder I've tried surpasses the accuracy I get with Green Dot powder in any weight bullet.

 

[Buckeyeguy525]

After reading this thread, it seems there are a lot of variables when it comes to bullet weight. I can shoot poa=poi with 115gr out of a Glock 19 no problem with 4.2gr bullseye. Same load works great in the Glock 26 and Kahr CM9 that I have tried so far.

 

[rfwobbly]

Most modern 9's have a twist rate designed around the 124gr bullet. If you are reloading for accuracy or volume shooting, then the 124 is probably going to be more to your liking, but as was said... the proof is in the pudding.

If you are shooting 115gr to save money, then one bullet to check out is the Berry Mfg 115gr Hollow Base RN, which is getting rave reviews.

 

[Hondo 60]

115 or 124, depends on your gun.

Mine feeds MUCH better with 124 gr loads.
I get zero FTFs with any 124 gr load.
With the 115s that I've tried I get 1 or 2 issues per mag.

 

[Patocazador]

Since I load both .380 and 9 mm, I tend to buy the lighter-weight bullets in bulk so I can load either caliber. Therefore, 115 gr. is my answer for purely practical reasons.

 

[powwowell]

On another forum, with a lot of reloading information, the preference is for 124 grain bullets, over 115 grain ones. By a bunch. I didn't ask that specific question, but I've come to this conclusion by reading the 9mm load data. I was also surprised by the number of folks who preferred 147 grain bullets. It seems that it's easier to make "Major" power factor with the heavier bullets? The "Major" folks don't use HP-38, or Titegroup, for their powder.

Wouldn't you know that Thursday night, I ordered 1,000, 115 FMJs from Precision Delta? I just shoot paper, so I don't suspect the lighter bullets will mean a great deal to me.

 

[rfwobbly]

Wouldn't you know that Thursday night, I ordered 1,000, 115 FMJs from Precision Delta? I just shoot paper, so I don't suspect the lighter bullets will mean a great deal to me.

You're going to blow through 1000 bullets so fast in a 9 that you'll wonder where they went. The way to find out what you like is to order some 124gr before you run out of 115gr. Then you can shoot them side-by-side.

If you really want to get into it, then call Berry Mfg and ask for a "9mm bullet assortment". It's not shown on their web page, but as a service they'll make up a 250 bullet assortment of the 8 or 9 different 9mm weights and styles so you can shoot them all and see which you like best. It costs no more than their regular 250 bullet pack. If you can't decide between 124 and 147gr, then Berry also makes a 130 and 135gr.

 

[scotty]

I used a 9mm when I started shooting USPSA matches, an EAA Witness, and was going through a lot of ammo. I tended to buy whatever was the cheapest which was usually 115gr but along the way used various bullet weights as I found a deal or wanted to try something different.

I found that this gun would lead up badly with cast bullets regardless of the bullet weight or powder type or charge so I stuck with jacketed bullets. Believe me, I did give cast bullets a thorough try.

My experience was that for punching paper, I didn't see much difference between 115gr and 124gr bullets. They both shot accurately and reliably so I let price make that decision. 147's shot just fine but were not my personal cup of tea and the price was significantly higher.

 

[Josh45]

I personally prefer 124 Gr bullets seeing as my 9mm seems to love those bullets.
I load them with Universal, A bit smokey but not much flash IIRC. I get better accuracy with 124 then I do with 115 gr

Gun is a Stoeger Cougar 8000F