I shoot 124 and 130/5 grain. Hate 115. Just loaded up a box of 94.5gr cast, coated for plinking, though.

 

I shoot 124s for practice and as a defense round when I carry a 9mm. But I am loading all 115 fodder for a buddy. for plinking and range use, use whatever you like and shoots well in your guns. I also mostly shoot 200g in my 45s for range use. My SD ammo is a mix of 200g and 230g depending on which I feel like carrying. Usually 200g in the light weight and 230 in the steel framed ones.

 

I bought a lot of factory when it was cheap and it is all 115. I also reload and my bullets are also 115. I have no prejudice against 125 and would like to try some if I ever see a bargain. Next time I run out of bullets, I will order some 125's if available.

 

All I make in 9mm is 124 grain.
That's a holdover from the Sig 938/Micro 9 era.
The little guns and their short springs needed the extra weight.

A 9mm 1911 probably doesn't care one way or the other.
Mine certainly doesn't.

I like the 124 for carry. I believe the heavier bullet will decelerate slower,
penetrate deeper, and thus do more damage.

But in the end, it's all about what you and your gun like best.

 

From the Ruger forum...

A little history .... 9x19mm, 9mm Luger, 9mm Parabellum , and 9mm NATO are all the same cartridge .... it is the most popular centerfire cartridge in the world. It began when Georg Luger designed the cartridge back in the late 1800's or very early 1900's. In 1904, it was adopted by the German Navy and in 1908, it was adopted by the German Army ... both services used it in a pistol designed by George Luger .... known as the P08 Luger. Later the German Army and police used a Walther P-38 chambered in 9mm.

The cartridge itself was loaded with smokeless powder, which was very new back at the turn of the last century. It was also loaded with a 124~125 grain jacketed round nose bullet (AKA FMJ). The 9mm cartridge started gaining modest popularity in the US after 1935, when John Browning's Browning Hi Power pistol went into production. The cartridge was still loaded exclusively with 124 gr bullets well into the late 1960's and it wasn't until about 1970 when the "Wonder 9" years began when 115gr bullets became popular.

Like most other pistols, there is a +or- 15% bullet weight tolerance required to operate the slide and produce an adequate velocity. As lighter bullets are used, slide thrust decreases and as heavier bullets are used, velocity drops below acceptable limits. In theory, for a 9mm pistol the lightest bullet that will operate a slide is about 106 gr, however in practical application, a 115 gr is much more reliable. On the heavy end, a 147gr bullet is the max bullet weight.

124gr bullets can be pushed almost as fast as 115gr bullets without exceeding max chamber pressure. As such, the heavier 124gr bullets develop higher momentum, which is the preferred method to rate lethal effects from a firearm. If you look at the Momentum / Energy chart .... here's a link: Ammo Momentum and Energy Chart for common handgun cartridges, you will see the velocity for a factory 124gr load is slightly lower than a 115gr bullet yet it develops higher muzzle energy and momentum. The 147gr is actually higher in momentum than the 124gr but it's velocity is lower than desired for bullet expansion. Most 9mm bullets require at least 1000 fp before they will expand (mushroom).

So .... when you consider all the facts, a 124gr bullet is the optimum weight for a 9mm pistol and is why 9mm NATO cartridges are loaded with 124gr FMJ bullets. Hollow point bullets are not authorized in war so 124gr FMJs perform better than 115gr FMJs.

So why all the hype for 115gr 9mm bullets??? First, because 115gr bullets can be loaded with faster velocities without exceeding max chamber pressure limits, it means they will expand more reliably. This is why most "high tech", super whiz-bang bullets are normally made in 115gr. If you read gun magazines .... it seems every month a new 115gr 9mm bullet is featured that is the best ever! Second, for practice ammo where raw power and expansion are not important, 115gr FMJ bullets are cheaper than other weights or styles.

 

124 and 147 JHP is far more consistent than 115 in my testing.

115 or less is just plinking ammo.

 

I must confess whenever I shoot 9mm range ammo I don't even bother to look at the box to see if it's 115 or 124gr. It shoots exactly the same as far as I can tell.

 

I like the tula and wolf 9mm. I've only experienced stuck cases with their .38 special. I've sent a few thousand rounds down range of their 9 with no issues. I don't like our president. I have no reason to believe tula and wolf likes theirs. I can't blame them for what their president is doing just like I hope nobody blames me for what my government is doing.
I use steel 115 or brass 147gr subsonics. If you miss the recoil impulse of the .45 you should definitely try some subsonics. Feels slow and pushy just like .45 but there's 83 less grains of lead to get moving so no pain on the wrist or ears and it's much cheaper. I always thought 124gr was just for sigs. I've never tried it since I've never owned a sig. If I do eventually own a sig and it doesn't like steel case, I'll sell the gun and keep the ammo. I plan to shoot for as cheap as possible for as long as possible without getting into reloading. I've noticed steel is usually cheaper(and cleaner burning) than brass 115 which is usually cheaper than 124gr. I'll stick with steel. Might only be an extra box of ammo per thousand rounds but I'll take it. I need to see an issue with the quality before I sacrifice quantity.

 

I enjoy shooting 9mm out of the 1911 platform and have practiced with a variety of ammo and weights in Steel, brass and even aluminum
On a rare occasion I’ve had a mishap or two but never enough to reject anything that goes boom ! Range fodder is not carry ammo so I don’t expect perfection. That being said my guns pretty much digest everything.

 

I load 115 grain Berry plated bullets almost exclusively and they do fine in all my 9mm pistols except one. The exception is a SAR K12. It hates 115 grain bullets.

When I first bought the K12, I shot my standard load with 115 grain bullets in it and was awfully disappointed. So much so that I almost sent it back. I was lucky to shoot 5 inch groups at 21 yards from sandbags. I decided to give it one more try with 124 grain Xtreme plated bullets and now that's all I shoot in it. It's rare that I miss an 8 inch round steel plate at 25 yards with the 124 grain bullet and that's unsupported standing to shoot. The K12 has become one of my favorite pistols to shoot.

 

It's 9 GRAINS for Pete's sake. It's not like going from 115 9mm to a 230gr 45. There are those out there that believe that doesn't even make a difference. So how can 9 9 Grains make any?

 

That is true, of course.
But it's also over 12% increase in weight.

Correcting my math - which stinks...

7%

 

I will say one thing about the two... 124gr is usually a bit longer in OAL, which in some older 9mms like P.08 Lugers can make a big difference in reliability. The original 9mm cartidge that was designed for the Luger was actually 123 grains. Over the years it became 124 grains, and the 115 grain bullet was introduced by the British during World War Two. I've found that Lugers tend to be very finicky with 115gr ammo simply because many brands have a fairly short OAL which doesn't play nice with the Luger's steeply-raked feeding system.

In modern pistols and carbines of course it's a complete non-issue.

 

That's why I admire Lugers from afar. Neat design...nice construction...but POS by Walther P38 standards

 

A few years ago, I bought an SA EMP, 9mm. It was a snappy little devil. I sold it and bought a a nearly identical Kimber 3” in .45. Much nicer to shoot too.
Funny how we’re all different, just like our guns.

 

Doesn't matter for me and for all my currently pistols I use. The same results with reliability, accuracy and recoil.
Whatever is less expensive at the moment is the best.
The only difference I was able to see was with Walther PPQ which gave the best accuracy with 124gr ammo. I've never found out why.

 

A common problem folks report on forums is the typical economy 115 gr ball ammo is often loaded light, and often doesn't have enough "oomph" to overcome new recoil springs, or heavy slides. Realize, there is usually a difference between bargain basement 115 gr ball ammo and defensive hollow point ammo in 115 gr weight and +P and +P+ ammo in the same weight. These problems are typically found only with cheap ball ammo in the 115 gr weight.

Folks with Glock's, HK's, Canick's, and some other common pistols designed to work with high powered defensive ammo, report their new guns will not reliably work with cheap, low powered, 115 gr ammo, when new. Switching to 124 gr or 147 gr ammo typically fixes the issue, which is normally a problem for the first 100 - 200 rounds. After that, the springs loosen up enough to allow the use of the cheap, low powered stuff.

With a 1911, realize a .45 Auto 1911 slide normally weighs the same as a 9mm 1911 slide. Have you ever noticed how much bigger a G21 slide is compared to a G17 slide or how much bigger a CZ97 slide is than a CZ75. A 9mm 1911 usually has a lighter recoil spring than a .45 Auto 1911, but you still need to pick ammo that can drive a slide designed for .45 Auto. Cheap 115 gr ball ammo often doesn't have the recoil impulse to drive the slide effectively, while 124 gr or 147 gr ammo usually do.

If your gun works with 115 gr ammo, rock on and use whatever you can find. However, if you are having cycling problems using 115 gr ball ammo, rather than trying to "fix" your gun, give 124 gr or 147 gr ammo a try to see if a simple ammo change works in your gun.

 

Except for carry I shoot 115gr, then it's 124gr Federal. For plinking and matches I've never found a cheap 125gr that shot worth a hoot. I reload most of what I shoot and use 115gr JHP's and I've never found a load with 125gr that is worthwhile accuracy wise, except 9 Major, 125gr seems to be fine for that.

 

I've never found a load with 125gr that is worthwhile accuracy wise

I did pretty well with Blue Bullets 125gr.

Testing out Blue Bullets in 9mm

This started out as a p320 project/load but I decided to table that until I ream the throat on that gun so pushed on with my DW 9mm. Looking to develop a cheaper range and steel load for home plinking, so I ordered a few hundred Blue Bullets to test. I almost started at the end point! Too...

www.1911forum.com

 

I personally prefer 124/125g or 147g 9mm ammo, it seems to be more accurate and there is less recoil, heavier bullets take less powder. I prefer flat nosed vs round nosed because it also seems to add to the accuracy BUT the most accurate 9mm bullets I have loaded and shot are what they call a small ball nose where the bullet tapers down to a rather small point.

I load powder to a max of the “mean” 1/2 way powder load or maybe just a little below. My 9mm 5” Springfield Range Officer really doesn’t have anymore recoil than my Ruger mk4 22/45. The heavier bullet weights do use less powder and the heavier bullets are less affected by cross winds and such, they also provide more knockdown power if you carry. In my carry 9mm (Sig. 938) I load it with either 124g or 147g and either flat nose or hollow points. My .02

 

I agree with your sentiments. In addition, some days the arthritis in my hands hands and wrist flare up. Definitely becomes a Tylenol day after blasting a couple of boxes of .45's. However, you guys aren't getting a good deal on a used Kimber for a while, as I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet.

 

I am 69 and don't have a problem with recoil, yet. I have some PPU defense rounds in 357 magnum. It is the hottest 357 round I have ever shot, and I like to fire it out of my Ruger SP101 just because I dig the recoil. Almost all of my 9mm stash is 115gr ball, defense rounds also 115gr. 45acp is 230 ball and defense rounds are 230gr with holes in the front. I have shot steel cased commie ammo out of most my handguns without a problem. All the ammo I have now is brass cased. About the only ammo I won't shoot is anything made by Winchester.

 

Math! It's not just for counting pretzels, (or beercans left in the case!)

 

Or the dead soldiers next to the sink (waiting to go into the recycling bin).

 

Across the 9mm 1911s and 9mm Sigs I have, 115gr FMJ (Precision Delta) and WSF powder loads have shown to be accurate for range ammo.
EDC is 45 Auto with Federal 230gr HST.

 

There are several 115 gr. 9mm loads that performed well* in this test:
Well defined as at least 12'' penetration and consistent expansion.
Handgun Self-Defense Ammunition - Ballistic Testing Data

 

I currently have a large amount of 115 grain range ammo but have recently been stocking up on 124 grain. Freedom Munitions has 124 grain, 50 count box for $15.25.

 

The difference in weight is 7.82%, 9÷115=.07826. I shoot them both and can tell no difference between them.

 

Lightweight bullets can struggle with penetration. I like to practice with the same weight I would use defending myself.