9mm reloading

[kn1080]

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Ive been reloading 125 grain lead round nose for the very short span of time that Ive been reloading. Im wondering... Im thinking of buying some 115G lead round nose but I dont really know what the difference would be besides the weight. Any thoughts? Would I notice any difference at all?

 

[Bighouse Doc]

It's just a different bullet.

For practice, the lighter feels better.

-Doc

 

[kn1080]

The only reason Im thinking of switching to 115 is because its a few dollars less.

 

[Bighouse Doc]

The only reason Im thinking of switching to 115 is because its a few dollars less.

Another great reason!

-Doc

 

[kn1080]

Another great reason!

-Doc

Is that a good enough reason? Do you think Ill regret it?

 

[KimberPB]

The lighter the round, normally, the lighter the recoil. I load my practice ammo with the same grain bullet as my personal defense loads. That way I get about the same felt recoil at the range as I would in a self defense shoot.

Also, the lighter bullet normally takes a larger powder load. Not a huge difference but you will get less rounds out of a pound of powder. So when figuring the cost take that into consideration. 7000 grains = 1 pound

 

[Red Hat]

Just buy you a Lee 6 cavity mold for the weight you want and a Lee sizer die wtth Lee Liquid Alox bullet lube. Pick up some wheel weights and make your own. In the long run it's a lot cheaper than buying cast bullets. Not to mention the satisfaction of making your own!

 

[KimberPB]

Just buy you a Lee 6 cavity mold for the weight you want and a Lee sizer die wtth Lee Liquid Alox bullet lube. Pick up some wheel weights and make your own. In the long run it's a lot cheaper than buying cast bullets. Not to mention the satisfaction of making your own!

+1 to that! I landed a 5 gallon bucket of used wheel weights for free about 6 months back. I'm only about half way through it. Bullets shoot great and I'm loading 50 rounds of .45 ACP for about $3.

 

[jtg452]

The lighter the round, normally, the lighter the recoil. I load my practice ammo with the same grain bullet as my personal defense loads. That way I get about the same felt recoil at the range as I would in a self defense shoot.

+1

You gotta match the velocity pretty closely as well (within a couple hundred FPS ought to do it) to duplicate the recoil. Lead bullets actually need to be going slightly faster than the jacketed to EXACTLY imitate the jacketed round's recoil because the jacket is more resistant to being forced down the barrel than lead. Since felt recoil is entirely subjective (some folks are bothered more than others), getting it pretty close velocity wise is usually good enough. Besides, that will keep both loads hitting at about the same spot, too.

Changing bullet weight will also change POI (Point of Impact), so you are gonna have to rezero the gun if it has adjustable sights.