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just wondering, what are your opinions about 115 vs. 147 grain bullets. I have shot exclusively 115 gr., but I am thinking about running some 147 gr. range ammo. Thoughts and opinions are welcomed and encouraged.
115 vs. 147 grain bullet
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I load 115 and 147g. 147gr are generally loaded sunsonic I shoot almost exclusivly with a suppressor. I wouldn't waste the money on 147 if you are not going supressed. 115 will probably be more accurate for you since there is much more choice in 115
Federal HST 
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124 is about perfect IMO
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i find just the opposite to be true..in a given caliber the heavier bullets have less powder...and in case of 9mm are subsonic and have less perceived recoil and do not have the supersonic snap that comes with the lighter bullets additional speed with the added space for the additional powder ...ymmv
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147's do indeed shoot nicely. I also don't recall hearing anything "bad" about street performance albeit not a lot of good either. Circling back, whatever the gun likes and the operator is comfortable and accurate with and there is a good supply of are all good considerations. Speaking of speed, I got it stuck in my small brain a long time ago that some of the street reported data of .357 mag 125grain JHP @ 1300-1400 fps was note worthy. A Winchester PDX1 124 grain 9mmis poking along at 1200 fps the Win PDX1 .357 125 grain @ 1325. One projectile is .355 the other .357. I am not saying that the 9mm is a direct replacement for the .357 as far as raw data goes, but it cuts close to a documented performer. I wouldn't expect to sell that to anyone, just an observation.
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I think it's a great question partly because I've been doing the same research myself recently. I have always had a .45 biased collection. I picked a Glock 9mm a few years ago and have always run 115gr with no issues. About the time I purchased my first FN (FNS9c), I began seeing posts about 124gr and 147gr for quicker break-in (that or racking the slide for hours on end). I found some 124gr and 147gr for roughly the same price as 115gr and launched experiment "fast break-in". As it turns out, the FNS9c loves all three and is very accurate with the 147gr. I'll continue my range research, but at this point am confident with any of the three rounds tested. Happy shooting!
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Typically 115's are cheaper and for plinking (as it sounds like your doing) cheaper is typically better since your not trying to shoot wings off a nat at 100 yards.
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One thing to remember, though--different bullet weights have different ballistic characteristics. It's not wise to practice with 115 gr bullets then use a heavier weight bullet for self defense. That's part of the reason that the FBI and other federal agencies practice with the same round that they carry.
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Ballistically they will both go through paper since the OP mentioned using the 147 for "range ammo" not home defense :wink:
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I neglected to read the entire thread but can tell you the 147gr was specifically designed for suppressed sub-machine guns aka MP-5 and the like and as such perform exceedingly well in suppressed platforms of the type. It is my belief that the 115gr is becoming a round of the past although there exist some dandy rounds of the weight to include but not limited to Corbon. The terminal performance of the 115gr is being sufficiently eclipsed by modern 124gr rounds which is what I feed my EDC/CCW. The added benefit of the 124gr is the ability to locate ballistically equivalent practice ammo to carry ammo which is not common with 115 & 147. Having said this the 147 is a decent round for use inside a home however I would not consider it for "street" SD usage no matter what any LE or other "experts" proclaim. If and when I suppress my G19 it will be fed 147 until then 124 rules the day.
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From my research that I've done, I've chosen to go with 147gr for both training/plinking and defense. I mainly based it on this Best Choices for Self Defense Ammo I've chosen my carry round to be the Federal HST 147gr because its one of the top if not the top performer in sd testing. I chose 147gr over 124gr because 147gr is easier to shoot. Since its my chosen carry round, I've reasoned I should practice with the same type of ammo as well. I've even done a shot comparison of 115 vs 147 and 147 seemed like it has less flip and less recoil therefore easier to shoot. It is also nice that Winchester's W Train and Defend series of ammo has a 147gr train ammo that is the same as their defend ammo. Performance is exactly the same between the two. And the Defend ammo tested very well as a SD round. The Defend ammo is not in the list I linked above because it is a fairly new round and was not part of the testing done by Doctor Roberts. I looked into it and others have tested it and have found it to be very good. 9mm Ammo Quest: Winchester W Train & Defend - The Truth About Guns So when HST is hard to find I'll use the Defend ammo since its cheaper and more readily available. And like another poster has said, you should be training with the same ammo as you'd be carrying with.
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