Does ammunition make a difference in your shooting?

jimbobborg · Oct 11, 2019

I started with bulk Winchester 9mm out of my Ruger PCC. I've been doing pretty good at Steel Challenge, enough to consistently get in the top two or three overall. I started shooting PCC in USPSA a few weeks ago and finally got ranked at C. I'd finish 7th overall at Blackfish and the NRA range, being beaten by people shooting handguns. I found this unacceptable, so I decided to get serious. I started loading some 147gr plated bullets and 3.2gr of Titegroup to get less muzzle and dot movement while shooting. It's working. I'm shooting faster now with better accuracy with this load. I think I can drop the load about half a grain and still cycle the action. This has boosted my confidence enough where I want to shoot a level 2 match. Have you noticed how using purpose made ammunition improved your shooting?

davsco · Oct 11, 2019

yep most of the better shooters are loading their own ammo to just barely over minor (or major as needed) power factors. no secret that less recoil and less blast = faster target acquisition.

a while back i ran out of ammo for my limited gun and someone graciously gave me a 'box' of their handloads and i was incredulous that it was indeed still major power factor, so much softer than off the shelf fed/win/rem .40.

i will say though that most of the malfs i see at matches are with handloads not cycling properly, so need to case gauge etc and i guess plunk test in your gun.

WildWeasel · Oct 11, 2019

Federal 55 grainers run around 2.5-3 MOA out of my AR, while hand loads of 55 gr Hornady VMAX with a speed boost are 1.5, maybe 1.25 MOA, all while being hilariously and excessively effective against varmints.

erwos · Oct 11, 2019

My 160gr reloads are marginally helpful for me, but don't make a real impact compared to improving my skills via dry-fire.

I'll also note there's no movement in Steel Challenge, and efficient movement and related transitions are everything in USPSA.

Where I get a bunch of utility out of reloads is the opposite of your use case; I load them hot so my Glock-with-a-comp functions correctly.

GuitarmanNick · Oct 11, 2019

I haven't been loaded very long, but my handloads are definitely more accurate than factory in my .223 rifles. For pistols, I have loaded primarily for reliability and cycling but for revolver, I have loaded some very nice loads that give consistent accuracy and allow for faster follow up shots because of the lighter recoil. Great for double action shooting.

GolfR · Oct 11, 2019

If you are running steel challenge you don’t have to worry about power factor. I’ve found that both my Shadow 2 and AR9 run well down to 3.4 gr of titegroup with 115 gr bullets. Normal load for 115 is 4.1 of titegroup. The AR will actually run all the way down below 3.0 if I put a lighter buffer in. There is a significant difference in recoil when running these light loads that will absolutely make a difference when shooting steel challenge.

alucard0822 · Oct 11, 2019

General rule is a light/fast load to increase gas to a comp and heavy/slow for everything else. PCCs tend to have their own "personality", I like running heavy bullets with a fast powder, seems to help cut down on gas in the face while reducing recoil, and allows a lighter spring/buffer. 147 Berrys plated bullets with 3.7gr of CFE and a WSP is my main load for handguns(128PF) and PCC(140ish from 16"), but have found 3.5gr of bullseye is also a good load for that, more dirt down the barrel, a bit less back in the receiver.

Racinready300ex · Oct 11, 2019

I'll be the odd ball and say it's not what everyone makes it out to be. Especially when talking about 9mm and USPSA type matches. People chase the heavy soft flat loads with 147-150's etc. at 128 PF. I load my 9mm with 125's at 135 PF and roll with it. If I'm shooting my 40 minor guns I'm typically in the 140 PF range. It just doesn't matter that much, I load 9mm to reduce cost not recoil. The last thing I want to do is go to a major and fail chrono. I've invested to much to let that happen, so I don't chase soft loads.

Now loading 40 major it might make more of a difference. The only factory 40 ammo I've shot in years was the 205 Fed Syn. stuff that chrono'd at 180 PF out of my gun. I didn't really feel any different from my normal load of 180's at 173-175. I'm not sure how that compares to other off the shelf ammo, but I don't think it hurt my performance in any measurable way at that match.

You can notice the difference between major and minor for sure. But, even then I don't really shoot any slower with major it's just harder to control the gun. So I end up with a few more charlies, but with the scoring advantage that doesn't matter either.

jimbobborg · Oct 12, 2019

Here's a comparison. Last month, out of 58 rounds shot, 40 As, 15 Cs, 2 D, 1M. This month, out of 53 rounds shot, 44 As, 9 Cs. I had no Mikes, No Shoots, or Ds. Prior to either match, I did first shot dry fires and magazine reloads. I shot less practice rounds and did very little dry firing.

Racinready300ex · Oct 17, 2019

jimbobborg said:
Here's a comparison. Last month, out of 58 rounds shot, 40 As, 15 Cs, 2 D, 1M. This month, out of 53 rounds shot, 44 As, 9 Cs. I had no Mikes, No Shoots, or Ds. Prior to either match, I did first shot dry fires and magazine reloads. I shot less practice rounds and did very little dry firing.

How where your times? Where the stages similar? Hard cover, NS's, movers distance etc. Seeing a little better accuracy from one month to the next can be a lot of factors changing ammo seems like a tiny part.

Once you get used to your new softer ammo it'll just be your normal ammo and wont make any difference.

magnetic1 · Oct 17, 2019

you cant compare totally different matches, stages, etc from month to month. Or maybe you got better in general from shooting more?

In a PCC the loads are going to make way less of a difference than in a handgun.

-Eric
Some random A-class shooter thoughts.

trickg · Oct 17, 2019

davsco said:
i will say though that most of the malfs i see at matches are with handloads not cycling properly, so need to case gauge etc and i guess plunk test in your gun.

I know that there are people who say that the Lee Factory Crimp Die is a solution in search of a problem, but if you reload and use one, those reloads will always pass the plunk test.

Some say that for straight wall handgun loads that the Lee FCD adversely affects accuracy due to claims that the carbide ring deforms the bullet by compressing it, but I know that when I recently reloaded a bunch of 9mm, (Xtreme Bullets - 124 gr plated hollow points) I never really felt the sizing ring doing anything - the bullets were uniform enough that they weren't causing a bulge in the case wall, so it only performed the taper crimp.

I've always done well with my reloads - with my pre-29 .44 Magnum, I've shot single raggedy hole groups at 25 feet shooting 9.0 gr Unique under a 240 gr cast lead bullet.

Biggfoot44 · Oct 17, 2019

If it makes you more confident , Great !

More accurate is generally a good thing, and at least for me , more accurate leads to more confident, see above .

If reduced cost enables/ encourages more trigger time, that's a good thing .

Tailoring the burning rate, muzzle pressure, slide velocity, etc to coordinate with your prefered cadence ? If it makes you feel more confident , see above . If this is actually the limiting factor with your shooting , then double good for you .

jimbobborg · Oct 17, 2019

Racinready300ex said:
How where your times? Where the stages similar? Hard cover, NS's, movers distance etc. Seeing a little better accuracy from one month to the next can be a lot of factors changing ammo seems like a tiny part.

Once you get used to your new softer ammo it'll just be your normal ammo and wont make any difference.

The stages were very similar. I'm able to consistently get 2 As now versus A-C on paper. The bump between shots is a lot less with the reloads versus WWB ammunition.

BigT5g · Oct 17, 2019

It shouldnt matter that much if you are shooting most widely available target/range ammo, or reloads loaded to a reliable but shootable 135ish PF.

cstone · Oct 18, 2019

jimbobborg said:
... Have you noticed how using purpose made ammunition improved your shooting?

Yes. Good ammunition normally gives me good results. I make better ammunition than white box.

Garbage in, garbage out.

Does ammunition make a difference in your shooting?

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