When it comes to choosing bullets and powder for hand loading ammunition, there tends to be two schools of thought: slow and heavy versus fast and light.
While this concept applies to any sort of loading situation – whether it be rifle or pistol – I’ll use a United States Practical Shooting Association competition round as a simple example.
A .45 ACP load should run at about 170 power factor to comfortably make “major” status. If the handloader goes with a 185-grain bullet, then the velocity will need to be “fast” at around 920-ish feet per second to make that power factor. If the handloader goes with a 230-grain bullet, then the velocity target will be “slow” at something like 740-ish feet per second to make the same power factor.
Since both of these rounds will deliver the same power factor, then why does it matter? A few reasons…
1. The two rounds will behave differently “in the hands,” providing a different feel to the shooter. Most shooters will describe the slower round as feeling more like a “push” whereas the faster round will feel more like a “snap.” In addition to these differences in “recoil impulse,” these two rounds will also provide a slightly different tracking of the sights through the shot cycle.
2. Some will argue that the faster round will operate the slide a bit faster, allowing for a faster follow-up shot for double taps… although it would take a pretty high-end shooter to make use of that difference.
3. The faster moving bullet will definitely have a shorter time of flight (at least on close-range targets) which is important for things like speed shooting competitions, where the pause for a hit confirmation can be disastrous.
4. The lighter round will be flatter in the closer ranges, making for easier aiming at what would be typical shooting distances for most people.
5. While it will arc more in the air, the heavier round will retain its inertia better, which will give it better range for long distance shooting, as well as better retained energy at the target.
Which route to go? It’s really a matter of personal preference, as well as dependent upon the shooting scenario.
For instance, when I was shooting USPSA run’n’gun competitions, I liked the heavier bullets because their retained energy was better at physically knocking down steel targets that are set at farther distances. On the other hand, when I shot Steel Challenge matches (which only had to mark the target without knocking anything over), I preferred the lighter and faster rounds because they reached the targets faster for quicker hit confirmation.
