Bullets of different weight -- what's the real deal?

[Emin]

I'm posting this question now although I've wanted to do it for a long time. It's not a question about which caliber or weight of trajectiles is better. Moreover, this issue is directly related to any given caliber.

I shoot .40 S&W and from my personal experience, I've noticed that the lighter bullet is, the stronger recoil each shot has, and it's also louder. The softest-recoiling and quietest round for me has always been 180 gr. Consistently. I find 135 and 155 gr rounds "hotter", with 165 being somewhere in between. However, I see a few people here posting completely opposite experiences, saying the 180 gr. (the heaviest in .40?) kicks and sounds more than 135, 155, or 165. Is it possible that various pistols make the same ammo behaving in a different manner (most likely not, but I thought I'd ask anyway), that is, in a completely opposite one?

Whoever knows hard facts or, at least, a reliable source or this info, please respond. It's going to be an educational info for quite a few folks on TFL. If it's been discussed before as to the extent of answering this question, please post a link.
Thanks.

Emin

 

[John Lawson]

You have to be specific as to loading data before a comparison will mean anything. Bullet weight alone would not account for the effects you have mentioned. Furthermore, "recoil" is a very subjective thing; one person will complain it is excessive while another will hardly notice its effect.

 

[Mal H]

John is absolutely right about recoil. In fact, recoil can seem different at times to the same shooter. For example, when I shoot full house 44 Mags during a bowling pin match, I swear I don't notice the recoil whatsoever. But when target shooting, it is definitely noticeable.

As for the different bullet weights causing the effects you notice, this is a possible explanation but not necessarily the explanation: When you use a heavier bullet, the velocity may be slower than the speed of sound, so you don't get the sonic boom effect. The lighter bullets may be going faster than the SOS and will be louder. Also, heavier bullets will remain longer in the barrel and will allow the powder to burn more fully than the lighter bullets will allow. The extremely high speed gases streaming out behind the lighter bullets will add a lot to the noise. If you think those gases at supersonic speeds aren't loud, shoot a ported vs non-ported rifle with the same loads and you will be a believer.

As for the differences in recoil again it may be the old velocity-mass at work. A faster lighter bullet can easily have more recoil than a heavier slower bullet.