If you had to choose......Golden Saber 124 gr +P or 147 gr non+P

Which load shoots & functions best in your Glock & Ruger, being fired in your hands?

I used 147gr loads for many years (provided at no cost). I later switched to 127gr +P+ and then later still to 124gr +P (Golden Sabre non-bonded) ... again, because both were being provided at work.

I didn't lose any sleep over carrying any of them.

I was much more concerned about optimal feeding & functioning in my pistols, maintaining my pistols and practicing frequently.

FWIW, I won't get caught up in the whole bonded v. non-bonded debate, except to say that if I were spending my own money on Golden Sabre rounds for defensive carry, and both types were on the counter in front of me, I'd still buy and use the non-bonded variety. Suit yourself, if this is an issue for you.

Why not try a couple of boxes of each in your guns and decide which runs best, and shoots best, for you?

Whichever you buy, consider using them for practice in your guns at least periodically, and then test-fire some occasional rounds from random rounds from new boxes/cases (production lots) as you replenish them.

Just my thoughts.
 
I doub it really matters, but out of the two, I'd go with the 147gr.

I'm a believer in putting the most mass in your target and opt for mass over speed every time.
 
I noticed I never said why the 124. Its because to me the recoil feels less with the 124 rounds. Not sure why, just feels better to shoot. Will take any advantage I can.
 
I already chose - my P-01 is loaded with 124 grain +P Golden Sabers. My choice may not be yours or anyone else, but it works for me.
 
C0untZer0 wrote:
I like the 147gr better. I like that they penetrate to right around 14" and expand in the .61" to .67" range.

In general the 124gr come up a little shorter - 12" to 13" penetration, although they expand a little more - .64" to .68"
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Interesting penetration results for the Golden Sabers. Brassfetecher.com did a gelatin test (funded by LopLop from TFL) using Gold Dot 124gr+P ...and came up with much better results.

http://www.brassfetcher.com/9x19mm Luger 124gr +P Gold Dot (denim).html
 
that darn physics again ...

higher weight rounds carry more momentum,
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Actually the heavier rounds don't have any more momentum than the lighter ones do. Like energy, momentum is also a function of velocity. And the lighter rounds have a higher velocity (and the +p a lot higher). Unlike with energy though, the velocity is not squared in momentum (just mass x velocity) so it ends up being about a wash (where as with energy, the lighter, faster rounds win by a lot). The slower velocity of the 147's combined with their higher mass yields almost exactly the same momentum in the end.

Now your back to shoot what your gun shoots best. Many don't shoot the 147gr as well (I haven't tried those yet myself, I like the FP 124gr). The 9mm's aren't really optimized for the heavier mass and the slower velocity. But I do like the argument of being less harsh on the gun. I may give a box a try.
 
pgdion, you are leaving out a factor or two, though probably not by design.

1) The resistance to penetration (IE drag), like energy, goes up with the square of velocity. The higher velocity round will lose momentum more quickly, as it will encounter substantially more initial drag.

2) The higher energy round will often shed more energy upon impact as heat (due in large part to the higher drag/friction effect).

3) The higher velocity round is more likely to break up a bit, depending on bullet design, and lose mass that it would have used for penetration.

Given equal initial momentum, the slower and heavier bullet will usually penetrate better.
 
124gr +P Gold Dots in my CZ-75 right now.
I really can't tell the difference in any recoil between them and the 115gr Federal HST's I shoot a ton of.
 
It's just a low-powered handgun folks.

The hollowpoint designs have been revised and refined so they're fairly optimized to work as intended within their respective velocity envelopes ... fired from handguns.

124gr +P or 147gr GS rounds. Toss a coin ... or pick whichever runs best in your gun, when you're the one doing the shooting.

A miss is still going to be a miss, and a perforating hit in a thin peripheral area that doesn't allow the bullet to reach critical tissues, structures and organs may not produce the results some folks might expect from studying centered hits in gel blocks.

Practice more, worry about the subtle nuances of bullet weight less. They're all selling and being used.

It's a handgun.

Worry more about the hand operating and using the gun, maybe?
 
There appear to be two common semiautomatic handgun rounds of note. The 115 grain +P+ 9mm Illinois State Police load, and the 230 grain .45 Caliber ACP round. Anything in between is just so much useless flotsam swilling around in a toilet bowl full of turds. :cool:
 
There appear to be two common semiautomatic handgun rounds of note. The 115 grain +P+ 9mm Illinois State Police load, and the 230 grain .45 Caliber ACP round. Anything in between is just so much useless flotsam swilling around in a toilet bowl full of turds.
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Tell us how you really feel. ;)
 
Tell us how you really feel.
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It was all laid bare on TRIGGERS during the second show last week when the camera recorded the impact on ballistic gel of a 38 Long Colt versus a 45 ACP. The difference was nothing short of phenomenal. Big, slow, and painful to watch even the gelatin getting hit by the forty-five. It made a believer out of me. I may get one now.

But first I have to get rid of my pissy little 357 MAGNUM.:D
 
secret_agent_man said:
There appear to be two common semiautomatic handgun rounds of note. The 115 grain +P+ 9mm Illinois State Police load, and the 230 grain .45 Caliber ACP round. Anything in between is just so much useless flotsam swilling around in a toilet bowl full of turds. :cool:
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Uh. Nope. Unless that is some excellent satire. Triggers is a fun show though!

.40 Speer Gold Dot 180 grain penetrates more and expands to almost the same diameter as .45 Gold Dot 230 grain
- source: tnoutdoors9, YouTube
 
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