Rainier 115 gr. or 124 gr.?

[kean57]

I can purchase either 1000 Rainier plated 115 grain bullets, or the same number of 124 grain, and the price is within a dollar. Are there any advantages to either?

Jim (kean57)

[versifier]

The advantage would be if you knew which one your pistol prefers: functions best and shoots more accurately. You have to try them both and find out. It might like one, both, or neither. So order them both. You will go through those two boxes quickly enough and by then you'll know either way. The 9mm is fun to load for, especially if you have an accurate pistol to shoot them in. There is a wide availability of different powders and bullets that do well in it.

To answer your question, it depends on what you want to do with your 9mm: shoot targets, carry it, or both. If you have a chosen carry load, you pick a practice bullet of the same weight and velocity. If you want to shoot paper or metal targets you have to find out what the gun likes best then decide on the ranges and if you need the lighter bullet's flatter trajectory or the heavier bullet's greater knock down power.

If you are buying bullets though, you're not going to save much if anything loading them for what you can buy loaded in good boxer primed cases for (and save the empties for when the prices go up), but with some trial and error you can usually come up with some loads at least as accurate as factory and maybe a good bit better. I cast my own and that makes it cost effective for me to do it now. That is the biggest expense for a handgunner. Even with my time included, .45, .35, and 9mm bullets cost me less than a penny apiece to produce. The biggest expense for me is the primer for each round. Think about it.

[runfiverun]

since they are plated and the velocities will be lower [to avoid stripping the plating] i go with the 124's and keep them in the 1k range.