Danger Mouse

In a .45 ACP will the 185 grain have less felt recoil than the 230's? I am assuming it has less, but not sure.
The reason I ask is because we are carrying 185 grain for SD and practicing with the 230's.

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Ram Rod

E=mc²
Theoretically the lighter bullet travels faster and the heavier bullet travels slower. Those are the mass (weight 'm') and velocity (c) values for the equation. I'm still thinking the 230gr would have more perceived recoil. I'll have to test that theory with standard loads.

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Cuda66

Honestly, I can't tell the difference.

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Kerbouchard

It depends. The charge will most likely not be the same for different bullet weights. Typically, I've found a heavier bullet to have more felt recoil, but also, about the only times I use heavier bullets is for personal defense ammo, which is usually loaded hotter.

What brands are you using? If your 185 grain are +P and the 230 are standard, then the 185 grain will probably have more felt recoil.

I've found powder charge has a lot more to do with recoil than bullet weight.

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Tros

You're opening a can of works on that question. Which one recoils more or less isn't so much an issue as how well you take to the type of recoil the round provides. You go from a snap to a thud; some people like snap, some like a thud. I don't really look at it as more, just different.

That's just my opinion on the matter.

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Danger Mouse

The 230's I practice with are cowboy action bullets reloaded with 5.0 grains of win231 powder
My wife carry's 230 grain Speers Gold Dots and I mistakenly got a box of 185 +P Gold Sabers. Thinking about it they probably are close to the same, the lighter bullet is +P and the heavier is standard.

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1911packer

Newton's Third Law says, "Every action will have an equal and opposite reaction."
I would think that rather than look at bullet weight, look at muzzle energy.

The energy figure combines the weight and velocity into the "action" that produces the recoil.

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4my son

I switched back to the 230 gr standard pressure from the 200+P, personally I find the +p rounds to have a little more snap than I prefer for follow up rounds.

One way to see is to load a mag with alternating rounds, fire slowly and see if you feel the difference.

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forestranger

185+p GS makes my arthritis act up, standard 230 doesn't.

nn

I can not either.