What is Ammo Grain and does it really matter?

One of the most common questions we get from people picking out ammunition is, what is grain count, and does it matter? The answer is YES, of course like most things with firearms a lot is left up to interpretation and personal preference: But grain count is one of the most important factors when it comes to choosing ammunition! Why, though?

Well, let's start with what grain count in ammunition is: A grain is a unit of measurement of mass, so when you see ‘grain’ also abbreviated as ‘gr.’ or ‘grs’ in reference to a box of ammo it's talking about the weight of the bullet. Let's be clear on one thing: the grain/s aren’t referencing the entire round as you pull it out of the ammunition box but rather the projectile that leaves your barrel. To give you an idea for what that weight would be, 437.5 grains is equal to one ounce, or 1 grain equals 1/7000th of a pound (which is one of the smallest units of measurement when it comes to mass.).

Now that we've covered what ammo grain/s are, why does it matter and why should it be considered when purchasing ammunition? It absolutely matters, there's many different factors that matter when choosing ammunition and that's where it can get a little complicated- Just like everything else with firearms everyone has their own opinions on what the perfect round is and even how some of the science behind bullet weight vs recoil works, but for the sake of this not being a 75 page blog post I’ll keep it as simple as possible.

The weight of the bullet affects the performance once it is fired which includes recoil and accuracy. Which leads us into the much often had debate in the firearm world, now theoretically this should all be explained by science, and it should be a cut and dry answer but unfortunately from what I’ve read there's two groups of thought on this topic: Whether bullet weight affects recoil. Because there are so many factors that contribute to recoil, we can’t determine how bullet weight alone impacts it. Instead, we must understand the relationship between bullet weight and recoil.

Power factor: which is a measurement of the momentum of the bullet and is used primarily in competition settings to determine perceived recoil. It is calculated by multiplying the bullet weight by the velocity, then dividing by 1,000. Two different rounds could have different bullet weights and different velocities but equal the same power factor. Theoretically, cartridges with the same power factor have the same recoil, though this isn’t always true, and we need to look at the other factors involved. That's a lot of information I know, but it all makes sense as to why there's not one solid answer to this debate.

Lighter bullets must travel faster than heavier bullets to reach the same power factor and therefore require more gunpowder. This means that the lighter bullet will spend less time in the barrel than the slower moving heavy bullet, causing a difference in perceived recoil.

Many shooters say that the light, fast bullet seems “snappier” while the heavy bullet’s recoil is more of a flat push. Other factors that can alter perceived recoil include barrel length, gun weight and design, and the shooter’s grip and stance. With all these variables, it’s near impossible to definitively say which bullet weight has the most effect on recoil. While some theories say the opposite, the lighter the grain the smaller the recoil because it requires less weight to get moving and obviously the opposite effect for heavier grain bullets, it needs more of a push to get going so obviously the recoil would be worse right? As stated above there's so many different attributes that go into it, it makes it very hard to reach one agreed answer on that topic.

Some marksman say that certain brands of firearm shoot certain grain counts of ammunition better, and certain ammo brands can also matter in selection, which as crazy as it can sound does have some fact to it: Some guns, pistol and rifle, just “like” certain bullet weights or even certain specific ammunition types, better than others. There isn’t always any predictability to what that might be, so if you’re looking for maximum accuracy out of your gun, you’ll need to try a wide variety. Even if you’re satisfied with what you’re getting out of your current ammo of choice, it can be worth trying others from time to time to see if you can do better with a different choice. Trial and error is often the best way to find what works for you and your firearm.

In conclusion, #Bulletgrainsmatter. In all seriousness grain count does matter on ammunition but there's way more than grain count (Especially depending on what you hope to achieve with that firearm and projectile you are shooting out of it.) that goes into choosing the best ammunition fit for you and your firearm. Believe it or not, most of my research was done on ‘stock’ ammunition supplied from factories. Start talking to some of your friends who do their own reloading and it gets way more complicated.

Still a little confused?  Don't worry, we've got your back!  Check out this video to help clarify this on the simplest terms.