Federal's American Eagle 130-grain FMJ leaves the muzzle at 890 fps with 229 ft-lbs. Power factor is 116, which clears the IDPA stock-revolver floor of 105 by 11 and misses USPSA's 120 revolver-minor floor by 4. From a 25-yard zero the bullet is 2.4 inches low at 50 yards and 16.2 inches low at 100, still doing 852 fps at 50 and arriving at 100 with 819 fps and 194 ft-lbs. Only Remington UMC 130-grain recoils less in the same revolver.

Remington UMC 130-grain is the soft end: 90 fps and 44 ft-lbs behind, with about 16 percent less recoil energy. Ammo Inc Signature Line 125-grain TMC is 57 fps faster but pushes a lighter bullet, so its recoil is within 2 percent of the American Eagle. PMC Bronze 132-grain runs 27 fps faster with about 8 percent more recoil, and lands 1.0 inch flatter at 100 yards. Fiocchi Range Dynamics 130-grain, at 950 fps, is 60 fps and 31 ft-lbs ahead with about 11 percent more recoil, and 1.8 inches flatter at 100. At 50 yards this load, the PMC and the Fiocchi are within 0.4 inch of each other, so the hold does not change at revolver distances.

Buy this if you carry a +P 130-grain hollow point and want standard-pressure practice that feels like it. Federal Hydra-Shok Deep +P 130-grain runs 900 fps, 10 fps faster than this load, with recoil energy within 2 percent in the same revolver; check the revolver's +P rating before the carry load goes in it. A new shooter or a snub-nose owner should start with Remington UMC 130-grain at 800 fps. A USPSA revolver shooter needs the 120 floor, which this load misses; Fiocchi Range Dynamics 130-grain makes it.