The flat-nose bullet is what separates Winchester's USA Ready 165-grain FMJFN from the company's Range 165 and white box 165. All three leave at 1,060 fps with 412 ft-lbs, make a power factor of 175 with 10 points of margin over the 165 USPSA major floor, and sit 1.6 inches low at 50 yards and 11.5 inches low at 100 from a 25-yard zero. The two round-nose Winchesters are the same load under two labels; this one shares their numbers behind a flat-nose bullet.

The USA Ready is faster and lighter than the 180-grain loads in its set. Federal Range and Target 180 leaves at 1,000 fps and Magtech 180 Flat Nose at 990, 60 and 70 fps behind this load, and they carry 12 and 20 ft-lbs less at the muzzle. Their heavier bullets still push back harder: about 8 percent more recoil energy from the Federal and about 6 percent more from the Magtech in the same pistol. American Eagle 165 is the hot load in the set at 1,130 fps and 468 ft-lbs, 70 fps and 56 ft-lbs ahead of the Winchester, still 46 fps faster at 50 yards, and it produces about 12 percent more recoil energy. Drop at 50 yards differs by 0.2 inch between the two 165s.

Buy it as the everyday practice load for a 165-grain carry gun. PMC Bronze 165 JHP leaves 20 fps slower than this load and lands within about 3 percent of it in recoil energy in the same pistol, so the drills carry over. If your carry round is a 180-grain hollow point, Federal Range and Target 180 is the closer feel, and a USPSA shooter who wants the most margin over major from a 165 should look at American Eagle 165 and its power factor of 186.