On paper, Armscor's 124-grain FMJ is the twin of CCI Blazer Brass. Both list 1,090 fps, both compute to a power factor of 135, and both show an estimated 4.3 ft-lbs of recoil energy in a 1.9-pound compact pistol. That power factor is about 10 points over the 125 minor floor for USPSA and IDPA. From a 25-yard zero the Armscor sits 1.5 inches low at 50 yards and 11.0 inches low at 100, with velocity down to about 1,008 fps at the 50-yard line.

The rest of the group sorts out above and below that pair. PMC Bronze is 20 fps faster and produces about 3 percent more recoil energy in the same pistol, close enough to swap in without noticing. Fiocchi Shooting Dynamics and Maxxtech both list 1,150 fps and produce about 10 percent more recoil. BPS at 1,210 fps is 120 fps faster and kicks about 19 percent harder. Ammo Inc's Total Metal Coating load is the only one below the Armscor, 73 fps slower with about 11 percent less recoil. Trajectory differences are small: the Armscor is 0.1 inches lower than Blazer Brass at 100 yards, and the whole group is within half an inch at 50.

Buy the Armscor if you want a standard-pressure 124-grain that recoils like a standard-pressure 124-grain carry load, and treat it as interchangeable with Blazer Brass for that job. It makes minor with margin in a full-size pistol. If you want more speed for steel or a bigger cushion over minor, BPS adds 120 fps and 15 points of power factor. If your indoor range requires a bullet with no exposed lead at the base, or you want the softest 124-grain here, Ammo Inc's TMC is the one, though its power factor of 126 only just clears 125.