Speer Lawman's 147-grain TMJ leaves the muzzle at 985 fps with 317 ft-lbs. Power factor is 145, 20 points over the 125 minor floor. It is subsonic from the muzzle, so there is no sonic crack behind a suppressor. From a 25-yard zero it is 1.9 inches low at 50 yards and 13.2 inches low at 100, still moving 933 fps at 50. Estimated recoil energy in a 1.9-pound compact pistol is 5.1 ft-lbs. The TMJ jacket covers the bullet base, so no lead is exposed to the powder gas.

Magtech 147-grain Flat Subsonic and PMC Bronze 147-grain bracket it at 990 and 975 fps, with recoil energy within 2 percent, so the three feel the same. Armscor 147-grain and Fiocchi 158-grain both leave at 850 fps, 135 fps behind. The Armscor makes a power factor of exactly 125, on the floor, with about 21 percent less recoil energy than the Lawman; the Fiocchi's heavier bullet lifts its power factor to 134 and its recoil to about 9 percent under. Norma Range & Training 124-grain is the one supersonic load here, 196 fps faster at 1,181 fps, with about 3 percent less recoil energy. Drop at 50 yards runs 1.3 to 2.6 inches across the six, so none needs a different hold at pistol distances.

Buy this for suppressed shooting where you want the most cycling margin a subsonic load can give, for indoor ranges that require an enclosed-base bullet, or for minor matches where 20 points of margin matters. If the softest subsonic recoil is the goal, Armscor 147-grain gives up 82 ft-lbs at the muzzle but cuts recoil energy by about 21 percent. For a 147-grain hollow point for carry, Federal Premium HST 147-grain runs 1,000 fps with about 3 percent more recoil energy.