Norma's Range & Training 124-grain FMJ leaves the muzzle at 1,181 fps with 382 ft-lbs of energy. That is a power factor of 146, about 21 points over the 125 floor for USPSA minor and IDPA. From a 25-yard zero the bullet is 1.3 inches low at 50 yards and 9.8 inches low at 100. In a 1.9-pound compact pistol it produces an estimated 4.9 ft-lbs of recoil energy, at the hot end of the standard-pressure 124-grain loads here.

Sellier & Bellot 124 is its twin on paper: the same 1,181 fps, 2 ft-lbs more at the muzzle, and the same recoil estimate, so the two can be mixed freely. Magtech 124 and Aguila 124 are the soft alternatives, 72 and 66 fps slower, with about 10 and 9 percent less recoil energy in the same pistol. Maxxtech 124 runs 1,150 fps with about 4 percent less recoil energy. Drop at 50 yards runs 1.2 to 1.4 inches across all five, so none needs a different hold.

Buy this if you want practice ammo that feels close to a carry load: its recoil is within about 3 percent of the Defender +P and about 5 percent above Speer Gold Dot 124 JHP at 1,150 fps. Competition shooters clear minor with room for a short barrel. If you want less fatigue over a long session, Aguila 124 gives up 66 fps for about 9 percent less recoil, and Blazer Aluminum 115 cuts recoil about 19 percent. Winchester's 115-grain WIN9S runs 1,190 fps with about 13 percent less recoil, though its steel case is not reloadable.