Looking for 9mm loads

[troutman]

Looking for some plinking loads for 125 grn. I have Alliant powders Bullseye, Greendot Reddot Promo. But I am looking for all options for sometime when I may not be able to get one of these.
What experience have you had with Hodgdon shotgun powders Clays, Universal, etc?
Also loading 148 DEWC for 38.

[tazman]

Almost all shotgun powders can be made to work for pistol use. Red dot, unique, and green dot serve as prime examples of powder originally designed for shotgun now used extensively in pistol.
Look at the burn rate chart published by Hodgdon and you will find many powders that can be used in your cartridges.
Use similar grain weight charges for powders close together on the chart. Faster powders use lower weight charges. Slower powders use slightly higher charges.
Start with low weight charges and work up to a functioning charge, being careful not to use large steps as pressure can build very quickly, especially with the 9mm. Stop when you achieve accurate, functional loads. Do not try to get maximum loads using powders that have no published data unless you have extensive experience or pressure testing equipment.
In this time of low powder availability I can certainly understand wanting to use whatever is available. I have run into the same thing.
I have developed several loads for my own firearms with powders designed for shotguns using the techniques described here.
Remember to start low and work up slowly. Each firearm is a law unto itself as to how much powder it can safely handle.
Be careful. Be safe.

[Garyb]

Unique does it for me. 5 grains with cast truncated cone. Could easily reduce the load to 4.7. Universal and Unique are almost identical so that can be used too. I haven't tried it, but I think Alliant Power Pistol would be a good choice.
You have mainly listed Hodgdon powders, check their reload data here (http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/)

[dragon813gt]

Do you have multiple manuals? Have you looked at powder manufacturer's online data? There are a lot of loads for 9mm w/ a large variety of powders. It it comes down to you can only get X, Y and Z powder then look for the data and decide on which is best suited for your needs. Universal is a superior alternative to Unique. It burns cleaner and meters like water. I use it for heavyweight 9mm loads.

[bdecker9]

i love titegroup in 9mm. especially with jwords. i have used hs-6, two pounds of win-231/hp38 people seem to love it, i thinks its ok, different strokes... my favorites have been power pistol and blue dot. blue dot seems to be super friendly with lead. my most used load is .30cc of titegroup with 125lrn. seated long. think it is ~3.2 grains, just cuz it's cheap, easy on my guns and accurate. i have yet to find a powder that didn't couldn't get to perform well in my 9's. i have three of them and load for a few friends that shoot at my home range.

HOPE THIS HELPS AND WELCOME!
decker

[JeffG]

Give Alliant a call and tell them what grain lead bullet you are using. They will send you a recipe sheet for 9mm for their recommended powders with starting and max charges. I say call because you won't see the same info on their web page.

[tazman]

Here is a link to an Alliant data manual that lists many of their powders for use in 9mm, both jacket and cast.
http://www.castpics.net/LoadData/Freebies/RM/Alliant/Alliant01.pdf

[troutman]

Thanks for the response. On the Hodgdon site site what does LCN stand for. I would guess Lead Cast but I can't think of the "N". Don't want to "assume" to much. I have 125 grn. flat point round nose from Friendswood Bullet Co.

[tazman]

Lead conical nose

[Boolseye]

3.5 grains of BE for 124 in 9mm

2.7 grains BE for the 148 wadcutter, .38 target load

both mild loads

[troutman]

Tried the 3.5 BE and it was a dismal failure for feeding jambed almost every time. After reading others post on 9mm I may have OAL to long 1.125 in a G17. Did not size but ran as came. Accuracy was ok. NO leading. Only made up 21 to try.
Tumble lubed with LLA.
Shot some HBWC from 686 which seemed to be as accurate as I am. Only shooting about 5 yards so far.

[Mlcompound]

I have ran a couple thousand 125 rf with 4.0 bullseye and am very happy with that combo.

[Boolseye]

Tried the 3.5 BE and it was a dismal failure for feeding jambed almost every time. After reading others post on 9mm I may have OAL to long 1.125 in a G17. Did not size but ran as came. Accuracy was ok.

Sorry man. I realized 3.5 BE is probably a little weak for the 124. It's the load I use for my 128 grain HP, which actually drops at more like 130. Forgot about the difference a few grains can make. Jack it up a couple tenths 'til they cycle.

[Shiloh]

There is oodles of info on 9mm loads. Both for cast and jacketed. I have used at least a half dozen different powders. Currently using AA #5 and Unique. Mostly Unique.

Shiloh

[troutman]

I have most of the powders I do BC i used to shoot shotgun about once a month and just enjoyed loading. Now with the price of shot-41.99 at my club, that has slowed down. Now doing cast for the economy and hopefully wont be without ammo.
Mostly the latter. I'll look up Alliants Phone # and give them a call like JeffG suggested.
I used 3.5 of the BE in my previous stated post with Hornady 38 HBWC with nice results. Going to try the C. E. Harris DEWC load next.

Shiloh, LOVE the quotes in sig.

[Boolseye]

Stay safe and welcome to the club.

[lksmith]

Looking for some plinking loads for 125 grn. I have Alliant powders Bullseye, Greendot Reddot Promo. But I am looking for all options for sometime when I may not be able to get one of these.
What experience have you had with Hodgdon shotgun powders Clays, Universal, etc?
Also loading 148 DEWC for 38.
I have used HP38 and Win 231 with great success in 380, 9mm, 38spcl, 357mag, and 45ACP for years
Also a good amount of load data. If I recall correctly HP38 was developed for 38 caliber pistols.

[bangerjim]

The purchasable books and websites are full of 9mm loads. Just look. That's what I do. I used TightGorup.

9mm is perhaps the most difficult round to load due to the extremely small head space available. I have given up on it (cycling and chambering problems) and just shoot FMJ commercial rounds now. Only for personal defense and nothing else.....NOT plinking.

You need to get into 38 spl and 45lc if you REALLY want to have some REAL fun loading all kinds of rounds, powders and weights.

I use Clay's a lot for many loads. All on the site or in the Lyman Cast Bullet manual. TightGroup is my go-to powder for just about everything!

bangerjim

[troutman]

[QUOTE=JeffG;2658693]Give Alliant a call and tell them what grain lead bullet you are using. They will send you a recipe sheet for 9mm for their recommended powders with starting and max charges. I say call because you won't see the same info on their web page.[/QUOTE5.2-5.
Talked to Alliant today.

They recommended for the 125
4.2-4.6 of BE
5.2-5.7 of Power Pistol
4.5-5.0 of Unique
For the 38 in a 148 DEWC they had 4 recommendations.
2.9-3.5 of BE
3.5-4.2 of Unique
2.7-3.3 of Red Dot
2.3--2.7 of Clays

[lksmith]

The purchasable books and websites are full of 9mm loads. Just look. That's what I do. I used TightGorup.

9mm is perhaps the most difficult round to load due to the extremely small head space available. I have given up on it (cycling and chambering problems) and just shoot FMJ commercial rounds now. Only for personal defense and nothing else.....NOT plinking.

You need to get into 38 spl and 45lc if you REALLY want to have some REAL fun loading all kinds of rounds, powders and weights.

I use Clay's a lot for many loads. All on the site or in the Lyman Cast Bullet manual. TightGroup is my go-to powder for just about everything!

bangerjim

Really? That is what I started loading and have found it very easy to load for my Ruger P95 and my grandma's Hi-point carbine.

[MaryB]

Isn't Promo very similar to Red Dot? If memory is right I would use it with Red Dot starting loads and work up.

[Rooster59]

Isn't Promo very similar to Red Dot? If memory is right I would use it with Red Dot starting loads and work up.

Promo is very similar by weight, not volume. Alliant recommends weighing charges then determining which bushing to use to get that weight for shotguns. It would be the same for pistols.

Each new lot of Promo must be weighed again. Promo is essentially Red Dot that didn't make the grade in consistency for weight to volume.

It works but takes more attention to detail.

[bangerjim]

Really? That is what I started loading and have found it very easy to load for my Ruger P95 and my grandma's Hi-point carbine.

Yes. Many on here will verify the built-in difficulty of the smaller cal for reloading. The very small headroom it has can lead to overpressure and other things that CAN sometimes make the 9 a bit touchy to reload. Seating depths are critical to chambering and cycling in many of the 9mm guns. My S&W is one of them!!!!! (***)

Many do it. I have not had much success with it and just moved on to all the other many cal' that I ENJOY shooting & loading & casting for. I rarely shoot the 9mm anymore. I prefer the 40 S&W XD-M I have far more if looking to shoot a semi-auto pistol. And it loads well and is dead on accurate with that match grade barrel.

Glad to hear you have had good success with the 9mm! Keep up the good work.

banger

[runfiverun]

the 9 was a bit of a challenge for me to begin with too.
I finally started treating it like a short 38 special and things started to come around for me.
I then got a mold designed around the 9m and for cast boolits [not something else or a copy of a jaxketed bullet] and the guns started shooting.

I have one of those hi-point carbines too and enjoy it, it will feed and shoot boolits/loads that all my other 9's reject or refuse to shoot well.

[dverna]

Isn't Promo very similar to Red Dot? If memory is right I would use it with Red Dot starting loads and work up.


You are incorrect. Promo is exactly like Red Dot in loads by weight. It has a different density than Red Dot so it MUST be checked if using it with volumetric powder drops. More than that....it varies in density - sometimes significantly - from lot to lot. So the setting that worked on your measure on one lot will likely not work when you change lots.

The reason it is less expensive is that it is a blend of "off-spec" powders that do not have the density consistency to be "canister" powders. But it performs exactly like RD when using the same charge by weight - not by volume.

Don verna

[troutman]

Well loading 4.3 of BE helped the ejecting issue and making a full crimp using Lee dies fixed the feeding issues. Now I have to work up to maximum to try to help accuracy or change to a different powder.
Consistently lower and spread about 4" at about 4-5 yards. 125grn RNFP.

[Queenks]

What diameter lead do you use for the hi-point carbine. I just bought one.


Really? That is what I started loading and have found it very easy to load for my Ruger P95 and my grandma's Hi-point carbine.

[lksmith]

What diameter lead do you use for the hi-point carbine. I just bought one.

Usually .358, I size all my38cal bullets the same (380acp, 9mm, 38spcl, 357,mag) since my guns will chamber the larger size without a problem. It does good enough I can hit a 12"x12" plate at 50yds with a Snubnose 38 airweight, 9mm automatic and the 9mm carbine more than I miss it.
my pet load for both 38spcl and 9mm for bullets 100-130gr is 5.1gr HP38 (also my plinking load for 200-230gr 45ACP) and my guns always shoot it well

[troutman]

I am having trouble with the OAL which is waaaay below the OAL I see published for cast lead. I am using a Friendswood Bullet that is .356 but it wont chamber in a Wolf barrell for G17 unless it is set at 1.020.

It will shoot the low charges of BE and Unique but accuracy is not good 3-4" at 5yrds. I will accept 2".

Raising the charge is concerning me as I have read on several forums that pressure really goes up when boolits are seated deep. What I really need to know is how deep is to deep? What are signs of high pressure in a pistol? Flattened primers would be obvious but I have also read you are waay over pressure on a pistol if you have flattened primers.:(

I have not shot the Wolf barrell yet. only the G with limited rounds. Need the same OAL for the G to fit and not crush the boolit.

[lksmith]

I am having trouble with the OAL which is waaaay below the OAL I see published for cast lead. I am using a Friendswood Bullet that is .356 but it wont chamber in a Wolf barrell for G17 unless it is set at 1.020.

It will shoot the low charges of BE and Unique but accuracy is not good 3-4" at 5yrds. I will accept 2".

Raising the charge is concerning me as I have read on several forums that pressure really goes up when boolits are seated deep. What I really need to know is how deep is to deep? What are signs of high pressure in a pistol? Flattened primers would be obvious but I have also read you are waay over pressure on a pistol if you have flattened primers.:(

I have not shot the Wolf barrell yet. only the G with limited rounds. Need the same OAL for the G to fit and not crush the boolit.

pressure signs for pistols are pretty much the same as with rifle loads.
Cratered, flattened, pierced, or blown primers are the most common signs, but cases that are stretched or cracked after a few loadings is possible, but it's not common in my experience with 9mm as I typically get 10+ loadings with my brass even with loads that exceed posted data.
The cratered primers can occur with low pressure loads if the gun has an oversized firing pin hole, but that would be apparent with factory loads and you have to proceed with more caution.
I wouldn't be too concerned about the OAL of 1.020 depending on the bullet as some on Hodgdon's site list a OAL of 1.010. If it chambers at that length and you aren't having pressure signs don't worry.

[Handloader109]

I've been trying to set up a 124 and 125gr Lee boolits for my g17 and new PPQ. Both don't like long rounds. The RN will be about where you are, maybe a bit longer. I've pulled a dozen I made up that were too long. I'm going to reduce my red dot load to about 3.8 gr from the 4.5 I've been using with a 115gr berry's.

[casterofboolits]

My two favorite cast 9mm boolits are the H&G #275 09-125-SWCBB and H&G #309 09-125-TCPB sized .357 over a medium charge of BlueDot. The #275 in my BHP produced dime size groups at 15 yards.

Pay close attention to COL and crimp and you'll be golden.