best 9mm load for Browning HP

[moptop]

I have been fighting with trying to come up with a decent CB load for my Browning HP. I've been using Lee's 124grn round nose T/L cast with WW and water dropped on top of 5.6-5.9grns of HS-6 powder. It fairly accurate, cycles fine, but leads the barrel terribly. It slugged at .355-.356 so that is why I chose that size bullet. My next step is to try a different power, Unique or Bullseye maybe to try to slow the bullet down a bit. I love HS-6 because it's a little cleaner burning, which is good in an auto. I also have a .358 T/L in 158 gr I use for my .38spl. Someone suggested I try but I'm not too keen on trying to shove too big of a bullet down it for obvious reasons.

If anyone has any suggestions on this one I would appreciate it.

[Texasflyboy]

Try the larger bullet. I had a similar problem with my FN Browning MKIII. The barrel slugged at .3565. So I size mine to .358". Groups went from all over the place to nice tight clusters. Leading also became much more manageable.

It was a big difference going from .356" bullets to .358" bullets in terms of improvement.

Tom in VA

[wiljen]

I'll second the cast .358 with water dropping the bullets or use some lino in the mix to harden it up and it may behave a lot better. My BHP likes water dropped ww sized to .358 with near max charges of VV N350.

[big dale]

I had a Hi-Power for about a decade. My standard load for it was a 125 grain cast round nose sized in my Lyman 357 sizing dies and a load of 4 grains of red dot. I never had a problem with leading with that load. This load would average about 4 inches at 25 yards. I never found any load that was anymore accurate than that with that gun. I eventualy traded it off for a Ruger Redhawk in 44 mag that always shot within 2 inches at 25 yards.

I was always happier with the Redhawk cause I like big bullets.

Big Dale

[Windy City Kid]

Size to the largest your pistol will chamber. I would size .357" to .358". Don't over crimp, just remove the bell. For your OAL, load until the bullet almost touches the barrel throat, give about .005" clearance. A very good lube for the 9mm is Carnauba Red. I use WSF powder, it is the best powder I have found for the 9mm and I have tried a lot of powders.

This is my recipe:

I use the Lyman 356402 bullet sized to .358".

My lead alloy is WW water quenched.

Lube is Carnauba Red.

Cartridge OAL is 1.117".

4.4grs. of WSF powder.

This is a tack-driver load in every pistol I have tried it in.

In my Springfield XD9 Tactical I get zero leading after 250 rounds.

[9.3X62AL]

I will bet two things are going on with your BHP--

1) The grooves may slug at .355"-.356", but the throat is likely wider--close to .358".

2) Chamber radial clearances are likely pretty wide, too.

The "fix" is to match the throat dimensions with the cast boolit's diameter, much like we do with rifle throats. Given its pressures, the 9mm is more a rifle than a handgun cartridge, from the context of cast boolit reloading. .357" or .358" boolits work well in my 9mm pistols.

As a part of that "fix", also match the expander spud to the wider boolit being seated into the case mouth. Most 9mm spuds run .352"-.353", while 38 Special or 357 Magnum spuds run .355"-.356" (hint hint). Oversize boolits + undersize spuds = reduced diameter boolits after seating.