Hitek 45 ACP worked but 9mm didn't - Suggestions

[rototerrier]

Hate to create another one of these threads, but just curious what might be going wrong and to see if anyone has some input. I've mastered PC and decided to try Hitek just to see if I liked it. So far, I have mixed feelings, but it could be me doing something wrong.

I have 2 colors, kryptonite green and bronze.

I use the big $100 oster convection from walmart. I've determined that my temperature comes out to around 385-400 when set to 375 and will go up to around 425 when set to 400.

I tried baking for 12 minutes on 375 and 400 with 2 different batches. The ones cooked on 400 would come out a little darker in color.

Either of these temperature settings produce boolits that pass both acetone and smash tests. Everything appears to be correct.

My 45ACP worked great. I couldn't tell any difference in barrel fouling or accuracy between Hitek and PC.

My 9mm results weren't good. Green worked decent. I had a small bit of leading, but accuracy was fine. The bronze was a complete failure. Bullets were slinging all over the place, wildly. Not even a semblance of accuracy. Leaded the barrel badly. Took me a while to get it cleaned up. Had to break out the copper chore boy.

My Green's have 3 coats and, shockingly, my bronze were actually coated 4 times. I just wanted to see how pretty I could make them. I was shocked when they didn't perform. I really thought they'd be perfect. I still have about 200 green's that I intend to load and shoot. They didn't lead bad enough to consider ruined. The bronze I've already melted down. But again, all passed acetone and smash tests. I smashed the thing as thin as a penny and it held up.

All boolits are the same as I use with PC and sized the same. I size my 45's to .452 and my 9's to .357.

I'm leaning toward my load. All the 9's tested were loaded with 4.3gr of HP38, same load I use in PC that works perfectly. I'm thinking maybe this is too hot for hitek.

Oh, alloy is a 50/50 COWW/SOWW + a little tin. I suppose the 9's might need to be harder. PC holds up fine with just about any alloy I use, I may have improperly "assumed" Hitek would work the same.

Maybe PC spoiled me? Is it that much more durable?

[wlkjr]

What pistol are you shooting them out of?
I shoot all mine out of Glocks. With the .45acp sized at .452 I have no fouling at all. With my 9mm and .380, I have a slight fouling appearance, not really leading per se, but a dark grainy appearance in every other groove. It doesn't seem to build up but is a bit annoying. I'm sizing those at .356 and they are coww. I have never powder coated so I can't speak for that. I also use bronze but only on the .45 and the kryptonite green on the others.

[rototerrier]

Sorry, I forgot to mention that.

Glock 19 and a Glock 43. Both leaded equally, and definitely not just fouling. We are talking full on leading.

Maybe I'll try another batch using pure COWW. I could just be a little too soft for the 9. I'll also try a lighter load, but that really just doesn't seem like it would lead to leading this badly. This was a complete coating failure and it has to be coat or alloy based...at least that's the way I am leaning. I have plenty of superhard on hand if I need to really harden them up, but don't want to have to do that if not necessary...that gets costly

[wlkjr]

I'm loading mine on the low end, 2.9-3.0 Titegroup and a 147gr bullet for the 9mm, shot out of a G19and 26. For the .45 in a G30S 3.3g Bullseye and a 233gr bullet.
I'm out of town for 2 more weeks but I'd be willing to send you some of mine to try when I get back in town.

[wlkjr]

Also try sizing them down to .356 and see if that helps.

[ioon44]

What is working for me with the .45 & 9 mm is using 6-2-92 alloy for both and 2 coats of Hi-Tek for most all my loads.
I did a test with some 200 gr .45 bullets with 1 coat of Gun Metal Hi-Tek and tested it in my PPQ 45 and a 1911 both gun did not show any leading.

I like the Bronze 500 for my 9 mm's with 2 coats sized to .3575" and am currently using CFE Pistol powder these shoot great out of the PPQ's.
On problem with loading for 9 mm is the loading dies swagging down the loaded bullets to under bore size, this is a bigger problem with softer alloys.

I have tested the 2 coats of Bronze 500 out of a .357 mag at over 1400 fps with out any leading.

For me I would rather over bake than under bake, a little darker color doesn't bother me.

I try the PC didn't like the process.

[Ausglock]

If you are using a Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die in loading the 9mm.......STOP!!!!!!!!
This Die causes more leading in most 9mm guns due to squeezing the lead bullet during the crimp stage.
DO NOT USE IT!!!!

[Electric88]

If you are using a Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die in loading the 9mm.......STOP!!!!!!!!
This Die causes more leading in most 9mm guns due to squeezing the lead bullet during the crimp stage.
DO NOT USE IT!!!!

Good to know!

[popper]

Try COWW only. Tumble what you have in some BLL/recluse/LLA etc. I use the liquid green (2x) & 4gr. WST, used to use 4 of 231, no problems for 138gr boolit.

[farmerjim]

What Ausglock said. Pull a boolit and measure it. Just because you loaded it at .357 doesn't mean it stays .357. The Lee factory crimp die will size the case and boolit down. Also if the case is not opened enough after sizing, it can also swage a soft boollit down.

[DerekP Houston]

I had the same experience...9mm is the only round that gives me issues with hitek. I tumbled mine in a coat of BLL (after sizing the hitek coated rounds) and now they shoot just fine with no residue left in the barrel.

[fredj338]

I run HT in my 9mm, mostly minor loads, but that can be up to 1050fps. No issues. I use mostly range scrap but do water drop them after the final 2nd baking. I also size all to 0.357" for best accuracy in all my 9mm, Glock or whatever.

[Lloyd Smale]

don't really agree. I think part of the problem some have with them is they set them to crimp to hard. Ive got a m&p, glock 19, glock 43, berretta 92, a ruger lc9 and a cmmg ar15 in 9. I use a lee factory crimp die with all my 9mm ammo. My thought is that function trumps accuracy in guns like this and my ammo must run in all of my guns. I will go out and shoot a couple hundred or more rounds in a day and don't have a leading problem in any of these guns. As a matter of fact never have had to even clean the barrel after shooting anyo of them. Only ones I clean after shooting are the 43 and lc9 as the 43 is carried a lot and the lc9 is my wifes bed stand gun and I clean them to be sure. Ive shot cast as soft as 1 part pure to 2 parts ww air cooled in all of these guns without leading. I size to 357 for all of them. Well that's what the dies says but actually they come out about .3575. If I don't run them through the factory crimp die I have function problems in the m&p and the glock 19. No doubt if you crank that die down enough your going to have trouble but properly adjusted it doesn't hurt a thing and helps insure your gun goes bang every time.

If you are using a Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die in loading the 9mm.......STOP!!!!!!!!
This Die causes more leading in most 9mm guns due to squeezing the lead bullet during the crimp stage.
DO NOT USE IT!!!!

[rototerrier]

I pulled all that remained and they were swaged down to 356 just by the case. I did not over crimp. None of the coating was broken, so I am good there.
The alloy was definitely on the soft side. I'm going to try a couple different molds and am going to harden up the alloy a bit with some superhard. I'll give it another try and let everyone know how it turns out. I'll also work up some lighter loads to try first. Figure it will be worth just starting over from scratch and seeing how things develop from the bottom up.

[garym1a2]

I use the lee factory crimp die to fix my 9mm that fails my chamber test in my tightest barrel. In 40 S&W I run all brass thru its bulge buster and than the factory crimp die as a final step

[rototerrier]

Tested again yesterday with harder alloy and varying coats and they all leaded. Switching back to pc. Was a fun experiment but just doesn't hold up as well for me as pc.

[wlkjr]

Sorry to hear you couldn't get it to work for you. Mine works fine in my 17, 19, 26, and 43.

[prickett]

Tested again yesterday with harder alloy and varying coats and they all leaded. Switching back to pc. Was a fun experiment but just doesn't hold up as well for me as pc.

Try one more test... let the coated boolits age for a week or two, then try them.

Having said that, I've abandoned HT in favor of PC too.

[kryogen]

Hitek didnt work for me with the 9mm.

[wlkjr]

Hitek didnt work for me with the 9mm.

What gun?