Safe loads for 9mm

[Gabby]

How about listing safe loads using various powders. That you use regularly and what kind of performance you get from your loads.
I'm interested in those using Blue Dot. I'm casting the 125gr TC that consistently throws at 130gr.
I have a whole pound unopened sitting on my shelf.

Feel free to ask about other powders and loads as well. this isn't just about me!

Gabby

[marlin39a]

Welcome to the forum, Gabby. I suggest you get the Lee reloading manual. There's a lot of great info there. Also try Alliants web site. Blue dot is not my choice for that boolit in 9mm. I prefer something fast like HP-38.

[JBinMN]

Welcome to cast boolits. gunloads forum.


Have a look here:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...online-sources

[Grmps]

Welcome to the addiction Gabby ,
JBinMN beat me to the link

Here is the site I usually got to first, It was created by a frum member

The 9mm can be a little problematic to reload.
The 9mm 9x19 luger has a tapered case so if you crip the boolit to hard with too soft an alloy you will downsize the boolit,
get leading and poor results

The first rule in leading cast boolits is you must slug your barrel {search "slugging a barrel in the google search bar located near the top right of the forum pages]
Next, you size your boolit 1 to 3 thousandths over the slugged diameter of the barrel [normally 1 to 1 1/2].
Next question, are you going to use a lube sizer, tumble lube, Powder coat or Hitek coating on your boolit. I feel powder coating is the easiest/cleanest [you can search powdercoating in the search bar].

Blue dot is more of a magnum powder

I think you'd be happier with a different powder such as Bullseye, red dot

If your reloading to save money , forget it.... You just end up shooting more

[Rcmaveric]

Welcome aboard Gabby. There are plenty of load data out there from various manuals and websites. Not sure I would trust other people pet loads unless i cross it with published data. I personally use 4g of Tite Group, that's a little hotter than published.

[winelover]

Use to use a lot of Bluedot with j-words in 9 mm and 357 Magnum. When I switched to cast, naturally, I tried it. IIRC, I would get key-holing with BD in my HP. Switched to Unique and key-holing disappeared.

Bluedot is said to cause pressure spikes. The 9 mm is already a high pressure cartridge so not much margin of error when it comes to seating depth, anyways. I would use it for other applications...357 Magnum, if you own one.

Winelover

[R. Dupraz]

I probably load and shoot a thousand cast loads, give or take, through the 9mm pistol a year. And I know that you asked about load data with your powder. But there are some things that are unique to only the 9mm when loading cast. And if not taken into account, the results can be dangerous. If you haven't already seen this, I would suggest a search for Ed Harris's article on Loading cast bullets in the 9mm. Well worth the time.

Good advice to check several loading manuals against each other for 9 data instead of the net.

By the way, the "throat" is slugged to find out what diameter of bullet is needed, not the barrel. I say again the throat! And the idea of arbitrarily shooting an oversized cast bullet in a 9mm can get you in trouble fast!

Just some things to consider is all.

R

[GhostHawk]

Bluedot likes HEAVY bullets.

I prefer Red Dot in my 9mm, well in most things to be honest.

I have shot 9mm loaded from 3 grains of Red Dot to 4.5 grains (In carbine) with no issues.

Bullet does need to be big enough. Make a dummy round with a .358 bullet and plunk test it.

If it won't go try lowering OAL and try again.

[JBinMN]

If you haven't already seen this, I would suggest a search for Ed Harris's article on Loading cast bullets in the 9mm. Well worth the time.

Good advice to check several loading manuals against each other for 9 data instead of the net.

Here is a link to Harris's 9MM writeup:
http://www.hensleygibbs.com/edharris...0the%209mm.htm

And I agree with R.DuPraz that you should have a least one "in your hand" recent (in the last couple of years) loading manual rather than relying on "pet loads" from others. If nothing else, to verify what ya do find on the internet.

That link that I provided & Grmps mentioned is a great compilation of load sources that exist on the internet & many of them are right from the manufacturer, like Alliant, Hodgdons, Speer, etc.. The links will take you right to the maker of the components in some cases, while others are compiled by experienced folks. Some of them are older & some are the most recent.

They all have a use to compare loads & to help find loads that are not always listed in recent manuals.

Take the time sometime to go check them out. It would be worth your time, IMO.

If you are going to be shooting "cast" boolits, you should have this book, the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook...:
https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog...roductId/20465 {< CastBoolits/GunLoads ForumVendor}
or,
https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...ok-4th-edition

BTW, here are some links to some folks who sell reloading manuals if you do not already have one or two. and some are on sale right now...:

https://www.grafs.com/catalog/category/categoryId/3960 {< CastBoolits/GunLoads Forum Vendor}

https://www.midwayusa.com/reloading-...s/br?cid=19845

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...eloading/books

G'Luck!

[Patricklaw]

Welcome! There is so much information here and certainly you'll find some great loads. The Alliant website is also an excellent source of info. You can certainly go to their reloading section but since you already have the powder, select the powder (BD) and then follow clicks to load for the specific powder. I get loads there that are not shown in the general reloading data section.

[Tom W.]

Red Dot or Green Dot, Bullseye and True Blue.... Save the Blue Dot for .357 loads...

[fecmech]

I found Blue Dot to work very well in the 9MM with cast bullets. I used it with the Lee 120TC and other cast bullets in the 147-150 gr range.IMO it does very well in the accuracy dept. at jacketed speeds. If you look at Alliant's Data you will see that BD is probably the safest powder to use in a 9MM as you run out of room in the case before you get excessive pressure. I don't think you could intentionally overload a 9MM with BD, there simply isn't room. I recommend you open that can of BD and get to loading.

[GhostHawk]

Yes but a huge difference between 125 gr and 158's.

If you want to stay with the light bullets go with a faster powder.
If you want to use Blue Dot, go heavy.

[Plate plinker]

I don't know anybody that runs Blue Dot in the 9mm as a normal load. Bullseye, Titegroup, W231 powders like those are common. Use the books.

[KVO]

At one point I used 7.0gr of Blue Dot and the Lee 358-125 RNFP sized .358". Shot well from a CZ-75 clone. I switched to 4.5gr. of Unique during the last powder shortage to consolidate as BD was hard to come by. Equally good results if not better with Unique. But that pound of BD need not languish on the shelf!

[gpidaho]

I too, believe Blue Dot a little slow for 9mm. It does work very well @ 8gr. in my Hi-Point 40 S&W carbine with 180gr. bullets. Gp

[Ed_Shot]

I found Blue Dot to work very well in the 9MM with cast bullets. I used it with the Lee 120TC and other cast bullets in the 147-150 gr range.IMO it does very well in the accuracy dept. at jacketed speeds. If you look at Alliant's Data you will see that BD is probably the safest powder to use in a 9MM as you run out of room in the case before you get excessive pressure. I don't think you could intentionally overload a 9MM with BD, there simply isn't room. I recommend you open that can of BD and get to loading.

+1 I save my Blue Dot for 9MM. Excellent accuracy with 358242 (120 gr), 356402, 356-125-RN. Tried other powders and found none better.

[glockfan]

i'm presently testing a ''rabbit fart''' with the lee 356120 tc .

3.3grs of VV320 under the 123grs boolit (that's the weight the lee mold drop with COWW) loaded at 1.130 coal recoil like a .22. of course it doesn't even hit 125pf.

i might use this load for the occasional IDPA match . but don't even try to extract some kind of consistent accuracy past 25m. it won't happen.

[dverna]

I purchased BD to work up loads for a 9mm carbine. The longer barrel should help get the most out of the slower burn and get higher velocities.

BD will work but it is not the best powder for 9mm pistols.

[charlie b]

go to the source

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloade...0&cartridge=23