I am constantly tinkering with different bullets, BHNs, coatings/lubes, powders, etc. in 9mm to see if I can find combos that I really like. I have noticed that my best success comes with pistol powders that burn slower, rather than popular choices like Bullseye, and my best accuracy regardless of powder seems to be achieved just barely north of 1000 FPS. I rarely if ever shoot further out than 25 yards with this handgun.
To that end, I'm considering trying AA#5, as it burns even slower than my current favorite, W231/HP38. This is out of my M&P 9 stock, so a 4" barrel. Published load data indicates a load of 4.7 to 5.4 grains for a 124gr lead bullet, which is a bit more by weight than I've ever used with W231, Bullseye, or AA#2.
My understanding is that if the powder burn rate is too slow for the intended use, you can run out of barrel before the powder is done burning. This leads to inconsistent burn, slower than expected FPS, and a dirty gun (but also awesome fireballs--gotta look for those silver linings).
Think I could get a full burn with 4.7 to 5.4 grains of AA#5, or is it too slow for good use in a 4" 9mm barrel? Looking at the load data, I think I'm inclined to aim for the hotter end of that spectrum, as it will get me closer to the 1050 or so FPS my gun seems to like.
|
   
   
|
|
Reply With Quote
