Consistently inconsistent 9mm load results...

[JBinMN]

I have seen "baseline"( a "benchmark") to work from, suggested 3 times in the now 21 posts before this one. Tazman, Dverna & me, each mentioned it. Doing so removes any doubts you may have with any reloads you have tried & likely is how Glock was expecting the firearm to be used. If the firearm behaves the same, or near same as the reloads you have tried, you can discount that the reloads have any major effect( from reloads possible) on the accuracy & work on other variables like you mentioned, Trigger control & finger placement, vision, stance , etc..

I'm not knocking anyone else advice/suggestions. Just trying to help get you to possibly eliminate one factor/variable, so you can then focus on others. If you are going to continue to use the same reloads, but the issue is one of the other factors/variables, how easy is it going to be to establish a "baseline" with those?

I.D.-ing the easiest to check , least expensive & one having a single common effect on your accuracy is just what is laving the firearm & going down range. If you can establish that it is the reloads, and the groups tighten up with factory to meet your expectation, then you do not have to consider the other factors/variables so much, since the groups tightened up with factory, now you need to work on the reloads to get them to give you factory performance.

If using factory as a baseline using the same other factors/variables as before, and you still get less than desired accuracy, then you can mostly eliminate you reloads as much of an issue & begin to look at the other factors/variables, like trigger control/finger position , eyesight/ sights, sight picture/alignment, etc..
But at least you would now know it is NOT the factory or reloads causing most of your accuracy issues...Or, at least to a lesser degree than the unknown before getting a baseline on the type of rounds fired...

Just mentioning that since it a is new/fairly new pistol, it may be just fine mechanically, and firing off a box or two, or more of factory jacketed rounds, (at or very near your "targeted" cast boolit grain weight), either off a sandbag or two/bench, or at least the most stable platform you can come up with & shooting for accuracy with those factory ( same lot#) rounds, will at least establish if you need to look at other things.

I will shut up now, since I feel as though I am repeating myself. I do know if it was "me", I would be shooting those factory rounds as a K.I.S.S. way of "knowing" that I need or do not need to look at other things for either being the whole, or part of the issue. Eliminating one of the simple things first.

Heck, I may just delete this post, but I am gonna think on it. I don't know if I am getting my thoughts into words well enough, and I may be waiting my time.


G'Luck! regardless! Go shoot!

[Groo]

Groo here
9mm is famious for case thickness variations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#1 sort brass, #2 set bullet size to brass.[thicker brass smaller bullet]
You are having problems with bullet pull and case length.
Try this ,,, Pull barrel,,sort brass,,, seat bullet long,,, drop into barrel,, seat bullet shorter until case is even with barrel hood.[extention at chamber end of barrel]
this will seat all shells to the same head space and help with speed variations.
Old 45 match shooters trick.

[Idaho45guy]

I have seen "baseline"( a "benchmark") to work from, suggested 3 times in the now 21 posts before this one. Tazman, Dverna & me, each mentioned it.

I will shut up now, since I feel as though I am repeating myself. I do know if it was "me", I would be shooting those factory rounds as a K.I.S.S. way of "knowing" that I need or do not need to look at other things for either being the whole, or part of the issue. Eliminating one of the simple things first.

Heck, I may just delete this post, but I am gonna think on it. I don't know if I am getting my thoughts into words well enough, and I may be waiting my time.


G'Luck! regardless! Go shoot!

Yeah, you suggested that yesterday and I agreed that I would do that, as well as start sorting brass for reloads. But, I work. In fact, I work 12hr shifts and for the next four days, will be working those 12hr shifts and don't have time to drive to the range.

I'm not discounting anyone's advice and in fact have found it be very helpful. But I'm not retired and work long hours and getting to the range is not a priority.

[JBinMN]

Yeah, you suggested that yesterday and I agreed that I would do that, as well as start sorting brass for reloads. But, I work. In fact, I work 12hr shifts and for the next four days, will be working those 12hr shifts and don't have time to drive to the range.

I'm not discounting anyone's advice and in fact have found it be very helpful. But I'm not retired and work long hours and getting to the range is not a priority.

I apologize if I gave you the wrong impression. I think you must have misunderstood what I was trying to say. I was only trying to once again reiterate that the old,KISS adage of trying to do the baseline first before following everyone of the other suggestions, which are all great ones, but I was concerned that all of the suggestions may be overwhelming, as well as since you mentioned shooting matches in the OP, I thought maybe this might be a priority for you to figure something out quickly before the next match.

I certainly understand about working long hours, plus running my own business for many years sometimes you work even longer than everybody else does just to keep the wheels rolling.

So, do what you can when you can and I hope you figure things out.


G’Luck!

[Petrol & Powder]

The advice to get a good baseline is solid advice.
I also think the OP may be setting the bar a little high for that particular pistol. The 9mm is capable of outstanding accuracy but there are limits. A Glock Model 19 is a fine combat pistol (one of my favorites) but it is optimized as a combat pistol. That doesn't mean it is incapable of decent accuracy but it does mean that it's not a target pistol.

[Idaho45guy]

Picked up a new powder tonight to try. Power Pistol from Alliant. Heard good things about it. Will get some new loads created tonight from matching brass and then go to the range tomorrow before my shift to shoot a couple boxes of factory stuff to set a baseline, then try the new recipes with the sorted brass.

I have a match on Saturday, so hopefully will have time to crank out at least 50 rounds of accurate reloads.

[tazman]

I have heard good things about Power Pistol as well though I have not tried any yet.
I am looking forward to your report.

[megasupermagnum]

Good luck with that power pistol, it's a consistent poor performer for me to where it may as well get dumped out. I tried to pawn if off on a friend who (loading 9mm) also found it poor. Great if you like flash and boom, bad if you like accuracy. CFE pistol, 800x, or Unique are better ways to go.

[Idaho45guy]

Good luck with that power pistol, it's a consistent poor performer for me to where it may as well get dumped out. I tried to pawn if off on a friend who (loading 9mm) also found it poor. Great if you like flash and boom, bad if you like accuracy. CFE pistol, 800x, or Unique are better ways to go.

Yours is the first negative feedback I've seen on it.

[megasupermagnum]

I know, it's a running joke between my buddy and I. We didn't just try it once and give up. He loads jacketed bullets almost exclusively, and tried it in 9mm, 10mm, 45 acp, and 357 mag at a minimum. I load cast bullets almost exclusively, and tried it in 327 federal, 45 acp, 357 mag, 41 mag, and 44 mag. I'm sure I'm forgetting some. Some, maybe most powders provide so-so accuracy, and once in a while you find a gem that shoots great. Power pistol is consistently the worst accuracy of any powder I've tried, and some times you find one that is comically bad.

This is only two guys' experience, but I find it funny that it is so universally heralded as a good accuracy powder. It probably shoots just fine offhand at 7 yards as so many seem to do, but bench shooting at 25 or 50 yards, it is not good. Note that you will never find a picture of a group even claimed to be shot with power pistol.

Also, it could be a difference in what we call "accuracy". For me, I need multiple 5 shot groups, and I test at 50 yards. From a semi-auto, 4" is my benchmark, for a revolver 3" is good, but I am trying to cut that down more.

[Idaho45guy]

Good news and bad news... Good news is that Power Pistol delivered some excellent groups, bad news is that it has the most "shock and awe" of any powder I've tried. Shooting mild 9mm loads with Power Pistol is like shooting medium .40 S&W loads.

The other good/bad news is that I found a factory load that is nearly as accurate as the Power Pistol loads with much reduced recoil and blast. It was $8 a box of 50 at WalMart if I recall correctly. Bad news is that reloading 9mm now makes very little sense. I shot four groups of five of the Federal Brass 9mm 115gr RN and everyone was acceptable.

Shot four groups of five of Remington UMC 115gr RN and they were consistently larger.

I started testing at a shorter distance of 20yds to eliminate any of my vision issues and the groups got a little smaller. Will be going back to 25yds next trip now that I know what works.

My most accurate reload was using 115gr XTPs and 5.5gr of Power Pistol...

Attachment 234627

But it wasn't much better than the Federal cheapo stuff...

Attachment 234628

[Petrol & Powder]

You may be setting the bar a little high.

The pistol is clearly capable of good groups at 25 yards (75 feet) with factory ammo as your groups prove. Your only decision is do you want to buy factory ammo that your pistol likes or do you want to spend the time to reload and make comparable ammo?

A good compromise may be to buy a case of the ammo that shoots well and save the brass from that lot for reloading. You'll get consistent, once-fired brass, all from the same manufacturer. After you shoot that for a while you can decide if it's economically viable to reload or if you're better off with cheap factory ammo.

[Petrol & Powder]

And by the way, 1" groups at 25 yards from a combat pistol with a 4" barrel is pretty GOOD !

[tazman]

My experience with the Federal 115 fmj factory loads mirrors yours. Excellent accuracy.
Also the price is great.
If you don't load cast boolits for 9mm, reloading doesn't save you much money. By the time you factor in your time, buying new is at least break even compared to reloading.
Excellent groups, by the way. Good shooting.

[Sig556r]

My experience with the Federal 115 fmj factory loads mirrors yours. Excellent accuracy.
Also the price is great.
If you don't load cast boolits for 9mm, reloading doesn't save you much money. By the time you factor in your time, buying new is at least break even compared to reloading.
Excellent groups, by the way. Good shooting.

Agree...seen brass-cased East-Euro 115g fmjs on clearance for like $6.99/box of 50...that's less than 13c ea!
I still load heavy subs though, >158g, those are still worth reloading.

[megasupermagnum]

Very nice. That is the first legitimate good Power Pistol group I have seen. Shock and Awe is about right.