124grain RN in a 9mm carbine - light load data?

[ejjuls]

Hey all,

First off I have mountains of load data for 9mm, that said - I am looking for some recomendations.

I have a Hi-Point 995 carbine in 9mm. This gun is a hoot to shoot and mighty accurate too. I am casting a 124grain Lee RN bullet from WW metal and have worked up a stiff load for the carbine that performs awesome. Now I am trying to figure out a nice light load. Same bullet but with a lot less blast and noise.

The load will primarily be used for plinking and an occasional pest that bothers the chickens and other critters at ranges of less than 50 yds.

Has anyone played around with light loads for the 9mm with 124 grain pills?
How light can one safely go before there is worry about lodging the projectile in the barrel?

Any thoughts of suggestions on powders and ranges of charges would be appreciated.

Thanks
Eric

[abunaitoo]

What load do you use now????
I'm looking for a load for a 9mm largo in a carbine. Also have a Marlin Camp 9 I might try your load for.
I know the Largo case is longer, but I can't find any date for cast bullet loads for it.

[ejjuls]

abunaitoo,

I have a Largo pistol as well. Love it! Reliable and hard hitting.
The load I run it it now is as follows (Largo mind you):
115 Grain Hornady XTP, Starline cases, CCI sm pistol primer and Unique @ 6.2grains or HS-6 @ 8.8 grains MAX.

If you look in the Sierra Vol 5 manual there is some Largo data with Jacketed bullets. When I load PB in place of jacketed I start at the min and slowly work up as long as the bullet weights are the same or heavier (heavier Jacketed data to a lighter PB)

I have found with the Largo that 38Super data works "OK" if you stay on the light side and don't push it. I try to stay away from the slower powders and the fast powders and work with the medium speed pistol powders and don't try to hot rod the Largo. I have been told that it can take it and such but I am not a fan of wrecking my nice pistol - plinking loads are what I am after with it not hunting loads. The HS-6 data I listed above is as stout as I care to go in my pistol. The Unique charge listed is a lot milder and easier to manage for plinking or small game work. I haven't run any of my PB projectiles in it yet but I will adapt the load to be relatively mild using some 38 Super Data.

Hope this helps!?
Eric

[45nut]

Eric,,
5.5 grs of Unique was my go to load for the 9x19. That was with the heathen jacketed stuff but should do nicely for cast, should even gain a few fps. It's a economical enough load anyway....

What kinda largo you have? I bought a Star Super pistol that was a Largo,,even got some largo ammo but bought a replacement 9x19 barrel for it that is nicely accurate.

I have a older Colt 38 super here too, but haven't loaded a round for it yet. Dies and some empty brass is here now though. It also has a newer barrel so it headspaces on the case mouth now.

[felix]

38Super has a small rim? ... felix

[ejjuls]

Forgot to add:

The heavy load I run in my Hi-point now is as follows:

Military cases, CCI sm pistol primers, and the Lee 124 grain RN (not the TL one).
Slug is sized at 0.356 with FWWB lube.
Unique @ 5.3 grains or Blue Dot @ 7.0 grains.
I find I like the Unique load better for accuracy (just slightly) but the Blue Dot load is still accurate enough (3" 10 shot groups at 100yds with a red dot sight) I get a slight sign of pressure on the case head with the Blue Dot load when using commercial cases (slight bolt face marks on one or two cases now an again). I have mountains of mil cases so I primarily use these. The Chrono shows the Unique load @ about 1175fps and the Blue Dot load @ about 1280 fps from my carbine. Definitely warm loads in my book - these aren't my plinking rounds that I run on a regular basis; I use these for my "Just in case I need'em ammo".
For general plinking I really like a moderate charge of Unique with a lee 0.5cc dipper or a weighed/thrown charge of 4.6-4.8grains. Velocity with my plinking loads runs about 1125 or so - don't remeber off hand and I can't find where I wrote it down.

I really like this bullet for the reliable feeding (My carbine hasn't jammed or malfunctioned with anything I have fed it yet - knock on wood). I also run this load (plinking) in my 9mm pistol and the pistol prefers the RN design over the TC, or RNFP designs. I want to experiment with the HP option from Lyman to see what it can do for small game and pests but I haven't got around to ordering a mold yet. My guess is that from the carbine it will perform quite well. The RN's PB slugs I use now penetrate quite effectively. Informal testing shows the penetration to be better than a jacketed HP and the bullet rarely deforms into a mushroom unless something very hard is encountered. For effective mushrooming I would need to switch designs or work with finding a suitable load with a lot softer alloy I think.

Anywho, These are the loads I have played with so far. I recently bought some Clays that I am going to try. As of now the only powders I have tried with the PB slug and this carbine are the Unique and the Blue Dot. I've only had this carbine for a few months!!! - lots more experimenting to try!
Hope this helps
Eric

[ejjuls]

The Largo I have is a Star Model "O" Super.
I have a drop in bbl for it so I can switch to 9mm Luger too.
I find that a full mag of Luger's tend to cause a feeding jam now and again.
The stack in the mag tends to tip forward and the 5th shot jams.
I have tried to find a spare mag for mine but haven't found one yet - if I could find several mags I would modify 2 of them so I can have a full magazine of 9mm Lugers that would feed reliably.

I honestly prefer the Largo in the pistol over the Luger. This pistol has performed quite admirably for me in defense against nasty dogs and other smaller creatures. The surplus ammo I bought for it shortly after I bought it was hit and miss. Some would fire, some wouldn't. Hot ammo though! I have no doubt that the Spanish pushed the limits with this stuff I had! Wow, it would bark and jumo with a big muzzle flash - penetrate like no tomorrow. Very corrosive too! I didn't have a chrono at that time to clock the speed of the FMJ slug but I have no doubt is was boogying right along.

I have used up the last of my jacketed ammo I have on hand and I am working now on PB loads for this pistol. Not looking to duplicate the mil sup stuff - just nice reliable moderate pest/plinking load. I like the gun so much that I don't want to wear it out running hot ammo through it all the time. Not to mention I prefer a nice plinking load anyway over a heavy load.

It's a fun pistol and always has performed when I needed it. I really should buy a couple more of them when they are advertised in the SG news again.
Eric

[cohutt]

my data-

i got much higher fps btw.......

In s/a IMI Uzi B, same bullet, same alloy roughly
5.3 Unique gets 1405 fps (1.1 oal)
4.4 gets 1271

5.1 gets 1247 with 124 jacketed Zero

[abunaitoo]

All I have in 9mm Largo is my Destroyer carbine.
I've been using 115 jacketed with 5.3 of Unique. About 5" at 50yds. I think it could do better with cast bullets.
I have a Marlin Camp 9 in 9mm Luger. I've only shot jacketed in it. 124 to 147. Not to good. 5" to 7" at 50yds.

[frugal]

I have been loading the 995 with 3.4 unique using 356402, casts at .3575 w/ ww, sized in a .358 die just to lube. Will give groups the size of a quarter from a bench rest at 30 yards. functions perfectly. Similar results using 7125, dont have the exact load handy, but its much cleaner than unique. This is a 125 grainer. I have never shot a jacketed load though the carbine, although I was told to break in the barrel with at least a box of jacketed slugs. very quiet for shooting in a settled area.

[Leftoverdj]

Lodging a bullet is unlikely in a blowback. You are going to encounter failure to function long before velocity is low enough for lodge a bullet. The minimum load to function blowbacks varies a LOT. All I can tell you is to start at book starting and work up or down as needed.

I use .38 Automatic data loading for my Star in 9mm, not .38 Super. Lee #2 has it.


The two Destroyer carbines I had got fed .358 diameter cast, but I did not hang onto either long enough to work up a real accuracy load, and my eyes no longer deal well with iron sights which is why they went.

[ejjuls]

Thanks guys for the thoughts.
I was hoping to gravitate away from Unique a little bit in this 9mm due to the charge drop varying out of my RCBS dispenser. It's an old one and I haven't got around to getting the little one for pistol charges. In my case I am hoping to basically get a round as quiet as possible and still be accurate to about 50yds. If the carbine fails to function and it turns in to a single shot then so be it. For my purposes that won't be so bad.

I am starting my two daughters on the 995 as well. These reduced loads if you want to call it that, will be used for them as well. They like their .22's but are ready to try something a little bigger and I want the experience to be as pleasant for them as possible.

Due to the reliability of Unique I may just stick with it - I have heard Clays is pretty darn close to Unique in performance but easier to meter. Thus I picked up a pound to try.

Well - I will start some experimenting then and if I get some decent results I will post them here along with the pics of the target.

Thanks everyone!
Eric

[Blammer]

I used to shoot a LOT of 9mm 120 gr lead flat points with 5 gr of unique.

[eveready]

Eric,
If you check your Shotgun News Sarco in Sterling New Jersey has magazines for your Star Super. They are also selling the pistols at a decent price.