Testing my first rounds tomorrow, what to look for....

[SheepDogAlpha]

Hello everyone! It has been a while. I have been absent starting a new career and my partner in crime moved to a new place so we have been getting the new shop setup. We have finally been able to clear some time to go test our rounds we loaded a while back to decide on what kind of load we would like in our 9mm rounds. With that said its good to be back! Now on to the question...

I know some basic things to look for... smoke size, tumbling, leading, ect. I am curious more as to specifics we should be paying attention to in order to identify problems with the loads. I would love a little visual description to go along with the event. For example, I know what leading is, but I don't know exactly what it looks like. Either way, here is a rough description of the rounds we loaded.

Projectile - 124gr RN
Powders - Power Pistol and Bullseye - Varying loads based on min/max data from various sources.
Lube - Blue Angel

I believe we will be using a well traveled Taurus 24/7... shoots great but its more of a kick around gun in case of catastrophic failure (fingers crossed)

Thank you all in advance!

[MtGun44]

Accurate shooting, good group and no leading is the goal.

Read the sticky on "Setting up a new 9mm for boolits", might save you some time.

Bill

[SheepDogAlpha]

Sounds good. I couldn't find a sticky.

[SheepDogAlpha]

I appreciate the sticky bill. There are some great tips to look out for in the future. We will definitely be inspecting the casings after the testing is over. Barrels have been slugged and bhn's recorded. I just want to make sure we are seeing any majors red flags as far as flight and projection are concerned.

[Shiloh]

The hardest caliber so far for me to get running was the 9mm. Patience and persistence have paid off. What are you sizing them at??
The RN 9mm boolit, a LEE mold, will consistently keep them in the black at 50' when I do my part. From a rest, all day long. Mine are sized at .358.

Shiloh

[dverna]

Accuracy is a necessity and no leading. You also want a load that cycles and does give FTF's. Sometimes it is as simple as varying seating depth to address a FTF issue and other times it will require a different bullet nose profile or feed ramp tuning.