Nocturnal Stumblebutt
03-18-2015, 09:04 AM
Just thought I'd share this since I used a powder without a lot of data and a boolit with no data.
And although I'm putting it through a Marlin Camp 9 carbine it is a 9mm round and I figured it would be more appropriate in this section.
I bought the Camp 9 for an absurdly low price at a local Sheriff's seized weapons auction. Having not owned a 9mm in a few years I had sold my molds and given my dies and such to my dad.
I took a look at NOE's available designs and picked the above. I chose the gas checked version for a few reasons:
1. The marlin micro groove rifling.
2. The potential velocity of 9mm in a 16 inch barrel
3. This gun was purchased entirely for plinking (and maybe some garden pest control) and I didn't want to invest the time into experimentation that may have been required to make a PB design shoot well through micro groove rifling, with relatively little bearing surface, at 1500 fps.
Also, I make my own gas checks and have a lot so there was no real added cost.
I am WELL aware that the gas check was a matter of convenience, not of necessity, so please keep the comments of "you don't need checks on a pistol round" to yourself.
As to powder, while I have a fairly sound reserve of powder I decided to try a newer powder that was readily available at a local shop.
I went with Longshot. (I firmly believe it is available because the bottle only lists 12 gauge loads)
The newest Hodgdon manual lists plenty of longshot loads for 9mm but they vary considerably, even for bullets of similar weight so I chose 2 loads that were right in the middle of the various loads for a 125 gr bullet. 4.8 grains and 5.2 grains. 15 rounds (one magazine) of each through the carbine showed no noticeable difference in accuracy - both had sub 1 inch groups at 25 yards, plenty accurate for my use. I would note that the 4.8 grain load was SLIGHLTY, and I mean slightly, sooty, whereas the 5.2 grain load burned clean. Which, having read a considerable amount about Longshot, suggests to me that I am in an appropriate place regarding pressure.
So I plan to load 100 or so of the 4.8 grain loads to play with this weekend and see if my results change at all. No reason to think they will but before I commit to loading 1000 or so I'd like to have some plinking time in to see if the gun starts to get filthy or smoky, etc.
And although I'm putting it through a Marlin Camp 9 carbine it is a 9mm round and I figured it would be more appropriate in this section.
I bought the Camp 9 for an absurdly low price at a local Sheriff's seized weapons auction. Having not owned a 9mm in a few years I had sold my molds and given my dies and such to my dad.
I took a look at NOE's available designs and picked the above. I chose the gas checked version for a few reasons:
1. The marlin micro groove rifling.
2. The potential velocity of 9mm in a 16 inch barrel
3. This gun was purchased entirely for plinking (and maybe some garden pest control) and I didn't want to invest the time into experimentation that may have been required to make a PB design shoot well through micro groove rifling, with relatively little bearing surface, at 1500 fps.
Also, I make my own gas checks and have a lot so there was no real added cost.
I am WELL aware that the gas check was a matter of convenience, not of necessity, so please keep the comments of "you don't need checks on a pistol round" to yourself.
As to powder, while I have a fairly sound reserve of powder I decided to try a newer powder that was readily available at a local shop.
I went with Longshot. (I firmly believe it is available because the bottle only lists 12 gauge loads)
The newest Hodgdon manual lists plenty of longshot loads for 9mm but they vary considerably, even for bullets of similar weight so I chose 2 loads that were right in the middle of the various loads for a 125 gr bullet. 4.8 grains and 5.2 grains. 15 rounds (one magazine) of each through the carbine showed no noticeable difference in accuracy - both had sub 1 inch groups at 25 yards, plenty accurate for my use. I would note that the 4.8 grain load was SLIGHLTY, and I mean slightly, sooty, whereas the 5.2 grain load burned clean. Which, having read a considerable amount about Longshot, suggests to me that I am in an appropriate place regarding pressure.
So I plan to load 100 or so of the 4.8 grain loads to play with this weekend and see if my results change at all. No reason to think they will but before I commit to loading 1000 or so I'd like to have some plinking time in to see if the gun starts to get filthy or smoky, etc.