Loading Cast For The S&W Shield

[alamogunr]

I started posting and asking questions in another thread but got away from the primary subject of the thread and thought it best to start a new thread. I am wanting to load practice loads for the 9mm S&W Shield using Red Dot and the Lee 105 gr SWC.

I loaded 16 rounds w/4.0 gr of Red Dot under the Lee 105 gr SWC. It does compress the powder a little. When I saw that, I checked the scale with check wts and every thing was spot on. Is some compression to be expected?

BTW, I checked every round in the Shield barrel for chambering. Also checked the OAL which came in at 1.005. Seems a little short. Hopefully, it won't raise pressure too much. Nobody outside of this board recommends this boolit in 9mm but I would like to use it.

My next move is to check it out in both the Shield and a full size 9mm handgun, probably a Sig 228 or a P6. I'm hoping that the chronograph won't show too high a velocity indicating high pressure. I'm hoping this load will work for practice and plinking in the Shield since I plan to give the gun to son and daughter-in-law. I don't want to give them anything iffy.

[bedbugbilly]

I have that mold/boolit but have never used it in my Shield.

Before you load too many up, I'd check to see if it is going to cycle in your Shield. Normally, I use the Lyman 358-242 120 ish grain RN. As you know, the recoil spring on a Shield is pretty stiff. As an example, I had a Ruger SR9 and it cycled well with my 120 gr. boolit over 3.7 grains of Bulls Eye. BUT, I had to up the charge to get it to work in my Shield - the 3.5 wouldn't cycle my Shield.

Just my thoughts and no substance behind it - I'm wondering if with that light boolit and your charge if your Shield will cycle? The only way is to try it and see. I can't speak to the compressed RD load. I use RD, but mainly in my 8mm, 30-30, 45 Colt and 38 and all of them have plenty of room so no compression of powder.

Someone will come along that will have the answer - I hope you'll post your findings on how it works in your Shield and if you Shiled cycles OK with that boolit/load.

Good luck!

[alamogunr]

Thanks BBB! Ive actually only loaded 14. Six in the Shield mag and 8 in the Sig 228 mag. I didn't think about not cycling but the recoil spring is very stiff in the Shield. If I can I will try it this afternoon. If not, next week.

[alamogunr]

Well! They all cycled thru both guns. I didn't have time to set up a chronograph, just fired into the berm. The ejected brass cleared well with the Shield. A little less so with the 228, I guess because the slide is heavier. One round failed to feed properly. It was the first round from the magazine. Probably because it was all the way back in the magazine and had further to go to chamber. I may decide to use another boolit, maybe the MiHec 359-135 FP Solid. I'm not real happy with the short OAL of this load

[Beef15]

My Shield seems to like the NOE 358133RN pushed by 3.5gr of Bullseye, I think OAL was 1.13.

Sent from my SM-G360V using Tapatalk