How can I tell it's a hot load?

[dearslayer]

That weight difference is negligible so your 3.2gn load would work fine.

I was thinking as much but I wanted to hear it from someone with more experience than myself. Thanks.

[Kosh75287]

Hodgdon's lists 3.0 - 3.4/W231/147 gr. jacketed at 1.100". As it stands you're a full grain over max, and 0.045" too short. Cut to 3.0/231/143 gr. and 1.055", then work up.

ADDENDUM: If you have any brass from the 4.4/W231/143 gr. load, compare their primers to those from a factory load. If they are much flatter, or cratered, or the dividing line between the where the primer cup ends and the primer hole starts is very thin or not like with factory loads, these are all excellent indicators that you are near, just at, or well into an excessive pressure end of the spectrum and should back down quickly

[rintinglen]

If:
in the same gun;
the same boolit;
in the same brass;
with the same load;
of the same powder;
but a shorter OAL,
gives you a higher velocity, you have increased the pressure. Perhaps to a dangerous level, and it does not take a much shorter length in 9mm to achieve this.

I have personally witnessed a Model 59 (459? 5904?--been a while) blow out the bottom of the magazine and crack both grips when a fledgling hand loader decided to go ahead and shoot a cartridge that had hung up on the ramp and driven a JHP deeper into the case. The case blew out just in front of the rim--just like a Glock "Smiley", only more so. Surprisingly, the gun, other than the mag and grips, still seemed to be functional and the shooter was only stung by the explosion but not seriously injured.

After that, I became much more attentive to COAL and much less concerned with trying to squeeze the last measure of possible power from my hand loads.

[OS OK]

Why not just get the chamber lead in that barrel tapered & run normal loads that function in everything else?

[KenH]

The OP mentioned he is developing loads for plinking. Given that I'd recommend starting low and then working up until the gun functions reliably. Then stop..

That is my thinking - since it's just for plinking there's no need for highest velocity possible.

[dearslayer]

Hodgdon's lists 3.0 - 3.4/W231/147 gr. jacketed at 1.100". As it stands you're a full grain over max, and 0.045" too short. Cut to 3.0/231/143 gr. and 1.055", then work up.

ADDENDUM: If you have any brass from the 4.4/W231/143 gr. load, compare their primers to those from a factory load. If they are much flatter, or cratered, or the dividing line between the where the primer cup ends and the primer hole starts is very thin or not like with factory loads, these are all excellent indicators that you are near, just at, or well into an excessive pressure end of the spectrum and should back down quickly

I don't have any brass with the 4.4. The 3.2 gr of Win231 has been working great since I posted this thread. The gun functions great and the load seems to be very accurate. The guys I shoot with have even joked that I must be practicing. I ran out of the 143 grain flat nose bullets that I cast but I still have several hundred of the hollow point 138 grain that were dropped from the same mold. I figured the five grain difference wouldn't really be enough to have to adjust the charge. I'll load up 10 with 3.2 and see how it shoots.

[gwpercle]

Signs of a "Hot" load :
1.) Hard extraction ... a range rod is needed to knock out the fired case , with a semi-auto the extractor may get damaged or rip the rim off the case but leave case stuck in chamber .
2.) New primers keep falling out the pockets ... expanded primer pockets are a sign you need to drop back on charge and trash those cases .
Gary

[charlie b]

...2.) New primers keep falling out the pockets ... expanded primer pockets are a sign you need to drop back on charge and trash those cases .
Gary

Depends. It does mean you need to trash the cases. May not mean the load is too hot. .223 cases are famous for expanding primer pockets after 4 or 5 reloads, even at a bit less than max. I finally bought Lapua brass so I could reload them more than 10 times at max loads.

[Barry54]

Well I've been using 3.2 for this load since my last post and it's been very good. Now for my next question... A hollow point bullet dropped from the same mold is about five grains difference in weight. Should I adjust my powder charge accordingly or will five grains lighter make a big difference? The hollow points are 138 grains and the solid flat tops that I've been using are 143 grains.

Richard Lee says it’s okay to use a LIGHTER bullet of the same type. So substituting the lighter lead hollow point would be permissible.

Don’t interchange lead bullet data and jacked bullet data. And especially don’t interchange solid bullet data such as Barnes or Lehigh bullets.

[dearslayer]

Richard Lee says it’s okay to use a LIGHTER bullet of the same type. So substituting the lighter lead hollow point would be permissible.

Don’t interchange lead bullet data and jacked bullet data. And especially don’t interchange solid bullet data such as Barnes or Lehigh bullets.

I loaded up about dozen rounds with the same charge of 3.2 and will try them out tomorrow night.