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Thread: 9mm using 124-125 gr bullet

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
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    9mm using 124-125 gr bullet

    I just got a LW Comander in 9mm. I load 147 gr Gold Dot for the full size 1911 but am loading lead 124 gr for the Comander. I have to order some powder so would like some input on good to best powder to use in the Comander with the 124 gr RNFP bullet. I am buying the bullets till I can decide on a mold design.

  2. #2
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    I'm not sure powder is so specialized from one pistol to the next... I've used the same load in all my 9mms interchangeably... What shoots good in one generally shoots well in the others. My go to is 4.5gr of Unique under the MP 359-125-RN right now... But 4.0gr of Red Dot is also a nice load. I load these out to 1.100" and they function just like normal 115gr ball ammo. Though Alliant powder might be hard to find these days. You might look at Ramshot Silhouette, or True Blue. Both of those are nice powders for 9mm.
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  3. #3
    Boolit Master ACC's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by warren5421 View Post
    I just got a LW Comander in 9mm. I load 147 gr Gold Dot for the full size 1911 but am loading lead 124 gr for the Comander. I have to order some powder so would like some input on good to best powder to use in the Comander with the 124 gr RNFP bullet. I am buying the bullets till I can decide on a mold design.
    I load my 9mm with 125 grain cast bullets with HP38 or it's twin W231. A middle of the road load is pleasant to shoot.

    ACC

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by ACC View Post
    I load my 9mm with 125 grain cast bullets with HP38 or it's twin W231. A middle of the road load is pleasant to shoot.

    ACC
    Yep-- and also Titegroup.
    Hick: Iron sights!

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    The same bullets can be used both guns and most powders that work with 147 grain bullets will work with 124 grain bullets. What powders are you currently using? A lot of fast to medium burn rate pistol powders will work.

  6. #6
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    My Pet loads are with a 124 Gr. Truncated Cone NOE 358-124-TC GC .
    I have been working up loads with the following powders :
    700X
    Bullseye
    Red Dot
    Accurate Arms #2
    231/hp38
    TiteGroup
    Power Pistol
    Unique
    Accurate Arms #5

    Every one of the above powders work well ... I use what powder I can find , I guess my favorite's are Unique and TiteGroup but they can all work well with a little load development .
    Load Safe ,
    Gary
    Last edited by gwpercle; 11-10-2024 at 06:13 PM. Reason: forgot Power Pistol ... added to powder list
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  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    What Gary said:

    "Every one of the above powders work well ... I use what powder I can find , I guess my favorite's are Unique and TiteGroup but they can all work well with a little load development .
    Load Safe ,
    Gary"

    I get outstanding results with Blue Dot and WSF.
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  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    In general, there are advantages to using a faster burning powder for cast bullets.

    Cast produces lower pressure for the same velocity/recoil/function. Relatively faster powder would burn cleaner, give lower velocity spread, and be more economical. And will still keep pressures below SAAMI max.

    Of course this is relative. You might be using a fast powder with your Gold Dots, already.

    On the flipside, too fast and you might get too much pressure (still below SAAMI, but enough to "blow the seal" on cast bullets before you get them going as fast as you want).

    Be sure to read the sticky about case-swaging and the benefits of using a larger aftermarket expander when loading cast in 9mm, specifically!

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    Here is the thread that Gloob is referring to:

    https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...s-in-a-new-9mm

    I use several flake powders in various applications, but for smaller cases you might consider the use of a ball powder for potentially better metering of the load. Also, whatever powder is generally available at a decent price in your area. It is always a good idea to select a powder that works well in more than one caliber to avoid buying single pound cans, when a 4 or 8 pound can with several applications will save money over time. Dusty

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    I use TiteGroup, but I have used HP38. Both work very well for MOST 'everyday' loads.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master oldhenry's Avatar
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    I came late to the 9mm. Mine is a SR1911 compact (3.6" bbl.). I started with the Lee 124 gr. & HP38 (same as win.231). The Lee 124 worked OK.

    On a whim I ordered a MP130 (mainly for the 8 cavities). They drop around 135 with my alloy & my SR1911 loves them sized to .357. My son & his shooting buddy shoot nothing but that MP130 (135). We ordered another (still new in MP box). It is identical to the 1st., but marked MP135. We bought it in the event the original ever wears out.

    My SR1911 was throated from the factory. but my son's FN & his shooting buddy's guns (he has several 9's) digest the MP130 (135?) with no problems.

    We use only HP38 (Win.231).

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master

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    For those who haven't tried Accurate Arms powder #2 and #5 ... they are almost a ball powder , much easier to dispense than the "flakey" powders like my favorites Bullseye and Unique .
    AA #2 works very well in the 9mm and ... although I haven't tested AA #5 very much in the 9mm Luger ... it may be as good as Unique ... with cast 124 TC GC at +1000 fps ... still developing this one ...
    But ...it sure meters and dips much easier Unique !
    If you haven't tried them ... grab a bottle if you can !
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  13. #13
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    I just finished testing W231, Unique, Universal and Power Pistol with 124-125gr coated and plated bullets. For me at least Power Pistol was by far the best for mid to full power loads. I don’t pay much attention to pistol load accuracy as for defensive practice pretty much any reasonable load is adequate. But the Power Pistol loads were consistently very noticeable like lasers.

    The velocities in the Sierra #6 manual for a 4” barrel are exactly what I get out of my G17 4.5” barrel. I settled on a below max load of 5.4gr according to that manual for 1,150fps which is close to most factory ammo. All around great load. It behaved well down to 5.0 gr but I would switch to a faster powder at that point. Fills the case about 2/3 so a double charge will spill over.

  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy Wild Bill 7's Avatar
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    3.7 Green Dot works for me.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by gwpercle View Post
    My Pet loads are with a 124 Gr. Truncated Cone NOE 358-124-TC GC .
    I have been working up loads with the following powders :
    700X
    Bullseye
    Red Dot
    Accurate Arms #2
    231/hp38
    TiteGroup
    Power Pistol
    Unique
    Accurate Arms #5

    Every one of the above powders work well ... I use what powder I can find , I guess my favorite's are Unique and TiteGroup but they can all work well with a little load development .
    Load Safe ,
    Gary
    I use True Blue and Silhouette with that boolit.
    I could be wrong - it happens at least daily.

  16. #16
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    I tend to use faster powders than most just to keep the cost per round lower.

    If you are a more typical shooter, there are a lot of powders that give good performance with "medium" sized powder charges.

    Here is a constant pressure Quickload table sorted by lowest charges on top. Unobtainium powders (such as Alliant flakes) were removed.

    Code:
    Cartridge          : 9 mm Luger (SAAMI)
    Bullet             : .355, 125, Sierra FMJ RN 8120
    Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 1.100 inch = 27.94 mm
    Barrel Length      : 4.0 inch = 101.6 mm
    
    C A U T I O N : any load listed can result in a powder charge that falls below minimum suggested
    loads or exceeds maximum suggested loads as presented in current handloading manuals. Understand
    that all of the listed powders can be unsuitable for the given combination of cartridge, bullet
    and gun. Actual load order can vary, depending upon lot-to-lot powder and component variations.
    USE ONLY FOR COMPARISON !
    
    Powder type          Filling/Loading Ratio  Charge    Charge   Vel. Prop.Burnt P max  P muzz  B_Time
                                          %     Grains    Gramm   fps     %       psi     psi    ms
    ---------------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Ramshot Zip                         70.6      4.3     0.28    1057   100.0    30625    3785   0.457  ! Near Maximum !
    Winchester 231                      78.6      4.3     0.28    1057   100.0    30625    3785   0.457  ! Near Maximum !
    Accurate No.2                       90.1      4.4     0.28    1051    95.3    30625    4066   0.454  ! Near Maximum !
    Vihtavuori N330                     95.3      4.5     0.29    1093   100.0    30625    4103   0.450  ! Near Maximum !
    Shooters World Ultimate Pistol      63.4      4.6     0.29    1099    98.9    30625    4565   0.454  ! Near Maximum !
    Vihtavuori N340                     98.6      4.8     0.31    1084    98.1    30625    4356   0.453  ! Near Maximum !
    Ramshot Silhouette                  82.8      5.2     0.34    1099    96.1    30625    4658   0.449  ! Near Maximum !
    Vihtavuori N350                    105.0      5.6     0.36    1097    91.6    29810    4790   0.450  ! Near Maximum !
    Accurate No.5                       75.7      5.7     0.37    1105    86.4    30625    4990   0.447  ! Near Maximum !
    Shooters World Auto Pistol          75.7      5.7     0.37    1105    86.4    30625    4991   0.447  ! Near Maximum !
    Ramshot True Blue                   77.2      5.7     0.37    1095    91.2    30625    4740   0.450  ! Near Maximum !
    Alliant POWER PISTOL               100.9      5.8     0.38    1137    83.0    30625    5537   0.443  ! Near Maximum !
    Vihtavuori 3N37                    102.6      5.8     0.37    1114    91.7    30625    4977   0.446  ! Near Maximum !
    Hodgdon Longshot                    78.8      5.8     0.37    1101    91.2    30625    4819   0.449  ! Near Maximum !
    A different way of choosing a powder is to decide that a specific velocity is good enough, and see how much powder it takes to get this performance. For me, around 1050 fps would be close enough to "full power". Here is a table showing how various powders compare at this performance level.

    Code:
    Cartridge          : 9 mm Luger (SAAMI)
    Bullet             : .355, 125, Sierra FMJ RN 8120
    Useable Case Capaci: 7.897 grain H2O = 0.513 cm³
    Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 1.100 inch = 27.94 mm
    Barrel Length      : 4.0 inch = 101.6 mm
    
    C A U T I O N : any load listed can result in a powder charge that falls below minimum suggested
    loads or exceeds maximum suggested loads as presented in current handloading manuals. Understand
    that all of the listed powders can be unsuitable for the given combination of cartridge, bullet
    and gun. Actual load order can vary, depending upon lot-to-lot powder and component variations.
    USE ONLY FOR COMPARISON !
    Powder type          Filling/Loading Ratio  Charge    Charge   Vel. Prop.Burnt P max  P muzz  B_Time
                                          %     Grains    Gramm   fps     %       psi     psi    ms
    ---------------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Accurate Nitro 100                  94.1      3.6     0.23    1050   100.0    32037    3549   0.452  ! Near Maximum !									
    Shooters World Clean Shot           76.1      3.9     0.25    1050    99.9    32011    3711   0.448  ! Near Maximum !									
    Vihtavuori N320                     92.0      3.9     0.25    1050   100.0    31119    3492   0.458  ! Near Maximum !									
    Hodgdon TiteGroup                   67.2      4.0     0.26    1050   100.0    34170    3353   0.444  ! Near Maximum !									
    Accurate No.2                       90.1      4.3     0.28    1050    95.3    30597    4063   0.455  ! Near Maximum !									
    Shooters World Ultimate Pistol      59.9      4.3     0.28    1050    97.9    27020    4329   0.482									
    Winchester 231                      77.9      4.3     0.28    1050   100.0    30038    3760   0.462  ! Near Maximum !									
    Ramshot Zip                         70.0      4.3     0.28    1050   100.0    30038    3760   0.462  ! Near Maximum !									
    Vihtavuori N330                     90.5      4.3     0.28    1050   100.0    27068    3964   0.476									
    Vihtavuori N340                     95.0      4.6     0.30    1050    97.2    28025    4203   0.472									
    Ramshot Silhouette                  78.6      5.0     0.32    1050    94.6    27151    4402   0.475									
    Vihtavuori N350                    100.2      5.3     0.34    1050    89.6    26375    4521   0.476									
    Accurate No.5                       71.7      5.4     0.35    1050    83.9    26776    4637   0.477									
    Shooters World Auto Pistol          71.7      5.4     0.35    1050    83.9    26772    4637   0.477									
    Ramshot True Blue                   73.8      5.5     0.35    1050    89.4    27351    4481   0.474									
    Hodgdon Longshot                    74.9      5.5     0.36    1050    89.1    26971    4525   0.477
    Last edited by P Flados; 11-12-2024 at 12:44 AM.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    I load the Lee 358-125-RF with 5.0+ grains of Herco.
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  18. #18
    Boolit Master schutzen-jager's Avatar
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    been using 4.5 grains of red dot under a 125grain hard cast rn lubed with liquid alox in my luger + all my other 0X19's for many decades with no problems -
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  19. #19
    Boolit Master 243winxb's Avatar
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    HS-6 for 147 gr 9mm Luger.
    https://www.thehighroad.org/index.ph...9mm-luger.317/

    Accuracy all comes down to the gun.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master ACC's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gwpercle View Post
    For those who haven't tried Accurate Arms powder #2 and #5 ... they are almost a ball powder , much easier to dispense than the "flakey" powders like my favorites Bullseye and Unique .
    AA #2 works very well in the 9mm and ... although I haven't tested AA #5 very much in the 9mm Luger ... it may be as good as Unique ... with cast 124 TC GC at +1000 fps ... still developing this one ...
    But ...it sure meters and dips much easier Unique !
    If you haven't tried them ... grab a bottle if you can !
    Gary
    AA#5 is a great powder in my 9mm. It is my go to for heavy loads. HP38/W231 for light to medium loads.

    ACC

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check