9mm Powder Recommendation

[dragon813gt]

You could have asked, what powder for "this non magnum pistol round." And I would've answered the same way, W231/HP-38. I'm not one for using every powder under the sun since all my firearms can out shoot me. I do use Universal for heavyweight 9mm SD rounds. Loading any pistol round is economical compared to loading rifle rounds

[oldreloader]

HP 38, AA#5,and Bullseye work well for me

[Wal']

I've used every thing from Blue Dot to Bullseye in my 9mm's, but until you finally settle on what works best for you & boolit weight as well, try starting with a mid range powder like Universal.

The faster burning powders will cheaper to load, less used.

[winelover]

AA#5 gave me great results. My all time favorite 9mm powder. But I don’t have it on my shelf anymore. Best 9mm powder I ever used. But I haven’t used them all. WSF is one I never used.

WW231 and Bullseye gave my best ever accuracy with reduced power loads. But when charged up to full power published loads velocity was short and pressure was high.

Power Pistol: Simply a huge disappointment. Burned two different lot pounds of it. Failed to reach published velocity. 5.9 gr only yielded 1096 fps under a 124gr RN cast. Cases would expand .0003” avg. per shot. Indicting excessive pressure. Accuracy was not special. Heated up the gun badly. So what is to like there?






Alliant 20/28 works just like Unique in a 9mm. So it can be substituted. Burned a half pound so far with 122TC 124 RN and Lee 125 RNFP. All worked good. Not better than Unique but if Unique is sold out in this market and you can get 20/28 go for it. Last I heard Alliant would back that up. Things change though.

5gr of Unique under a 122 grain round nose will do anything that can be done with a 9mm handgun. Has for half century or more. I back that charge off a bit with 122 TC as the bullets seat deeper. +P+ load is up to 5.8 grains but you better have your micrometer out to measure case head expansion and a chronograph. Unique will push a 122 grain boolit 1,125 fps over a chrony and be under max pressure as a general rule.

Blue Dot by Alliant. Used 7.7 grains under a 122 to 125 grain bullet for thirty years.
Went bear hunting once with a Model 39 as backup. 8.0 grains of Blue Dot under a Hornady 125gr truncated cone soft nose flat point 357 magnum bullet. NOT a 38 Special bullet. Counted on that bullet not expanding much if any and it had some serious smack down for a little eight shot 9mm. Back then no one made a flat nosed 9mm bullet. I cast mine now. Used old cases then just let them lay in the woods. After that +p+ shot they were done.

VV3N38 I’ve used this with published VV data to push a 147 grain FN from Magma’s mould to 1,143 fps. Gun needed a heavier recoil spring. Only the max charge would place bullets to the POI. I used a Steel frame S&W 659. About guarantee a plastic or aluminum gun would come apart in short order. Powder burned extremely dirty. One pound of this powder will be my lifetime supply. Have 100 rounds loaded with 147gr Hornady XTP’s.
This is 40 S&W power factor and my recommendation after trying these would be to just buy a 40 S&W.

AA#7 Have a pound to try with my 147 grain FN bullets. Will have to see if they hit to POA.

Would be nice to send a 147 grain FN at over 1100 fps. Beating out a 122 to 125 grain TC or RNFP with Unique or AA#5 is a hard act to follow.

I basically gave up on getting a 9mm to shoot heavy boolits. Bought a few 38 Special revolvers and could not be more delighted. Shot the nine for forty years so time for something new and old. I get a kick from the great accuracy of a 38 revolver.

From my personal experience and what I’ve read. It’s very important to separate 9mm cases by brand. Do not assume a max pressure load with one brand case is good in a different brand. Absolutely throw away any European brass. You might set it back to separate then work up a load. It’s generally ***** and has small case capacity. I’ve had the stuff run so over pressure that on the second reload the primer would fall out in my magazine. Gecco stamp comes to mind. Even American brass. Speer Rem ,WW, and Fed all vary considerably so mixed up brass is just a huge no no.

My advise for a 9 is:
Get some Fed SP primers. A 4 lb jug of Unique, 20/28, AA#5, AA#7 , HS 6, True Blue. Any of the 122 grain TC boolits. A Lyman M die as the expanders included in other die sets don’t reach as deep as a TC boolet seats. If you don’t want to use an M die get a 124gr RN mould. All expanders including the Dillon powder through will work with a 124gr RN boolit. For any target shooting a round nose does not kill as well as a TC with flat point but is just as accurate. So all the better to shoot yourself in the foot with. Plus the RN boolits tend to easily drop from a mold. TC boolits will run through most collators better. TC’s are more accurate but in the average 9mm auto you simply can’t tell any difference since most just shoot like, agh, an 8 inch plate at 25 yards.

Should be made into a Sticky, since this question comes up often.

Winelover

[Petro58]

Tite group for cheap plink loads
Unique for a little faster
Blue dot for my max loads

+1 These are what I use also.

[Springfield0612]

I also use Bullseye. Good all around powder. I use it for .45 acp, 9mm, .38 special, and .38 S&W.

[Able 5]

I like Ramshot Silhouette. I've tried true blue, solo 1000, 231, clays.

[oldscool]

AA#5 would always be my first choice

[TuxAir]

I shoot 125gr LRN over 4gr of Red Dot. At 4.4 the bullet just touches the top of the powder. It's the most economical and versatile powder I own. I use it in .380, 9mm, 38, 357 & 45ACP.
HP38/W231 is my second choice for powder.

[Lloyd Smale]

aa2 both comercial and surplus have been my go to powder for 9s. That said im not looking for the last fps that i possibly can get either. More looking for accuracy at a level my guns function reliably

[Infidel]

I've been using Titegroup for a while and it seems to be good for 9 and 40, with just about the same amount of powder for both. I'm loading with a 124 gn. tc boolit for 9 and a 180 gn. tc for 40. It doesn't seem to dirty my cases up too bad. I think you kind of "find" a powder that works well for you and stay with it. Hey, we're back to that consistency thing.
I haven't looked at the new .223 powder that is supposed to keep your cases super clean. I figure it has to be a fast powder, just don't know if would make a good pistol powder.

[hiram1]

Red dot is good to. I use it with 115 gr 9mm and works well.