9mm load question

4.0 Titegroup is below a starting load using a 115 Speer GDHP according to the Hodgdon manual.

If anything, you will have to add some powder to get the gun to cycle with hollow base bullets.

All you need to worry about is OAL.
If the ogive shape it different, it may hit the rifling lead at the OAL you were using.

Do the "plunk test" using the barrel out of your pistol for a gage and see if they drop an with a plunk, and fall out of their own weight.

rc

Any time you are changing bullet, it is necessary to determine the new OAL for that bullet.
Use jacketed data for that weight bullet, start on the low side, and work up.

GS

ran out of Berry's 115 gr. flat base and now I'm going to load 115 gr. Winchester FMJ hollow base bullets (WB9MC115).

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I haven't loaded those particular bullets, but Hollow Base bullets at the same weight have the same amount of lead as the flat base. The lead removed from the base is added to the body/nose. The added length set to the same oal (but now is seated deeper) compensates for the hollow base and will shoot about the same. If the Win bullet is a little longerthan the Berry's RN, you won't see much difference between the two.
Berry's has 115gr HBRN too and it's longer than the 115gr flat base RN. Using the same oal as the flat base, gives the same speed and feel.

Always do the push test to make sure the bullet clears the rifling, and start at the low end and work up.

Hope this makes sense and stay safe.

mcdaniel52761 said:

I ran out of Berry's 115 gr. flat base and now I'm going to load 115 gr. Winchester FMJ hollow base bullets (WB9MC115). Of course, no load data is available for these so I was wondering if the load charge would change and if the OAL would change. I was using 4 grains of Titegroup with the Berry's. Thanks,

Mike

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The general rule is, if you are using a bullet of the same weight and profile and it's made of the same material then the load data is valid. This is one of the reasons we have starting and max loads, to work around slight differences in bullet shape and differences in guns. Like said above, start low and work up and you will be fine...

That question was already answered by 1SOW...

I haven't loaded those particular bullets, but Hollow Base bullets at the same weight have the same amount of lead as the flat base. The lead removed from the base is added to the body/nose. The added length set to the same oal (but now is seated deeper) compensates for the hollow base and will shoot about the same. If the Win bullet is a little longer than the Berry's RN, you won't see much difference between the two.

Click to expand...

The jacket material on the Win bullet is going to be the biggest difference between the 2 bullets; soft plated copper vs. tough cold-worked copper sheet. Even at the same OAL, you MAY need to go up on the powder, but TG is such an "edgy" powder that the task should be worked at very carefully.

Hodgdon gives the range for 115gr with TG at 4.5 to 4.8gr. @ 1.125". You'd want to load 3 or 4 rounds each, at increasing 0.1gr increments. Shoot each group and look for pressure signs before moving on to the next higher load.

Hope this helps.