Going with the lightest published charged for plinking ammo

That's the way I do it. I will load about 10, make sure they cycle, then start cranking them out.

Are you getting the accuracy you want? If not, then you're wasting time, money, bullets, primers and powder

There's nothing wrong if your gun functions correctly and you feel that the accuracy is ok.

I started by doing this and being careful with each round. I found in my 9mm that my full size wouldn't always cycle with a light load of some powders, while my subcompact carry gun would shoot anything I fed it.

So while I'm not an expert, I'd say start low, load a few rounds, see how they work then adjust if needed. If you're happy then keep the load.

Actually, what I do now is load 10 at the lowest load, then increase by .1 grain load 10 more, etc. for a box of 100 or so. I then test each load starting at the lowest. As I increase I check for signs of high pressure. Loading to .1 grain is a royal PIA, but while getting started and finding what my guns like it was worth the effort IMHO.

At .1-.2 grains, the $ savings is very tiny; but if they are accurate enough for you, have at it. I reload to save money, but I also reload to get the best accuracy I can. If that means a little more powder, then so be it. An 8# jug of pistol powder tends to last me a long time

Point_Taken asked:
I typically go with something .1-.2 over the minimum charge to save on powder.
Is there something inherently wrong with this line of thinking...?

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If the load is giving you acceptable accuracy and is functioning the action of a semi-automatic gun reliably, there's nothing at all wrong with it.

You're probably getting lower recoil and less wear and tear on the structure of the gun to boot.

So many people seems to be fixated on getting the absolute highest velocity they can out of every round they load that it's refreshing to run into someone who is not chasing velocity for the sake of velocity. Keep on doing what you're doing!

Even so, there are 56,000 grains in an 8# jug. I guess if you're shooting thousands of rounds a week, then that might make a difference. My 38 and 9mm rounds run about 4.5-5.5, depending on powder - that's a lot of ammo from 8#.....

That’s essentially what I do, but I still do a workup to find an accurate load. Only thing I churn and burn at minimum load is 32sw and 38sw because I don’t shoot those antiques for accuracy, just for the same of making noise with 120 year old guns. On 9mm and 223 I’m actually below a lot of published data, but I have found a good source specifically stating that these loads may not cycle semiautos. They do for me. I worked down to those two.

No problem shooting minimum loads assuming it cycles the gun, which of course is not a revolver problem. The only limiting factor with a revolver is making sure the bullet makes it out the barrel.

The loads I shoot in my LC9s will not cycle my 92f, hi point carbine, or 1911, but they are spot on great in the LC9s so I just keep them in a separate bin and load hotter stuff for the others.

While velocity itself doesn't much matter for plinking, I like to use loads that are fairly close to the pressure limits for the cartridge in question. If not, many powders will burn dirty or incompletely and the case may not seal to the chamber wall, getting the outside of the case (and gun) filthy. Accuracy often suffers as well.

What is the cure? Do as the professional do, and use a faster-burning powder. The targeted velocity is one reason to prefer one burn rate over another. I've gone to Titegroup for plinking loads because I can make adequate pressure at target velocities. I'm thinking of trying Alliant's Sport Pistol powder in this role - it's supposed to burn very cleanly.

I second the fast burning powder for light loads. My favorites are 700x and bullseye. They are both very very economical and perform great with light loads.

If you are looking for light charges that still perform well, another option is to experiment with different powders. I use a fair bit of Unique (like ketchup, it goes with everything), HP38 (lighter loads in a lot of cartridges) and lately Trail Boss (bags of fun from miniscule charges and almost idiot proof). I don't mind heavier loads if I get accuracy in return for the powder and recoil, but there are lots of applications (e.g. 38 snub) where the mildest charge that is accurate is great. I just figured out that a whopping 2.2 grains of Trail Boss is more accurate than I am with hollow based wadcutters in the snub and recoil is very low even in a lightweight version of a petite 5 shot revolver. There are a LOT of cartridges' worth in my 2 pound bottle of Trail Boss, heh. If my full sized duty 357 shot the HBWCs as well I would be buying a whole lot of these bullets. Since it really, really likes my home cast DEWCs over 3.8 grains of HP 38, I am happy to let it go at that,

You should be fine, but
I wouldn't worry about the savings from .1 or .2gr lighter loads.
I would say if .1 or .2 gr more shoots better use the tiny amount more to get the most accurate load.
In general faster burning powders take less powder so there might be some savings there but powder is not the major cost of pistol loads, bullets are.
Of course I don't worry about how many patches I use when cleaning or put solvent on the patches with an eye dropper, so I like to waste money.

Another reason to reload, a minimum charged load cannot be bought.

ray15 said:

While velocity itself doesn't much matter for plinking, I like to use loads that are fairly close to the pressure limits for the cartridge in question. If not, many powders will burn dirty or incompletely and the case may not seal to the chamber wall, getting the outside of the case (and gun) filthy. Accuracy often suffers as well.

What is the cure? Do as the professional do, and use a faster-burning powder. The targeted velocity is one reason to prefer one burn rate over another. I've gone to Titegroup for plinking loads because I can make adequate pressure at target velocities. I'm thinking of trying Alliant's Sport Pistol powder in this role - it's supposed to burn very cleanly.

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^^^^^ THIS. Especially true with low pressure calibers like 38spl and 45acp.

In your auto pistols, you might go about this slightly differently....

Shoot 5 or 6 rounds of several different loads, beginning at Starting Load and working up in small increments. Pay no attention to whether the gun feeds or not, you're looking for ultimate accuracy. To do this you'll need to shoot with the base of the grip firmly resting on a sand bag or other stable place... and use a new (marked) target for each load group. Then measure the targets with a caliper.



When you find the most accurate load, then order reduced strength springs from Wolff Spring. If your pistol has a 18# slide spring, then you may end up with a 12# or 14# replacement spring to get the pistol to "run".



In this way, you'll have the most accurate shooting, and your pistol will still function as it should. Then if needed, you can always return to the OEM spring for defensive ammo in about 3 minutes.

Hope this helps.

I have always wondered how to "plink" with a 44 Mag? Wouldn't it be more of a "plunk"

Folks above have hit on the "load" data it depends on the powder. Can't just use a arbitrary 0.1 grain over min. I am also a mid range loader, need to find out what works best for your gun, powder, bullet combo.

I don't normally load minimum loads on handgun reloads... I'm usually in the upper 75% of load data (after working my way up there, of course.) I'm not much of a 'plinker' though... Nothing wrong with it, of course, if your loads meet your requirements, particularly accuracy, cycling, and making sure the load is enough to get that bullet out the barrel.

I agree with muleman11 that a benefit of reloading is loads at the minimum cannot be bought. A while back I worked up test loads in 38 SPL 125 gr Cu to introduce my niece to shooting using HP38, I used my S&W m10 5" barrel and as I shot the lowest charge the 1st round didn't register on the paper I thought of squib and unloaded. I found 2/3 of the bullet was sticking out of the muzzle. I wrote in my load book this load is for my 4" barrel.

tacloader said:

I found 2/3 of the bullet was sticking out of the muzzle. I wrote in my load book this load is for my 4" barrel.

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...and that's why I jokingly (sort of...) referred to the 'get the bullet out the barrel.' I used to load a light load for my mom's 3" .38 (4.0grn Unique under a 158grn wadcutter, if memory serves...) I knew the load worked in my 4" 686, so it was safe for her 3".