berry's plated 147gr FP oddball load data needed :(

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ohreloader2205

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Hey guys ! first post-new reloader here. I have a Lee Load-Master 9mm kit from midway and purchased the 2 recommended additional die(s) universal decapper die, and factory carbide crimp die. I spent a few days going over my setup consulting youtube videos and believe the press is functioning well. I have consulted the only 2 load books I have purchased and studied (lee modern 2'nd and nosler 9). I guess my issue is I have learned that to have proper bullet fitment and to pass the splunk test in my G43x barrel I must OAL size the berry's superior plated 147gr FP (flat point) bullets all the way down to 1.040" ~ OAL . I have a 4lb container of Alliant "power pistol" powder and have Remington small pistol primers. If anybody has any ideas, or reference materials that could point me in the right direction for a starting charge with these components .. or even some guesses. I would greatly appreciate it. -Matt
 
Right from the Alliant website.
9mm Luger 115 gr Speer GDHP Speer 1.125 OAL CCI 500 Power Pistol 6.7 gr. vel.1,212 -
9mm Luger 147 gr Speer GDHP Speer 1.13 OAL CCI 500 Power Pistol 5.0 gr. vel.975 -
Please be aware that the shorter the OAL the more pressure is developed so definitely reduce this and work up carefully.
 
roque5 said:
Right from the Alliant website.
9mm Luger 115 gr Speer GDHP Speer 1.125 OAL CCI 500 Power Pistol 6.7 gr. vel.1,212 -
9mm Luger 147 gr Speer GDHP Speer 1.13 OAL CCI 500 Power Pistol 5.0 gr. vel.975 -
Please be aware that the shorter the OAL the more pressure is developed so definitely reduce this and work up carefully.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I did see this. Maybe I will try a 4.2gr charge to start. even though my guess is the slide won't cycle until I get up closer to 4.5-4.8 gr ? better safe than sorry right ?
 
First, welcome the forum!:)

Do those manuals not contain data for a 147 grain bullet?

If they do, it sounds like you have it. Use a starting charge, at the COAL that your test showed will plunk.
Simple.:thumbup:
If you are nervous about the seating depth, lower the charge another tenth. But the bullet shape is secondary to the weight. Use same-weighted bullet data.


If everything works okay, you may wish to step up in powder charge level. Or not, if all is well and functional, roll with those and shoot some.
 
nosler.jpg lee.jpg
Demi-human said:
First, welcome the forum!:)

Do those manuals not contain data for a 147 grain bullet?

If they do, it sounds like you have it. Use a starting charge, at the COAL that your test showed will plunk.
Simple.:thumbup:
If you are nervous about the seating depth, lower the charge another tenth. But the bullet shape is secondary to the weight. Use same-weighted bullet data.


If everything works okay, you may wish to step up in powder charge level. Or not, if all is well and functional, roll with those and shoot some.
Click to expand...
view

view

don't know if those pictures will work. but the nosler suggest a 3.3gr starting. hmm
 
The second picture shows a higher starting charge for a jacketed bullet. Jacketed bullets are tougher than plated bullets and need more pressure to start.
The Nosler data may be from a fixed test barrel even though it shows a jacketed hollow point and while safe may not operate an auto loader.
But we don’t know unless we ask, so it’s always better to be safe than sorry, starting low and working up.
 
@ohreloader2205, welcome to THR!
Welcome to the “I’ve got these bullets but no load data at a short COL” conundrum. 1.040” is really short - I’ve got a G43 and haven’t had to load that short with a 147 FP but it was a different FP. Still, as others have said, reduce a bit more than min to account for the reduced COL. The guesstimates above would be mine as well - looking forward to the range report. Good luck.
 
I found another old THR thread referencing lyman 49'th which is as close as I'm going to get to the OAL and components I have. I think I will reduce my starting charge to 3.6 and probably stop at 4.4 for my tests. I will get the rounds ready now and head to the range asap =)
lyman49th147grcast9mmload.jpg
 
ohreloader2205 said:
G43x ... berry's superior plated 147gr FP (flat point) ... 1.040" ~ OAL
Click to expand...
This is from online Speer load data for TMJ FN (Flat Nose) which is thick plated bullet - https://reloadingdata.speer.com/downloads/speer/reloading-pdfs/handgun/9mm_Luger__147_rev1.pdf
  • 9mm 147 gr Speer TMJ FN Power Pistol COL 1.130" Start 4.5 gr (872 fps) - Max 5.0 gr (975 fps)
When I am using significantly shorter (deeper seated) OAL than published, I will consider reducing start/max charges by .2-.3 gr.
ohreloader2205 said:
I think I will reduce my starting charge to 3.6 and probably stop at 4.4 for my tests.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a good plan.

Since you are using much shorter 1.040" compared to 1.130", I would agree about using 3.6 gr as start charge and working up to 4.4 gr as reduced max charge. As long as slide cycles reliably and accuracy is acceptable, that's good.
 
Power pistol can be funny stuff in 9mm. I've worked loads with 3 different bullets. 1 of those 3 was exact duplication of Alliant load data. In that case, I found it to "feel" hot compared to 124 grain factory ammo well below their max load. In the other 2, my "full power" load based on ejection pattern and feel vs factory ammo was just above the high side of median between min and max. Unfortunately I don't own a chronograph...something I should rectify someday.

In all cases, I settled on a load that was A: accurate, and B: cycled my semi automatics reliably. I feel safer working up to max with HS-6 and HP-38. Power pistol just felt a little hot getting towards max, so I backed off. I'm blessed with a country backyard where I could test each increment as-loaded. Were I you, and working with a non-standard bullet/seating depth, I would work to where you get reliable function, and save the max loads for an OEM bullet with OAL data as tested available.
 
Random 8, I bought my first chronograph this last year and it has added a lot to my reloading. Another variable that makes reloading even more fun and rewarding. You would really be able to utilize it with your situation.
 
Just got back from the range. so the final OAL I settled on for these bullets was 1.045 a few were 1.050 and up to maybe 1.051 max-- those would hardly spin freely doing the splunk test in G43x Barrel. I loaded up a small handful at 3.6gr, 3.9gr, 4.2gr and 4.6gr as that was what my lee auto disk allowed (I do not have the auto-drum yet for finer adjustments). I shot through 50 rounds of factory blazer brass (115gr) intermittently in between testing my loads to use as a constant reference because I do not have a chrono yet. Anyhow, I shot through about 40~ total rounds of my hand-loads with a few extras at 4.2gr since I figured that would probably be the sweet spot. not a single hiccup, although the 3.6gr and to a lesser extent the 3.9gr felt pretty wimpy. 4.2gr felt pretty good (maybe about 80% of the felt recoil vs the blazer 115's) and the 4.6gr felt about equal (maybe 95% of) in felt recoil to the blazer-- wish I had loaded a few more of those... I think I shot 4. With the 4.6gr load the powder was verrrrrrry very close to touching bullet. none of the brass I was able to recover from my stall showed any signs of over-pressure that I could tell. I wonder if I would be safe loading the rest of my 450~ remaining berry's 147 FP's at 4.6gr or play it safe and just load them at 4.2gr?? or half and half... hmmmm. anyhow I had some great success today and am happy with my results. the gun performed flawlessly. I'm certainly all ears if you more experienced reloaders have any suggestions. -Matt
 
ohreloader2205 said:
I wonder if I would be safe loading the rest of my 450~ remaining berry's 147 FP's at 4.6gr or play it safe and just load them at 4.2gr?? or half and half... hmmmm. anyhow I had some great success today and am happy with my results. the gun performed flawlessly.
Click to expand...
Good to hear of your range report.

My sentiment is this ... As long as you have reliable slide cycling and spent case extraction/ejection, then if accuracy is acceptable; it's your hands and face ... Shoot the powder charge that produce accuracy at the lowest charge.

If 4.2 gr is producing that, great ... You are beating up you hands/wrists/pistol less and saving a bit of powder to load more rounds ... Win/Win. ;)

ohreloader2205 said:
final OAL I settled on for these bullets was 1.045 a few were 1.050 and up to maybe 1.051 max-- those would hardly spin freely doing the splunk test in G43x Barrel
Click to expand...
You will find resized case length variation of several thousandths, especially with mixed range brass. So measure some resized cases to identify the shortest length to use for your max OAL plunk test. (This way, longer cases will have bullet seated deeper and won't hit the start of rifling when chambered)

ohreloader2205 said:
loaded up a small handful at 3.6gr, 3.9gr, 4.2gr and 4.6gr as that was what my lee auto disk allowed (I do not have the auto-drum yet for finer adjustments)
Click to expand...
Ha, here on THR, we won't let members be limited.

This $1 mod will allow you to infinitely adjust your Auto Disk drops - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/working-diy-micro-auto-disk.741988/

index.php
 
Last edited:
Wow! thanks Livelife, that mod looks super easy to do and genius. I was thinking about taking a Dremel to one of the holes in disk and just buying a replacement disk if need be later. Looks like I'll be making a trip to the hardware store for some machine screws tomorrow before I load any more rounds. 4.4gr-4.5gr would probably be perfect for the rest of those! thanks again.
 
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