9MM

a target w/o a range tells us very little

15 yards, benched.

nice shootin

This group is one of those flukes that will prolly never repeat itself...

that's the only kind worth posting, right?

Contrary to what many reloaders believe, the load recipes you find in reloading manuals are NOT commandments brought down from the mountain top as sanctified formulas for perfect loads. They are not even "road maps" to a great load. They are merely lab reports on the safe pressure zones to use in working up your own safe loads. In that sense, they are merely the road signs on the road to an accurate load.

The test lab has no idea what your barrel length, twist rate, freebore length, or any other important features of your gun are. I'd say you have some work in front of you. But the good news is, as the factory loads prove, accurate loads can be achieved.

that's the only kind worth posting, right?

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Not much to brag about with this gun. But I think I have it figured out. It is capable of a consistent 1" @ 15 yards.

For my CZ phantom, I reloaded thousands of rounds using plated from rainier, xtrem, and now playing with berry's. Rainier's and xtrem were 115 gr, berry's 124 gr. Never had problems with accuracy (if I can hit the 9x10 gong at 25 meters everytime then I'm ok with that)
Powder I use win 231and 4.4 gr, primers win.

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Should I just step up and buy FMJ instead of the cheap stuff.

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I would...but since you're only shooting out to 11 yards there's not going to be alot difference between plated and jacketed. Nor will there be with bullet weight.
You need to shoot at 25 yards to see anything meaningful.
Sounds like your loads are on the light side and you should think about increasing the charge (while observing signs of high pressure).

The Blazers you had good groups with were 115 gr. correct?

My rule of thumb for 9mm pistol loads.
If loading cast or plated bullets use 147gr bullets to about 850 fps.
If loading jacketed bullets use 115gr bullet to about 1,200 fps.
In general I have found heavy/slow loads will give good accuracy and reliability with minimal leading when used with cast bullets. With jacketed bullets I have found that they are more accurate and reliable when loaded "hot". With both loads keep the OAL to the maximum OAL while still giving reliable feeding.

Everybody used to be happy with the old Lyman 121gr truncated cone in the old days. Not me though. I thought it was just odd, though the original 9mm load was with a TC design if I remember right.. I more used/use SWC's.

I'M going to sell my glock19 and buy a 45acp.

Uniquedot said:

over crimping a plated bullet will definitely do it.

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+100000000 I didn't think of this. Crimping is not even needed here

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Btw, the CZ 75 is a very accurate gun.

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My rule of thumb for 9mm pistol loads.
If loading cast or plated bullets use 147gr bullets to about 850 fps.
If loading jacketed bullets use 115gr bullet to about 1,200 fps.
In general I have found heavy/slow loads will give good accuracy and reliability with minimal leading when used with cast bullets. With jacketed bullets I have found that they are more accurate and reliable when loaded "hot". With both loads keep the OAL to the maximum OAL while still giving reliable feeding.

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I feel you are limiting your options. The 9mm pistol was developed around a 124gr bullet, BUT:
Everyone uses a different definition for "ACCURACY".
First comes the ransom rest. NO SHOOTER INPUT. Gun and load Accuracy is determined here-absolutely.
Next comes a solid bench rest, which puts "some" of the shooter into the equation.
Next comes standing two hand off-hand, which puts a lot of the shooter into the equation.
Off-hand variations can include Bullseye, one hand, weakhand, etc etc.

When the shooter is a major input, then recoil/ flip, trigger and ammunition combined enter into the issue. Each of these types of shooting can be optimized for best accuracy, and the same load that shoots best in a ransom rest may not show best strong hand standing 5rds in 2-3 seconds.

Reloading allows shooters to tune the load to best meet their needs. The snap of the hot 115gr load, the push of the light 147gr load or the middle ground of the 124/125gr light recoil load may be best for different uses, different distances, different speeds of shooting.

All I'm really trying to say is that very different loads can make being "On Target" easier for different types of pistol shooting.

Don't be quite so sure you have found the Holy Grail.

wolf 115's shoot well in both sig 226's I have tried. I once considered pulling one and trying to match the powder (after my supplies ran out), but then after I bought a threaded extended bbl for a supressor, I began shooting 147 berry bullets and found them superior to anything else, both with the extended sig bbl and the original. accuracy with longshot powder is exceptional. I have tried various 124's but they dont shoot in any of my 9's , especially the sig.

I have a S&W M&P 9mm that I have shot the extreme 124gr hollow points out of. They seem to be pretty decent bullets. I don't use the Lee FCD on them because I don't want to damage the plating. I do lube the cases though. I have used Titegroup, Win231, and Solo 1000 with good results. I didn't bench my gun and I'm not a great shot. But I could hit bowling pins from 50 ft standing with those bullets. tjconevera.com sells them including shipping on any order over $50.

I have several boxes of Federal 147gr ammo that isn't even crimped. The case mouths still show a hint of belling. No need to crimp. The factory doesn't do it.

On another note, Winchester overcrimps all their ammo to the point the bullet shanks are all mangled.

I guess crimping is optional. All my nines feed just fine.