I accidientaly bought Berry's 9 mm 115 gr FN plated bullets. I'm going to reload them with Winchester cases. Could someone tell me what the overall cartridge length should be? It seems that the reloaded cartridge will be shorter than the factory Winchester 9 mm Luger, and I'm wondering if they work okay with my Glock17. Thanks.
9 mm Luger reloading
- Thread starter move99
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Nate1778
Member
Gonna need more info, what does your manual call for in a FN lead or jacketed bullet?
I have been loading Magnus 115 Gr RN, Ranier 115 Gr RN, and Hornady 115 FMF-encapsulated bullets at 1.130 to 1.135 with good results. It probably is a tad long with the Magnus bullet.
That should be a good starting point at least with the Berrys 115 Gr RN bullet.
Welcome to THR
That should be a good starting point at least with the Berrys 115 Gr RN bullet.
Welcome to THR
something vague
Member
I don't know why everyone's missing it but he's not concerned with RN bullets. The post is saying he bought FN bullets by accident. I don't have anything for data in front of me but all I can, and should tell you is that you'll be fine using those bullets in your Block...oops I mean Glock. Get yourself some manuals first off and if all else fails look up some online powder/bullet companies manuals. You can use a similar style bullet in the same weight for a starting point, and would also start a little lower than a FMJ. That's about all I can really tell you.
First the OAL needs to be no greater than 1.169" the maximum recommended allowable by SAAMI, secondly it must fit in your pistols chamber and magazines. Rather than taking someones word its better to figure it out yourself since bullet shape can affect the required OAL and you don't want the round to engage the rifling before fully chambering.
1. Load a round to max OAL and just take out the belling with the crimp.
2. Pull the barrel from you Glock and drop in a factory round and see where the end of the case is in relation to the back of the barrel hood.
3. Drop in your loaded round, if it fits the same as a factory round and fits in the magazines then you are good to go. If not then proceed to shorten the round by making small turns inward of your seating dies stem, and rechecking after each adjustment. When it fits the you've found your maximum OAL, readjust the die to provide the crimp you want. If you have other 9's them check the round in those chambers too.
1. Load a round to max OAL and just take out the belling with the crimp.
2. Pull the barrel from you Glock and drop in a factory round and see where the end of the case is in relation to the back of the barrel hood.
3. Drop in your loaded round, if it fits the same as a factory round and fits in the magazines then you are good to go. If not then proceed to shorten the round by making small turns inward of your seating dies stem, and rechecking after each adjustment. When it fits the you've found your maximum OAL, readjust the die to provide the crimp you want. If you have other 9's them check the round in those chambers too.
Faitmaker
Member
Best I can do for you.... Take it for what it is.
Hornady Manual
115gr HP-XTP 1.075
115gr FMJ-RN ENC 1.100
Lee Manual is all over the place depending on which powder you use.
Hornady Manual
115gr HP-XTP 1.075
115gr FMJ-RN ENC 1.100
Lee Manual is all over the place depending on which powder you use.
freakshow10mm
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How about keep it simple? Load to the longest OAL that will feed from the magazine and properly chamber in your firearm. There. That simple.
9mm Luger reloading
Thanks everybody for your responses. That helps me. Being a newbie, I got a little nervous about FN bullets on OAL and the ramp shape in my Glock. I'll reload and try half a dozen of them first. Thanks again.
Thanks everybody for your responses. That helps me. Being a newbie, I got a little nervous about FN bullets on OAL and the ramp shape in my Glock. I'll reload and try half a dozen of them first. Thanks again.
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mongoose33
Member
I'm working up some loads for Precision bullets, also flat-nose. I worked up a few *dummy* rounds--no primer, no powder--and then dropped them into the barrel chamber to see if they'd fit.
In my particular case--yours will likely vary as my gun is an XD--a 1.130 OAL wouldn't chamber fully, 1.125 was borderline, 1.20 seemed to be fine.
Once that was the case, I loaded a couple of the DUMMY rounds--not loaded, obviously--into the magazine and checked to see if they'd chamber or not. I racked the slide to eject a round from the chamber and reload the next, to see if there were ramp problems or whatever.
So, right now I'm working up rounds at 1.120 OAL max length for me in this application. I'll shoot 'em through a chrono and see what I get.
Deavis
Member
"I'll shoot 'em through a chrono and see what I get."
Probably a hole in that chrono. Perhaps shooting it over the skyscreens is a better idea
Probably a hole in that chrono. Perhaps shooting it over the skyscreens is a better idea
I load berry's 115gr FN to a OAL of 1.08". That was the longest I could go before the bullet started touching the lands.
My suggestion is pull the barrel in your 9mm and make a dummy round up at 1.13" and do a chamber drop test. Then decrease your OAL by .010" until the back of the case sits flush with your chamber. So 1.12" then 1.11" and so on. Once you find the length that fits your barrel your set. Start with a low charge and work up carefully the 9mm can be a touchy cartridge.
My suggestion is pull the barrel in your 9mm and make a dummy round up at 1.13" and do a chamber drop test. Then decrease your OAL by .010" until the back of the case sits flush with your chamber. So 1.12" then 1.11" and so on. Once you find the length that fits your barrel your set. Start with a low charge and work up carefully the 9mm can be a touchy cartridge.
something vague
Member
Definitly better that it stays longer than too short, especially with 9mm. Getting them too short can start creating dangerous pressures in a hurry with this round due to the tiny case capacity.
Walkalong, I missed the RN/FN at first but reread it becuase the question just didn't make sense to me otherwise. Oh well.
Walkalong, I missed the RN/FN at first but reread it becuase the question just didn't make sense to me otherwise. Oh well.
Lj1941
Member
9 mm CO for Berrys Flat Points
I load my 115 FP's to 1.055 for my M&P. I have no trouble with them feeding in my S&W. Your mileage may vary. I really like that 115 with 5 grains of W/W 231.I load the round noses to 1.125. The factory length is only a guide with the same style bullet. I don't know about Glocks. I hope this helps.
Lou
100% American Made Weapons
I load my 115 FP's to 1.055 for my M&P. I have no trouble with them feeding in my S&W. Your mileage may vary. I really like that 115 with 5 grains of W/W 231.I load the round noses to 1.125. The factory length is only a guide with the same style bullet. I don't know about Glocks. I hope this helps.
Lou
100% American Made Weapons
rfwobbly
Member
In my CZ SP-01, which probably has the shortest freebore of any common 9mm gun around, I load Berry 115gr FP to 1.045" with 4.2gr of Win231. These shoot really well, so much so I used them in IPSC competition. (I believe this load and length is listed in Hornady's 4th or 5th.)
If you are worried about case volume, then it's a simple thing to measure the Winchester round, then measure the naked Winchester bullet length. With some 3rd grade math you can then calculate the "height" of the bullet's base at that OAL. Then, using the Berry's FP bullet length, you can easily arrive at a OAL than will result in the Berry FP sitting at the same depth in the 9x19 case. If nothing else, you may not wish to go any deeper (lower) on your OAL than this number.
However, that is not the full story by a long shot. The FP's shoot great, but due to the feed ramp angle, every gun has an optimal OAL for these to feed well too. So like most shooters, you probably want the bullet to shoot well AND feed well. If you load 10 of each (1.045, 1.055, 1.065, etc), you'll find a sweet spot. Just be careful NOT to run the bullet into the rifling, or out of the case mouth.
Hope this helps!
If you are worried about case volume, then it's a simple thing to measure the Winchester round, then measure the naked Winchester bullet length. With some 3rd grade math you can then calculate the "height" of the bullet's base at that OAL. Then, using the Berry's FP bullet length, you can easily arrive at a OAL than will result in the Berry FP sitting at the same depth in the 9x19 case. If nothing else, you may not wish to go any deeper (lower) on your OAL than this number.
However, that is not the full story by a long shot. The FP's shoot great, but due to the feed ramp angle, every gun has an optimal OAL for these to feed well too. So like most shooters, you probably want the bullet to shoot well AND feed well. If you load 10 of each (1.045, 1.055, 1.065, etc), you'll find a sweet spot. Just be careful NOT to run the bullet into the rifling, or out of the case mouth.
Hope this helps!
threefeathers
member
I load the same bullet with 4.7 grains of P B woth OAL of 1.100
As a sequel of my first posting, I loaded the bullets with OAL being 1.065" and 3.5 grains of CLAY. 50 rounds fired without any problem from Glock17. It felt mild rounds compared to factory Winchester 115 gr ammo. I'm on the way to increase powder to 3.9 gr max, which Hodgdon manual says. I appreciate great tips from everybody.
Move,
Why would you want to load max? It's rarely ever the most accurate load. Also, just for kicks... you may want to call Berry's and ask them for a load. They have a nice guy over there that has reloaded their stuff for years and he will give you a good recommendation or tell you to look at the speer manual (because they have plated bullets/at least that's what he tells me).
Anyway, since your new, I would advise you to stay away from "max" loads and go with target loads for awhile. Then, work up some SD loads later.
Regards,
Beau
Why would you want to load max? It's rarely ever the most accurate load. Also, just for kicks... you may want to call Berry's and ask them for a load. They have a nice guy over there that has reloaded their stuff for years and he will give you a good recommendation or tell you to look at the speer manual (because they have plated bullets/at least that's what he tells me).
Anyway, since your new, I would advise you to stay away from "max" loads and go with target loads for awhile. Then, work up some SD loads later.
Regards,
Beau
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If the skyscreens are the white plastic diffusers that go above the chronograph, you probably won't get a reading when you shoot OVER the sky screens.
If the sensors are the electric eyes in the box, maybe you should shoot over the sensors and below the sky screens.
I'm hot in IDPA events now, so, I thought powder at max would be good to knock off a steel plate with a single shot (I'm switching from 45 ACP to 9 mm). However, shooting accuracy would be still more important than bullet energy. I refined adjustments of my loading equipment, and powder is now set at 3.6 gr. I'll see how I do in the next event with 9 mm. Again, many thanks for your tips.
Move, best thing to do would be to load 10 ea. (3.4,3.5, 3.6, 3.7) all the way up to max and then shoot them at targets and see which group the best. Just mark the primer with a colored permanent marker (3.4 black, 3.5 blue, etc...). That's typical procedure for working up the best load for your weapon.
After you have figured out which ones shoot best/most accurate then load a batch and take them to the match.
Best of luck...
After you have figured out which ones shoot best/most accurate then load a batch and take them to the match.
Best of luck...
Sunray
Member
"...FN lead or jacketed bullet?..." Plated bullets aren't jacketed. Use cast data.
RustyFN
Member
I have had the same experience as rfwobbly, I have to load them at 1.035 for my CZ but can load them at 1.12 for my Glock 17.
Rusty
Rusty
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