First Time: Did I miss anything?

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Atbat82

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Ok guys, I've been reading, planning, procrastinating, reading some more, etc for a while now. I think it's finally time to pull the trigger on reloading for the first time.

I've got a Dillon SDB set up for 9mm. I'm using Berry's 115gr plated RN, Bullseye, and Tula SPP (was all I could find). Based on what I've read I'm thinking of starting with 4.2gr of Bullseye and an OAL of 1.13.

I'll probably work up from there to 4.5 gr of Bullseye.

I'll do test batches and figure out what performs best, but initially I'd appreciate if someone could let me know if I'm about to make a big mistake with this load. I obviously don't want to a round stuck because it's under powered or blow up my gun because I'm using too much powder. Really just looking for a sanity/safety check and to make sure I didn't completely misunderstand what I read.

Thanks!
 
Get a manual. Check the load against published data. Then, check it again against another source ... online from the powder manufacturer maybe, or another manual.

Don't rely on other people's opinions about your loads.

...and welcome to handloading! You're going to love it.
 
Why do you think you should use an OAL of 1.13?
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I've got two manuals: Hornady 9th edition and a Hogdon's 2013. Hornady says COL of 1.10 for FMJ RN. Hogdon's says 1.169 for FMJ or 1.10 for LRN. Neither of these manuals mention plated bullets.

I did find a link on THR to the Ranier plated load data and it recommends a max OAL of 1.169.

I figured 1.13 was somewhere in the middle and would be a good starting point. That being said, I'm open to advice/warnings/experiences/etc.

I plan to shoot these (at least initially) through a Ruger SR9C (3.4" barrel) and a Ruger P95 (3.9" barrel). My purpose is just for plinking and to save some money over factory loads.

Appreciate the replies!
 
Sounds like you don't understand how to determine what OAL to use for a given bullet in a given gun. Choosing something in the middle won't get you there.

I suggest you do a THR search for "plunk test." There are many discussions that go into great detail about setting OAL, the plunk test, use of a taper "crimp," etc.

I'd describe it here, but it's been done many times, and searching for and reading about it from many reloaders will be of more benefit than reading a summary here.
 
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For correct COAL, plunk test + longest OAL that will load into the magazine and function reliably.
 
I suggest you do a THR search for "plunk test." There are man discussions that go into great detail about setting OAL, the plunk test, use of a taper "crimp," etc.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reminder! Just read about it and checked a couple factory loads with it. All pass (surprise!), but are shorter than what I was planning. I guess I'll start with a longer OAL and I can always back into it until it passes.

I really appreciate the help and the replies.

Best,
Tom
 
What you have to remember is that the listed OAL in the load books is what they used in what ever test barrel or pistol they used. The published OAL give you an idea of the range you are looking at but nothing more. Load up a dummy round or 3 by seating the bullet long. Do the plunk test and seat the bullet a little at a time until it passes the plunk test. Make sure the round will fit the mag and if not seat bullet a little deeper until it does. Load up the mag with the dummy rounds and see if they will cycle from the mag into the chamber, if not you might need to seat the bullet a little more. Make sure you have removed the case mouth bell before trying to cycle the rounds as the bell can cause feed problems.

Once you have an OAL that passes the plunk test and will cycle then start at the lowest powder charge listed and start loading rounds working up the powder charge weight range. When testing your worked up loads keep an eye out for signs of pressure, more velocity then is listed or you get to more recoil then you want. Once done shooting you can start comparing targets to see which charge weight gave the best accuracy.

Once you get more experience working up loads you will find that you don't always have to start at the bottom of the powder charge weight range and when working up the first jumps can be 1 grain but once you get 1/2 way up the weight range it's time to start .5 grain increments. If you decide to push the load up to max powder charge then its best to move up the powder charge range .2 grains for the last couple grain.
 
Another tip we all learned from experience: make just a few with a given set of parameters, then go try them under controlled conditions.

There are countless posts on THR and similar sites about loads that didn't work and folks pulling apart hundreds of non-suitable rounds.

When you change something, do what scientists are taught to do--change one thing at a time, then retest. If you change two things, there's no way to tell what thing is causing the new result.

How many is enough? It depends. One round that squibs or kabooms is enough to prove you did something very wrong. It might take a couple of mags or cylinders to discover that a batch of rounds fires but warns of high pressure or won't group. I usually build new recipes in sets that make sense for the given firearm: J-frame loads in multiples of 5, Redhawk loads in multiples of 6, semi-auto loads in batches that fill one mag...you get the idea.
 
and remember to do the plunk test any time you change to a different style or weight of bullet. You'd be surprised at what fits and what wont fit.

Dave,
 
Muddydogs said:
What you have to remember is that the listed OAL in the load books is what they used in what ever test barrel or pistol they used. The published OAL give you an idea of the range you are looking at but nothing more.
Click to expand...

This is what I was initially not getting... Looks like I have some more work to do before I start. Hopefully I can get some loaded this weekend.

Thanks to everyone for the help, tips and suggestions.

Best,
Tom



Sent from my iPhone
 
Good info guys. I would've thought it ok to just start in the middle of the suggested OALs also. Thats what I get for thinking. The plunk test: You put the dummy in the ejection port? Or down your barrel when your pistol is broken down or what? Or do you just load it in the mag and make sure it chambers ok like Muddydogs said? Or is all of that pretty much the same? I know those may sound like silly questions, but that's where I'm at....
 
Potatohead said:
Good info guys. I would've thought it ok to just start in the middle of the suggested OALs also. Thats what I get for thinking. The plunk test: You put the dummy in the ejection port? Or down your barrel when your pistol is broken down or what? Or do you just load it in the mag and make sure it chambers ok like Muddydogs said? Or is all of that pretty much the same? I know those may sound like silly questions, but that's where I'm at....
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For auto pistols its easier to take the barrel out to preform the plunk test. Once the rounds pass the plunk then check that they will fit in the mag then cycle them through the mag into the chamber.
 
So, its (the cartridge) not supposed to slide all the way in and out of the barrel i guess....what are you looking for exactly, if you have the barrel out...a "plunk" sound when you drop it in maybe :)...? Is that all? Maybe when you are more experienced you just know what looks and sounds right on that particular test, because I'm not real sure what i'm looking for exactly.. Thanks
 
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Potatohead said:
So, its (the cartridge) not supposed to slide all the way in and out of the barrel i guess....what are you looking for exactly, if you have the barrel out? Its just supposed to enter the barrel,and the rim area is supposed to nestle up right where the barrel begins? It would help me explain my question better if i knew the names of all the barrel and cartridge parts I'm talking about. . sorry..will look them up in a sec. Thanks
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Some where some time I remember seeing photos or a diagram that shows what you are looking for. I will look around and see if I can find the info.
 
For a semi, you take the gun apart and drop the round into the barrel, muzzle down. If the OAL is short enough, the round will go all the way in --plunk-- and you can spin it without any binding. Then you invert the barrel, and if it falls out just from gravity, it's short enough. Then make sure they'll go into the mag and will cycle through the action.

Note: Sometimes an over-long round will seem to go into the mag ok, but is actually going in canted. You might not know this until you put in several. But if you stay at or below SAAMI max length, in theory they have to fit in the mag since the mag is made to accommodate any SAAMI spec cartridge.

For a revolver, try it in every chamber.

Note: As has been said but bears repeating, this is different for every bullet (meaning every manufacturer and model, maybe even lot) in every barrel.
 
Atbat82 said:
Beatledog, Muddydogs,

Thanks for all the help today! You guys have been awesome.
Click to expand...
No problem.

Also if you plan to do a roll crimp or heavy crimp this should be done in the bullet crimp groove so then all the above means nothing. Well almost nothing, seat the bullet so the case mouth is in the crimp groove and perform the above tests to make sure everything works. If not then you might have to rethink using that type of bullet or rethink your crimp. A lot of guys are getting away with lighter taper crimps which don't need to be done in a crimp groove. A light taper crimp is basically just removing the case mouth bell and nothing more. These light taper crimps are even being used in revolvers were at one time it was the norm to always apply a heavy roll crimp. Once you start messing with crimps one has to take the time and inspect rounds in the mag or cylinder while working up loads to check for bullet movement. Rounds also need to be inspected after chambering in a Semi auto pistol to make sure the bullet isn't getting pushed into the case from the force of being chambered.
 
One more thing I would like to throw out here.

Most of us don't trim pistol brass as there is no need to really but when working up loads and doing the plunk test it will make things a lot easier to use cases all the same length. Sort through your cases and find a few that are at minimum case length or a few that are all about the same length, if you have the stuff to trim the cases then just trim a few.

There's nothing more frustrating then setting up your seating die to seat a bullet into the crimp groove only to find out that you picked out the only long or short cases in the lot. At least that's always my luck, if there is one long or short case in a pile of 1000 cases I will be using that one to set my dies. Every once in a while you can run across a case that is just to long and if using this case to do the plunk test then it doesn't matter how deep you seat the bullet as the case is causing the problems.
 
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