How to determine oal

[cleanview]

I am the new guy just got the lee turret press last night.

First load I am trying to do is 9mm magtech 124 gr fmc ( i thought they were fmj) bullet with 46 grains of hp38.

How do you know what the oal shouild be?

the die instructions say 1.169 in.

The hodgdon sight say 1.090 for 125 gr SIE FMJ

Lyman does not have 125 fmj listings

Just not sure

 

[cleanview]

Another thing, with the lee powder dispenser ( or what ever it is called) do you just settle on the closest measurment. I was looking for 44 gr and only have choices of 43 or 46.

 

[LBEE]

The 9mm case wont hold 40+ grains of powder, I load 4.6 grains in a 9MM 115 grain Round nose bullet. I learned a long time ago to invest in a good Reloading Manual, I still have the First one I bought 50 years ago. They are a high Priority need, Good luck

 

[weeniewawa]

you need a good reloading manual and a scale and some vernier calipers

the COAL is just a measurement of the completed round

I think you are miss-reading something

may be 4.6 grains of powder

46 grains would be the last load you ever pull the trigger on

start in the low range and work the loads up

good luck bro

 

[Strykervet]

I'm not familiar with that exact bullet, but if I were you I'd just call the manufacturer and ask them. It is best to get the most precise information possible with stuff like this. Seat it too deep and it can/will increase your pressure no different than if you increased the powder.

 

[cleanview]

Yep I forgot a dot which means i am not trying to fit 46 grains.

I have all the equipment mentioned above and admit I have only one manual. Lymans 49th.

I was jsut reading another post that clarified some of what I do not understand about oal.

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

OAL

I'm just starting out,

But I go with what the die manufacturer specs out for pistol. For rifle cartridges, (I don't do any yet), I plan to do my research and work off the "lands" to ensure the bullet gets a little head start before it hits them and starts spinning.

On the disks; I go with the closest disk to the maximum load then I creep up based on good advice here in THR and the amount of leading and unburnt powder left on the pistol.

There are a few tricks with the loading disks, if you scroll back and see some of them, you will be amazed.

I agree on getting the book, I have Lee 2nd addition, the books explain a lot.

 

[rfwobbly]

Lyman does not have 125 fmj listings

Lyman #49, p341: 125gr Jacketed HP with anything longer than 1.075".

 

[gamestalker]

A safe method is to take the barrel out of your AL and use the barrel as a guide. Seat the bullet in small increments until is is not touching the lands, and is some where between the published OAL and the lands and will function well in the magazine.
Speer did some research regarding the 9mm in which they deliberately seated a bullet .030" deeper than recomended. The results were, pressures jumped from a normal 28,000 to an extreme 62,000. The lesson here is be careful that the OAL you use is at or above the published OAL.

 

[cleanview]

good info amstalker.

 

[rfwobbly]

There is a clearer version of this on the CZ Forum with cartoons. I am not familiar with the bullet in question, but I have loaded enough ammo for CZ to tell you that not all the OALs listed in reloading manuals work with CZ pistols. On this point you have to be very careful. It all depends upon the bullet's ogive and how it presents itself to the rifling.



When you think you "have it", the best thing to do is build a "test cartridge" (no primer; no powder) and drop it into the chamber on your CZ barrel which has been removed from the pistol. You should hear a pleasing "tink" as the cartridge head spaces on the end of the chamber. Furthermore, the cartridge should spin freely in that position.

Under no circumstances load up 100 rounds or you may just find out what unloading 100 rounds with a kinetic hammer feels like.

 

[Walkalong]

First load I am trying to do is 9mm magtech 124 gr fmc ( i thought they were fmj) bullet with 46 grains of hp38.

I assume you meant 4.6 Grs W-231.

the die instructions say 1.169 in.

That is just the SAMMI max O.A.L. for 9MM.

I load 115 and 124/5 Gr FMJ profile bullets at 1.130 to 1.135 O.A.L. with good success.

A more blunt round nose would load a little shorter. What feeds great in your gun is what you want, and work up the load from there. If you use a shorter O.A.L. than the load data did, adjust your max charge down accordingly. As always, start low and work up.

As posted, some guns with short throats can be a problem if you do not check to see how long you can load that bullet before running off a big batch.

This thread can help you determine that.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=506678