My first reloads!!!

[Shootin Blanks]

So I finally shot my first sets of reloads successfully (by successfully I didn’t blow up myself or the gun). It was pretty fun to see everything I have been reading about fall into play. I made some Hornady 9mm 115 gr fmjrn using titegroup powder and Winchester primers. I used the chrono and will post the pictures in order from 3.7gr, 3.8gr and 3.9 gr. I didn’t see any signs of high pressures through any of those rounds, but I did notice a lot more soot on the brass from the 3.7 and 3.8gr rounds. The book says I can go up to 4.1gr with that recipe which I might take it a little higher. Now that I saw the 3.9gr looked to burn cleaner I’ll make some more rounds to see what I really get out of accuracy. I also shot 2 trial rounds of berrys 124gr hbfp and that didn’t go all that well. I was using accurate #5 with that. First set was at 4.9gr and hose were crazy slow (800 FPS ish) and was barely ejecting. The 5.0gr rounds were a little better. But I would really like to see if I can use titegroup with that or maybe a faster burning powder. If you guys have any suggestions or any words of wisdom I’m all in

I was using a Caldwell chrono 10ft away from it

 

[Hokie_PhD]

Congrats
The first time is so amazing

Glad all went well
Now you’ll become an ammo snob and see why great ammo is so fun to shoot.

 

[Phlier]

Congratulations, @Shootin Blanks ! Very well done. You're off to a great start!

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

Welcome to the reloading addiction/hobby.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

Welcome to the reloading addiction/hobby.

Shhhh let him get deeper into it before he’s sucked in

 

[Shootin Blanks]

Yeah my goal is to build a nice load for my Tikka. I figured pistol would be easier. But it’s fun me time

 

[kmw1954]

With the AA#5 you can load that Berry's HBFP up to 5.8gr which Western data say it will get you to 1069FPS. Then the FMJ 115gr should be able to max load at 6.3gr to 1100FPS... Am unfamiliar with the Titegroup as I don't use it but you should be able to find loads for both those bullets with it.

Right now you have 2 bullets and two powders so take the time and play with them in different loads. Try loading some with different OAL and see what it does to your loads. You should be able to find a length that is also the most accurate for that bullet in that gun along with a best powder weight. Seeing as you have a Chrono take advantage of it.

 

[FROGO207]

Glad your first trip was great. Some feeling eh. The soot on the outside of the brass is an indicator of low pressure with that particular load. That was to be expected with less than max loads. Just be watchful as 9MM being a higher pressure handgun round can have it jump fast. Also make sure your bullet will not slip into the brass as this reduces volume and as a result will raise pressure. I usually determine the OAL of the round that will work with a dummy round (less primer and powder) first and then test loads.

 

[Shootin Blanks]

So what do you do first? Find the powder volume that is Th e most accurate and then tweak the OAL to try and fine tune it?

 

[kmw1954]

As you know you have a load that works already start from there and make adjustments Longer and Shorter, I find longer is usually more accurate than shorter of the same load.

What you can do is take an unsized case and then flare it just enough that the bullet will start into it yet still chamber. Take the barrel out of the gun and then push this bullet and case into the chamber until the case is fully seated. This will be the max length for that bullet in that barrel and this should then be pushed deeper so the bullet isn't sitting in the rifling.

 

[Shootin Blanks]

As you know you have a load that works already start from there and make adjustments Longer and Shorter, I find longer is usually more accurate than shorter of the same load.

What you can do is take an unsized case and then flare it just enough that the bullet will start into it yet still chamber. Take the barrel out of the gun and then push this bullet and case into the chamber until the case is fully seated. This will be the max length for that bullet in that barrel and this should then be pushed deeper so the bullet isn't sitting in the rifling.

awesome!!! I will definitely try this.

 

[alfsauve]

It's a trip, isn't it. Still get a rush when shooting my .458S.

 

[lordpaxman]

Welcome to the addiction. It’s good to hear the initial testing went well!

So what do you do first? Find the powder volume that is Th e most accurate and then tweak the OAL to try and fine tune it?

9mm, as others have said, is a high pressure round and COL, especially with TG is something you need to pay attention to. Especially if you’re new to all of this. I would recommend you don’t go shorter than the published COL. You can go longer, but, you need to make sure you’re not going so long you’ll be jamming bullets into the lands. The other key aspect is to make sure you’re not getting setback when you chamber rounds. This relates to adequate neck tension by the case on the bullet.
I’ve worked up TG loads for both those bullets and TG can give you very small groups. For me, I find the powder charge that will result in making a minimum velocity for a specific grain weight, and then tweak the COL a bit to see if affects group size. But I also have to make sure that COL fits most of the 9s I have so I’m limited in what I can do. With the distances I’m shooting pistol, for a given powder, I haven’t seen a huge difference in group size for different COLs. I do see a difference in group size for different powders, for a given bullet and COL. And, different guns will pattern differently. Welcome to permutation hell.
I wouldn’t recommend a faster burning powder than TG for a new reloaded. You’re already playing with fire. A bit slower powder may actually be better. Something like N320, Sport Pistol, or W244. There are a lot to choose from!

 

[Shak3s1977]

Congrats. Your going to save SO MUCH MONEY lol. Just kidding. This is a great hobby. I'm still pretty new ( 2 years) but it's exciting shooting your own loads. Stay safe and enjoy.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

Congrats. Your going to save SO MUCH MONEY lol. Just kidding. This is a great hobby. I'm still pretty new ( 2 years) but it's exciting shooting your own loads. Stay safe and enjoy.

Yep
More powder, primers and bullets. More range time. A new bench, new gear, yep but it’s going to save a few cents a round.

Actually I gave up on trying to justify saving money. I bought my gear wisely, and I shop for sales and in bulk. That said, it’s now more about getting better ammo for the cost of the cheap stuff.

As for OP, when I started I hade no idea what to use, so just tried a few powders. Actually I used what a buddy gave me as my starting point.

I since found this site and learned a lot more.

Personally my favorite 9mm is the RMR 124 gr bullets with BE86. It’s a combo many here rave about. And it’s justified IMHO.

 

[Shootin Blanks]

Welcome to the addiction. It’s good to hear the initial testing went well!



9mm, as others have said, is a high pressure round and COL, especially with TG is something you need to pay attention to. Especially if you’re new to all of this. I would recommend you don’t go shorter than the published COL. You can go longer, but, you need to make sure you’re not going so long you’ll be jamming bullets into the lands. The other key aspect is to make sure you’re not getting setback when you chamber rounds. This relates to adequate neck tension by the case on the bullet.
I’ve worked up TG loads for both those bullets and TG can give you very small groups. For me, I find the powder charge that will result in making a minimum velocity for a specific grain weight, and then tweak the COL a bit to see if affects group size. But I also have to make sure that COL fits most of the 9s I have so I’m limited in what I can do. With the distances I’m shooting pistol, for a given powder, I haven’t seen a huge difference in group size for different COLs. I do see a difference in group size for different powders, for a given bullet and COL. And, different guns will pattern differently. Welcome to permutation hell.
I wouldn’t recommend a faster burning powder than TG for a new reloaded. You’re already playing with fire. A bit slower powder may actually be better. Something like N320, Sport Pistol, or W244. There are a lot to choose from!

Just out of curiosity where did you find the load data to use TG for the berrys hbfp? I found the data to use HBRN i didn’t know if it was ok to use the same powder recipe just adjust to the OAL states on berrys website

 

[Shootin Blanks]

Yep
More powder, primers and bullets. More range time. A new bench, new gear, yep but it’s going to save a few cents a round.

Actually I gave up on trying to justify saving money. I bought my gear wisely, and I shop for sales and in bulk. That said, it’s now more about getting better ammo for the cost of the cheap stuff.

As for OP, when I started I hade no idea what to use, so just tried a few powders. Actually I used what a buddy gave me as my starting point.

I since found this site and learned a lot more.

Personally my favorite 9mm is the RMR 124 gr bullets with BE86. It’s a combo many here rave about. And it’s justified IMHO.

Is there a post of recipes?

 

[kmw1954]

Hodgdon has data on their website for the 124gr HBRN for Titegroup; 3.6 - 4.1gr OAL 1.150"... The HBFP will be shorter and right now I don't have the bullet length difference between the HBRN and the HBFP.

 

[Shootin Blanks]

Ok so I figured it would be ok to use the same powder data with the proper OAL but I wasn’t 100% sure. I asked on a local forum and nobody could point me in the right direction

 

[kmw1954]

Western Powders show an OAL for the Berry's HBFP at 1.060" and w/o looking in my Log book I do believe that is what I use for the Hollow Base.

 

[CptnAwesome]

Congrats. Reloading is an awesome and rewarding hobby.

 

[lordpaxman]

Just out of curiosity where did you find the load data to use TG for the berrys hbfp? I found the data to use HBRN i didn’t know if it was ok to use the same powder recipe just adjust to the OAL states on berrys website

The Hodgdon website has data for the 124 gr BERB HBRN TP. Someone had bullet length data which I don’t have anymore and I made sure the bullet seating depth in the case was close. This is not the same as COL. I used COL of 1.150” for the HBRN and 1.140” for the HBFP and the powder min/max from Hodgdon.
If your bullet doesn’t have load data, you can use load data from a similar bullet weight, geometry and technology. You cannot mix and match a powder weight from one load data with a COL from another load data. Especially in 9mm. TG is the one powder I’ve gotten in trouble with when I loaded some lead RN .020” shorter than the minimum and had the web blow out of two cases. It was my mistake, but, TG is unforgiving.
I ended up switching to RMR’s FP MW rather than the Berrys.

 

[rfwobbly]

So what do you do first? Find the powder volume that is the most accurate and then tweak the OAL to try and fine tune it?

No. That's exactly backwards.

1. First determine your OAL. Auto pistol OAL is not a fixed number. It can vary by bullet and barrel. My OAL will not be your OAL.

• Max OAL is generally controlled by the barrel. There is a huge variation in 9mm barrel and chamber design across gun makers. Therefore, your barrel will determine your Max OAL. Special shaped bullets can also limit OAL, depending upon the brand of pistol.

• Min OAL is usually taken as the load recipe, because using an OAL shorter than published load data will result in higher chamber pressures. How much higher is not something a novice wants to guess at, especially with a high pressure cartridge like 9mm Luger.

Therefore Max and Min act like mathematical "bookends" or limits. That is the "hard number science" of reloading. Then getting to choose a workable number between those 2 limits is "the art" of reloading.

(With the 9x19 Luger cartridge, there are also some "Do Not Exceed" limits prescribed by SAAMI. They show 1.000" as the very minimum (where feeding errors are likely to show up) and 1.169" as the very maximum if you expect the ammo to fit the magazine.)

Graphically, it all looks like this....


2. Once your barrel and bullet are happy with your chosen OAL, then you vary the powder under the bullet to achieve your goal of a certain accuracy or bullet speed. In this way, with the OAL firmly fixed, you are changing a single variable (the powder) and can more easily reach your goal.

When we vary the powder we always begin at the Starting Load and work our way up in small increments. These are called "incremental loads" or "ladder loads". Because all guns are different, the cartridge performance will then also vary from gun to gun. For this reason your results will probably be different from what your load manual is reporting.

Your load manual then is more like a hiking trail map. It can show you the way, but it can't tell you when you'll get there. And it certainly can't tell you about the bears you'll meet along the way !

Happy trails. Hope this helps.

 

[bersaguy]

Congratulations! Always nice to find that sweet spot....somewhere between getting the pill stuck in the barrel and the gun exploding Just kidding! It's a great hobby. I find Titegroup to soot up cases at the lower end of the load data in 45acp...truthfully it soots up cases until I get to max load...but a midrange charge with Titegroup and 230gn Berry's makes for the most pleasant and accurate target load I've found. Good luck, stay safe

 

[frankmako]

good job. now you can play around with more loads trying to find the best load. i like titegroup and use several pounds a year. but i have found aa#5 works better in 9mm. keep reloading and will find out that you can make some great ammo.