N340 in 9mm?

[Conservidave]

Does anyone have experience with this combo? My hornady book shows a load with a 115G XTP bullet and N340, but i am a little skeptical since the last time i used the N340 i wasn't impressed with the results in my .45ACP. I'll make the effort working this up if anybody has had reasonable success, other wise i have three other powders to look at with the XTP.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Walkalong]

N340 is great with 124/125 Gr bullets in 9MM. I have not tried it with 115 Gr bullets.

It is also great (IMHO) with 230 Gr jacketed bullets in .45 ACP running right at 850 FPS. What weight did you try in .45 ACP?

Both of these were full loads. For lighter 9MM loads N330 or N320 is a good choice, depending on how much lighter you go.

 

[Bronx kid]

Just finished loading some to test. Won't be able to get to the range until next week.

 

[Conservidave]

What weight did you try in .45 ACP?

i used it for 200 and 230g loads. the powder functioned well and seemed to burn clean in my 1911 but the accuracy just wasn't there. I'll have some 124g's soon and will give it another try.
Thanks,

 

[Mad Chemist]

I was using 4.9gr N340 with 124 gr RMR or Xtreme RN. Seated to 1.142''. Worked well. Clean and mild recoil.

 

[IMtheNRA]

My favorite powder in 9mm. I use thousands of rounds of 115-gr FMJ made with N340 annually. Very, very clean, and very low SD over the chrono. I get my lowest SD when using Federal Match primers.

For 50 to 100 yard pistol shooting, nothing I've tried beats 5.3 grains of N340, Fed Match primer, Winchester brass, and a Winchester 115-gr FMJ.

For IDPA/USPSA matches, 5.0 grains provide a little less muzzle flip and faster follow up shots while maintaining acceptable accuracy out to 25 yards.

I can shoot my guns at least twice as much between cleaning as I did when I was using Winchester-231

While I too had disappointing results with N340 in .45 acp experiments, I can't imagine a better powder for 9mm.

 

[arspeukinen]

4.9gr of N340, plated 125gr RN bullets. Works fine. Burns cleanly and is tender to rifling.
I switched to N320 recently for logistical reasons.

 

[Edarnold]

I've worked up to 6.0 gr N340 and the 115 gr XTP with good results and no excess pressure signs. It's important to adhere to the 1.142" COAL that VV specifies, since pressures go up in a hurry if the bullet is seated deeper. Make sure your chamber can accommodate this length.

 

[Mad Chemist]

N340 will give velocities close to what 3N37 can produce for 124 grain JHP. But N340 is much more forgiving of lighter loadings. My 4.9gr loads were very clean and consistent with very little unburnt powder.

 

[Conservidave]

Wow i wasn't expecting all the praise for this powder but now im stoked to try it out.

It's important to adhere to the 1.142" COAL that VV specifies

I think the longest i can go with the XTP is right around 1.100 in my XDS. i have been using an OAL around 1.080 with bullseye and it does ok, but i know this little pistol can do better. Im gonna go for it!
Thanks,
Dave

 

[1SOW]

N340 also burns cool. With minor power factor 124/125 gr bullets it performs pretty well. I haven't seen any powder residue, but a minor amount of soot that wipes off with a rag.
It also performs well at the upper end with 124gr SD loads. I've done so with 124gr Speer GDs and Hornady XTPs. I've brought it back a little to 1175-ish like the Speer std pressure SD ammo.
This is not a recommendation, just a finding. Adhere to published load data. I have loaded 9mm 124gr lightly compressed with linear chrono progression and no signs of excess pressure to 1200+ fps.

I prefer n320 for the light 124gr comp. loads up to 134-ish PF..

 

[joneb]

Conservidave, I have missed this powder, when did you acquire it ? I use it for warm loaded 38spl, 44spl and 45acp.

 

[Conservidave]

I have missed this powder, when did you acquire it ?

I found it about a year ago when i first started reloading at Sportsmans WH, i have not seen any V V powders since.

 

[IMtheNRA]

I discovered it at SWH as well. In the early days of the Great Panic of Oh-Eight, I attempted to stock up on W-231, but it was all gone. All that was left was the much more expensive N340. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

 

[16in50calNavalRifle]

I ordered VN340 from Powder Valley just after the start of the current panic, when selection was narrowing down, just to stock up a bit on some sort of handgun powder on top of what I already had (also ordered some Solo 1000 by mistake instead of Red Dot .... but Walkalong educated me on that powder and pre-empted any regret that I bought it!). So far I have used VN340 to build my loads to mimic my chosen HD ammo (Speer GoldDot) in 9mm and 45ACP.

I use 4.1 grains under a 147g FMJ/flat point in 9mm, OAL 1.15.

I don't have a chrono and my purpose is to practice with recoil similar to my HD ammo, so my "testing" was based on alternating Speer factory ammo and test loads of various charges and trying to compare felt recoil and observe brass ejection.

Did the same thing with 45ACP with 230g FMJ (can't recall the charge w/out looking at my log) and in both cases feel I have a pretty comparable "feel" to practice with.

Very clean and easy to work with. And, most importantly .... I have some.

 

[Conservidave]

So i've now tried Bullseye, Unique and N340 for the 115g XP's in 9mm and i just cant seem to find a sweet spot with this load. Everything so far has been in the 6" group size at 10 yards and i really cant tell the difference on paper between powders. The only powder i have left to try is HP-38 and this will finish up the box and i may have to just move on if it doesnt help. My OAL has been 1.080 and i can go out to 1.100 in my chamber, could i seat longer and expect an accuracy improvement?
Thanks,

 

[Jim Watson]

What will factory loads do for you?

6" at 10 yards is dreadful. There is some major incompatibility there and you will not fix it by changing powders or making fine adjustments in seating.
Try a different brand of bullet.

 

[sauer1911]

I got 4# of VV340 to load 124gr 9mm. It is awesome! crisp, clean, good stuff.

be safe.

 

[Mad Chemist]

Conservidave,

What gun and what charges are you using? I have found the XTP bullets to be very accurate in my G19 and SW Shield.

My XTP loads are driven a pretty hot and I've used Unique and N340 for this bullet before. I would load them above the midpoint for jacketed data. I would also cross reference multiple data sources for the charge weights. For Unique with a 115 XTP, I would load somewhere between 5.7-6.2gr and for N340 I'd load them somewhere North of 5.5gr.

Your COAL of 1.10" seems too short. The XTP has a very "pointy" profile. It should easily pass the plunk test out to 1.25" and above.

I would save the Bullseye for light loads with plated or lead bullets.

 

[IMtheNRA]

Viht edition #7 lists the following data for 115-gr HP-XTP: COAL 1.142, N340 5.2 to 5.9 gr.

 

[Edarnold]

Since the poor accuracy of the OP's pistol with all these handloads seems to be the issue, the next step would be to test for accuracy with some 'store-bought' SD loads. Maybe he just has a lemon that won't shoot anything accurately, which means chasing the perfect load is a waste of effort.

 

[IMtheNRA]

Oops, never mind. I missed the OPs last update.

 

[Conservidave]

Heres what i've loaded up so far.......

Springfield XDS

Unique 4.4-5.6
N340 4.5- 4.9
BE 3.9- 4.6

Plunk test showed i can only go out to about 1.100 with this bullet and couldn't get anywhere near 1.145 so now im really stumped.

the next step would be to test for accuracy with some 'store-bought' SD loads

This is what im thinking my next step should be, at least i will know if it's my reloads or a faulty gun. Any SD loads available with an XTP bullet?

 

[Jim Watson]

Hornady if you can find any.
Fiocchi, too.

 

[Mad Chemist]

Something isn't right. You should be able to plunk a lot longer than 1.10". The loads you have listed are too light for the 115gr XTP. They are very close to the charges I use for a 124gr plated bullets.