Need your expertise

[somethingbenign]

So I'm brand new to reloading and am starting with 9mm Luger. I plan to compete in some local IDPA and USPSA so even though the savings of 9mm will be small the amount of shooting will make up quickly. I'd like to use my competitions as training for concealed carry to start and would like to match my reloads to my carry ammo as closely as I can. I currently carry Hornady critical defense and would like to keep with 155gr bullets.
So my question is has anyone done something similar and what kind of powder and load data did you use so I have a starting point? On a budget right now with my wife's student loans and being reduced hours at work otherwise I'd just do trial and error, thanks for your understanding.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

115 grain bullets?
I don't load that weight but there are a lot of options for powder.
Here are a couple links with load data.

http://www.accuratepowder.com/load-data/
http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol
It's usually not difficult to find a load that shoots to the same POI as carry rounds of equal weight.

 

[warnerwh]

He also could have meant to type 125gr bullets. As the person above stated it is very easy to come very close to any factory load's POI with whichever bullet you use. If you use Bullseye you can load a lot of 9mm ammo with 1lb of powder. I like RMR or Xtreme for inexpensive good quality bullets for very good prices. Don't worry about your reloading set up paying for itself with 9mm. There's not much savings with 9mm but you will likely end up using that same loading equipment for other cartridges and it will pay for itself easily. Also reloading equipment lasts for decades.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I currently carry Hornady critical defense and would like to keep with 155gr bullets.

You're going to have to clarify the bullet weight you're using for us to make better recommendations

 

[ray15]

Hodgdon CFE Pistol and Alliant BE86 are excellent in full-power 9mm Luger with bullet weights from 115-147gr.

 

[Jim Watson]

Hornady Critical Defense 9mm seems to be 115 gr only.
Now you know why not to get your load data off the gunboards, typos are common and spell checkers will do interesting things.

So all I will say is that my SD practice load is a 115 gr JHP bullet and a powder charge only .1 grain over the Hodgdon starting load for HP38. Velocity is higher than they show, so I saw no reason to increase.
I have used mostly Remington bulk JHPs, but saw little difference with Magnus (Which look a lot like Zero, which looks a lot like Winchester.)
My next batch will be with Xtreme plated HP because they were on sale cheap. Hey, it is practice ammo, I keep Federal 9BP for social purposes.

Note to Ray. A friend is very happy with CFE-P that he bought during the panic when HP38 was not available. I call Power Pistol the "Manly Gunpowder" because it produces high velocity at handbook loads, but with bright flash and loud blast. When I was loading my one can of it, I was frequently asked "What have you got in that thing?"

 

[somethingbenign]

Hornady Critical Defense 9mm seems to be 115 gr only.
Now you know why not to get your load data off the gunboards, typos are common and spell checkers will do interesting things.

So all I will say is that my SD practice load is a 115 gr JHP bullet and a powder charge only .1 grain over the Hodgdon starting load for HP38.
I have used mostly Remington bulk JHPs, but saw little difference with Magnus (Which look a lot like Zero, which looks a lot like Winchester.)
My next batch will be with Xtreme plated HP because they were on sale cheap. Hey, it is practice ammo, I keep Federal 9BP for social purposes.

Yeah that was a typo. I meant 115gr. Thanks for the starting point. I plan on using the Lee auto drum, any powders to avoid or use with that setup?

 

[Jim Watson]

Sorry, I have no experience with the Auto Drum.
When my friend could find none of the HP38 he had been using, and had consumed all I could spare, we went shopping. Three or four manuals and websites showed 26 powders that could reasonably be used in 9mm. We found two of them and he picked CFE-P and has stayed with it. So with five powders mentioned here, that leaves 21 more to choose from.
I will add that if I had not had enough HP38 to get through the panic, and been able to restock soon after, I would probably be loading 9mm with Bullseye which I keep for midrange .45 anyhow.

 

[Bartojc]

I have and currently use W231/HP38 for 115gr and 124/5gr in 9MM. There are many others, some better than others for 115gr. Do a few searches and pay attention to what some of the long time residents around here have to say. You'll learn a lot and get some really great advise.

-Jeff

 

[hdwhit]

So my question is has anyone done something similar and what kind of powder and load data did you use so I have a starting point?

I don't use Hornady Critical Defense, so I can't speak to a handload that will "duplicate" it, but my "self-defense" load uses 115 grain Hornady XTP bullets and HP-38 powder with a load somewhere in the mid-range of Hornady's published data.

I also like Hi-Skor 800X. It's problem is that it does not flow well through most powder measures so you pretty much have to consign yourself to throwing charges light onto the pan of a balance and trickling them up to weight.

 

[D Rock]

I use Win 231 in my Lee AutoDrum with no problems.

Here's a link to Handloads.com 9mm load data base. You can alter it at the top if you like but this will give you something to read.
http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=9 mm&Weight=All

Dave

 

[rjbmjb]

I have used both Bullseye and BE-86 with Berrys plated 115 gr RNs. No problems with either, but I haven't tried to match factory loads.

 

[ray15]

So all I will say is that my SD practice load is a 115 gr JHP bullet and a powder charge only .1 grain over the Hodgdon starting load for HP38. Velocity is higher than they show, so I saw no reason to increase.
I have used mostly Remington bulk JHPs, but saw little difference with Magnus (Which look a lot like Zero, which looks a lot like Winchester.)
My next batch will be with Xtreme plated HP because they were on sale cheap. Hey, it is practice ammo, I keep Federal 9BP for social purposes.

Note to Ray. A friend is very happy with CFE-P that he bought during the panic when HP38 was not available. I call Power Pistol the "Manly Gunpowder" because it produces high velocity at handbook loads, but with bright flash and loud blast. When I was loading my one can of it, I was frequently asked "What have you got in that thing?"

CFE-P is ideal burn rate wise for about 1150fps with a 115gr. bullet. BE-86 has nearly the same velocity potential as Power Pistol, but without the blinding flash. It's what I'd recommend when 1200fps+ is the goal. Both are extremely accurate powders, but run best at max or close to it. Both have greater velocity potential than HP38 before you hit max pressures.

I've got some of the 115gr. Xtreme plated hollowpoints, and I like them a lot. I've only worked up a Titegroup load with them (4.2gr. @ 1.08" OAL), but I'm sure they would do great with 5.6-5.7gr. CFE-P (this would be at or near max for CFEP, start 10% lower).

 

[ponchh]

I use the auto drum with CFE and it throws very consistent. Almost all my rounds are 125 HAP
124 XTP or 124 BERRYS HP TARGET
The hap and xtp are the same bullet and the Berry's is close, but with a little more bearing surface and more important it is plated not jacketed.

 

[ray15]

The hap and xtp are the same bullet...

Although I don't have any handy to measure, I believe the HAP is 0.356" diameter where the XTPs are 0.355".

 

[ponchh]

Your right, and Berry's is .356.
Same bullets

 

[ray15]

Your right, and Berry's is .356.
Same bullets

The point was, the HAP is a 0.356" jacketed bullet, where the XTP is a 0.355" jacketed bullet. This is a crucial difference. HAP will make more pressure for a given charge because of the greater degree of bore sealing the larger diameter produces. It is not advisable to see them as the same bullet for the purposes of reloading. HAP takes its own unique load data.

 

[ponchh]

Its what I do. I haven't blown up anything yet, but that is how i load the two.
The hap and xtp get 4.5gr of CFE for shooting the steels but carry loads are 5.2gr on the xtp's
Berry's get the same powder with a little shorter oal.

 

[ray15]

Its what I do. I haven't blown up anything yet, but that is how i load the two.
The hap and xtp get 4.5gr of CFE for shooting the steels but carry loads are 5.2gr on the xtp's
Berry's get the same powder with a little shorter oal.

4.5gr. is safe with the HAP. But 5.2gr may well blow stuff up. It's nearly 10% greater charge than the max load of 4.8gr. of CFEP for the 125gr. HAP.



5.2gr. sounds like a reasonable max for the XTP, but 4.5gr. may be beneath the starting charge. The XTP would probably approximate the performance of the 4.5gr. HAP load using 4.8-4.9gr. The 0.356" Berry's plated acts a lot more like the 0.355" XTP than it does the 0.356" HAP. The plating isn't nearly as hard as the jacket material. A 0.356" jacketed bullet like the HAP makes much more pressure than either - it is definitely not the same bullet.

 

[M118LR]

Since Spear Gold Dot 124 grain 9 mm ammo and NATO 124 grain 9 mm are the universal loads for 9 mm Hand gunning, wouldn't it be prudent to hand load while replicating either of these loads? JMHO.

 

[Ironicaintit]

I'm going to put a plug in for Unique. I'll admit I haven't tried a lot of different powders in 9mm... Unique was the first I tried, and I see no reason to switch it up. I have been tempted to try Sport Pistol though, just because of what I've read about it.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I'll admit I haven't tried a lot of different powders in 9mm... Unique was the first I tried, and I see no reason to switch it up.

If you'd like to try something as versatile as Unique but a bit more modern, you should give BE-86 a shot

 

[somethingbenign]

Since Spear Gold Dot 124 grain 9 mm ammo and NATO 124 grain 9 mm are the universal loads for 9 mm Hand gunning, wouldn't it be prudent to hand load while replicating either of these loads? JMHO.

The guys I learned from about carrying a pistol all use critical defense. Friend of mine that is a coroner also recommends it because he has "seen what it is capable of." Never really considered anything else but I'll take a look at those Gold Dot.

 

[Ironicaintit]

If you'd like to try something as versatile as Unique but a bit more modern, you should give BE-86 a shot

I may... But by the time I get through my stash of Unique, BE-86 will also be old school, and something later and greater will be around.

 

[wrench459]

I still load GDHP's even though HST's is seemingly a better bullet.

1 BE86
2 Blue Dot
3 Autocomp
4 CFEp
5 Power Pistol
6 3N37
.......