new to 9mm, what diameter plated and what weight

[z7]

like the title says, i am about to dive into reloading 9mm. i shoot glock 40 caliber guns and load for them. i will be getting 9mm conversion barrels for them soon, i am unsure of the brand of conversion barrels as they are a gift.

what is your preferred plated bullet diameter? i notice xtreme makes .355 and .356 and from what i have read around the web .355 is the typical jacketed diameter and .356 for lead. . . but it also depends on the barrel.

i was also looking at rmr plated and i have read some great things here regarding RMR thick plated bullets.

what is your preferred weight in 9mm? for 40sw i like 180's, but i have not tried anything in 9mm

thanks for your thoughts. i want the 9mm ammo to cycle my guns reliably and to shoot accurately.

 

[Blue68f100]

I prefer the 124gr RN for my 9's. As for bullet size I use Berry's plated this last batch and they are sized like lead. TP is the way to go so you don't have to worry about max velocity. Now if you size the new barrel when you get it, will indicate what size you need. My 229 barrel is a 0.357" so i actually need a 0.358" bullet for most accuracy and fit. Most conversion barrels I have seen are actually 0.355"-0.356". If your wanting to buy ahead of the barrel go the 0.356". The cores in plated bullets are very soft the reason most are sized like lead. Then load them up since you will be using the 40 cal RS.

 

[Lman57]

I have been using Berry's 9mm. 124gr HBFP-TP (.356) that is Hollow Base Flat Point Thick Plate. The Thick Plate allows these bullets to handle velocities up to 1500 feet per second.
I have had no problem with them.

 

[PO2Hammer]

I've used .355" and .356" plated, no difference on the target or over the chrono. Same with jacketed, .355" & .356" work fine.
For plinkers I like 124 or 147 grains.

 

[z7]

Thanks, i think when SWMBO allows I will order some RMR 124g of some veriety and give it a shot

 

[StrutStopper]

Just ordered some .355 124 gr RN from Xtreme. They've got free shipping for Valentine's Day. Grabbed some 230 gr .45s too.

 

[TfflHndn]

I really like 147 grain coated lead. Check out Falcon or SNS Casting. Good shooting and can be used for target or defense.

 

[g.willikers]

That sounds like my favorite, too, when I had a 9mm.
Hard cast 147 grain truncated cone, (flat point), loaded to a little less than 1000 f/s or so.
Very accurate and able to knock down full sized poppers.

 

[7mmb]

I use Xtreme 124gr round nose. Obviously they feed reliably and they are also very accurate. .356" bullets are made for 38 Super. I stick with .355" for 9mm. The heavy plate bullets are good up to 1500 fps and the regular plate up to 1200 fps. My 9mm loads don't exceed 1200 fps so I'm sticking with what is working for me.

 

[oneounceload]

the 124's just seem to give me the best accuracy in my various 9mms, either RN of HP, jacketed or plated.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I am not a fan of plated bullets but I do like coated cast bullets. I load mostly Cast bullets for the 9mm but also load FMJ and JHP too. I recently tried Hi-Tek Coated bullets and they worked very well in a stock Glock barrel. http://www.missouribullet.com/details.php?prodId=208&category=20&secondary=8&keywords=
There is no reason not to load cast bullets in the 9mm and if you fear them for some reason coated bullets might work for you. I only tried the coated bullets because of the Glock barrel rifling and they worked perfectly. It's the only 9mm I load coated bullets for, all others are mostly cast.

When loading for the 9mm I like a 124/125gr bullet. I usually use a .355" jacketed bullet and a .356" lead bullet. I like medium speed powders for the 9mm starting with W231 and moving all the way up to Longshot. Every gun is different but with the components I use it's hard not to find a good load any of the 9mm pistols I shoot. I use mostly W231/HP-38, HS-6 and Longshot but I have also used AA#5, Power Pistol, Universal and a few other I can't remember right now.

My favorite loads:
124gr RN Cast bullet over 4.0gr W231
124gr Coated Cast bullet over 4.4gr W231
Other loads are:
124gr FMJ bullet over 4.4gr W231
124gr JHP bullet over 6.7gr HS-6 (SP Magnum Primer)
124gr JHP bullet over 5.7gr Longshot (work up to that charge)
WARNING: Mistakes can and will happen when writing numbers. Always check data you get from a stranger on the Internet!

 

[z7]

Thanks for the responses. I will be using be-86 for a while, i scored an 8lb jug a few weeks ago. Now I need to see if I wanna go cheaper and use cast or just stick to plated

 

[Artofgolf]

I have been using Berry's 9mm. 124gr HBFP-TP (.356) ......

Very good bullet; works well in my Glock 19

Thanks for the responses. I will be using be-86 for a while, ..... stick to plated

That BE-86 is a great choice for 9mm ~ good call, z7

 

[sawdustdad]

I load mostly Xtreme 115g RN plated bullets. I've shot a lot using 6g Unique, but recently have dropped back to closer to 5g, with no loss of accuracy or function. 6g is a pretty hot (max or near max) so be careful.

 

[GarrettJ]

I find some guns can have a noticeable preference to one size or the other.

I posted some of my findings a while ago at arfcom.

 

[Col. Jankoski]

I use the xtreme 115 grain plated round nose its basically a lead bullet plated in a copper alloy to be "environmentally friendly" I have found that the CFE pistol powder works great for these as the powder is so fine. With the more common alliant Unique, the individual grains are larger in the powder filling the cartridges leaving it pretty tight to seat the bullet. The cfe leaves more space.........just my .02 I also cast my own lead bullets and molly coat them use a light load and use them for uspsa with a lighter load.....

 

[GLOOB]

*wrong thread