New to reloading

[Sni-per]

I am new to both HIGH ROAD, and reloading. I acquired a Hornady LnL AP recently. I'm set up and ready to begin reloading 9mm for plinking only. Not a competitive shooter, just like to hit what I'm aiming at.

Can anyone recommend a good "beginning" powder for me? Being safe is my utmost concern. I have the Lyman reloading handbook, and just looking for some input as to what works best for you all.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jwrowland77]

Welcome to THR and the world of reloading.

I'd suggest getting a powder that fills the case to start off with, like Unique.

I'd also suggest getting at least 1-2 more manuals. You can't have too many manuals.

Also, if you can find a local mentor, that would be the most valuable.

Stay safe and this place is great for answering questions and helping out

 

[Dudedog]

At this point in time it may be what powder you can find that is listed for 9mm.
I am going to assume you are not going to want to wait for months (or more) to find 1 powder.

Check your manuals to see what is listed for 9mm, (also powder makers web sites)and then see what you can find.
HP38 and 231 (same powder different name) would be good if you can find some. There has been some around here and there but it goes quick. BE86 has also been around, as well as Longshot. These 3 flow thru the measure well-meter well, however it is possible with these powders to double charge a case. (very bad thing)(and lots of other powders as well). Unique fills up the case more but does not meter well out of my measure, yours may be different, but I have not seen any around lately.
BE86 is a newer powder and less load data is available but lots of people here could help you with loads for it if you get BE86.


Be aware if you need to order powder there is almost always a hazmat charge in addition to the shipping cost. This is usually $28.50 for 1 pound up to lots, so if you order you probably want to order 3 or 4 lbs and primers as well to make the shipping per lb lower. If your LGS has powder great!
Let us know what you can find and we can suggest the best choice ( in our opnions) of what you have available.

As of the other day Recobs Target had BE86. (I have ordered from them woith no problems)

Welcome to THR, there are lots of great people here.

 

[Blue68f100]

You will found the Ball Powders will give you the most consistent loads on a progressive. I've been using a LNL-AP for 6+ yrs now. I like the WSF for the 9mm. It's a low density ball powder that will fill the case nicely for the 9mm. It can also be used to push the loads hard if you like to, aka +P. A very forgiving powder, and very versatile. W231/HP38 is my second choice. But like said finding pistol powder these days is hard but it's starting to show back up again. Large flake powders like Unique, x800 do not meter well and will give you a large spread ±0.2gr or more.

 

[hanno]

Welcome. As noted above, these days finding the powder you want can be tough. Study your manuals and make a list of powders that will work with the bullets you are using. When you find one of the powders in stock, buy it.

Win 231/HP-38 is a very versatile powder and meters well. If you can find it, grab it.

One bit of advice, in addition to making labels for every load, keep a reloading log and record the data of every load you make.

 

[Parman]

I will have to agree. I recently started reloading 9mm and had a hard time finding powder. I ended up finding Ramshot Silhouette and have had good luck with my loads.

 

[Potatohead]

Im not at my home computer or I would link my burn chart. Anywhere from 23-40 on the chart would be safe powders. (more than that actually)

You need a manual. Good write up on powders in the lyman 49

 

[Sni-per]

Potatohead, that would be wonderful to see your chart. I have a Cabelas, roughly 60 miles away, and that is my most used shooting supply store.

I have the Lyman 49th Edition, and have ordered a couple more manuals. I'm planning a trip with my wife, to Cabelas tonight, to possibly pick up a few supplies.

Another question.... Is it any different loading a Hollow Point, than a FMJ. Like I say, I am a newly, and I'm hoping I'm not asking stupid questions.

 

[mdi]

I'd say refer to our reloading manual(s) and note the powders used for the bullet you choose. Then with your list in hand do some shopping/searching. I also recommend you stay with book loads with the starting loads as a good place to start.

FWIW; I have never distinguished between "plinking" or any other load. I do my best with each round that comes off my press and never load without my full concentration and care. Some loads aren't considered "super accurate" loads, but the simple, everyday ammo gets the same full attention as my "world record, bench rest" ammo. Some may use slightly less than premium components but none are "just"...

Welcome to the wonderful, satisfying, often frustrating/confusing world of reloading!

Go slow, double check everything, and most importantly, have fun!

 

[Toprudder]

Sni-per,

Powders I have tried that have worked well:

Power Pistol
BE-86
VV 3N37
AA#5
AA#7
Titegroup
Autocomp

My favorite so far would be Power Pistol and BE-86. Power Pistol is the first powder I ever used, and like that it meters well, is clean, and has consistent velocities even at lower charge levels. BE-86 is very similar.

I tried PB but could not get it to work at the charge levels on Hodgdon's website, even at max listed charge, NONE of the shots would cycle the gun. I also tried HS-6 but it seemed to only work well close to max charge, which I don't care for in my plinking loads.

Bullseye will work in 9mm, but will leave your gun sooty. HP38/W231 is probably one of the more popular powders for 9mm, I just have not tried them in 9mm yet.

The majority of the bullets I use are Xtreme 115 plated, but I have also used Win 124 FMJ. I recently tried some test loads with Bayou Bullets Hitek coated, which seemed to work well. I intend to buy more to play with.

If you are comparing HP to FMJ, generally you will need to seat the HP a little shorter due to the shape of the nose. Depending on your seating die, you might have to use a different seating stem, but in my experience you won't. The biggest differences in bullets will be FMJ<>cast lead.

I prefer plated. Less expensive than FMJ, and also have the advantage of not having any exposed lead at the base, so less lead exposure handling and shooting. Cast lead must be lubed, and are a little dirty when handling/loading. Lots of people use them and like them, I just prefer the plated. I also like the Bayou coated, but must be treated more like lead when reloading (flare cases more, use load data for lead).

Hope this helps.

Good luck!

 

[Dudedog]

BE86 thread here
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=760289&highlight=BE86

 

[Dudedog]

Ooppsss duplicate.....user error

 

[Potatohead]

Potatohead, that would be wonderful to see your chart. I have a Cabelas, roughly 60 miles away, and that is my most used shooting supply store.

I have the Lyman 49th Edition, and have ordered a couple more manuals. I'm planning a trip with my wife, to Cabelas tonight, to possibly pick up a few supplies.

Another question.... Is it any different loading a Hollow Point, than a FMJ. Like I say, I am a newly, and I'm hoping I'm not asking stupid questions.

I'll try and find a thread that has a chart. On the JHP to ball question, pretty much just a difference in COL. And some guns don't feed JHPs quite as well.

 

[Potatohead]

Here's a burn rate chart. Keep in mind the % of change in speed is not the same between each powder, nor is a burn chart an exact science. Its pretty much just is a list of powders in the appx order of their speed.

 

[wlkjr]

If I'm not mistaken, the Lymans manual has a burn rate chart in it. You can also do a google search. Strange that some charts have the powders in different positions. I tend to keep all my loads at mid range or lower, except for the G42, which requires loads at the upper end only.
I would suggest making a powder list and get whatever you can find that fits your needs. You'll get a wide variety of opinions, so you just have to go slow and see what works for you. I have several friends who reload and who I have learned from, and none of us shoot the same load.

 

[Average Joe]

Power Pistol works extremely well in 9mm, followed by W231/HP38, with Unique bring up the rear. I know there are others, but these are what I have used in the past.

 

[tcanthonyii]

I've used Unique and Titegroup. Great success with both.

 

[Sni-per]

Thanks Fellas. I bought some Rimshot Silhouette last night, hoping it will work for my 9mm loads. WOW....powder is hard to find!!! Excited to start reloading a few rounds soon.

 

[Dudedog]

Nice score, I have not used that one but people seem to like it.
(I wasn't joking when I said it may be what you can find)

 

[drband]

I've had good success with Red Dot for all around target/plinking.
I second Dudedog's comment:

(I wasn't joking when I said it may be what you can find)

 

[TfflHndn]

Silhouette works well with 9mm. My guns don't like 115 grain bullets as well as the heavier ones, and lighter bullets use more powder, so I stay with the 124 or heavier bullets. Bayou is good for coated as noted above, and check SNS Casting, Missouri Bullet and Falcon also. All have good products.

 

[ulflyer]

Make sure you don't seat the bullet deep enuf to compress the powder. I just started loading 9mm also, but had loaded a lot of 38's and 45's so the process was familiar to me. Since the bullets I have are 115gr Jacketed HP, I started at 1.125 COL (using a caliper) and that worked well in my Kahr, but worked it down to 1.095 in order to get the bullet seated a bit deeper. That too worked well in my gun. I happened to have Clays from several years ago as it became my favorite for 45acp so I'm using that. I understand its not available now. In the event I run out of it, I have Win 231 and Bullseye, my other all time favorites.

For anyone with Clays and haven't used it yet in 9mm I can tell you it fills the case nicely and is easy to see while loading. Also have to be careful not to seat too deeply.

PS: Some say Bullseye is dirty but I've shot a LOT of it in 45acp and 38cal and can't tell the difference from Win 231 or Clays. All three of these powders meter well in my Dillon 550.

 

[Ex]

Sni-per. Everything said above is good info. I'll only add one thing.

TiteGroup works great but can be dangerous for the new loader because it has such a low case fill. VERY easy to double charge it and not notice. But it does make nice rounds.

More bulky powders like have been mentioned (Unique for one) will fill the case almost to the brim if not overflow it, and are therefore easy to spot accidental double charges.

Welcome, have fun, be safe!

 

[Sni-per]

So, with a powder such as Unique, filling the case to near overflowing, is it possible to seat the bullet without compressing the powder? Also, is compressing the powder a dangerous thing?

I'm not able to reload yet, as I am waiting for supplies, thus I am reading and learning from you all, during my free time before the reloader is all ready to go.

Along with the Ramshot Silhouette powder, I purchased Winchester WSP primers. I have not gotten that far in my manuals yet, but is there any reason why the WSPs won't work well with my powder?

 

[gojuice101]

Compression depends on the fill amount and the bullet seating depth. The way it reacts depends on the powder. Some powders supposedly burn better when compressed. I personally don't like compressed loads so I avoid them but that's just me. The only ones I've ever run were in 223.

As far as powders, another vote here for hp-38. It doesn't fill completely but it is a good powder. Hard to find though. Whatever you do, I recommend you stay far away from 700-x. Easy to find, but for small charges like 9mm it won't meter anywhere near consistently (at last in my experience). I don't mean like minor differences either. Sometimes I get more than a 1/2 grain of difference between drops with 700-x. With those size charges, that's a pretty big difference.