Newbie Question

[rhartman911]

So I have started to reload for my 9mm hand guns. And I am confused I loaded 250 rounds of 147 gr JHP ( self defense) with 3.6 grains of Sport Pistol.
I have 1,000 rounds of 124 gr RMR FMJ round nose (for plinking) and its calling for 4.4 gr of Sport Pistol. So why does a lighter bullet take more grains than a heavier bullet?
not sure if this matters:
2 - 9mm Shields for conceal carry
1- SAR 9 (Sarsilmaz)

 

[horsey300]

So I have started to reload for my 9mm hand guns. And I am confused I loaded 250 rounds of 147 gr JHP ( self defense) with 3.6 grains of Sport Pistol.
I have 1,000 rounds of 124 gr RMR FMJ round nose (for plinking) and its calling for 4.4 gr of Sport Pistol. So why does a lighter bullet take more grains than a heavier bullet?
not sure if this matters:
2 - 9mm Shields for conceal carry
1- SAR 9 (Sarsilmaz)

Less case capacity AND higher pressures are a result of a heavier bullet.

 

[Shooterbob]

Do you have any reloading manuals if so read them.did you make sure the rounds you loaded function in your firearms? Usually a test of the rounds is in order before loading a quantity of ammo.

 

[horsey300]

So I have started to reload for my 9mm hand guns. And I am confused I loaded 250 rounds of 147 gr JHP ( self defense) with 3.6 grains of Sport Pistol.
I have 1,000 rounds of 124 gr RMR FMJ round nose (for plinking) and its calling for 4.4 gr of Sport Pistol. So why does a lighter bullet take more grains than a heavier bullet?
not sure if this matters:
2 - 9mm Shields for conceal carry
1- SAR 9 (Sarsilmaz)

Have you actually worked up a load or are your just picking something that looks good in a manual?

 

[rhartman911]

Do you have any reloading manuals if so read them. did you make sure the rounds you loaded function in your firearms? Usually a test of the rounds is in order before loading a quantity of ammo.

Yes I have three load data manual and have also searched load datas on the internet and I haven't started on the 1,000 rounds yet just wanted to see why there was more grains in a lighter bullet horsey300 explained it

 

[rhartman911]

Have you actually worked up a load or are your just picking something that looks good in a manual?

so far just picking something that looks good and is in mid range. Been reading a lot of what other people have been using. I will need to get more equipment to help with working up a load. For right know I just want them to go boom and cycle properly

 

[Shooterbob]

Ok have fun and be safe

 

[Soonerpesek]

Less case capacity AND higher pressures are a result of a heavier bullet.

That's a solid, no BS answer right there.....

 

[Hugger-4641]

That's a solid, no BS answer right there.....

+1 on this!
If you were to compare max loads for each bullet wt within the same manual, starting at the lightest bullet, you will notice the general trend is max powder charge drops as bullet weight increases.

 

[rhartman911]

Ok have fun and be safe

Thank you that would be my goal as I learn I am sure i will be getting into more of the technical stuff

 

[AK Hunter]

The technical stuff you need to be learning first not as you go.
That's why they asked if you own a reloading hand book. It has the technical stuff that keeps you safe they were not trying to put you down because you didn't know.

 

[Bazoo]

You should start with starting loads. Reason is, 9mm is high pressure and unforgiving. If the primers you use are hotter than the book makers did, or your chamber throat tighter, or your batch of powder at the max end of acceptable lot to lot variation, you may be near max with a medium load. Or if you are seating .020 deeper into the case, not overall length, but case volume, you will be at max.

Are you using the exact same bullet as your data? If not, that will affect pressure because of different length bearing surface. If you got the load from someone who is competent, it may be fine, but how do you know the above differences won't stack against you?

The reason heavier bullets use less powder, is they take up more case volume. The less case volume the higher the pressure. And, the weight increase also gives higher pressure, even if internal volume remains the same.

Now, if you was loading 38 special with a bullet and load straight out of the manual, starting in the middle would be safer, and certainly so in a 357 magnum chambered gun. The reason being, 38 special works at a much lower pressure and it has a large case volume, thus is more forgiving to minor changes.

 

[9mmepiphany]

So I have started to reload for my 9mm hand guns. And I am confused I loaded 250 rounds of 147 gr JHP ( self defense) with 3.6 grains of Sport Pistol.

First, welcome to the forum

That seems like a pretty stiff load for a 147gr bullet. I'm using that same powder charge under a 124gr RMR (both FMJ and MatchWinner) to make power factor for IDPA competition

...not sure if this matters:

The model of pistol you're shooting your loads in matters more when discussing the OAL that you are loading too.

However, the OAL you are loading to does make quite a difference and would be very helpful

 

[horsey300]

So I have started to reload for my 9mm hand guns. And I am confused I loaded 250 rounds of 147 gr JHP ( self defense) with 3.6 grains of Sport Pistol.
I have 1,000 rounds of 124 gr RMR FMJ round nose (for plinking) and its calling for 4.4 gr of Sport Pistol. So why does a lighter bullet take more grains than a heavier bullet?
not sure if this matters:
2 - 9mm Shields for conceal carry
1- SAR 9 (Sarsilmaz)

First, welcome to the forum

That seems like a pretty stiff load for a 147gr bullet. I'm using that same powder charge under a 124gr RMR (both FMJ and MatchWinner) to make power factor for IDPA competition


The model of pistol you're shooting your loads in matters more when discussing the OAL that you are loading too.

However, the OAL you are loading to does make quite a difference and would be very helpful

I was thinking the charges sounded close to high side too, and alliant agrees. 3.6 is a max charge for the federal hp, 3.5 for a fp and 3.7 for a gold dot.
The 124 that I figured matched the closest (I start on the safe side) acme rn coated shows a max of 3.9, the 124 fmj, gold dot, and TMJ all show max of 4.4, 4.3, and 4.5.
https://www.alliantpowder.com/reloa...wderlist.aspx&type=1&powderid=42&cartridge=23

Being that Berry's SHOULD be coated harder than the acme, I'd probably started at the middle load for acme, and work ever so slowly towards the gold dot max.

 

[rfwobbly]

So far just picking something that looks good and is in mid range. Been reading a lot of what other people have been using.

Welcome Aboard !

Friend, what you're picking is "mid-range" for the lab's gun.... which you don't own. In fact, other than caliber, your gun is not even remotely similar. All you can hope to do with a recipe from a manual is get close enough to not blow yourself up. This is why we ALWAYS begin at the Starting Load.

Please compare this lab gun to your's for if you think I'm kidding....

 

[Lennyjoe]

Recommend you also set your OAL to support chambering in both guns. Also start low and work up to max in .3gr load increments until you find a suitable load. That bullet may not like your powder choice so don’t put all your eggs in 1 basket.

 

[Cemetery21]

1,250 bullets are a lot of bullets to pull if they don't work in your pistol. There is no shortcut to working up a load that does what you need in your pistol, then loading bulk.

 

[ParallelCode]

Seating depth, case capacity of the chosen brass, unique chamber and throat all play a role in the pressure level from a given recipe.

You should never simply pick out a charge weight without working up from the published starting point to ensure your gun can handle the pressure.

 

[vaalpens]

And I am confused I loaded 250 rounds of 147 gr JHP ( self defense) with 3.6 grains of Sport Pistol.

Be very careful here. JHP's come in all different lengths, so your COL is going to be crucial to manage pressure. I see that the Alliant 147gr JHP MAX load is 3.6gr with a COL of 1.12". You are at MAX. What is your COL for your load? The Alliant 147gr JHP 9mm +P max is 3.8gr with a COL of 1.1". So the load is just .2gr over the regular 9mm MAX, but the COL has been shortened. Hopefully this will help you understand how tight the margins are.

Alliant data to me always seemed to me higher than other load data, so I would normally start 15% below the Alliant MAX. With the different lengths in JHP bullets, I would even be more careful.

Be safe.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Plunk test your OAL in both firearm chambers to get your max OAL that will work for that bullet.

 

[rhartman911]

The technical stuff you need to be learning first not as you go.
That's why they asked if you own a reloading hand book. It has the technical stuff that keeps you safe they were not trying to put you down because you didn't know.

I never took it that way

 

[lordpaxman]

Welcome to THR!
You’ve gotten a lot of good advice so far. I’ll also add that you choose Sport Pistol which I use a lot of, and have found it to have several good characteristics. If you choose a faster powder, like TiteGroup, and loaded at max with a short COL, you could have had a Kaboom rather than just a boom. All guns/barrels are different and in 9mm JHPs may dictate a shorter COL than published data and that’s one of the high pressure factors. Be safe and good luck.

 

[FROGO207]

OP welcome to the forum!
Lots of good advise in the posts above. We want your reloading experience to be safe and rewarding. Hense everyone saying to work up your load for safety. As a new reloader you will have to develop your own set of procedures that are modified from a basic system. I start by making a dummy round with no primer or propellant and make sure it fits the magazine, feeds, and plunks in your barrel. Then I start 10% below max and work up a load using that bullet as a template. Over time you will fine tune your procedure to include things you find necessary to succeed. Have fun and ask other questions as needed.

 

[Blue68f100]

When you start your load workup only load 5-10 at each load increment. It's not fun taking apart a 100 rounds that did not function in live fire. Meaning if for a simi-auto it was too weak to eject the round and feed the next. This does not show up when your operating the slide by hand checking for feed issues.

The main thing is be safe and enjoy the journey.

 

[Dudedog]

Remember Alliant just lists MAX charges.
For a start charge with their data normal is to reduce by 10%.
You should always work up to MAX charges as your MAX may be lower than what they listed.
(different case, primer, gun, lot of powder etc)

As mentioned a heavier bullet takes up more space in the case so less case cap, also a heavier bullet is harder to get moving and starts moving slower so less space for the powder to expand as the bullet starts moving.