Dont be sorry. I learned about "9 Major" loads. Ty.
The thing is I am NOT using a "9 Major" load. A lot of people evidently think I am simply because the Vihtavuori load table for the load shows a maximum velocity of 1401 which sounds impressively high, and a 115g bullet traveling at 1410 fps has a power factor of 161. But, 161 does NOT qualify as a 9 Major load. You need 165 to make Major I believe.
Secondly, I am NOT shooting that maximum load of 8.7 grains at 1410 fps. I am shooting 8.0 grains at about 1325 fps.
Third, Vihtavuori clearly states on its load table website that ALL the loads on the website meet SAAMI or the basically equivalent European pressure standard. So, they are NOT high pressure loads. Even the 115g at 1401 fps.
Fourthly, Vihtavouri 3N38 is a very exceptional powder. That's why I chose it. It allows pretty high 9mm velocities withOUT requiring high pressures.
Here is what Brad Miller PhD, a frequent expert handloading contributor to Shooting Times magazine says about Vihtavuori 3N38 powder:
"
3N38
3N38 is another small granule powder. It works superbly in my full-power .38 Super loads. It delivers very high velocity for IPSC/USPSA loads and lots of gas for the compensator. Vihtavuori says this powder was specially designed for competitive shooting and they recommend it for the 9mm and .40 S&W. Its burning rate is similar to Blue Dot and Vectan SP2. With some loads listed in
Vihtavuori’s manual in the 9mm, 9X21, .38 Super Lapua and .40 S&W, it will exceed velocities produced by N350/3N37 by 100 fps or so. Some folks use it for 9 Major because it makes
power factor at low pressure. This is high performance powder.
"
My 1325 fps load might SOUND "high pressure" to traditional 9mm handloaders, but it is NOT. It generates 450 ft lb of energy but does not require high pressure to do so because the 3N38 burns so slowly and about 30% burns beyond the muzzle. And I don't know about today's liability-conscious factory 9mm offerings because I don't buy them, but in the 1990s when I DID, 427 ft lb 9mm cartridges were common factory offerings. I remember buying and shooting many, many boxes of them. They were all of course SAAMI compliant.
Jim G