Ramshot Competition w/ 147gr 9mm - comments please

[Goju]

I'm looking to get a fast powder to use for light loads with 147 gr coated 9mm bullets. It looks like my most likely option, in regards to availability, is Ramshot Competition. If anyone has experience with the combo, or at least using this powder with 9mm loads, I would appreciate all you care to share - both pro and con.

 

[Mad Chemist]

I worked up this combo with 147gr plated bullets from Xtreme and RMR. They reliably cycled and accuracy was decent. I switched to Nitro 100NF for this purpose because it meters better and accuracy was better.

 

[GJSchulze]

Fast powder for a heavier bullet may not be a good thing. Heavier means more inertia which means that the bullet will resist its initial push down the barrel more than a lighter bullet.

Having said that, I used Titegroup with a 147gr bullet. There is only a 0.3gr spread between min and max load.

 

[Goju]

Thanks MC. Sounds like it can be an acceptable performer; I've been trying to find Nitro 100 NF or N310, but am not willing to pay the price for what I've found...

 

[Mad Chemist]

GJShulze,
I appreciate your input, but respectfully, I have bit of experience working up these kinds of loads.

Working down reduced loads should be performed with the same care as working up max loads. It is definitely not a task for the novice reloader. I think this was the cause for your concern. If so, I completely agree and appreciate you highlighting the potential risks involved.

Fast powder plus heavy bullet is the combo required for the lightest loads possible in a semi-auto pistol. The cycling of the action is dependent upon pressure not velocity. Reducing a slower burn rate powder will induce FTFs at higher velocities. Generally, a faster powder can be reduced to produce lower velocities than the slower powder before FTF malfunctions start to appear.

I do think that the heavy bullet slow powder doctrine is a bit of an artifact from days past when revolvers were the standard. And it's definitely still true when working on the high end of the charge/pressure spectrum whether revolver or autoloader.

 

[GJSchulze]

The cycling of the action is dependent upon pressure not velocity

Can you explain this some more? I've never heard it put this way and any calculations based on physics would use velocity, mass, and perhaps acceleration AFAIK. Of course, velocity and acceleration is a function of the pressure produced and each powder has its own pressure curve which is also affected by the mass of the bullet and the length of the barrel.

I would like to understand this better. Thanks.