Reloading 115 gr Hornady RN

[lttuna]

Thought I put this out seeking advise. Please be easy on me as I am new at reloading and this is my first attempt

Firearm: Ruger SR9C 3.5 inch barrel 1:10 R/H twist
Bullets: Hornady 115 gr .355, 9mm round FMJ Round nose
Powder is: Win 231
Primer: CCI 500 Small pistol
Case: Federal 9mm once fired from this firearm

I used info from Lee's second edition reloading manual page 508 for a 115 gr XTP round as they don't list rn. The max OAL is listed as 1.169 and min OAL listed as 1.125 and the starting powder weight is 4.7 with a max of 5.1

I first made 10 dummy rounds at this overall length and they chambered smoothly and ejected like I would expect them to do.

Then I loaded 10 rounds with Win 231 with a starting weight of 4.7 grains. Overall length was set to 1.144 ( as this was from a sample 9mm 115 gr FML RN Federal cartridge that works great with this gun ) I checked the top of the mouth and it is a average after crimping with Lee Factory crimp at about .376 to .376

My biggest concern was using XTP data in place of RN but a friend who reloads says it was ok as long as the bullet weights were the same.

Ok, let me know what you think. In this weight I am only looking for practice rounds and to get my feet wet. I will be at the range this Friday to test them out.

 

[45lcshooter]

Bullet weighs the same, is the way i reload if i dont have same bullet in manual. Always inspect my brass after shooting, so i can find ways to reject them. Very few rejects. You will be ok using same data for same grain RN bullet.

 

[918v]

It is interesting they list 1.169" max OAL for the XTP. Most 9mm's won't chamber it or accept it in the mag.

I suggest you use Hornady data for Hornady bullets. They recommend 1.105" OAL.

 

[rcmodel]

As usual, Lee data strikes again.

1.169" is the SAAMI MAX length for any 9mm bullet style to fit in a magazine.

It is most certainly unsafely too long for any 9mm pistol chamber with an XTP bullet.
A 115 XTP would normally be seated about 1.075" - 1.090" to clear the rifling.

rc

 

[LiveLife]

Bullets: Hornady 115 gr .355, 9mm FMJ Round nose
Powder: Win 231

My 9mm target load is Winchester 115 gr FMJ with 4.8 gr W231/HP-38 loaded to 1.135" OAL.

I referenced 1999 Winchester load data for my work up

Current Hodgdon load data

115 gr LRN W231/HP-38 .356" OAL 1.100" Start 4.3 gr (1079 fps) 28,400 CUP - Max 4.8 gr (1135 fps) 32,000 CUP

115 gr Speer GDHP W231/HP-38 .355" OAL 1.125" Start 4.7 gr (1075 fps) 25,300 CUP - Max 5.1 gr (1167 fps) 28,100 CUP

 

[rfwobbly]

Welcome aboard !

All good feedback above.

Since all 9mm bullets are the same diameter, lighter ones must therefore be shorter. There is a certain bullet seating depth requirement so that the finished cartridge has enough bullet inserted into the case to make the cartridge function correctly, both structurally and ballisticly. Since the 115gr bullet is short, therefore the correct length 115gr cartridge is going to be fairly short. I can well believe the numbers RCModel quoted.

Pick a single OAL that feeds good and begin at the "starting load" and work upward on 0.1gr increments. You'll only need 6-8 rounds in each load to work up and find a great load for that bullet/powder combination.

Good luck and ask lots of questions.

 

[BYJO4]

Since using a Hornady bullet, I would use the OAL shown in Hornady's manual.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I'm not a fan of the 115gr bullet in the 9mm but my son is.

When I load 115gr ammo for him I use a Remington 115gr FMJ bullet over 4.8gr to 5.0gr W231 with a CCI-500 primer. The OAL is 1.095"...

 

[lttuna]

Question on different manuals

I used the original post data from lee's book. The new hornady says it should be win 231 start at 4.1 and max at 4.7. and the COL is listed at 1.100. Is this listed in the book as the min oal? Doesn't really say. The ammo just looks to short compared to the ones I made originally. Now I am really confused. Why such a big difference in the numbers?

 

[rcmodel]

Again:

1.169" is the SAAMI MAX length for any 9mm bullet style to fit in any magazine.

1.100" is the length the copied from some other source Lee data was pressure tested at.

And again, you need to worry more about seating short enough the XTP doesn't contact the rifling in your gun, then what length the book says.

rc

 

[rfwobbly]

Mr Tuna -

► Lee's data is rather general in nature. Often times, a specific brand of bullet will need specific load data. If you want to load a lot of Hornady and therefore need specific Hornady data, then it's in your best interest you buy the Hornady manual. Same with Nosler, Speer, or any other specific brand. Not saying you can't get there with the Lee manual, because you can. It may simply take a little longer.

Sounds as if you already have both books. That's great, but choose one as your primary resource and stick with it. Going back and forth will only confuse you. This is a time for clarity of thought.

► Chamber pressure is always your main concern. Since loading shorter raises the chamber pressure, the OAL in the recipe becomes the minimum OAL. What your barrel will allow with that particular bullet then becomes the maximum OAL. By default then, your OAL lies between the max and min.

Workable OALs are then determined by good judgement, experience, and lot of testing in your gun.

► It's a lot of details to work out. That's where your reloading notebook comes in. You need to write all this down. There's no way you can remember your favorite loads for 20 bullets using 10 different powders after 3 years.

All the best!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I used the original post data from lee's book. The new hornady says it should be win 231 start at 4.1 and max at 4.7. and the COL is listed at 1.100. Is this listed in the book as the min oal? Doesn't really say. The ammo just looks to short compared to the ones I made originally. Now I am really confused. Why such a big difference in the numbers?

The OAL in a book is the OAL they used when testing the data. Also, the OAL in any recipe is useless unless you are using the same exact bullet they used when testing the data and the case is trimmed to the exact length they trimmed to. This is one of the reasons some reloaders will buy the load manual from the bullet company who's bullets they use the most.

RC will be along shortly to explain exactly how to determine the correct bullet seating of any bullet because he explains it much better than I do...

 

[lttuna]

Thanks for the help

Thanks everyone for the info. Very useful esp. to a new guy. This is what makes this group very good.