Reloading 9mm

Status
Not open for further replies.
4

45taurus

Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2011
Messages
104
Ok i just got all my stuff to do 9mm. I'm going to load some 124g FMJ.

Loading with w231

Starting load 4.4

Max Load 4.8

I'm about to set up my dies and am wondering what the diameter of the casing should be after i size it? What should i be going for?
 
Don't worry about what it is after you size it.
Set the die down so it is just barely in contact with the shell holder but not bumping it and it will be right.

It's what it measures after you load and taper crimp it that matters.
All of my reloading manual drawings show .380" max case mouth diameter of a loaded round.

Factory loads I have measured go .376" at the case mouth taper crimp.

Thats what I try for.

rc
 
Do you have a reloading manual? Not to evade the question but this should be in the manual and this should be a priority before starting reloading.
 
yeah but just the basic 9mm paper one. I always use the hodgdon website to compare my loads to what the paper book says.


Ok i set everything up and made 5 rounds.

Powder is 4.5g of w231

Measurments are...

Width of middle of casing .385

Width at bullet .376

Crimp .373

OAL 1.141



Does that sound good to you? The only thing that doesn't make sense to me is the width at the bullet and the width in the middle of the casing. Wouldn't the width at the bullet be larger than in the middle of the casing? I did the drop test and it drops right in and out and "clunks". Feeding seems good and reliable. Anything else i need to look at b4 i test them?
 
Anything else i need to look at b4 i test them?
Click to expand...

Yup! You need to get some manuals on reloading and do some research on reloading and know just exactly what you're doing before you hurt yourself or someone else.

JMO
 
I've been reloading .45 for a few years now, so i am not a complete newbie in reloading. I understand that having 10 high dollar manuals would be nice but, i dont see whats so wrong with my basic 9mm manual from gander mountain and cross referencing it with hodgdons website. The reason i'm asking is because i want to triple check things before i test anything. I'm sorry if i upset you because my manual is "****ty" compared to yours.
 
The reason for the different size is because the 9mm is not a straight walled case, it is actually tapered. And I do not see anything wrong with your manual either. I think that some people naturally distrust the internet. If you look in the right places though you will be fine.
 
I just noticed that is was a tapered case. I am new to the 9mm. I was just wondering because my .45 cases aren't like that. Thanks MickKennedy for pointing that out.

So how do my measurments look? Anything that seems out of the ordinary?
 
Just remove the barrel from the gun and use it as a gage for your re-loads.
No need to chase measurements.

Only 2 things will prevent proper chambering, OAL is too long and/or not enough crimp.
Seperate tests will determine which is the problem.
If more crimp does not solve it, it's most likely the AOL is too long.
 
Last edited:
You look good to me, I believe what you refereed to as a drop test was dropping into the barrel, if so again you're good to go. My OAL is some what shorter but that more than likely is because of the diference in the bullets. My OAL is 1.090.
 
Yeah the drop in test is the barrel test. They specified OAL was 1.090 but with my .45 i had better luck making them longer and using my barrel hood as a gauge(they shot more accurate with a longer OAL).
 
Tests showed a 3 inch group at 25 yards, the sun was going down and the bullseye was getting hard to see but it did fairly well. Tomorrow i'm going to try 4.6g, 4.7, 4.8, and see what i get out of those.
 
This may help with 9mm cartridge dimensions (Page 29 of SAAMI pdf or page 21 of document):

attachment.php
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the range feedback. I just ordered some 124gr FMJ bullets from Precision Delta and I am also using Win 231 so let us know how your other loads work.
 
45taurus: I measured some of loaded rounds last night and I got measurements almost exactly like yours. I normally load the OAL to 1.150 with the 124gr FMJ from Zero and Precision Delta. I have found that they have very consistent bullet sizes, especially the Precision Delta bullets.
 
Thats great man, i didn't have any 9mm ammo on me to mic and compare it to. I think i have everything dialed in. at 4.6g i'm getting 2" groups at 25 yards. I'm satisfied with that and i'm going to load up a bunch of them.

Final result...2" group at 25 yards with the following...

124g FMJ
4.6g w231
OAL 1.143


MickKennedy29: How much shipped are the precision delta bullets? The montana golds are $106 shipped. Have you found any place thats cheaper(FMJ not plated)?
 
G19,


Hey, Zetti1 do you have a link to that? They are FMJ and not plated correct?
 
45taurus,I think a crimp of .373 is a bit much regardless of bullet type your using be it FMJ or plated,it would be even worse if you were shooting cast loads. The plated bullets are just thin copper plated soft lead excessive taper crimp can both break the plating and deform the bullet and cause all kinds of issues.

The function of the taper crimp die is not to actually crimp anything at all but just straighten out the flair on the case mouth and provide reliable feeding and chambering. Excessive taper crimp can actually buckle the case and release the tension holding the bullet.

I take a FL resized case no flair applied and measure the case mouth dia. with my calipers and run it up into the taper crimp die and adjust the die till it touches the case mouth and measure it again. It should measure the same or about .002" in dia. smaller. Case length and thickness has some affect on this not all headstamps are the same in these two respects,so I separate my 9mm case by headstamp.

Bullet tension/hold on the bullet is determined by:
1. The resizing die.
2. The expander plug.
3. Case wall thickness.
4. Bullet diameter.

CCI 9mm Blazer brass appears to using plated bullets,in fact one of the factory rds. I pulled apart the 115 gr. RN plated bullet looks exactly like my Berry's 115 gr. RN bullets,case mouth dia.with bullet runs on the small side .356 to .358 on the largest I've measured. Here is a 115 gr. RN plated bullet pulled from a CCI factory rd. notice the line on the bullet when the taper was applied.
blazer_brass_factory_bullet_crimp_left_reloaded_crimp_right.gif
 
res45 beat me to it- your crimp is too much.

A 9mm is nominally .356" diameter bullet, the case wall thickness is .010" so a finished, crimped round should be .376" MINIMUM at the case mouth and if it is less than that you are actually swaging/crushing down the bullet to a smaller diameter than the bore of the 9mm barrel. This affects velocity and accuracy to some degree. The 9mm IS a taper wall case so you will see a bulge in teh middle of the round when the bullet is loaded- your dies will resize the case smaller than .356" and the bullet bulges the brass when seated. This causes tension in the case to hold the bullet and not let it set back when it goes through the loading cycle.
 
Let me go check that measurement again. I barely put any crimp on it. That cant be right, i must have typed it wrong.....
 
I always check my loads for good neck tension when I'm finished. Recently I was going through this final inspection and one was barely holding. It turned out to be a WW headstamp I had sorted into my Winchester brass. For some reason it had a different internal dimension? I tried resizing it again, and it still wouldn't hold enough neck tension.
So as a safe guard, just make sure to give all of them a final check. I push them against the table top and see if the OAL changes. If one is loose and the other's are OK, then you've found a bad one before it caused you a malfunction at the range.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Joshboyfutre
  • Locked
Hp-38 max load for 9mm
2
Replies
31
Views
7K
mdi
mdi
4
  • Locked
Getting ready to order stuff for 9mm, want to make sure everything is g2g.
Replies
16
Views
813
Hangingrock
H
D
  • Locked
Conflicting load data for W231 and .45ACP
2
Replies
26
Views
7K
BigBob3006
B
maddmaxx11
  • Locked
RMR 124gn 9mm FMJ with HP38
2
Replies
37
Views
3K
Dudedog
Dudedog
P
  • Locked
Help a newbie
Replies
1
Views
317
Grumulkin
Grumulkin
Back
Top