Reloads for 9mm 1911

[kidneyboy]

I just picked up a Springfield RO and the soft shooting reloads I have left over from my Glock 19 seem a bit anemic in the RO. While I am going to work up a couple new ladders with what I have in stock it would be nice to see some suggestions from others who shoot 9mm 1911's.
Currently I have BE86, W231, Bullseye, Unique and TrailBoss on hand as well as RMR 124gr JHP MPR but I'm open to all suggestions.

 

[gsbuickman]

Here's some interesting information I borrowed from me Cast Boolits forum :

Here is some data I have gleened from a web crawl recently. None of this is developed by me and I claim no responsiblilty for it's performance, but I use this a reference. Picked up 4# of GreenDot recently.......about the only thing available right now!

It is mentioned many times in the load data in the #4 Lyman Cast book. If you do not have one, I would recommed buying it.

From what I have read on the web from a bunch of gun/reload sites, it is a very good pistol powder and has been used as such for years.

Check out the standard burn rates for "general comparison" of powders:

http://www.reloadbench.com/burn.html



................WEB DATA................

Green Dot is a little faster than Unique, so use less.

Green Dot is very similar to 231.

.45 ACP 230 gr LRN + 5.0 gr Green Dot = 792 fps

.45 ACP 200 gr SWC + 5.5 gr Green Dot = 880 fps

9mm 115 gr JHP + 4.6 gr Green Dot = 1152 fps

.40SW 180g Jacketed Bullet + GREEN DOT 4.9-5.3g

.45 LC 4.7 grains with a 115 grain Montana Gold FMJ bullet.

.38 SPL 125 gr jacketed bullet with 4.0 gr of Green Dot

.38 SPL 148 gr Wad Cutter with 2.7 gr of Green Dot

.38 SPL 4.5 Green Dot with a 158 LSWC

And for those doing 9mm......and for comparison of powders:

9mm Luger

115 gr lead bulletbullet
Red Dot start 3.7 grs max 4.2 grs
Bullseye start 4 grs max 4.5 grs
Green Dot start 4.2 grs max 4.7 grs
Unique start 4.5 max 5 grs
Power Pistol start 5 grs max 5.5 grs

115 gr jacketed bullet
Red Dot start 3.8 grs max 4.3 grs
Bullseye start 4 grs max 4.5 grs
Green Dot start 4.2 grs max 4.7 grs
Unique start 4.5 grs max 5.5 grs
Power Pistol start 5.9 grs max 6.3 grs

124/125 gr lead
Red Dot start 3.6 grs max 4.1 grs
Bullseye start 3.8 grs max 4.3 grs
Green Dot start 3.9 grs max 4.4 grs
Unique start 4 grs max 4.5 grs
Power Pistol start 4.8 grs max 5.3 grs

124/125 gr jacketed
Red Dot start 3.7 grs max 4.2 grs
Bullseye start 3.9 grs max 4.3 grs
Green Dot start 4.1 grs max 4.5 grs
Unique start 4.5 grs max 5 grs
Power Pistol start 5 grs max 5.5 grs

147 gr leadlead
Bullseye start 2.8 grs max 3.3 grs
Green Dot start 3 grs max 3.4 grs
Unique start 3.2 grs max 3.6 grs
Power Pistol start 4 grs max 4.5 grs

147 gr jacketedjacketed
Unique start 4 grs max 4.5 grs
Power Pistol start 4.5 grs max 5 grs

Good shooting!

 

[mstreddy]

OP, are they cycling the slide on the RO, or are you getting cycling failures?
In general terms, I find my 5" 1911 9MMs to be softer shooting than the Glocks as there is a fair amount of mass in the steel frame guns, comparatively speaking.
One thing I've had to be wary of is the bullet profile, as the 1911 ramps/chambers are less forgiving than the Glocks.
I'll have to look through my notes, but one profile for the 147 gr I was running gave me issues in feeding in my Colt 1991.

 

[Bartojc]

I have a RO Elite in 9mm that has seen only reloads since I bought it in Feb. I'm around 2700 rounds as of today. I've used Berry"s 115 RN plated, then switched to RMR 125 FMJRN. I load for 3 9mm pistols and have been using W231 exclusively. Mostly because I have plenty of it. My loads are light, but cycle all 3 reliably. I' use 4.5 gr for the 115 berrys and 4.2 gr for the 125 RMR.

Jeff

 

[kidneyboy]

OP, are they cycling the slide on the RO, or are you getting cycling failures?
In general terms, I find my 5" 1911 9MMs to be softer shooting than the Glocks as there is a fair amount of mass in the steel frame guns, comparatively speaking.
One thing I've had to be wary of is the bullet profile, as the 1911 ramps/chambers are less forgiving than the Glocks.
I'll have to look through my notes, but one profile for the 147 gr I was running gave me issues in feeding in my Colt 1991.

The soft shooting aspect is why I bought it.
I've only run about 50 or 60 rounds through it. Had a couple of failures to lock back after the last round and a couple of stovepipes. I didn't take a close look at where it was ejecting cases. Not making any judgements till a few hundred rounds have been through it but I am thinking ahead.
I'll certainly watch the bullet profile thing as the ramp looks pretty steep. I have 3 different cartridges to run through it - the RMR, a Berry's 124gr HBFP and an Acme 147gr FP. Apart from the fact that I have a couple thousand of the RMR's here I don't mind trying new bullets.

 

[k4swb]

I've been shooting a SA RO Elite Target in 9mm for awhile now and EVERYTHING I shoot in it feels more pleasant than any other center fire gun I own.
All that steel just soaks all the recoil right up, especially with Hogue Grippers on it.

 

[cfullgraf]

I shoot the same load in all my 9x19 pistols, from an M1911 to full size plastic fantastic pistols, to micro 9x19 pistols, to a couple revolvers.

The M1911 has a softer recoil due to the weight of the gun.

I presently load 115 gr plated RN bullets with True Blue powder. Just follow Accurate/Western Powders data.

http://www.accuratepowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/WP_LoadSpec_7-2-13.pdf

 

[Walkalong]

Currently I have BE86, W231, Bullseye, Unique and TrailBoss on hand as well as RMR 124gr JHP MPR but I'm open to all suggestions.

3.9 Grs N320 and a 124 Gr plated or jacketed bullet will run around 1050ish from a 5" 1911 depending on OAL and primer, is soft, drops the brass at your feet, and is accurate. Might need 4.0 Grs The RMR MPR JHP at 1.070 to 1.075 OAL will run very close to the same FPS. As will the RMR TrFP Match Winner @ 1.070 to 1.075 OAL.

Sport Pistol will run a hair faster, and do the same thing. Might need 4.0 Grs.

Soft and fun.

3.9 Grs Sport Pistol, S&B primer, X-Treme 124 Gr HP @ 1.060 OAL, 8 shots (5" Colt 1911)

3.9 Grs Sport Pistol, CCI 500 primer, RMR TrFP Match Winner @ 1.070 to 1.075 OAL, 8 shots (5" Colt 1911)

5.5 Grs Sihouette and RMR 124 Gr JHP (MPR) Full load, very accurate.

I consider this max, if you go any shorter drop to 5.5 Grs BE-86. I logged the OAL as 1.070 to 1.075, but wrote 1.110 on the target. *Sigh*. I would try the 1.070/75 and be careful with your starting charge. I believe I loaded them at 1.070 to 1.075 OAL, because that is what I logged, and that is what the ones I have left over measure.

5.7 Grs BE-86 RMR MPR JHP

Start low, work up, be careful, 3.9 Grs N320 is close to max, especially if bullet is seated deeply. 5.5 Grs of Silhouette is on the edge of +P.

 

[Dudedog]

I just picked up a Springfield RO

I have a Springfield "Loaded" 9mm 1911 and I really like it a lot.

I've been shooting a SA RO Elite Target in 9mm for awhile now and EVERYTHING I shoot in it feels more pleasant than any other center fire gun I own.

That's the great thing about an all steel 1911, the loads that feel snappy in my XD sub are like butter in the 1911.

As far as bullets mine feeds everything I have tried, for that matter it will feed empty cases.
RN, MBC SWCs, 124 Cones, RMR 147 Cones, HPs, well everything I have tried and does not seem to be picky about OAL as far as feeding goes.

I think the issues you have had may be do to a lighter load in a new tight gun with a stiff recoil spring and stiff mag springs.
Mine has been very very reliable. 20k+ rounds couple failures to extract which may have been bad brass,
I had some feeding issues that were all do to an aftermarket mag (forget which flavor I tried a couple and only had problems with one mag in one flavor) Springfield mags and Brownells mags no issues.


I have been using Brownells 10 round mags and they seem to work well for me.
Reasonable price and have base plates.
Walkalong posted a link to some that were the same but a bit cheaper than the ones from Brownells.
(here someplace)

The RMR MPRs work great for me.,

If you really want more recoil (or more velocity) BE86 works good on top, however I think Alliant's MAX of 5.9 a bit high at least with the bullets I use in my gun.
I stopped at 5.7 which was over 1200fps.
I agree with Walkalong on BE86 about this.

I have been using Brownells 10 round mags and they seem to work well for me.
Reasonable price and have base plates.

Nice mild HP38(W231) load
Mixed range brass, S+B SP charges as thrown after setting the measure
String: 2
Date: 7/23/2017
Time: 10:44:23 AM
Grains: 124
Hi Vel: 1046
Low Vel: 1003
Ave Vel: 1026
Ext Spread: 43
Std Dev: 16
RMR 124 MPR-HP 4.5 HP38 1.08 OAL
Velocity Power Factor Ft/Lbs
1003 124.372 276.965 this one trashed the ES and SD numbers
1036 128.464 295.49
1022 126.728 287.558
1025 127.1 289.248
1046 129.704 301.222 t
I haven't used any Unique in a while but as I recall 4.4 gr with a 124 shot well for me.

 

[Walkalong]

Walkalong posted a link to some that were the same but a bit cheaper than the ones from Brownells.
(here someplace)

9MM Mags at CDNN. $13.99 right now, have been priced higher.

https://www.cdnnsports.com/1911-10rd-9mm-zenith-magazine.html

The Zenith mags at CDNN look identical to the Checkmate mags which look identical to the Brownells mags.

 

[Walkalong]

Wilson, Chip McCormick, and Metalform 9MM 1911 mags. (Thread about them.)

 

[Dudedog]

Ut oh, time for the credit card

Can't have to many mags you know!

PS thanks for the link!

 

[Walkalong]

I know, right, that's a good deal.

 

[kidneyboy]

Great info! Thanks.
I now have what I call 'new gun syndrome'. Shot it once and now won't have a chance to shoot again till next week sometime......
This retirement gig keeps you busy

 

[Dudedog]

Some BE86 #s

Here 5.3gr gave me about 1080 fps
Mixed range brass S+P SP 5"0 9mm 1911
All charges as thrown after setting measure
Name RMR MPR 124 JHP 5.3 BE86 1.08
Notes N/A
Number of Shots 5
Extreme Spread 47
Average 1078
Standard Deviation 18
Power Factor Average 134
Power Factor Low 130
Power Factor High 136
Shot List Index Velocity Bullet Weight Ft/Lbs Power Factor
RMR MPR 124 JHP 5.3 BE86 1.08 1 1095 124 330 136
RMR MPR 124 JHP 5.3 BE86 1.08 2 1086 124 325 135
RMR MPR 124 JHP 5.3 BE86 1.08 3 1048 124 302 130 This one skewed the #s
RMR MPR 124 JHP 5.3 BE86 1.08 4 1094 124 330 136
RMR MPR 124 JHP 5.3 BE86 1.08 5 1071 124 316 133
(results from new chrono software, think I like the old version better)

String: 6
Date: 3/31/2017
Time: 3:18:05 PM
Grains: 124
Hi Vel: 1180
Low Vel: 1143
Ave Vel: 1158
Ext Spread: 37
Std Dev: 14
RMR 124 1.12 OAL BE86 5.5
Velocity Power Factor Ft/Lbs
1180 146.32 383.343
1163 144.212 372.377
1160 143.84 370.458
1143 141.732 359.68
1146 142.104 361.57

So with this bullet 5.5 was giving me about 1160

 

[YBOT]

I have a Springfield "Loaded" 9mm 1911 and I really like it a lot.

That's the great thing about an all steel 1911, the loads that feel snappy in my XD sub are like butter in the 1911.

As far as bullets mine feeds everything I have tried, for that matter it will feed empty cases.
RN, MBC SWCs, 124 Cones, RMR 147 Cones, HPs, well everything I have tried and does not seem to be picky about OAL as far as feeding goes.

I think the issues you have had may be do to a lighter load in a new tight gun with a stiff recoil spring and stiff mag springs.
Mine has been very very reliable. 20k+ rounds couple failures to extract which may have been bad brass,
I had some feeding issues that were all do to an aftermarket mag (forget which flavor I tried a couple and only had problems with one mag in one flavor) Springfield mags and Brownells mags no issues.


I have been using Brownells 10 round mags and they seem to work well for me.
Reasonable price and have base plates.
Walkalong posted a link to some that were the same but a bit cheaper than the ones from Brownells.
(here someplace)

The RMR MPRs work great for me.,

If you really want more recoil (or more velocity) BE86 works good on top, however I think Alliant's MAX of 5.9 a bit high at least with the bullets I use in my gun.
I stopped at 5.7 which was over 1200fps.
I agree with Walkalong on BE86 about this.

I have been using Brownells 10 round mags and they seem to work well for me.
Reasonable price and have base plates.

Nice mild HP38(W231) load
Mixed range brass, S+B SP charges as thrown after setting the measure
String: 2
Date: 7/23/2017
Time: 10:44:23 AM
Grains: 124
Hi Vel: 1046
Low Vel: 1003
Ave Vel: 1026
Ext Spread: 43
Std Dev: 16
RMR 124 MPR-HP 4.5 HP38 1.08 OAL
Velocity Power Factor Ft/Lbs
1003 124.372 276.965 this one trashed the ES and SD numbers
1036 128.464 295.49
1022 126.728 287.558
1025 127.1 289.248
1046 129.704 301.222 t
I haven't used any Unique in a while but as I recall 4.4 gr with a 124 shot well for me.

I'm loving all the info I'm seeing but haven't got a clue what a good part of it means or its importance. I assume that it's short hand for explaining what's happening with a load. When I see things like ES and SD numbers the nebulas and gray area of my brain starts to mush. (Std Dev to me was been forgotten for many, many years when this old dude was grinding away in some math class...….. LOL). Now, this is not a criticism, just an expression of my ignorance which I would like to correct as I'm finding all this very interesting.

Don't expect anyone to take the time to lead me out of my fog other than possibly pointing to a link that I could start my skull sessions of enlightenment with. Joining this group is one of the most enjoyable things I have done in a long, long time. Sure happy the fires of reloading brass have started to roar again after some time lying dormant.

P.S. Have started putting much of what I've already learned here to work in the 9 x 19 mm loads I'm starting to build and which I say "thank you" to you all.

 

[Jetav8r]

My Range Officer 9MM has had over 7700 of my reloads thru it. I am using 5.0 gn of BE-86 with a velocity of 1159. The gun is still running great with no issues.

 

[Blue68f100]

I'm loving all the info I'm seeing but haven't got a clue what a good part of it means or its importance. I assume that it's short hand for explaining what's happening with a load. When I see things like ES and SD numbers the nebulas and gray area of my brain starts to mush. (Std Dev to me was been forgotten for many, many years when this old dude was grinding away in some math class...….. LOL). Now, this is not a criticism, just an expression of my ignorance which I would like to correct as I'm finding all this very interesting.

Quick Refresher

SD Standard Deviation. Look at this as the mean average of the round fired. Another words. A range from the average Up and Down std movement.
ES Extreme Spread. This is the spread of Max velocity to Lowest.

Welcome back into our madness. You will catch on quickly since you've done this before. Don't be afraid to ask questions. We have all been there at some time. Besides most of us who have done this for decades are still learning things.

 

[YBOT]

Thanks Blue68f100. Decided to start a definition note file that I will keep with recipes I'm interested in. Studying some of Dudedog's recordings I'm beginning to understand more.

Thinking maybe a chronograph should be in my stable.

 

[Walkalong]

Horus11, your two links both go to Brownells, and to products that have nothing to do with loading 9MM or the words you used to make the link. What gives?

 

[Dudedog]

SD=Standard deviation
In statistics, the standard deviation (SD, also represented by the Greek letter sigma σ or the Latin letter s) is a measure that is used to quantify the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of data values.[1] A low standard deviation indicates that the data points tend to be close to the mean (also called the expected value) of the set, while a high standard deviation indicates that the data points are spread out over a wider range of values.

The standard deviation of a random variable, statistical population, data set, or probability distribution is the square root of its variance. It is algebraically simpler, though in practice less robust, than the average absolute deviation.[2][3] A useful property of the standard deviation is that, unlike the variance, it is expressed in the same units as the data.

In addition to expressing the variability of a population, the standard deviation is commonly used to measure confidence in statistical conclusions
So in a nutshell about how far off are the others from the average.
Lower ES+SD = good!

 

[Walkalong]

SD=Standard deviation
In statistics, the standard deviation (SD, also represented by the Greek letter sigma σ or the Latin letter s) is a measure that is used to quantify the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of data values.[1] A low standard deviation indicates that the data points tend to be close to the mean (also called the expected value) of the set, while a high standard deviation indicates that the data points are spread out over a wider range of values.

The standard deviation of a random variable, statistical population, data set, or probability distribution is the square root of its variance. It is algebraically simpler, though in practice less robust, than the average absolute deviation.[2][3] A useful property of the standard deviation is that, unlike the variance, it is expressed in the same units as the data.

In addition to expressing the variability of a population, the standard deviation is commonly used to measure confidence in statistical conclusions
So in a nutshell about how far off are the others from the average.
Lower ES+SD = good!

Now my head hurts.

I just look for low numbers, which of course are meaningless if accuracy isn't there. The only trap we can fall in when playing with a chrono is chasing numbers instead of accuracy. Easy to get distracted that way, ask me how I know.

 

[tcj]

I like to shoot bunny fart loads and find that coated bullets (I use Blue Bullets) in 125 gr (RN or TC...prefer TC as I can load them longer) have worked well in my 9's including 1911, CZ75 & Glock. Have used both Power Pistol and Bullseye and load to get a velocity of 1,000-1,050.

 

[Dudedog]

I have had pistol loads with larger ES+SD that shot noticeably better than another load with a smaller SD and ES.
Holes on target are what count!

 

[Dudedog]

1000-1050 were where all my practice loads for 9mm before I started shooting matches.
Lucky that about 1030 makes PF so I already had a good match load worked up.
Just nicer in that velocity range if you are shooting 100s in a range trip.