This one isin't the memory...

Captain Quack

Captain Quack

Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2021
Messages
375
Location
North Idaho
With all the help from you brilliant people, I got loads for my Ruger Max 9-mm worked out. I think. Range day is tomorrow, but they all plink and feed reliably. What I discovered when I went to test them in my Wife's Taurus G3c they turned it into a jam o matic. Every single rd FTF and I had to really wrack the slide to clear them. Ok. I says to myself. "Self I says, You just need to work up a different load for her. Goody! More time in the man cave.

115 gr RMR FMJ-RN. 5.3 gr Unique. The last of the last bottle I have, and I would like to use it up. Supplies around here are very slim. One store only, and they don't seem to carry Alliant, but I have plenty of Rimshot's that will work.

Worked up a OAL that plunked reliably in the G3c. 1.105. I was just going to a OAL that plunked at this point. Not a powder amount.

That seemed a bit short for me. Off to the reloading manuals and pages.

Lee 2nd edition. 5.3gr Unique. OAL 1.120
Alliant Web page: Speer 115 gr CPRN. 6 gr Unique. OAL 1.135
Speer Manual 15: 115 gr TMJ-RN. Unique. 5.6 gr. OAL 1.135
Lyman 47th manual. No listing for 115 gr.FMJ RN. 100 gr FMJ was closest. 5.6 Unique. OAL 1.105

No plunk. No flush with the case gauge with 1.135.
Ditto with the OAL 120.

Nothing until I got back down around 1.105.
Plunk with 1.105. Flush case gage.
Is this going to be safe with 5.3 gr Unique?

Captain "Tired and sore and off to see my happy pills" Quack
 
Captain Quack said:
With all the help from you brilliant people, I got loads for my Ruger Max 9-mm worked out. I think. Range day is tomorrow, but they all plink and feed reliably. What I discovered when I went to test them in my Wife's Taurus G3c they turned it into a jam o matic. Every single rd FTF and I had to really wrack the slide to clear them. Ok. I says to myself. "Self I says, You just need to work up a different load for her. Goody! More time in the man cave.

115 gr RMR FMJ-RN. 5.3 gr Unique. The last of the last bottle I have, and I would like to use it up. Supplies around here are very slim. One store only, and they don't seem to carry Alliant, but I have plenty of Rimshot's that will work.

Worked up a OAL that plunked reliably in the G3c. 1.105. I was just going to a OAL that plunked at this point. Not a powder amount.

That seemed a bit short for me. Off to the reloading manuals and pages.

Lee 2nd edition. 5.3gr Unique. OAL 1.120
Alliant Web page: Speer 115 gr CPRN. 6 gr Unique. OAL 1.135
Speer Manual 15: 115 gr TMJ-RN. Unique. 5.6 gr. OAL 1.135
Lyman 47th manual. No listing for 115 gr.FMJ RN. 100 gr FMJ was closest. 5.6 Unique. OAL 1.105

No plunk. No flush with the case gauge with 1.135.
Ditto with the OAL 120.

Nothing until I got back down around 1.105.
Plunk with 1.105. Flush case gage.
Is this going to be safe with 5.3 gr Unique?

Captain "Tired and sore and off to see my happy pills" Quack
Click to expand...
I never has a 9mm feed issue ever.if your loading a 115 over unique seat and crimp to 1.090 and I bet your good.
 
OAL is meaningless without knowing the seating depth since different bullet profiles have different lengths. Looking through my database I load a 115rn at 1.110" which seats to .205" deep in the case. With a 5.4gn load of Unique they do 1179fps velocity from a 4" barrel. My target load with that same bullet is 4.3gn Unique which gives 1000fps from the same gun. I'd suggest loading that 115 FMJ to 1.100" and backing your Unique load down to 4.5gn to start then work up if desired.
 
I am not certain how I would figure out the seating depth. Measure the length of the bullet and then the length that is showing above the case when seated and subtract? 4.5 gr of Unique it shall be. When I'm done with that, I have several different powders to play with. And if this all works out, a second 9 mm die head and set. His and Hers, lol.

Captain Quack.
 
Captain Quack said:
I am not certain how I would figure out the seating depth. Measure the length of the bullet and then the length that is showing above the case when seated and subtract? 4.5 gr of Unique it shall be. When I'm done with that, I have several different powders to play with. And if this all works out, a second 9 mm die head and set. His and Hers, lol.

Captain Quack.
Click to expand...
At that point buy a new press, too. His-n-Hers reloading. Sounds like a good way to spend time together. :thumbup:
 
I like your idea GeoDudeFlorida but the problem is room. It's a small man cave. I have to pull my Loadmaster off the bench to set up my Lyman turret. Already she does all the bullet pulling for all the dozens of dummies I generate. Whoever invented the RCBS collet puller should be nominated for some major award. We also swap back and forth on our hand priming. She does 100rds. I do 100rds. Back and forth. Once I have the press and die all set up for her G3c, she's going to do all the work while I sit back and watch, drink ice tea and listen to Bob Seger and Jimmy Buffet on Spotify.


Captain "The sun is always over the yard arm somewhere" Quack
 
Last edited:
Captain Quack said:
I like your idea GeoDudeFlorida but the problem is room. It's a small man cave. I have to pull my Loadmaster off the bench to set up my Lyman turret. Already she does all the bullet pulling for all the dozens of dummies I generate. Whoever invented the RCBS collet puller should be nominated for some major award. We also swap back and forth on our hand priming. She does 100rds. I do 100rds. Back and forth. Once I have the press and die all set up for her G3c, she's going to do all the work while I sit back and watch, drink ice tea and listen to Bob Seger and Jimmy Buffet on Spotify.


Captain "The sun is always over the yard arm somewhere" Quack
Click to expand...
Your unique charge at that seating depth is max in the Lyman manual. If you want some margin for saftey knock off half a grain and work back up. When I say max I'm not talking plus p so it's definitely not way off. The good news is it makes a pretty full case so you will likely not get any setback. I've seen cz guys go insanely short like 1.050 or .060 so in those instances I'd be backing it down a lot. Five something around 1.100 of Unique is pretty sane. I'd be knocking off at least a tenth of powder for every .010 up to 1.060. Rember these things are not linear.
 
You might find these useful
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20230427_202450_OneDrive.jpg
    Screenshot_20230427_202450_OneDrive.jpg
    43.5 KB · Views: 21
  • Screenshot_20230427_202404_OneDrive.jpg
    Screenshot_20230427_202404_OneDrive.jpg
    55.7 KB · Views: 20
Last edited:
So, I have found. What really confuses me is that it fed and fired 9 mm blazer commercial no problem. My "Ruger" 9mm are the same OAL as the blazers and new brass.
 
Captain Quack said:
So, I have found. What really confuses me is that it fed and fired 9 mm blazer commercial no problem. My "Ruger" 9mm are the same OAL as the blazers and new brass.
Click to expand...
Bullet shape.... the point at which the bullet will contact the leade in proportion to others. Coatings also push that point forward on the bullet resulting on a shorter oal working.
 
Now why didn't I think of that? Off to roll up a batch of 50 and take it to the range this afternoon, since 3rd spring is here for the day. I'll let you all know what happens.

Captain Quack. Esq.
 
I own 2 9mm pistols that need a bit shorter OAL. My Masada and my Taurus G3. Don't have my specs. handy, but depending on bullet shape I need to seat for about a .005" shorter OAL for a good plunk. Factory Winchester 147 gr JHP won't plunk in my Masada but OK in my Ruger and an FMK...
 
Englishmn said:
Look at bullet shape blazer uses a really pointy bullet.
Click to expand...
Here are Federal and Blazer 115 gr "FMJ" pulled. Notice Federal uses hollow base FMJ but Blazer uses plated RN (Not TMJ with dished base) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...llet-reloading-question.910606/#post-12414360

index.php


Federal 115 gr FMJ

index.php


Blazer 115 gr plated RN (Not TMJ)

index.php
 
Captain Quack said:
I am not certain how I would figure out the seating depth. Measure the length of the bullet and then the length that is showing above the case when seated and subtract? 4.5 gr of Unique it shall be. When I'm done with that, I have several different powders to play with. And if this all works out, a second 9 mm die head and set. His and Hers, lol.

Captain Quack.
Click to expand...


Seating depth is simple to figure out. Bullet length (+) Case length (-) Cartridge OAL (=) bullet seated depth.

I calculate the seating depth every known bullet in my manuals and write it next to the data. Once you know the specific depth of a particular bullet, you can calculate your load based on your bullet's depth..

For example: Hornady manual lists a max load of Unique at 5.4gn with their 115FMJ-RN at an OAL of 1.100". So, .745"(case length) + .549"(bullet length) - 1.100"(CAOL) = .194"(bullet seated depth). If your bullet is longer, by say .020" and is seated to the same 1.100" OAL then you would reduce the powder charge accordingly. For fast powders I like to reduce 2 tenths of a grain for every .010" the bullet is seated deeper. For medium burn powders I only reduce by 1 tenth for every .010" deeper. If your bullet is shorter and seated to the same 1.100" depth then you can actually increase the powder charge a tenth or two since you have more volume in the case.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
  • Locked
Noob needs some help understanding something.
Replies
6
Views
528
Bullet
B
S
  • Locked
40 S&W / 9mm loads with berrys
Replies
7
Views
2K
shadowalker
S
Captain Quack
Another hole in the memory question.
2 3
Replies
72
Views
2K
Captain Quack
Captain Quack
O
  • Locked
COAL Differences
Replies
6
Views
551
OleEd
O
LiveLife
  • Locked
Lyman #49 Pistol Accuracy Notes
Replies
7
Views
624
J_McLeod
J
Back
Top