9mm 125 G Cast Bullets

Help Support Ruger Forum:

810wmb

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
140
:?:

i'm trying to reload some 9mm 125g TNC cast bullets, using Unique powder. i'm having a hard time finding out how much powder to use.

any suggestions?
 

810wmb

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
140
thanks!

gee, having only loaded some 45's at 5.5 grains, these 9's at 5.3 are freakin' full!

thanks again for the reply, i came across some info earlier on the net that said 6.0 grains. i would much rather go by a lee manual.
 

810wmb

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
140
another quick question please - what is the book giving as an overall length on these?
 

810wmb

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
140
woodpile":3cm3e50f said:
Sorry about the delay. The lee book lists oal as 1.150. Steve

dude! hell, i'm great with the delay! i REALLY appreciate the info!
 

Hammerdown77

Blackhawk
Joined
Jan 24, 2010
Messages
886
Location
North Alabama
I would strongly reconsider using the Lee manual load data for those bullets. I have the Lee manual, and started out loading 125 grn LRN 9mm bullets using Unique powder. The 5.3 grn starting load was very snappy, almost like a .40 S&W. I didn't have a chrono at that time so I couldn't check velocity, but they were stout enough that I wondered whether or not that starting load was correct.

Anyway, several other manuals list 4 grains of Unique or thereabouts as the starting load for similar bullets. I loaded up a batch of 4.1 grns and they shot great. Normal, target load recoil, and they operated the slide of my Beretta 92 just fine.

The c.o.l. that I ended up with was 1.130". The Lee c.o.l. of 1.150" wouldn't chamber in my Beretta.

Here's the thread I posted on another forum detailing my experience.

http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=73236


BE CAREFUL with 9mm. It's less forgiving to load for than .45 Auto. Don't have a lot of case volume to work with, c.o.l. is more critical, and pressures are higher.
 

810wmb

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
140
thanks very much!

i have only loaded eight...i'll stop until i get some more info. i have an email in to the guy i bought the bullets from. he has been super helpful in the past.

like yourself, he had told me the 45's were more forgiving.

in the thread you linked to, i saw where you pulled the bullets. i don't have a bullet puller. in your opinion, do you think i should try these 8 i have loaded out, or chalk it up to noobie mistake?


i'm shooting through a cz75b
 

Hammerdown77

Blackhawk
Joined
Jan 24, 2010
Messages
886
Location
North Alabama
Do those rounds drop in and fall out of your barrel chamber easily?

At the longer c.o.l. of 1.150", the 5.3 grn of Unique might be ok, but it's hard to know without seeing the bullet shape.

If the guy you bought the bullets from had some chrono data for those with Unique, that would be good.

If it were me, I'd pull 'em and start in the low 4 grains or so of Unique. And, I'd get a kinetic bullet puller (looks like a hammer). They're only $15 or so, and you will use it frequently, especially when making up dummy rounds to test c.o.l. for new bullets, or new calibers.

I shot up all of the 125 grn bullets I had before I got a chronograph. I now have some 147 grn that I want to run over the chrono, but those are going to be slower than the 125 grn bullets.
 

revhigh

Hawkeye
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Messages
5,590
Location
PA
810wmb":j8l6o2a7 said:
another quick question please - what is the book giving as an overall length on these?

Hey 810,

Just as a point of information, I use those same weight bullets from Mastercast (truncated cone), and this is something that I've learned. If you load these toward the longer side of the COL range, you 'may' have trouble unloading a chambered round, if you need to do it.

I found this out the hard way. What happens is this. With the shape of those truncated cone bullets, if they're loaded toward the long end of the COL range, the bullet will/may actually contact the lands and grooves of the rifling when the round chambers. This has the effect of making the bullet 'stick' in the barrel before firing. If you now need to eject an unfired round, it can be difficult if not impossible to pull the slide back since the bullet's soft lead nose is jammed into the rifling.

Just be aware of this and 'test' a few to be sure this doesn't happen. I have about 1500 like this to use up. I'll never load up a new bullet shape again and just go by the COL range without testing a few first. :D

By the way ... Alliant Power Pistol powder is spectacular with those bullets. You may want to give it a try if you want to try a different powder.

REV
 

810wmb

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
140
revhigh":22k4zjki said:
810wmb":22k4zjki said:
another quick question please - what is the book giving as an overall length on these?

Hey 810,

Just as a point of information, I use those same weight bullets from Mastercast (truncated cone), and this is something that I've learned. If you load these toward the longer side of the COL range, you 'may' have trouble unloading a chambered round, if you need to do it.

By the way ... Alliant Power Pistol powder is spectacular with those bullets. You may want to give it a try if you want to try a different powder.

REV

ok guys, i emailed asking about the oal length before i loaded them yesterday. he said 1.1 - that is where they are. i had gotten the length, then couldn't find a grain measure for the bullet. i just asked what the oal was in the lee book because i was curious. like every other measurement with 9mm, it was different also!

i just took the barrel out of my cz. they drop in and out easily. no sticking at all.
 

revhigh

Hawkeye
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Messages
5,590
Location
PA
810wmb":34yz1amz said:
i just took the barrel out of my cz. they drop in and out easily. no sticking at all.

You need to actually chamber a round to tell for sure .... simply dropping a round into the chamber while holding the barrel won't tell you whether or not what I mentioned will happen. The breechface 'may' push the bullet into the lands when going into battery, which dropping a bullet into the chamber won't.

Incidentally, the gun that I experienced this with was a CZ75B.

I'd check it MY way to be absolutely sure ....

REV
 

810wmb

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
140
revhigh":wvjj7dhe said:
810wmb":wvjj7dhe said:
i just took the barrel out of my cz. they drop in and out easily. no sticking at all.

You need to actually chamber a round to tell for sure .... simply dropping a round into the chamber while holding the barrel won't tell you whether or not what I mentioned will happen. The breechface 'may' push the bullet into the lands when going into battery, which dropping a bullet into the chamber won't.

Incidentally, the gun that I experienced this with was a CZ75B.

I'd check it MY way to be absolutely sure ....

REV

okie dokie - i put all eight in the magazine. i cycled them all through twice, no sticking at all - it looks like i'm ok - thanks rev
 

810wmb

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
140
revhigh":1447ho1v said:
Sounds like you're good to go !

REV

as soon as i find out how many grains of powder! :roll: :lol:

i have 1500 of them also, so i need to know.


wow - while i was writing this, i got a call from the guy i bought the bullets from - he echoed hammerdown77. start at 4.0 - max 5.3

i'm going to start over - gentlemen, thank you so very much for your help!
 

Hammerdown77

Blackhawk
Joined
Jan 24, 2010
Messages
886
Location
North Alabama
revhigh":or7648is said:
810wmb":or7648is said:
I found this out the hard way. What happens is this. With the shape of those truncated cone bullets, if they're loaded toward the long end of the COL range, the bullet will/may actually contact the lands and grooves of the rifling when the round chambers. This has the effect of making the bullet 'stick' in the barrel before firing. If you now need to eject an unfired round, it can be difficult if not impossible to pull the slide back since the bullet's soft lead nose is jammed into the rifling.

REV

Yes, this happened on my Beretta. I thought I was going to have to take the gun to a gunsmith, the slide was locked up so tight.

I think you can tell if this is going to happen though without cycling live ammunition. I measured how far a loaded round of CCI Blazer Brass dropped into the chamber. Then, I took one of my longer COL rounds and dropped it in. To the naked eye it appeared good, and it seemed to drop in without resistance, but the calipers said otherwise. Also, if I pushed gently on the back of the round, you could "feel" it stick into the rifling, and then it wouldn't fall back out under its own weight like the CCI Blazer round would.

COL from a manual means nothing unless you have that exact (or really darn close) bullet style/shape. Proceed with caution.
 

revhigh

Hawkeye
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Messages
5,590
Location
PA
Hammerdown77":2dxf0u9a said:
COL from a manual means nothing unless you have that exact (or really darn close) bullet style/shape. Proceed with caution.

Yup !!

REV
 

Latest posts

Top