So I have read Speer and Hornady's book on reloading and still have one question that I can't figure out. I am wanting to reload plinking rounds for the 9mm. (before i get jumped on for it, i inherited the equipment and some components for it and thought it would be a good round to start off with.) Back to my question. I am thinking about ordering some "plinking" bullets for it from Missouri Bullet Company. They are 115 gr RN, BHN of 18, with (here is the part thats throwing me) a diameter of .356. Typically 9mm is .355 if Im not mistaken. Will the .001 make a difference? Will this be load as usual or do I need to do something else?
Confused New Reloader
- Thread starter cbass
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Rick Courtright
Hawkeye
cbass said:
Hi,
Probably no worries: standard practice is to size cast bullets 0.001" (or sometimes) larger than jacketed bullets.
W/o going into it too far, the idea is to get the bullet to obturate, or "bump up" to seal the bore. This can help reduce or eliminate leading. If there's not a good enough seal between the barrel and bullet, hot gases can escape and "melt" lead on the side of the bullet, depositing lead in the barrel.
Look in the books for recipes specified for cast bullets, not jacketed. The recipes are NOT to be considered interchangeable. You'll typically see they call for a slightly different powder charge to create a given pressure when using cast. The 115 gr is a "standard" 9mm weight, but if you can't find data for it, you can substitute data for a similar "type" bullet that's a bit heavier, for example a 124-125 gr in the 9mm.
Also, since your cast bullet is ever so slightly larger than a jacketed one, it sometimes takes a little more flare on the case to get it to seat squarely. One give away I've found, maybe more w/ the 9mm than others I load (because of the slight taper of the case?), is a "bulge" (like a snake swallowing a gopher) caused by pushing the bullet in crooked cuz it couldn't square itself up in the "too small" mouth. Usually just takes a tiny bit of adjustment on the flaring die to solve that problem.
Remember, start low and work up! Most books will suggest a 10% reduction in powder from their "max" load as a starting load. Often, that's all you'll ever need for a "plinker." If you want to work up, check your books and ask questions about what to look for, too.
Good luck! And stay safe... ask first if in doubt!
Rick C
Lead bullets are normally sized larger than actual groove diameter. The larger diameter is needed to insure a good seal between bullet and barrel, so that no gas leaks by and causes leading. And .001" bullets will prolly shoot just fine in your gun (the only way to know for sure is to "slug" the barrel of your gun). Jacketed bullets are much harder and do not suffer from gas cutting so they usually are the same size as the groove diameter or very slightly smaller (.001"). The 9mm is a bit more difficult round to reload than many cartridges, because it's a high pressure round and feeding and leading problems are common, but you can find the right combination of bullet type, bullet size, lube, powder, and charge amount/velocity...
As a start to your reloading library, I'd suggest The ABCs of Reloading, Lyman's 49th Edition Reloading Handbook, and if you shoot lead then Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook. Both Lyman's books have good "how to" sections and the ABCs is almost a reloader's bible...
As a start to your reloading library, I'd suggest The ABCs of Reloading, Lyman's 49th Edition Reloading Handbook, and if you shoot lead then Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook. Both Lyman's books have good "how to" sections and the ABCs is almost a reloader's bible...
clintsfolly
Single-Sixer
My 9mm shoots best with .3575 but your gun maybe a tight barrel Clint
Cheesewhiz
Hunter
I load a ton of 9mm, about a thousand or so a week. I have worked with a lot of different bullets of all weights and styles. I recommend that you start with FMJ bullets as the crimp, more like de-belling in this case, is forgiving with FMJ in 9mm. Before going to lead which is fun and cheap, slug your barrel. You can find all kinds of ways to do this on the internet, here or with a good reloading book.
With 9mm it is important to find the OAL that will work with your gun as you change from bullet style to bullet style. The ogive of some bullets can play hell with a reloader when reloading 9mm.
It's not hard at all, remove the barrel from your gun, take a fired case, insert the test bullet just slightly, push the now dummy round into the chamber, the bullet will be pushed in by the transistion possibly but maybe not, remove the dummy round and measure the length with a vernier caliber. Now subtract .015" from that length and that is the target setpoint for that particular bullet. If it didn't move back in the case, try again, if the result is the same then 1.168" is the length, I go to 1.160" as my target OAL in cases like this.
(Remember that the absolute longest a 9mm should be loaded to is 1.168")
Adjustments to the powder load will be needed if the OAL ends up shorter than your chosen recipe.
This dummy round setpoint step is important as interference with the lands and grooves of the rifling can cause very abrupt and high pressures and is dangerous.
After setting this length check again with a completed round, it should spin in the chamber after being fully seated in the barrel/chamber.
Most Rugers have a lot of room in the transistion but some pistols do not and never take anything for granted.
You can PM me anytime you want, I can help.
With 9mm it is important to find the OAL that will work with your gun as you change from bullet style to bullet style. The ogive of some bullets can play hell with a reloader when reloading 9mm.
It's not hard at all, remove the barrel from your gun, take a fired case, insert the test bullet just slightly, push the now dummy round into the chamber, the bullet will be pushed in by the transistion possibly but maybe not, remove the dummy round and measure the length with a vernier caliber. Now subtract .015" from that length and that is the target setpoint for that particular bullet. If it didn't move back in the case, try again, if the result is the same then 1.168" is the length, I go to 1.160" as my target OAL in cases like this.
(Remember that the absolute longest a 9mm should be loaded to is 1.168")
Adjustments to the powder load will be needed if the OAL ends up shorter than your chosen recipe.
This dummy round setpoint step is important as interference with the lands and grooves of the rifling can cause very abrupt and high pressures and is dangerous.
After setting this length check again with a completed round, it should spin in the chamber after being fully seated in the barrel/chamber.
Most Rugers have a lot of room in the transistion but some pistols do not and never take anything for granted.
You can PM me anytime you want, I can help.
Pistol you are planning to use, not mentioned. So, a warning. This has been debated endlessly on many forums too, but poly-gonal type bores can have difficulties with lead bullets. With both a Kahr and a Glock here, I'd not use them in large quantities. IMHO. steve b
Beware COAL, too. Yes, the manuals list COAL as 1.169", but with Glocks you can get into trouble going to MAX COAL.
First, you have to make sure the round chambers.
Second, you have to make sure the rounds fit into the magazine.
Third, you have to make sure you can rack the slide and remove an unfired round.
The last Glock I ran in IPSC (a G17 with a 6" 9x21 BarSto Barrel) limited my COAL to about 1.135". Anything loaded much longer and I couldn't get the last round to eject. The ejection port in the slide was small. I don't know if current issue Glocks are better or not. And I don't know how other 9mm pistols are in this area.
For plinking 9mm loads with lead, I didn't need 18 bhn with 125 cast bullets. Better for me was 12-14 bhn. My cast bullets from straight wheel weights leaded less than mass produced hardcast bullets.
First, you have to make sure the round chambers.
Second, you have to make sure the rounds fit into the magazine.
Third, you have to make sure you can rack the slide and remove an unfired round.
The last Glock I ran in IPSC (a G17 with a 6" 9x21 BarSto Barrel) limited my COAL to about 1.135". Anything loaded much longer and I couldn't get the last round to eject. The ejection port in the slide was small. I don't know if current issue Glocks are better or not. And I don't know how other 9mm pistols are in this area.
For plinking 9mm loads with lead, I didn't need 18 bhn with 125 cast bullets. Better for me was 12-14 bhn. My cast bullets from straight wheel weights leaded less than mass produced hardcast bullets.
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