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What is the most accurate 9mm round???


DS26

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I have be reloading for several years and I guess I'm a creature of habit and I have been reloading the same round for years.

I had tested a number of different heads and loads and settle on Precision Delta 147 grain FMJ trucated I'm  very happy with VN320 powder I plan to continue with this powder but not sure if I should try 115 grain hollow points which I have been told might be a more accurate round.

 

I have been trying to search the topic and I'm 7 pages in reading but not finding the answers I have been hoping for.  I mostly shoot tactical matches so I haven't been as concerned about the accuracy but I am considering trying my hand at bullseye using my 9mm if I really enjoy it I will likely buy a bullseye gun but for now I want to at least try this using my 9mm so I need all the help I can get and I figure the best load would be a good place to start.

 

Thanks for any and all input. 

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11 hours ago, DS26 said:

Precision Delta 147 grain FMJ trucated I'm  very happy with VN320 powder I

This is my load. If your groups are good, then stick with this load that words. Not bad to experiment, but it can drive your crazy looking for that magical edge.

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Most of the 9mm 1911 bullseye shooters I know use light or midrange bullets, and tell me they have to drive them fast for accuracy.  It also took them 'forever' to dial in the right load for their pistol.  I don't know from personal experience, because I shoot 45 for the Centerfire leg.

 

If your barrel measures .355" or .356" and you want to use the same bullet for 50 yard slow fire plus timed and rapid, then use either the 115 HAP (.355") or the 125 HAP (.356"), depending on your barrel diameter.  If you barrel is larger than that, you are forced into lubed or coated lead, custom sized.

 

For 9mm, you want the bullet to be as perfect as possible.  That means high quality bullets.  At 'standard' twist rates, light 9mm bullets are going to be over stabilized, so any problems with the bullet are magnified.

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from all the ballistics I have read,

the hollow point type bullets have better chances for being more accurate.

the thinking being the gyroscopic stabilization results in a more predictable flight path...

 

the practical issue is the twist in the barrel getting the bullet all the spin you'd like.

If you like 147 and have no issues with tumble or keyholes

then the 124 hollow points driven faster should be more accurate.

supposedly the extra spin comes as part of the lighter weight and higher speed. 

least ways that is what I have read and tried.

 

I could not see any difference other than where the holes were printing.

(I don't want to claim groups from my pistol shooting)

the lighter bullets printed maybe inch or two higher at 10 yards

the scatter was otherwise the same for me. 

 

miranda

 

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On 1/3/2018 at 9:56 PM, DS26 said:

but I am considering trying my hand at bullseye using my 9mm

 

 

Done deal.

115gr Hornady HAP, and 6.0-6.3gr of Power Pistol, wherever you're most accurate at 50 yards. Tune for powder charge and OAL.  

Above the speed of sound, your bullet creates a pressure wave of compressed air in front of the bullet.  As a bullet travels down range, as it decelerates closer to the speed of sound, it will start to catch up and pass through that pressure wave, and the pressure wave buffets around the bullet a bit, affecting accuracy negatively.  You have more than likely seen video of such a pressure wave before with a fighter jet decelerating through the speed of sound, and it looks like the jet is passing through a disk of water vapor.  Same thing.  The range where the bullet is passing through that pressure wave is the "transonic" range.  It may be, depending on various environmental factors, the speed of sound +/- 25 feet/sec.  You don't want the bullet to decelerate into that "transonic" range during its path to the target.  So for 9mm at the 50 yard line, you need it fast enough at the muzzle that it won't have decelerated down toward maybe 1045/1050 feet/sec at 50 yards.  This likely means for a 115gr bullet that you want it going 1200+ at the muzzle.  That's why the bullseye guys are loading them up fast. 

 

Good luck. ;) 

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18 hours ago, zzt said:

Most of the 9mm 1911 bullseye shooters I know use light or midrange bullets, and tell me they have to drive them fast for accuracy.  It also took them 'forever' to dial in the right load for their pistol.  I don't know from personal experience, because I shoot 45 for the Centerfire leg.

 

If your barrel measures .355" or .356" and you want to use the same bullet for 50 yard slow fire plus timed and rapid, then use either the 115 HAP (.355") or the 125 HAP (.356"), depending on your barrel diameter.  If you barrel is larger than that, you are forced into lubed or coated lead, custom sized.

 

For 9mm, you want the bullet to be as perfect as possible.  That means high quality bullets.  At 'standard' twist rates, light 9mm bullets are going to be over stabilized, so any problems with the bullet are magnified.

 

 

This^^^^

 

50 yard accuracy is hard to create with the 9mm 1911. My best load is 5.4 WSF with 115 HAP or 115 Zero JHP.   That's a pretty stiff load.  A KKM barrel helped with accuracy quite a bit. 

 

Sierra 115 JHP are commonly used with good result. I haven't tried any because the HAP works for me and the Zero JHP is hard to find in bulk. 

 

My experiment with 9mm Bullseye is over. I have gone back to the 45 across the course. Easier to load for and actually easier to shoot accurately. YMMV. 

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Oddly I don't own a 45 not really sure why.  I really like shooting 9mm,  I own several 9mm guns two 1911's two Glocks and a Kimber Solo all of which fire my reloads well however  I still feel I could do better.   My most recent purchase was a Wilson Combat Dream gun and just like it's name I'm very happy with it.  I have found it to shoot so well it peaked my interest into trying Bullseye.   I'm a creature of habit and I have a lot of VN320 powder on hand so I'm thinking I may try my luck with 115 Zero JHP and do a little testing with the loads but I will start at about 4.2 grains and as much as 4.8 grains I will make a few test batches and test to fine tune.  

When I first started reloading i only used zero or Montana Gold but both became hard to get for a while so I switched and I bought several years worth of stock but now that I'm into my last box of 1000 I will place an order for the zero's and will test as my current stock runs low I may just load everything I have left with my current recipe then switch so I don't have to mess with any settings while I still have some stock on hand.

Edited by DS26
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That will have a very subjective answer, and there is no clear cut answer.

 

What is shooting ability?
What is your gun?

What is the type of barrel? 

What is the type of rifling cut?

How has the powder/primers been kept?

 

What works in my gun and/or others, may not work in yours.

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17 hours ago, DS26 said:

Oddly I don't own a 45 not really sure why.  I really like shooting 9mm,  I own several 9mm guns two 1911's two Glocks and a Kimber Solo all of which fire my reloads well however  I still feel I could do better.   My most recent purchase was a Wilson Combat Dream gun and just like it's name I'm very happy with it.  I have found it to shoot so well it peaked my interest into trying Bullseye.   I'm a creature of habit and I have a lot of VN320 powder on hand so I'm thinking I may try my luck with 115 Zero JHP and do a little testing with the loads but I will start at about 4.2 grains and as much as 4.8 grains I will make a few test batches and test to fine tune.  

When I first started reloading i only used zero or Montana Gold but both became hard to get for a while so I switched and I bought several years worth of stock but now that I'm into my last box of 1000 I will place an order for the zero's and will test as my current stock runs low I may just load everything I have left with my current recipe then switch so I don't have to mess with any settings while I still have some stock on hand.

This is the  Zero copy of the HAP projectile.

http://www.rozedist.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=RZD&Product_Code=R135-A&Category_Code=ZBJ-9MM

 

Shoots well out in all of my 9mm guns...and 1" at 50 yards in my Bullseye 1911.

Tom

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One thing with the 9 is case length. There is a HUGE variation in length. Find ones that are along as your chamber will allow or as close as you can.

 

HAP bullets have been extremely accurate for me.

 

Precision Bullets Gen 2 was a huge surprise in my Open gun. They were in my range bag and loaded to minor pf. Decided to try a few and a whole mag was one ragged hole at 25 yards.

 

They lead too much, but man were they accurate.

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A 124gr Montana Gold Hollow Point behind 7.7 grains of Accurate #7 has very accurate in SIG X-Fives, CZ Shadows and Tactical Sports. Every pistol seems to have it's sweet spot for bullet/powder mixture but it's been good generically. 

 

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On ‎1‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 8:56 PM, DS26 said:

I have be reloading for several years and I guess I'm a creature of habit and I have been reloading the same round for years.

I had tested a number of different heads and loads and settle on Precision Delta 147 grain FMJ trucated I'm  very happy with VN320 powder I plan to continue with this powder but not sure if I should try 115 grain hollow points which I have been told might be a more accurate round.

 

I have been trying to search the topic and I'm 7 pages in reading but not finding the answers I have been hoping for.  I mostly shoot tactical matches so I haven't been as concerned about the accuracy but I am considering trying my hand at bullseye using my 9mm if I really enjoy it I will likely buy a bullseye gun but for now I want to at least try this using my 9mm so I need all the help I can get and I figure the best load would be a good place to start.

 

Thanks for any and all input. 

 

I chassed the 9mm accuracy for a long time. I finally settled on the AAA load for the AMU and Marine Shooting Team. I either buy 115G at 1150 f/s factory ammo or hand load my stuff to match those numbers. Works good enough for me in pistol or PCC, so I stopped testing. 

9MM 115GR FMJ Match AMU

Bullet: 115GR FMJ

Velocity: 1150 FPS ±

OAL: 1.13”

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On 1/4/2018 at 6:28 AM, stardust tommy said:

loads from bullseye shooters

 

6.1gr power pistol hornady 115gr HAP/XTP

5gr N330 115 hornady HAP/XTP

 

since we are not allowed to shoot HP ammo in Belgium I use a good 115gr FMJ.

 

 

 

 

These are the same loads that was most accurate for me also. I also had gotten them from Neil with NSK. He's on the Bullseye forum.

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