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Hello: I'm thinking of getting a 9 x 18 Makarov (CZ-82). I have a Dillon 450 with an auto-eject system. Dillon doesn't sell 9 x 18 Mak dies. Which brand of dies would you recommend to reload this cartridge and why do you prefer it? Thanks, Chris

For me, 200gr round nose bullets have less muzzle ris but slightly more rearward recoil than 230gr bullets. When I have a good, firm, high grip, the gun seems to shoot a little "flatter" with the 200gr. I use 4.8 gr. of American Select under 200gr Bear Creek round nose hollow base bullets in my 5" 625-8, although others use the same amount of WST. These average around 860 fps. Another choice is 5.8gr Accurate #2 under a 200gr plated round nose such as Berry's or Powerbond. Some folks have used Berry's 185gr hollow base round nose over 5.4 gr WST in a 5" barrel 625. The "softest" shooting load I've used is a Billy Bullets 230gr over 3.8 gr VV-N310.

The 2004 Alliant manual says that the max load with American Select in .40 cal for a 200gr FMJ was 4.2 gr. and 845 fps. The max load for a 180gr lead bullets was 5.0 gr and 912 fps. Both loads were in the 32K to 33K psi range. Chris

You should not have to use any more powder because of the hollow base of the Bear Creek 200 gr. Assuming that the OAL is the same for round nose hollow base and round nose flat base bullets, the interior volume of the case remains the same. 200 gr of lead takes up the same volume whether it is molded with a hollow base or flat base. IMHO, the little bit of extra powder is needed due to the longer bearing surface of the Bear Creeks. Chris

Hello: I've used a couple thousand Bear Creek 200gr round nose hollow base bullets in my revolver, but none of their 230gr. The Bear Creek 200gr RN doesn't have a lube groove. Therefore the bearing surface is longer and it needs a few tenths of a grain more powder to get the same muzzle velocity as a regular lead LRN. The 230gr should be similar. Chris

Cy: Welcome to wheelgun shooting. I've used both methods with my SW 625 and eventually settled on reloading with the left hand. The primary reason was that I did not have to re-establish an indexed grip with my right hand after every reload. I found that slight variations in re-gripping the gun with the right hand after every reload caused more significant accuracy issues, usually on the horizontal plane. By getting a good indexed grip on the revolver when the buzzer went off and maintaining that grip, I shot better. Or at least I believe I did. YMMV. Chris

I've used 200gr bullets with this profile in my 625 and found that the small 'ridge" at the top of the upper driving band would hang on the chamber mouth and slow down the reload. I now use Bear Creek 200 gr hollow base round nose bullets that don't have the ridge and they slip into the chambers just fine. Chris

Remington and Federal brass worked best with my TK Custom moonclips for a Ruger GP100. IIRC, Tom of TK Custom recommended that I not use Winchester .38 / 357 mag brass. He was right; it was next to impossible to get Winchester Brass in or out of his moonclips. That was over five years ago, so I don't know if his clips have changed since then. Chris

Toolguy: Thanks for the tip and recommendation. BTW, I think I bought a special front sight for my 625-8 from you last year; - it works great. Chris

Hello: I'm thinking of getting a used Model 64 (fixed sights, 4" barrel in .38 spl) from Guns America. Some of the offerings are the 64-8 with a two piece barrel and others are earlier versions with a one piece barrel. I may use it for IDPA or just to use up the hundreds and hundreds of primed .38spl cases I now have. Has anyone shot this model with a two piece barrel? Is there any accuracy difference from the one piece barrels? Is there anything special to be aware of regarding the Model 64 other than it's a stainless steel K-frame? What weight bullet usually shoots to point of aim with the fixed sights on the Model 64? I'm partial to 158gr lead round nose in .38 spl. Thanks for any information based on your experiences. Chris

All rounds use Federal Large Pistol primers 230gr Billy Bullet round nose over 3.7gr to 3.8gr N-310 or the same amount of Clays, 230gr Frontier Plated round nose over 4.0gr N-310, an extremely clean load. . 200gr Bear Creek hollow base round nose over 5.1gr American Select. 200gr Missouri Bullets lead round nose flat point over 4.8gr American Select. 185gr Berry's hollow base round nose over 5.4gr WST. Chris

I agree with CeeZeer. I use 4.5 to 4.6gr Universal under 124gr Zero FMJ to make 130 - 135 PF in my CZ. I'd start around 4.0gr Universal under the Bear Creek bullets. If the bullets do not have a lube groove, they will have a longer bearing surface and create a bit more friction in the bore, thereby requiring you to add .2 or .3gr more powder. Chris

I used Frontier 147gr bullets with 3.3 to 3.4gr N-320 a few years back. It was a very clean and very soft load. However, I understand the the 147gr Frontiers have a soft lead core as opposed to the hard cast lead core found on their lighter weight 9mm bullets. This may degrade accuracy somewhat. I've also been a fan of Frontier plated bullets in .45 acp, but haven't been able to find an economical source for them. Chris

A couple of years ago, someone was shooting Unique under 200gr LSWCs at a USPSA match in Boulder. We shoot two indoor stages there and the muzzle flash from his 1911 looked like the Ring Nebula. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_Nebula) The muzzle flash from from my CZ 97 using WST and the same type of bullet looked like a small orange flame by comparison. Chris

Universal Clays has less nitroglycerin than Titegroup and should make significantly less smoke. My only experience comparing these two powders with lead bullets has been in .38spl and .357 mag. That said, Universal Clays is probably a little too slow for what we do in .45 acp. Winchester Super Target and Alliant American Select produce little smoke with lead and are better for 200gr .45 acp. Hodgdon Clays and VV-N310 are great with lead 225-230gr loads. There is no published load data for WST in 9mm. The least smoke I've had with 9mm lead is using VV N-320 with moly-coated Billy Bullets. Chris

It could be the slow rate of twist in your barrel, slightly undersized bullets, or both. The Glock 17 and CZ 75 series have rates of twist around 1 : 9.75" and both shoot 147gr bullets quite well. Chris

Rounds going at higher velocities tend to shoot lower in pistols and revolvers. The round doesn't stay in the barrel as long during recoil and leaves the barrel before the recoil pushes the muzzle upwards. For example, a 115gr 9m will shoot lower than a 147 gr 9mm at the same power factor. I don't know if this is what's happening in with your Berry's bullets, but it might be a place to start.

You are far into the Red Zone using 6.6gr WSF with a 124gr bullet. Hodgdon's Annual Manual states that the maximum charge for a 124gr 9mm bullet is 5.3 gr at 32,700 psi. I suspect that your 6.6gr charge is well over 40,000 psi. As a comparison, Hodgdon lists 6.6gr WSF as the maximum load on a 38 Super +P. By the same token, you are well over the maximum load with HS-6. Hodgdon's maximum load for HS-6 with a 124gr bullet is 6.8gr at 30,700 cup. Be careful. Chris

I've had a few squibs that showed powder residue caked up on the bottom of the bullet. Hence there was powder, a primer, but bad ignition. Be sure there is no polishing media left in your brass before you start reloading. There may be a piece of corn cob media(or whatever you use) sitting down by the primer hole. This could affect ignition. I lube about 10% to 20% of my brass before starting. I invert the cases on a piece of useless newspaper (the Denver Post will work fine) and spray one side with case lube. Chris

Attached is a link to a powder burn rate chart. http://www.hodgdon.com/burn-rate.html This chart provides a general comparison of powder burn rate. However, certain powders may behave differently in different cartridges so always use verified load data in determining your powder charges. Although some rifle powders are advertised as being insensitive to temperature, manufacturers say little about temperature sensitivity of their pistol and shotgun powders. Generally powders will burn more slowly at lower temperatures and some folks have had their loads go below the desired power factor at matches held in cold weather. There are also reports of some powders (Winchester Super Target in particular) that are reverse temperature sensitive and go below power factor as the temperatures go up. It is difficult to determine whether a powder causes pressure spikes without complicated pressure measuring equipment. Sometimes flattened primers are a sign of excessive pressure, sometimes not. The best way to avoid pressure spikes is to never exceed published load data and pay very careful attention to overall length of your cartridges, especially small high pressure cartridges like the 9mm. BTW, I've used both N-320 and Titegroup in 9mm. Both function well but I prefer N-320 because it is cleaner and burns much cooler. N-320 also performs very well with lead or moly-coated 9mm bullets. That said, Titegroup will provide good results with your Berry bullets.

I already own a CZ 85C and a 97b. I have the opportunity to buy a CZ 75b .40 cal. at a very reasonable price. It is in excellent condition and has a full-length guide rod. Has anyone shot the .40 caliber version in Production or Limited 10? How does the recoil compare with the 9mm versions when shot at minor power factor? How do lead bullets work in the .40 cal at minor power factor? Is the FLGR a stock or aftermarket feature? Finally, what is the rate of twist for the barrel? Thanks for any and all information. Chris

From Accurate Powder's online load data. This seems to be pretty up-to-date. S1000 200 LC SWC 4.8 838 5.3 952 18,300 1.190 S1000 230 LC RN 4.6 790 5.1 898 18,300 1.230 Their published data for Solo 100 with jacketed bullets was close to my results. Chris

That is a nice gizmo, but with a little practice, you can load a moonclip with .45 acp using your fingers in 15 - 20 seconds. You can unload one with a semi-customized piece of copper tubing in about 10 seconds. However, you will need a gizmo like this to reload moonclips with .38spl / .357 mag. Chris

That is a nice gizmo, but with a little practice, you can load a moonclip with .45 acp using your fingers in 15 - 20 seconds. You can unload one with a semi-customized piece of copper tubing in about 10 seconds. However, you will need a gizmo like this to reload moonclips with .38spl / .357 mag. Chris

+1 on the above. Tumble nickel plated cases with brass cases. In my experience, nickel plated .357 cases split at the case mouth quicker than regular brass cases so examine them carefully each time you reload them.