texasref

XD sub compact w/13 round mag

the trouble with 231/HP38 is it needs to be a little higher load (hince the 3.5) in order to burn completely since they are not that fast burning. 3.2 gns would be fine for Titegroup and 147 bullets, It'll get you about 135 power factor. Win 231/HP38 will not be that high.

Lyman manual will have data. I believe you meant coated (Hitek). Anyway 3.5gns should do it. Load to an OAL of 1.115" It's been my experience that any coated bullet can be loaded like plated. Plain cast lead not so much.

A few thoughts which some I'm sure will disagree. The "bottle effect" in most guns has very little to do with chambering, except in CZ's. They are known for tight tolerances. To that end, case gauging is fine but barrel testing is better. Measure the crimp and make sure your not too tight. If you started to see brass specs that's where it's coming from. A factory diameter crimp should tension the bullet in the case neck enough to prevent "setback". Load a dummy round. Take a pair of channel locks and try to seat the bullet deeper by hand. If your crimping correctly it won't move. Also take note of the diameter of the bullets. BlueBullets 9mm are swaged to 0.355" which will eliminate the "bottle". In your last post the picture looks like the case is collapsing. (Could be shadows) Make sure your dies and shell plate are lined up. Also make sure your running the sizing die all the way down.

1.150" 147RN 3.5 VV N320

A few things worth mentioning,,,,,,,,,I think. Not sure how old your press is, but I put a spring or two around the funnel neck and the plastic plug to help make sure the charge bar returns with a full powder charge. I left it off for a while but found it didn't work as well. And as stated always look in the case for powder. You can't tell if its a few tenths under or over. But you can see it and it will be enough to eliminate the squib. Also any time you leave the press mid session, always leave with the handle down.That way you know where you are in the progression.

I don't think you need to purchase 10 round mags. Just load the 126mm down to 10 rounds. Same as people shooting Springfield XD's in 9mm. or any other double stack.

I have a Ruger SR1911 commander. Will not feed TC or HP rounds reliably. The 45 1911 is a 230gn RN gun. It's been my experience that's just what it wants. Factory or reloaded. You also mentioned a 14# recoil spring but nothing about the hammer or mainspring being replaced. I run a 14# recoil in mine but I also replaced the mainspring with a 17#. It might help the timing of the cycle a little bit.

I would keep it as is. Not like a "C" shooter suddenly has a chance to win over "GM"s just because they have limited shots. For the Single Stack shooters it does present another challenge (maybe).

Everyone has their favorite. I use VV N320 for 9mm. Titegroup is another that has a wide range and works well with the 147 bullets. If WSF is working for you then stay with it. Lots of opinions here on this subject. May wany to be more specific about what you're tring to accomplish.

Commanders usually have a very heavy mainspring (mine was 22#) Changed mine out to 17# main and 16# recoil. runs fine. I agree with Steve above, stay away from the shock buffs.

I have Dawson and Wilson after market mags. the Wilson work better.

I load out in the garage, so I unload everything. Release the tension on the fail-safe rod and cover it up to keep the dirt off. I store the primers and powder inside (climate controlled).

Coated bullets are cleaner to shoot. Just run a bore snake or a brush thru the barrel and that's it.

Also own a DW PM9. Love the gun but she is fussy. Had to send the Tripp mags back. On slide lock reloads with a full mag, the top round jumped out and would jam the gun. Tried Wilson and Dawson mags. with Dawson coming out a seemingly better mag for this particular gun. One note that has been mentioned before. Customer service at Tripp is great. I really liked the mags, they just wouldn't run in my gun.

I shot Bayou's with LG for a long time. Decided to enter the single stack world and needed a round nose profile for better feeding. Blue Bullets were the coated ones that I found. Both were 147 grain. At the time, did not change powder or OAL. It made no difference in accuracy since these are not target rounds. Beer Baron has a point of the cost/economy of a lighter bullet. But it will take more powder to push. On the accuracy topic, many swear by the SWC profile with more of the mass at the back.

It looks as though 3.2 to 3.5 is the majority. This past week I shot using 3.4 grains and really could not tell the difference between that and the 3.2 grains I was shooting. This powder seems to take a little more to move the needle unlike the TiteGroup I was using. Thanks for the replies and the help.

I may not really clean it, but I will wipe down the rails, barrel and slide then a fresh coat of oil. If you're shooting coated bullets, you don't really need to worry about barrel too much. Run a bore snake thru it every now and then........good. If not then +1 for cleaning at least every other match.

Thanks to everyone who replied. The information was invaluable. I will probably be going with 3.4 grains.

Thanks guys. I was using 3.2 of TG before which gave me 135ish. But since 320 has a little slower burn rate, along with VV data I wasn't really sure.

As the topic implies I'm looking for making minor PF using N320 and147 grain bullets. I'll be shooting these out of a 5" 1911. I don't have a chrono or I wouldn't ask this question. The VV data shows a starting grain of 3.1 with the FPS around 780. way to low. (I'm shooting 3.2 right now). Rather than guess, if any of you know and would share that information I'd appreciate it.

42" tall bench/table is a lot. I think you may want look at the height of the shell plate vs the handle. It would be better to look down on that area. Most benches are in the 30" tall range. What adjusts is the chair. Just a thought.

I only load 147's. With TG 3.2 grains will give you a pf of around 135. Do a search on your different combinations. There's probably a million answers for each.

I had issues seating also. Bought a Lee (what they had) 3 die set. Used the sizing and seating die and never looked back. I had also decided to load only round nose well before. Sounds like the new seating die from Dillon is the way to go.

+1 for 4.0 grains of Tite-group seated at 1.25"