Yea I'm 9mm. I like aa7 also, along with 3n38. 9.6 gr of aa7, and 8.8 gr of 3n38 are my favorites. I'm using 124 pd jhp's. Ive experimented with 115's but wasn't a fan of the hit in the hand they had. Im really glad I added the popples, like you I went back and forth on whether to add them or not, finally I got tired of thinking about it and decided to just do it lol. In my opinion they flattened the gun out a good bit and it still shoots soft, which is something i was concerned about. As always YMMV but thats my .02