Load data not so good on the chrony

[alpha-charlie]

I'm new to reloading but have been having trouble making it to minimum power factor of 125. I'm shooting a Tactical XD9 with Bar-Sto barrel. My components: Titegroup, MG 124gr JHP, Federal small pistol primers, mixed brass. Today I went out to chrony, and using the following load was only registering about 900 fps. 4.4gr Titegroup, 124gr JHP, 1.125 OAL, .75 crimp. It's overcast, 73 degress with 71% humidity. From the info given by the other XD users here, I thought for sure that 4.4 gr would be more than enough to make the minimum pf. Any ideas???

[alpha-charlie]

I'm new to reloading but have been having trouble making it to minimum power factor of 125. I'm shooting a Tactical XD9 with Bar-Sto barrel. My components: Titegroup, MG 124gr JHP, Federal small pistol primers, mixed brass. Today I went out to chrony, and using the following load was only registering about 900 fps. 4.4gr Titegroup, 124gr JHP, 1.125 OAL, .75 crimp. It's overcast, 73 degress with 71% humidity. From the info given by the other XD users here, I thought for sure that 4.4 gr would be more than enough to make the minimum pf. Any ideas???

[yoshidaex]

Is the recommended charge weight of 4.4 for copper jacketed bullets? It's possible with MG bullets you may need a tenth or two more of powder to make your desired PF.

[TAP]

Based on the load data I have seen, you should easily make well over 125 PF with that load.

Did you check your chrono with a control round?

How was the recoil compared to factory rounds?

Did you see any pressure signs?

What is .75 crimp? 0.375" crimp? I would pull a bullet and look see what it looks like with your crimp. Since 9mm is a tapered case crimp can be hard to measure. With jacketed bullets that are sized properly, I adjust my crimp so the case is making a very very light line around the jacket.

My first thought is to check your chrono. Keep us posted. A few others have been having trouble with TG but it seems they have had velocities too high rather than low.

Edited June 5, 2010 by TAP

[alpha-charlie]

As a side note, I was approximately 20 feet from the chronograph when testing......if that matters that much.

[alpha-charlie]

Yes, .375" on the crimp.(a typo) The chrono was not tested with a control round but that's an excellent idea. The chrono is brand new but I'll test it anyways. I don't know if it matters that much, but I was about 20 feet from the chrono while testing. I had 2 other lighter loads that I was testing and they registered lower as expected. I know I've triple checked the powder measure and even pull cases off the shell plate while loading for a random check. The felt recoil was less than factory loads that I've used. (UMC 115gr)

[G-ManBart]

How many rounds did you check, what sort of ES and SD were you getting?

[alpha-charlie]

Didn't check too many as the rain decided to show up. My lowest velocity was 880 and my highest was 916. What's a good distance from the chrono to shoot at?

[The_Vigilante]

8-10 feet from the chrono with a pistol.

[alpha-charlie]

Thanks, I'm gonna try again and test more rounds, do some control tests with factory loads and spend a little more time with it when the weather clears up.

[SA Friday]

I don't know what chrono set-up you are using, but if you had rain coming in, then you had cloud cover. Chrono's are a touchy thing, and depending on the set-up, can be very light sensitive.

So, everything says your rounds should be making pf, but they are not. I suggest you check your ammo's dimensions and most importantly the throw of power in your rounds. Second, check to make sure your powder scale is calibrated. If you can eliminate those variables, then check your chrono. Pick a sunny day, noon time, use your chrono's shades, calibrate the chrono with ammo of known velocity, and rechrono the reloads.

I concur that if your load dimensions and powder are correct, you should be making minor with some to spare.

[Hi-Power Jack]

I'm new to reloading but have been having trouble making it to minimum power factor of 125. I'm shooting a Tactical XD9 with Bar-Sto barrel. My components: Titegroup, MG 124gr JHP, Federal small pistol primers, mixed brass. Today I went out to chrony, and using the following load was only registering about 900 fps. 4.4gr Titegroup, 124gr JHP, 1.125 OAL, .75 crimp. It's overcast, 73 degress with 71% humidity. From the info given by the other XD users here, I thought for sure that 4.4 gr would be more than enough to make the minimum pf. Any ideas???

I would have to guess that the most likely problem

is that the OAL is longer than 1.125" or that your

scale is not dropping 4.4 gr. But, it could be the

Chrony, too - but I don't have much problem with

my Chrony on cloudy days.

If your OAL is really around 1.155, for example, that

could take some of your velocity away. And, if your

scale is not calibrated properly, or dirty, it could

be that you're throwing only 4.1 or 4.2 grains instead.

Possibly a combo of both problems?

[alpha-charlie]

I've double checked the OAL, double checked the powder charge,did a control check with some factory rounds, and chrono'd my reloads again with the same results. It's definetely not the chrono. I've come to the conclusion, with help from the above comments, that I haven't calibrated my eliminator scale correctly. I'm gonna pick up a digital to do a comparison before I start messing with it to see how much I'm off. Also, I've now learned that's it's good to have more than one scale and one more than one set of calipers so that you can double check your own equipment. Once I get it figured out I'll post the new results in case anyone comes across this problem in the future. Thanks again everyone.

[RH45]

My POS chrono has pretty much macthed the results at state, area, and national matches, but, it doesn't like to pick up the bullets on bright, sunny, days. It seems to like overcast.

[TAP]

I suggest buying a set of check weights and not another scale at first.

[bfwally]

As a side note, I was approximately 20 feet from the chronograph when testing......if that matters that much.

That seems awfully low. I am loading 124g TMJ Montana Golds over 4.1g of Titegroup, Magtech SP Magnum primers, mixed brass, and getting 1040-1060 f.p.s. through my CZs. No clue why yours would be so low....

[Jman]

As a side note, I was approximately 20 feet from the chronograph when testing......if that matters that much.

I had great results with my "Chorny" brand chronograph sitting in the shade and ~12' from my muzzle. FWIW

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: Paint the bullet with a black marker and see if that changes things. I have done this and it changes things and even makes the chrono see the bullet. I don't know why it works it just does. Thanks, Eric

[alpha-charlie]

Problem solved. My eliminator scale was not calibrated correctly. Picked up a digital and I was off by almost 1.4gr!!!!!! Yes, I am new to reloading, but I just learned a hard lesson about double checking not only your loads but your equipment. I'm on track now and it's great that this is figured out. Thanks again to everyone and the forum.

CLOSED

[alpha-charlie]

It was my scale. Off by nearly 1.4gr!!! It's all straightened out now and am gettin the chrono readings that make sense. A hard lesson learned, but one that won't be repeated. Welcome to reloading I guess. Thanks to everyone on the forum. Good luck at Area 5 next week!!!

CLOSED

[chirpy]

You should the recommendation of your cronograph mfg. 20 feet from the first screen seems a bit far.

Richard

[RiggerJJ]

I know I've triple checked the powder measure and even pull cases off the shell plate while loading for a random check.

You should make a point of checking powder throws in this manner on a regular basis. pull a case off at the seating station, dump powder in the pan, weigh, dump powder back in the case, replace the case with powder and press on. I do this once every 50 rounds (Halfway thru 100 primers) just to keep power throws consistent...

jj

[Flexmoney]

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