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What bullet weight for 9 Major?


jkatz44

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I need a load using HS6 and Winchester Small Rifle Primers. The bullet weight has to be at least 121 gr because I am shooting the IPSC Nats. I was looking at either the MG 121 gr IFP or the 124 gr MG. Any advice?

Jason

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I need a load using HS6 and Winchester Small Rifle Primers. The bullet weight has to be at least 121 gr because I am shooting the IPSC Nats. I was looking at either the MG 121 gr IFP or the 124 gr MG. Any advice?

Jason

You did not indicate what gun or barrel length, but 7.6 will be a good start for 124s.

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Millennium Custom 5 inch with 3 port comp.

7.8-8.0gr of HS6 with a 124/125 @ 1.160. That will put you around 170pf. IPSC is only 160pf but with 9 major it might work better at the higher PF. Using a 121 gr will give you more gas to work with I'd try working up a load with 121gr.

I'm using 115gr in my 9 major with 9.0gr of HS6 when I can find it, otherwise 8.6gr of Silhouette.

It is a shorty so you won't need that much powder to get there.

Edited by CocoBolo
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In USPSA, do you like to be around 170pf?

In USPSA 165 is the minimum for major, but you never want to be right at 165 because all chrono stages are not the same. Now, 165 is a "minimum" for major, but your gun may shoot flatter at a higher PF. You really want to "dial-in" your load to your gun and your shooting preference. Given your shooting IPSC and 160 PF applies, adjust accordingly.

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In USPSA, do you like to be around 170pf?

I run at least 170 and keep going till it feels good. In one gun this is 175 pf in the other its 172pf. One of my open guns was just down right violent at 170pf but throwing another .3 gr at it, it flattened out and softened up. Going beyond 170pf requires that you pay close attention to pressure signs and move up .1gr at a time.

There are a whole bunch of posts on the forum about Crono number variance and they do vary some. So crono on multiple days and times and temps and try to duplicate match conditions (same temp etc). If you run too close you will minor out better to have a good cushion.

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Going beyond 170pf requires that you pay close attention to pressure signs and move up .1gr at a time.

No offense, but I think suggesting that a particular PF is the point at which you start to use smaller increments, or be more worried about pressure, is a bad, potentially unsafe idea.

With some powders and bullets that isn't even close the where things get dangerous so it can also be a waste of time. With others, it's already well past the safe zone, but someone might think "hey, it's still below 170PF, it can't be all that bad".

There are even quite a few Minor loads that are in the +P range, but people don't realize it because they're Minor. PF means zippy except when you walk up to the chrono stage. Everything else we should be looking at how much more powder with a given weight bullet, at a particular OAL, we are in relation to known values from loading manuals. Granted, that's harder with 9 Major since it's generally considered to be no less than +P+ with most any bullet weight, and into the unknown zone, but at least we can fall back on published data as a reference point. R,

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Going beyond 170pf requires that you pay close attention to pressure signs and move up .1gr at a time.

No offense, but I think suggesting that a particular PF is the point at which you start to use smaller increments, or be more worried about pressure, is a bad, potentially unsafe idea.

With some powders and bullets that isn't even close the where things get dangerous so it can also be a waste of time. With others, it's already well past the safe zone, but someone might think "hey, it's still below 170PF, it can't be all that bad".

There are even quite a few Minor loads that are in the +P range, but people don't realize it because they're Minor. PF means zippy except when you walk up to the chrono stage. Everything else we should be looking at how much more powder with a given weight bullet, at a particular OAL, we are in relation to known values from loading manuals. Granted, that's harder with 9 Major since it's generally considered to be no less than +P+ with most any bullet weight, and into the unknown zone, but at least we can fall back on published data as a reference point. R,

G-Man - I think you are spot on taken out of the context of the thread, maybe just a tad bit miss construed, it was intended to impart that you need to be cautions when increasing the powder charge. When we are specific to 9 major with HS6 and 125gr bullet loaded out at 1.160 we are not trying to do grevious bodily injury to anyone. Any time we are loading anything we need to be concious of the fact that it is dangerous and while we can pretty much rely on mfg recommendations these do not always apply as they assume that the gun is rated for the load and the brass is in good condition etc.

THis is from Hogdon

125 GR. SIE FMJ Hodgdon HS-6 .355" 1.090" 6.4 1131 25,600 CUP 6.8 1169 27,100 CUP

NOTE THAT THE MAX CHARGE RECOMMENDED BY HOGDON IS 6.8 GR. The load that I use is substantually above that amount using this higher amount exceeds the MFG's recommendation. Caution Advised.

That said I use 8.0gr at 1.160 with 125gr Zero JHP. I shoot it out of a Clark std barrel 4.25" no holes, using range brass I picked up here and there at matches, and fire it off with MagTech SPP.

Edited by CocoBolo
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G-Man - I think you are spot on taken out of the context of the thread, maybe just a tad bit miss construed, it was intended to impart that you need to be cautions when increasing the powder charge. When we are specific to 9 major with HS6 and 125gr bullet loaded out at 1.160 we are not trying to do grevious bodily injury to anyone. Any time we are loading anything we need to be concious of the fact that it is dangerous and while we can pretty much rely on mfg recommendations these do not always apply as they assume that the gun is rated for the load and the brass is in good condition etc.

So in essence I need to correct the post to say any time you are loading be aware of and check for pressue signs especially when pushing up the level of powder, changing bullets, using different primers or modifying the over all length of the reload ammunition.

Fair enough, it was just one of those things I wouldn't want anyone to think of as a blanket statement. :) For that reason I avoid combining PF with discussions of pressure as much as possible since we're so often pretty far outside the box and some loads that might not seem like high pressure really can be (.40 Major probably being the worst offender there). R,

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Fair enough, it was just one of those things I wouldn't want anyone to think of as a blanket statement. smile.gif For that reason I avoid combining PF with discussions of pressure as much as possible since we're so often pretty far outside the box and some loads that might not seem like high pressure really can be (.40 Major probably being the worst offender there). R,

Yes, 40 is the only thing I have blown the top off of and split cases, and this ultimately led me to shooting STI/SVI platform, as these guns allow longer OAL and run lead and Moly bullets well.

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Does the type of primer affect the load? Currently, I have about 10k of Winchester Small Rifle Primers.

Yes, but it's typically a pretty small difference. I've run a number of direct comparisons....load some with small pistol and small rifle or small pistol mag and small rifle etc...then chrono them back to back. In most cases it's been something like 15-20fps difference, or not enough to worry about from a pressure standpoint, but you'll still want to chrono to make sure how it works with your exact load/gun combo. R,

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I was wondering if it's possible to use lead/alloy bullets in 9mm major?I have some with a brinell hardness of 25 so really hard.Or would i be wasting my time?

IMO you would be. Major velocities and bare lead. I don't think so. :mellow:

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I was wondering if it's possible to use lead/alloy bullets in 9mm major?I have some with a brinell hardness of 25 so really hard.Or would i be wasting my time?

It will work (I shot them for years in Super when I was broke), but they're dirty, smoky and not worth the time. You'll spend a lot of time cleaning lead out of the comp, and maybe out of the barrel as well. R,

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I was wondering if it's possible to use lead/alloy bullets in 9mm major?I have some with a brinell hardness of 25 so really hard.Or would i be wasting my time?

It will work (I shot them for years in Super when I was broke), but they're dirty, smoky and not worth the time. You'll spend a lot of time cleaning lead out of the comp, and maybe out of the barrel as well. R,

+1 on that. And for kickers put some red wax on them, then when you ULSC it will look like someone puked pizza in there, saw this at TX Open 2009 that gun ran 11 stages and went to toast in the last stage. You may also get tumbling with them. I had a friend that tried some Precision in 9 major, they flew sideways. I have tried BayouBullets in my 38 Super and they worked ok but there just isn't enough savings in price to make it worth while. I tried them because my old barrel was shot out and I couldn't make power factor with jacketed bullets, well at least not without substantual risk of blowing something up.

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