First time reloading - Starting OAL ?

[tl-driver]

Greetings,

I am getting ready to start reloading for the first time. I have decided on 115gr FMJ bullets and Titegroup powder as well as Winchester SP as this

is for 9mm. I have several reloading books but the one I have taken my load from is "Modern reloading second edition". According

to the chart my start grains should be 4.5 and the minimum OAL is 1.125. My question is how do I know what OAL I should start with for my setup ?

My setup is a Springfield 1911 Loaded in 9mm using Trip Research 10 round mags. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

[JThompson]

Greetings,

I am getting ready to start reloading for the first time. I have decided on 115gr FMJ bullets and Titegroup powder as well as Winchester SP as this

is for 9mm. I have several reloading books but the one I have taken my load from is "Modern reloading second edition". According

to the chart my start grains should be 4.5 and the minimum OAL is 1.125. My question is how do I know what OAL I should start with for my setup ?

My setup is a Springfield 1911 Loaded in 9mm using Trip Research 10 round mags. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Off the top of my head that powder charge seems a little high for a staring point....

Edited August 20, 2010 by JThompson

[tl-driver]

Greetings,

I am getting ready to start reloading for the first time. I have decided on 115gr FMJ bullets and Titegroup powder as well as Winchester SP as this

is for 9mm. I have several reloading books but the one I have taken my load from is "Modern reloading second edition". According

to the chart my start grains should be 4.5 and the minimum OAL is 1.125. My question is how do I know what OAL I should start with for my setup ?

My setup is a Springfield 1911 Loaded in 9mm using Trip Research 10 round mags. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Off the top of my head that powder charge seems a little high....

According to Lee's book (pg.532) The starting charge should be 4.5 NOT to exceed 4.8. This is listed under 115gr. jacketed bullets.

Now the bullets I am using are 115gr. FMJ from Georgia Arms. I am not sure if that affects anything.

[JThompson]

Greetings,

I am getting ready to start reloading for the first time. I have decided on 115gr FMJ bullets and Titegroup powder as well as Winchester SP as this

is for 9mm. I have several reloading books but the one I have taken my load from is "Modern reloading second edition". According

to the chart my start grains should be 4.5 and the minimum OAL is 1.125. My question is how do I know what OAL I should start with for my setup ?

My setup is a Springfield 1911 Loaded in 9mm using Trip Research 10 round mags. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Off the top of my head that powder charge seems a little high....

According to Lee's book (pg.532) The starting charge should be 4.5 NOT to exceed 4.8. This is listed under 115gr. jacketed bullets.

Now the bullets I am using are 115gr. FMJ from Georgia Arms. I am not sure if that affects anything.

Whenever you work up a new load you want to go low and sneak up on it. You don't care what the book says for load, other than to give you a sanity check. You need to make min power factor and not factory type loads. Go like 4 then 4.2 then 4.4 then 4.6 Chrono each one as you go and when you hit 6 pf over min stop and your done.

[calishootr]

ans i'll addto that, only load 10 or so rounds of a certain powder charge, that way ifthey are less than stellar, you have less to pull, yes the bullet puller IS your friend, and like JT said, sneak up onthe powder charge, dont just arbitarily go with one that is .1 under max and assume its safe, some of not all of the load data were developed with canister gade powders and pressure barrels not actual guns, so your experience may well vary from whatthe book says. err on the side of caution, it saves on the trips to the ER

[G-ManBart]

Off the top of my head that powder charge seems a little high for a staring point....

I show those same numbers in my Hodgdon guide for 115gr Speer GDHPs, so it can't be too far off. Still, I agree, starting lower isn't a bad idea. R,

Edit to add:

Use the listed OAL from the guide...1.125". OAL and how it impacts the amount of case volume used has a significant influence on pressure. If you reduce the OAL, you increase the amount of case volume that you're using, which increases the pressure...so you're no longer following the guide and could go over pressure limits.

Edited August 20, 2010 by G-ManBart

[chirpy]

As for OAL...set your seating die with a 115 gr. factory load. Run a few rounds in .2 gr. increments as stated and go to the range for function check and pressure signs(might do a search on that one).

Richard

Edited August 20, 2010 by chirpy

[Hi-Power Jack]

Greetings,

I am getting ready to start reloading 115gr FMJ bullets and the minimum OAL is 1.125. My question is how do I know what OAL I should start with for my setup ?

My setup is a Springfield 1911 Loaded in 9mm using Trip Research 10 round mags.

Thanks,

Probably nothing wrong with 1.125 - 1.130 as a start.

Lots of people like to load as long as possible, though,

so you might make up a single round at 1.150 and see if

it fits in your magazine/chamber.

I just load my 9mm minor loads at 1.130 and they work,

but if you'd like to make them longer, just make sure

they fit in your mag/chamber. You won't experience

any negatives/danger from loading longer, only lower

pressures/velocity. Possibly better feeding in Your

gun.

[G-ManBart]

As for OAL...set your seating die with a 115 gr. factory load. Run a few rounds in .2 gr. increments as stated and go to the range for function check and pressure signs(might do a search on that one).

Richard

Not really a good idea in this case. The manual gives a specific minimum OAL, so anything shorter means the pressures you get will be higher than what they got...so the maximum charge weight would be lower, but there's no real way to tell by how much. Sometimes manuals don't list OAL (why, I have no idea) and in that situation, going with a common factory OAL makes sense. R,

[tl-driver]

Thanks very much for all the information. the suggestions given are a clear reminder of how little I know.

My assumption has always been that you follow the numbers in the books and don't deviate unless you really

Know what you are doing. That's why I really like these forums because you guys obviously have a lot of experience

With this subject. One other quick question , is there any safety concern at all with starting with a much lower

Charge ? How do you determine what charge to start with in general ? Or does that come from experience ?

Thanks

[xcelr8hard]

Ti-driver,

There is tons of load info in the forums here. Especially for a powder like titegroup. Do a search.

I ran Montana Gold 115's at 1.14 on top of 4 grs. of Titegroup for a PF of 125, out of a Trojan.

You should probably bump that a .1 at my oal for a little wiggle room.

Good Luck,

Butch

[chirpy]

G-man...I don't think starting on the low side with factory OAL would be all that bad. Maybe if a 124 or 147 gr. bullet was being loaded using 115 gr. OAL. Most 9mm jacketed bullets are similar in shape, length and etc. Where you might get into trouble also is with 115 gr. lead bullets. There are some different shapes out there which might seat deaper enough to be a problem.

Richard

[MARKAVELI]

+1 on starting low on the powder charge, try making a dummy round(-the gun powder) and tightin or loosen the seating die to your desired depth. You might have to pull your bullet a few times and re do it till you get it to where you want it set at.. I also make 10 rounds at a certain powder charge and save my targets as records to the ammo I have made.. If you go under the minimum load there is a good chance your weapon won't cycle properly and or your bullet can be lodged into your barrel and not know it and if you fire the weapon you can do serious damage to your weapon and maybe hurt yourself! Best thing to do is get and read your manuals and have more then 3 buy what ever you can get your hands on so you can use em as reference for your ammo you are making! Good luck!

[tl-driver]

Thanks to everybody for the great info.

[GrumpyOne]

Greetings,

I am getting ready to start reloading for the first time. I have decided on 115gr FMJ bullets and Titegroup powder as well as Winchester SP as this

is for 9mm. I have several reloading books but the one I have taken my load from is "Modern reloading second edition". According

to the chart my start grains should be 4.5 and the minimum OAL is 1.125. My question is how do I know what OAL I should start with for my setup ?

My setup is a Springfield 1911 Loaded in 9mm using Trip Research 10 round mags. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Off the top of my head that powder charge seems a little high....

According to Lee's book (pg.532) The starting charge should be 4.5 NOT to exceed 4.8. This is listed under 115gr. jacketed bullets.

Now the bullets I am using are 115gr. FMJ from Georgia Arms. I am not sure if that affects anything.

Whenever you work up a new load you want to go low and sneak up on it. You don't care what the book says for load, other than to give you a sanity check. You need to make min power factor and not factory type loads. Go like 4 then 4.2 then 4.4 then 4.6 Chrono each one as you go and when you hit 6 pf over min stop and your done.

I would go at least 10 over PF in minor for a safety margin (you don't want to be shooting in a match for fun, do you?). You won't even notice the extra PF, and you will never go sub minor....

But, shooting 115's in minor is a problematic issue anyway. Most are going with a heavier bullet (147) to lighten the percieved recoil (heavier bullet/softer recoil debate coming soon!). And, to make those 115's make minor, well, you'll have to push those little suckers pretty fast, somewhere around 1,170 FPS, and that's gonna be pretty snappy. Where as a 147 only needs to make around 930-950 FPS for minor.

[G-ManBart]

G-man...I don't think starting on the low side with factory OAL would be all that bad. Maybe if a 124 or 147 gr. bullet was being loaded using 115 gr. OAL. Most 9mm jacketed bullets are similar in shape, length and etc. Where you might get into trouble also is with 115 gr. lead bullets. There are some different shapes out there which might seat deaper enough to be a problem.

Richard

I don't think that reasoning works in this situation. Maximum pressure, is maximum pressure regardless of the bullet weight. The spread here is only .3gr from starting to maximum, at a fairly long OAL of 1.125". Dropping from 1.125" to 1.100" (common factory OAL) will raise the pressure and can turn the starting load of 4.5gr into a maximum pressure load. There is no predictable way to gauge how much of a change in OAL will increase pressure and velocity without doing a lot of chrono work to chart it as you go (and it won't always be linear)...obviously more work than most people are able to do, and not exactly what a new reloader should be attempting. R,

[G-ManBart]

If you go under the minimum load there is a good chance your weapon won't cycle properly and or your bullet can be lodged into your barrel and not know it and if you fire the weapon you can do serious damage to your weapon and maybe hurt yourself!

Even if he dropped the powder charge to something silly, like 2gr, the bullet would exit just fine. Squibs that leave the bullet in the barrel have either no powder at all, or just a tiny bit. R,

[njl]

Measure some factory 115gr FMJ ammo, and I think you'll find they tend to be around 1.150. I'd load close to that length (as long as its longer than your min OAL, which it most likely is).

[cnote]

As for OAL...set your seating die with a 115 gr. factory load. Run a few rounds in .2 gr. increments as stated and go to the range for function check and pressure signs(might do a search on that one).

Richard

easy way to start off with a known OAL

[cnote]

Measure some factory 115gr FMJ ammo, and I think you'll find they tend to be around 1.150. I'd load close to that length (as long as its longer than your min OAL, which it most likely is).

i believe factory 115 blazer fmj is 1.147

[njl]

My Blazer is pretty consistent at 1.150 or a few thousandths longer. I measured some Federal American Eagle 115gr FMJ, and it was anywhere between 1.147 and 1.153.

[MARKAVELI]

If you go under the minimum load there is a good chance your weapon won't cycle properly and or your bullet can be lodged into your barrel and not know it and if you fire the weapon you can do serious damage to your weapon and maybe hurt yourself!

Even if he dropped the powder charge to something silly, like 2gr, the bullet would exit just fine. Squibs that leave the bullet in the barrel have either no powder at all, or just a tiny bit. R,

@ tl sorry for the wrong info!

@ Bart, thanks! Was under the impression that if a complete cartridge is way under its minimum load that the bullet can get lodged cause there is not much pressure! Grumpy said that you know more of this I comment on in one of my post(185gr nosler)! "Pressure!" For example 230gr. (45ACP) gets a lesser charge then a 185gr bullet charge witch will be higher charge, why is that? Was looking through my manuals and they don't talk or say much this!

[lee blackman]

I know I'm bumping a kinda old post but I've had some learning experiences I'd like to add. When working with 9mm, COL typically you want to load the bullet as far out as you can get your particular gun to function so you can get as much powder capacity in the case as possible. But I found out that no every gun will feed or function properly with the same COL. My problem came with my CZ 75.

I found that using a particular aftermarket CZ magazine that literally the tolerance was so strict that if I seated the bullet to long, the ogive on the bullet would just barely touch the slide lock lever lip and cause the slide to lock back every other shot.

Anyway using a 115gr FMJ or Plated RN, I find 1.143" COL will feed in every one of my 9mm handguns.