fireman275 Posted March 4, 2011 Author Share Posted March 4, 2011 OK, now that I have bullets on the way, I have a plan. Pleae tell me what you think. 124 Montana Gold CMJ Titegroup 4.1-4.4 grains Winchester WSP Primer The closest thing I could find wa on the Hodgdon Powder site; 125 gr. SIE FMJ / Titegroup / 1.090" COL / 4.1 gn = 1069 fps / 4.4 gn. = 1136 fps / CCI 500 primer / 4 inch barrel Unfortunately, no books or websites have the exact recipe. I've even looked at the "9mm pet loads" and haven't found exactly the same combination. I'm under the assumption that similar products should react the same. If I'm wrong, someone please tell me now! The other piece of info is that my M&P9 has a 5" barrel so my velocity should be a bit faster. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njl Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 That looks like data off the Hodgdon web site. I'd do a COAL of somewhere in the 1.135-1.155 range and start at the low end (4.1gr) load a few, then bump it up .1gr increments and load a few more...probably 10-20 rounds at each charge. Take them to the range and chronograph them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireman275 Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 Well, your COL is where I was going to ask my next question... Since I've been using Federal 115gn FMJ RN which are 1.152 COL, I wondered if I could just make the COL the same. My understanding is that the listed COLs in the recipe books is a minimum value based on powder, etc. Will a longer bullet have more accuracy or better firing characteristics (as long as it fits in the magazine and loads well into the chamber)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njl Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 AFAIK, the COAL Hodgdon lists is minimum...but the trouble is different bullets can be different lengths, and unless you know how your bullets compare lengthwise to the one they used for that particular load, you don't know how your resulting case volume compares to their case volume. Also, some bullets will have to to be loaded shorter than others due to the bullet profile. i.e. your Federal ammo may avg 1.152", but that doesn't mean you can load any bullet to that length. Best thing to do is make a powderless/primerless dummy round first. Make it to the COAL you want...or make it as long as your mags allow. Then try dropping it into your barrel (or various barrels if you have a variety of different same caliber guns). Make sure it drops all the way in and drops out. If it gages, but resists going all the way into an actual chamber, it may be too long for that bullet profile/barrel and the bullet is hitting the rifling. Shorten it 0.01-0.005 and try again. I've loaded the MG 124gr CMJ, and my Glocks have had no trouble with it into the 1.15x range. I'd have to check my book to see if I tried any longer than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireman275 Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 So, the length has something to do with it, as long as the profile is similar. If the bullet was completely conical without a round nose, it wouldn't work due to the shape of the bullet. I'm pretty sure I understand that but it should pretty much work if the shapes are the same. But my question is to the accuracy or characteristics of the bullet; Will a bullet farther away from the primer (for lack of a better explanation) fly differently than one packed closer to the primer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njl Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 I can't answer that...but you're not shooting bullseye or bench rest. For up close gaming, unless something goes horribly wrong, I don't think you're going to notice much accuracy difference from different COALs. Maybe I've just been lucky, but all the ammo I've loaded has done as well as factory or better. Maybe someone who's done more reloading will chime in. I've only been doing this about 2 years and a case or two of primers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireman275 Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 Well, that's good enuf for me. I'm hoping to do IPSC but I'm missing this weekend because I don't want to buy 300 rounds of factory ammo. I'm a couple weeks behind my goal for reloading. But I should have all the stuff next week to start the loading process. Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireman275 Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 2. Primer - I'm starting to think that this is a non issue. Buy CCI or Federal; the need for a soft contact is not a problem with a semiauto. Correct? Go with Winchester Small Pistol primers GrumpyOne, you recommended WSP primers. I am planning on buying them but is there a difference between the WSP and CCI 500s? The reason I'm asking is that I think I've found a really good deal on the CCI. A possible price difference of about $10 per 1000. For that price difference, I would like to save the extra cash. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njl Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I've used CCI SP and LP exclusively so far in my RL550B for 9mm and .45acp and have no complaints. Where'd you find a deal on CCI's...and are you sure they're in stock? I've gotten most of mine from Grafs (some from Wideners), but Grafs recently raised their prices on CCI...and they've been backordered pretty deep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireman275 Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 It's a private deal. He has them. And I figured it out again. It would be $30 instead of $37 after tax per 1000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireman275 Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 As for ordering from Manny, did he give you a hard time at all for ordering just one case (assuming that's what you did) and still beat MG's direct pricing? He didn't give me any trouble. He said the prices had just gone up and were $10 over the internet price but it was still a good deal. He also said the bullets would show up today (Friday - one day after I ordered them) and he would send them out to me today. I was very impressed! Well, I'm not so happy now. I was expecting the bullets to arrive today. I didn't see them in the mail delivery so I called Manny. It turns out they didn't arrive on Friday and didn't get shipped. I wouldn't have known if I hadn't called. NOT COOL. Now I'm waiting until next week to get my bullets. Crap, crap, crap, crap, CRAP!!! I'm wondering if I should just buy them from Montana Gold directly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burket Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Well, I'm not so happy now. I was expecting the bullets to arrive today. I didn't see them in the mail delivery so I called Manny. It turns out they didn't arrive on Friday and didn't get shipped. I wouldn't have known if I hadn't called. NOT COOL. Now I'm waiting until next week to get my bullets. Crap, crap, crap, crap, CRAP!!! I'm wondering if I should just buy them from Montana Gold directly. I have ordered from Montana Gold 3 times in the last 2-1/2 months. Very good response on all of the orders! 1 was for 9MM 124gr FMJ, the others were for 40S&W 165gr CMJ. They had them in the mail (Priority Flat rate Box) by the next evening. No problems. Except weight - picking the box up - when they arrived at home! Best wishes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireman275 Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 I called MG and they wouldn't have gone out until Thursday so I wouldn't have gotten them until mid next week. I called Manny back. It sounded like he felt bad. He's sending me what he has in stock tomorrow (500-700) and he'll send the rest when they come in. I'm bummed that I don't have them now but he is doing what he can and I appreciate that. As long as they come as expected now, I'll buy from him again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ski098 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I just ordered a case of the 124gr FMJ's from MG's. It should last me a month or two. I'll have to try MannyUSA the next time I order. My recipe is very similar to yours for my SA XDm. 124gr MG or Zero 4.8gr WST 1.155 - 1.160 OAL WSP in a used Federal or Winchester case. Brass is the easiest for me to pickup. The indoor range I shoot at lets me snag a jarful of brass every time I shoot. So I'm over 10,000 loose cases after only a year shooting. I just sort it, and pick out the Federal and Winchester since there is so much of it. I really prefer the Federal. Average weight is a little higher than the Winchester, so my assumption is that it is a little thicker. And for whatever reason it cleans better in the tumbler. On powder I love the WST. Very clean, very accurate, easy to drop powder. It smells good while reloading, and it even smells good(kind of sweet/cinnamonie) when it's fired. It's a very nice powder, and more than a few people at the range have commented. Either they say "Mmmm, WST eh?" or just a generic "What is that you're firing, it smells good..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireman275 Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 Ski098, Have you used Titegroup? It looks like the Titegroup requires less grains per load. How is your accuracy & PF with your 4.8 gn of WST? Finally, if you've used Titegroup, how is the smell? 8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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