smokshwn Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 After doing every search I could think of I need some help. My open gun is almost finished and I am getting around to picking a load. There seems to be a lot of discussion on bullet weight and powder selection with respect to recoil etc in .40 cal for limited. But it seems there is very little discussion about bullet weights and their behavior in Open. My gun is in 9mm and I was wondering what is the general feel of different bullet weights? Is anyone shooting a bullet weight other than the 115's and 124-125's? Does the same theory of heavier=softer apply? Thanx for all the replies, Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywalker Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 Craig, if you're going to shoot IPSC (versus USPSA), you can't use 115 grs, since there is a minimum weight of 120 grs for Major PF in Open. Generally speaking, the lighter the bullet, the heavier the powder charge, the greater the gas volume, the better the comp works. Along the same line, the heavier the bullet, the greater the muzzle rise for recoil. I guess you'd have to try it by yourself (sorry, I understand this is not the answer you were looking for) to see how your gun feels/groups with different bullet weight. Here in Italy, almost everybody shooting 9/38 in Open use a 122/123 grs roundnose bullet, whether jacketed, plated or lead, loaded with Vihtavuori N340/N350. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameron Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 Craig, From the folks I have spoke with shooting 9mm major, the 124 and 125 gr bullets seem to be the norm. Couple of reasons; 1. 115's are hard on guns 2. Less case volume vs super for the powder charge 3. Comps are now being matched with the smaller gas volume using the heavier bullets. Do a serch, there is a "load data" string somewhere on BE.com that has 9mm major data that you could start with. Cameron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameron Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12740 Here it is.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulW Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 Yeah, stay with the 124/125's.....115's are way to harsh in a shorty, especially in a shorty 9. Case capacity will limit you to the 124/125's. The best thing is to pick a load that is comfortable for you and just start shooting the heck out of the gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newguy Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 This is one of the downsides of the 9mm -- less choice in bullet weight and powders. The 9mm loaded to major power factor is always on the edge of high pressure and I don't think it's prudent to choose a bullet lighter than 124 gr. It's one of the compromises you have to make to shoot 9mm major. BTW, I also shoot 9 major. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 Is anyone shooting a bullet weight other than the 115's and 124-125's?Does the same theory of heavier=softer apply? Good question. Everyone talks about 124-125's for Major9 (not 115's, for the reasons mentioned above). Few think of using 135's, but it might be worth exploring (TGO uses them). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdragon Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 K.C. Eusibio is currently using our 130g bullet in his 9mm open gun. Tells me he's real happy with it. Less powder and felt recoil. Ivan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokshwn Posted October 20, 2004 Author Share Posted October 20, 2004 Thanks for the replies so far. I guess it is as I thought that the 115's led to a little more harshness and I was wondering about TGO's 135 load. Hearing that the shorties can be somewhat harsh I was hoping more people had explored the 130-135 route. Maybe I will just have to try it and see what happens. Although Everyone who has one of Dan's guns seems to be happy with the 124's. If there are any more thoughts I would love to hear them. Thanx, Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 I shot KC's loads through his gun at Nats (after the shootoff) and I can vouch for it. They are definetely the cat's ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chp5 Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 Who makes 130-135 grain bullets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulW Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 With Dan's gun Powerpistol with a 124/125 is not harsh at all. Nice consistant dot movement and not as load as some loads I have shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chp5 Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 With Dan's gun Powerpistol with a 124/125 is not harsh at all. Nice consistant dot movement and not as load as some loads I have shot. Paul- please tell us more about that load and powder. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 Who makes 130-135 grain bullets? Armscor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Bill Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 Hey Jake or blackdragon- What are the specs on KC's Open gun? I know that Jojo is using a 9mm TruBor-style 5" gun, but I didn't know that KC had made the switch to 9mm. Do you guys know what powder he is using with the 130-135gr bullets? Thanks- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 He's shooting an STI with a 4.5-inch barrel (I'm 95% sure the slide/barrel is cut down from 5") with some holes and one of Johnny Lim's comps. Jojo's using VVN350, so I'd assume that KC is using the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 I'm pretty sure KC is using 350, I'll ask him and get back to ya. I know that is what Jojo is using as he is building my gun and I'm going to use what he found to be best in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 I'm pretty sure KC is using 350, I'll ask him and get back to ya.I know that is what Jojo is using as he is building my gun and I'm going to use what he found to be best in it. You're the guy from Michigan he was telling me about. STI is lagging... sorry, Jake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 Zero makes 135g bullets in 9mm (I am sure plenty of other do as well). Paul talks about his load in another thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 300lb, Yup, that's me. He said that it should be ready for hard chroming on Friday though so it's gettin close. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 Nice... he musta gotten his frames. He was supposed to call me and pick one up from me, but never did. That explains why. Enjoy it, man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 Thanks! I'm sure I will. I played with his gun a bit at nats and absolutely loved it. I don't think I've ever felt a slide move smoother than that. I'm pumped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric nielsen Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 My experience has been that lighter bullets means more powder which means more rocket effect. More rocket effect hits you harder in the hand and twists you off your stance more. If you're right-handed then it twists your body to the right. Might not even notice it until you have to shoot out of an "improvised" stance. Like low ports and barricades and walls with foot faults and moving left/shooting right... Having said that I like 115's better in 38super. Don't have a 9Major yet but I'm working on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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