Major load with a 147gr Black bullet

[glocklover]

I've been playing around with 147gr Black bullets with Longshot to make major. I love my minor load of 4.8grs of Longshot. It's soft and very accuate. I have load up to 5.3grs of Longshot which chronos 163. I'm a little gun shy to go higher. I was wondering if anybody else has tried to make major with a coated bullet? I know I shouldn't try with a jacketed bullet. However, coated bullets have higher velocites than jacketed. Anybody try this?

[Justsomeguy]

This is interesting for a couple of reasons to me. One is that no one I know of is trying to make major with a 9X19 using an 147grn bullet, mostly I suppose, since the bullet itself would take up too much room in the case for most powders to allow the resulting cartridge to make major and not stress things, while at the same time making enough gas to work the compensator on most of the pistols that might be used for this sort of thing. The second is that although there seems to be some correlation between 124/125grn bullets in 9mm and 180grn bullets in 40cal and powder charges using a few powders like Silhouette, I know of no such predictability using Longshot and 147grn bullets. By this I mean that if you use 5.8grns of Silhouette in 40cal with an 180grn bullet with a resulting safe pressure, it will also yield a reasonable pressure level if used with an 124grn bullet in 9X19, though it will be more than most people will want. Even your 163PF load seems a bit on the brisk side for Longshot, but I have no data for it with such a bullet in 9X19. In 9X23 you can easily make major with 147grn bullets with several powders. My last such loading was using AA7 @ 8.7grns which was in the low 170s PF wise in a 4.75" barrel using 1.250 OAL. My 9X23 is uncompensated since it is strictly for experimental purposes for what I think would make a pretty good defense round akin to a 357 Magnum but with a higher round count. Since you will have to make about 1155fps with an 147grn bullet to have some "cushion" in PF and most powder manufacturers will not condone that kind of thing in 9X19, you are pretty much flying by the seat of your pants in the attempt.

An exception seems to be that In 9X19 VV lists 3N38 @ 1.142 OAL and using an 147grn XTP bullet at 6.9grns of the stuff as making 1207fps in a 4" test barrel which is a bit over 177PF so it seems more than possible even using a bit less, especially in a longer barrel.

I too like Longshot for both 40cal and 9x19 for some uses and in 40cal especially since it will produce pretty fast velocities using 180grn bullets without going overpressure. I am not sure the same can be said in 9X19 when using 147grn bullets, so, without pressure testing equipment, I urge caution if using Longshot for trying to make major in 9X19 with an 147grn bullet. It may be possible, but I am sure that it will be overpressure. Whether Longshot will be "spikey" in that small a case capacity or remain linear is a question most of us, and I in particular, am unwilling to say.

Edited May 18, 2014 by Justsomeguy

[Hi-Power Jack]

How do the primers look?

[glocklover]

How do the primers look?

They look fine.

[DC730]

9 or 38? I've loaded a few fmj 147 to 1350 in 38 super I have to check but I think it was 7.5 with silhouette with cci small pistol primers no signs of pressure on primers

[glocklover]

9 or 38? I've loaded a few fmj 147 to 1350 in 38 super I have to check but I think it was 7.5 with silhouette with cci small pistol primers no signs of pressure on primers

9mm