nikelax73 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 (edited) So I've purchased my first press and all the other goodies minus powder, brass, primers powder and bullets. Suggestions on all these items? What grain bullet do you guys prefer? One thing to keep in mind, i'm on a soldiers salary. Also, what powders are suggested that are feasible to find and not impossible to get anywhere lol Ill be shooting minor PF in production, anyone have a good recipe for that they wouldn't mind sharing? Edited March 16, 2015 by nikelax73 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bkreutz Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 My minor load is 124 gr round nose RMR bullets, 5.0 gr CFE Pistol, 1.15 OAL, I get 136 power factor from a 5" barrel. Very accurate and dependable. Soldiers salary is tough, is there a shooting club on base? sometimes you can get good deals on components. (at least that was the way it was when I was in, but then I got out after 10 years in 1979 so things may have changed) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 You should read the old postings here re: reloading 9mm, and jot down a list of good powders - then try to find any of them. Then, put together your load using that powder. Brass, primers and bullets are still easy - start with a 124 grain bullet (the cheapest you can find) and then experiment with heavier bullets - see if you prefer the 124's or the 147's. Good luck finding powder - and thanks for being in the military. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smitty79 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 I started reloading a year ago. I've probably loaded and shot over 10k of my hand loads since then. Only recently have I found powder that fits into what many people consider "normal" 9 mm powder. I'm enough of an engineer that I was able to work from limited published load data and get other stuff that is safe and works. Here is what I had as a "wish list". Hodgdon HP-38Winchester WSTHodgdon TITEGROUPVihtaVuori N320Winchester 231Alliant BullseyeAccurate Arms Solo 1000Alliant UniqueWinchester WSF On a budget, I would look for HP-38 or 231 first. (Same stuff) Supposed to be a good basic pistol powder. Most people recommend against Titegroup for a new reloader. I found some HP-38 in the local Sportsman's Warehouse the other day. It's starting to come back. Call around. Go here to look for primers. http://www.gunbot.net/reloading/ I've mainly used CCI. I have done a few hundred with Remington and Winchester. I'd have to spend some time on line before I'd buy Magtech, Wolf, Tula, S&B... The best value for bullets is cast your own. I don't do this as it takes a lot of time and doesn't deliver that reduced cost per hour that hand loading does when you coat your bullets. Straight lead is too smokey for me. Next best is commercial coated bullets. Personally, I use Blue Bullets 147 flat points. Bought 3k at a time, they come in a little over 7 cents a round. There are many good companies out there that make coated bullets. I've shot Blue Bullets, SNS Casting, Bayou Bullets, Precision, Black Bullets. I've loaded from 124 to 147. For pure raw split times, I shoot the 147s faster. I like flat points because they make neater holes in the paper. Which bullet and bullet weight is best for you and your gun is something that you need to find out. Most bullet manufacturers will sell small amounts so that you can test work up a load and do some accuracy tests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BASE772 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 147's and Titegrout seem to be the most popular. I like the 147 round nose Black and Blue bullet over Bullseye best. 147 gr over 3.1 gr Bullseye @ 1.135 OAL gives me just over 130 PF out of a P226 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1gcountry Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Fyi, my costs are Sns 125gr .059 Magtech spp .022 4.2gr wst .009 Range pickup brass Total cost $9 per 100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KustomHolsters Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 If you dont mind me asking how are you getting the sns bullet for .059? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drysideshooter Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 When I shot production my favorite load was a 124 Montana Gold fmj over 4.7 grains of WSF loaded to 1.150" Soft shooting load and always about 134PF out of a XDm 4.5" The same load works well in my custom XDm open gun with a lightened slide and two port comp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 124 MG fmj over 4.7 grains of WSF loaded to 1.150" works well in my custom XDm open gun. Dry, sounds like a nice 9mm minor load, but you would probably do better in your open gun to go with JHP's to prevent leading and a slower powder - make the comp work better - hard to beat WAC or HS6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aceinyerface Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 First you have to see what you can actually get. I went for a year without seeing 231. Powder has been pretty spotty. Make a list of powders that you can load with. See what you can find on a semi regular basis, for me that is TiteGroup. and go from there. I found Hi Tek coated bullets to be cost effective and perfectly acceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drysideshooter Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 (edited) 124 MG fmj over 4.7 grains of WSF loaded to 1.150" works well in my custom XDm open gun. Dry, sounds like a nice 9mm minor load, but you would probably do better in your open gun to go with JHP's to prevent leading and a slower powder - make the comp work better - hard to beat WAC or HS6. I have tried WAC (had a few pounds left from my 38 super) and I actually prefer the feeling of the WSF load. I may try some WAC again. Scott Springer said his load for the same gun used Vit n320, which is substantially faster than even WSF. I am loading CMJ's now, so leading isn't an issue. Scott Springer told me if the gun will function, the comp (2 port) is doing something. With the WSF load the dot never leaves the glass. Even flatter would of course be better, so I may try some WAC loads again. I would like to try Scott's load of the n320, but there isn't any available locally right now. My open XDm is for steel only, so power factor isn't an issue. Edited March 17, 2015 by drysideshooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJE Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 (edited) 147's and Titegrout seem to be the most popular. I like the 147 round nose Black and Blue bullet over Bullseye best. 147 gr over 3.1 gr Bullseye @ 1.135 OAL gives me just over 130 PF out of a P226 Very close to my load... I use 3.0 Bullseye with 147gr Blue Bullet at 1.125".It makes minor out of my Glock 26 (subcompact). Edited March 17, 2015 by AJE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 124 MG over 4.7 grains of WSF works well in my open gun you would do better in your open gun to go with a slower powder - make the comp work better. My open XDm is for steel only, so power factor isn't an issue. Sorry, when you called it an OPEN GUN, I jumped to the conclusion (erroneously) that you were shooting 9mm major. Pls feel free to ignore my suggestion. :bow: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drysideshooter Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 124 MG over 4.7 grains of WSF works well in my open gun you would do better in your open gun to go with a slower powder - make the comp work better. My open XDm is for steel only, so power factor isn't an issue. Sorry, when you called it an OPEN GUN, I jumped to the conclusion (erroneously) that you were shooting 9mm major. Pls feel free to ignore my suggestion. :bow: It's funny, but right after I posted that last message I figured what the heck, I should try a WAC load again. I have a range at home, so it's easy to load a few and try it out. I loaded a few 124 MG CMJ's at 1.150" over 4.8grains of WAC. I'll be darned if it didn't seem softer than the WSF load now! I shot one through the chrony and it was 1,070fps. Crap, I have quite a bit of WSF but not all that much WAC. Will have to find some more WAC now. Thanks for the post Jack, I may not have tried it again if you hadn't posted that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 See, even if I'm wrong, there's a golden nugget in there someplace. :roflol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireman1776 Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 How can I ensure my loads will make pf if I don't have a chrono? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garmil Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 How can I ensure my loads will make pf if I don't have a chrono? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk You can't Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 How can I ensure my loads will make pf if I don't have a chrono? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk As above you can't. But you can borrow a chrono. if you see someone at the range using one ask if you can run a few rounds over it. 8 rounds is usually plenty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeeZer Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 IMHO, if one likes 147s and TG, try 124s and Clays One needs access to chrono to gauge their own gun/load PF. I run a load with PF129 for USPSA/IPSC/IDPA. PF mostly depends on barrel length and how 'tight' the barrel is - quite 'individual' values. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCKLST Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 My favorite production load for my G34 135 Blue Bullet 3.3 Titegroup 1.15" OAL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireman1776 Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Well I finally decided to load up my very first reloads today. Loaded some 147 grn fmj over 3.2,3.3,3.4 grns of titegroup. I read that titegroup and 147 is the most common load at nationals. I will test these in my 34 and see which it likes best. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echotango Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 135gr blue 2.8 titegroup 1.125" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdinga Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Precision Delta 124 JHP, 5.0 grains of WSF, load to 1.10. CCI primer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garmil Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 124 xtreme rn 3.5 n310 1.140 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCTaylor Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 147 Bayou Coated 3.6gr WST CCI SPP Mixed Brass 1.125 In a G34 with a 13lb spring it's butta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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