Read All Of The 9mm V V And Titegroup

[Clay1]

Little background: have been reloading for 20+ years. Have an OLD dillon 450 and have loaded 7mag, 7mm-08, 22-250, 357 and 44 on it. Never have loaded any 9mm on the thing because the cost of Blazers are so inexpensive why would anyone want to reload???

I've been reading all of the recent post on V V 310, 320 even 350 and the Titegroup posts. I think that I might want to try a softer shooting 9mm that won't save me a dime on ammo and will probably cost more and have me running around picking up brass again.

First off is this a worthwhile pursuit for a guy in his first year of USPSA shooting? Should I spend the limited time I have with my G34 in hand at the range or should I be spending some of this time not saving a dime but looking for the uber load?

OK, if I'm going to pull the handle again on the Dillon, I need a good recomendation on loading dies for the 9 since I don't own them and it's been years since I bought any dies. I usually just buy RCBS, but there might very well be something better suited these days.

I don't plan on blowing anything up with V V 310 so it will be V V 320 (notice how I put a space between the two Vs - it looks like a W if you don't and confused the hell out of me to begin with) or it will be Titegroup.

Found a good deal on 147 gr JHP Zero's that might be worth a try on this experiment.

I have 2000 rounds of Blazer 115 gr left. I know that they aren't at 125 PF but they feel damn mild to my 357 or 44 mag hunting rounds. They shoot exceptionally well in my G34's so no issues with accuracy.

Teetering between being a brass chaser again or just focusing on pulling the trigger and seeing what I need to see with what I have - could really use a push in the right direction. Thanks guys.

Rick

[johnhurd]

You have less of a life than I do if you are going to try and feed that 34 with a 450!!!!

[Clay1]

You made me smile at least. The 450 is no speed demon that's for sure. But it is a solid press that I have control over each of the stages, which I like when reloading rifle cartridges. By the way it's not much different than a 550 except for the changeable tool heads and that's what Brian recomends on his board. I wasn't trying to say it is a 650, was just curious about trying a new load or just shooting what I have been. Thanks for the smile though.

[Flexmoney]

If you like to talk with your buddies and compare reloading notes...on a pure quest to see who can make the softest of the already soft loads...then it is a good idea.

If you are looking for better scores...don't waste much time dicking around with chasing the the mousefarts. Just shoot.

[Clay1]

Flex, you can probably tell by the way that I posed the question. I like not having to reload. The Blazers are cheap and shoot great out of my G34 so why do I want to mess with a good, cheap thing? I thought the mouse farts, might give me the edge for competition. I do realize that I won't go from a C class shooter to A class shooter with just different loads. Time spent reading and practicing what's in Brian's Book is giving me a good return on the time invested. It takes technique and being able to "see" more than what I might get from mousefarts. Would love to hear more opinions on this one. Thanks again guys.

[revchuck]

I've got a 450 as well that I bought used. I've upgraded everything except the frame, and that's probably going to happen this summer. It sure is nice to not have to worry about actuating the powder measure.

[Bones]

Clay1,

It might save you a dime.

I have yet to buy 9mm brass - you've probably got loads yourself.

If you buy Berry's 147 gr CPRN in bulk you can get them for $50/1000 delivered to your door. Add $15 for 1000 Federal primers and $6.25 for the TiteGroup (3.5 gr @ $100/8 lb Keg) and you've got 1000 rd of easy shooting, clean burning 9mm that make IPSC minor & IDPA ESP/SSP PF for $72.

Craig

[ctgun]

Clay1 Bones is right you will save a few penny's if you do reload for 9mm. I reload 9mm but I am cheap & poor I also have a 650 and that makes it a lot faster then your 450. If the Blazer's work great in your gun and you don't like to reload then I would say "It ain't broke so don't fix it".

[bufit323]

Clay1 Bones is right you will save a few penny's if you do reload for 9mm. I reload 9mm but I am cheap & poor I also have a 650 and that makes it a lot faster then your 450. If the Blazer's work great in your gun and you don't like to reload then I would say "It ain't broke so don't fix it".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Amen to that, 9mm loading in my mind is for someone who really wants to tweak his load, it is not a money saving proposition, especially when you factor in the cheap Blazer rounds and the time spent at the bench. I am in the process of perfecting some 9mm loads right now, I am often asking myself, "HMM, is this reduced recoil worth all this trouble? Blazer sure was nice, and I didn't even have to pick up my brass!"

But, I am still at the bench making different rounds, so maybe I am an idiot!

[Harmon]

FWIW i reload the 9mm because i enjoy reloading and i also like to tune the load to exactly what the gun likes.

also i have recently shot the softest 9mms i have ever fired in my life against my limtited glock with 175 pf loads on the classic bill drill.

the difference between guns was about the same as the difference between strings( both avg about 1.85 with 6As)

the benefit of the softer shooting load was just something in my mind.

it made no difference where the rubber hit the road.

if you didnt like to reload(alot) and the blazer work, i would use them>

[MikeyG23]

You have hit on one of the reasons I just bought an STI in 9mm for IDPA. I love my Eagle in .40 but with 9mm ammo at an all time low it is easier (and cheaper) to buy 9mm. I have a 1050 that was originally bought to load 9mm, after 5 years I doubt it has loaded over 10,000 rounds and has since been converted to .40, notice I said it loaded less than 10K, I shot more than I loaded during this time frame and most of it was factory......

My favorite 9mm load is (was) 4.2 of Titegroup with a 124 gr bullet. It's soft and accurate out of every gun we have tried it out of but I don't know if there is a real rather than perceived advantage to using it.

You pay your money and take your chances but for me at least factory 9mm is just fine

[Jayman]

I've been using the Lee U die for resizing/decapping. I'm fixin' to move to a Redding Micrometer Adjustable Seating Die. And I finish up with the Lee FCD. I'm loading 9mm. I don't know that I'd recommend most people bother, as you mention, factory 9 is pretty dang cheap.

I like a softer load, I've been having wrist and elbow issues. Further, there IS a cost savings, albeit not much. I'm going to have to go through like 8-10k rounds to break even on the stuff I've spent to reload 9. (Of course, I'm already halfway there...)

Will it be the magic bullet that makes you a better shooter? Probably not. Does a softer load allow you to watch the front sight a little better? IMHO, yes. Will it decrease your split times? Probably not, or not enough that you could measure it.

Overall, if you have the time and inclination, I say reload, why not? Otherwise, if you think it'll just be frustrating, I wouldn't bother.

[Clay1]

Thanks for all of the replys and the opinions. Thought that I might really like to try a mild 147 mousefart load that is just a little less snappy than the Blazer which probably come close to 140 PF out of my G34.

The blazers come to my door at $107 which includes shipping from Natchez. When I add up all of the components you can save some money, but with Haz mat shipping fees and I would need to buy brass since I have been shooting aluminum cases, the VERY small cost savings isn't worth the frustration of chasing cases and my time at the bench. My time at the range is limited, and I should just work on the things that will get me the biggest returns at this point.

Thanks again everyone.

Rick

[Tree Rat]

Yeah 9mm loading is a question for some to be sure...........

For me it's still the ability to tailor any load according to need (mousefart through nucilar (GWB dialect)........at least until you can get any of these loads closer to $3.50 per/50 out in retail.

TR

[Matt Cheely]

If you do it right, I can get under $60 per thousand for lead 147gr reloads. Might be a little dirty but you can't beat the price!!!

[spd522]

I reloaded 9mm for economy but now that 9mm factory ammo is so cheap, I question the reason to reload. I have purchased some factory stuff for less than $4 a box before and now I just wait for the sales. However, I recently changed my open gun to 9mm and I have to load specifically for it now. I still get the brass free from my old PD so I don't even pick up my brass at matches.

I think unless you have a need to reload for a specific purpose or have a gun that is finicky, I would stick with the Blazers.

[Clay1]

I have decided to just stay with the Blazer ammo and work on technique instead of reloading. The cost savings for me is not worth the extra effort. Notice that I did say :"FOR ME". Maybe my opinion will change at one point, but with the cost of ammo what it is, I am happy to shoot the Blazers.

Rick

[vluc]

I'm an odd one, I like reloading 9mm....titegroup, now trying 3.7 grains under a 135 Zero FMJ after trying different combinations of bullet weight and powder sets for my G34.

FWIW, I started reloading as a D shooter a few years ago...now just a lowly B shooter....