9mm Major preferred powders?

[chgofirefighter]

I am using HS6 powder currently with my 9mm Major loads, however  I am looking to try something different.  A friend of mine recommend me to try aa7, any other recommendations?  Thanks guys~ 

[aandabooks]

Shooters World Major Pistol.  Tried some with Everglades bullets.  Cleaner and softer recoil than HS-6 which has been my powder for 9mm major.  Just got in an additional 16lbs.  Meters better than AA#7 which I tried earlier this year and didn't like at all.  Dirty and leaking powder all over the press.  

[Hi-Power Jack]

10 hours ago, chgofirefighter said:

   I am looking to try something different.  

 

What don't you like about HS6 ?

[echotango]

WAC for me.  I have tried AA7 and HS6 and WAC worked much better for me.  They are all different.  I would get 1# of several and try them.  

[zzt]

47 minutes ago, Hi-Power Jack said:

 

What don't you like about HS6 ?

Even though you didn't ask me, I'll chime in.  It's dirty at 172PF, doesn't meter as well as others and it makes the dot wiggle on recoil.  Why?  I have no idea.  With WAC, Silhouette, 3N38 and SWMP the dot tracks straight up and down.  With HS-6 it wiggles side to side in a circle while moving up and down.  It's disconcerting.

 

Right now my go to powder is Major Pistol for anything major.  It is very clean, meters like water, and doesn't fill the case so much that it spills when the shell plate indexes.  A little does, but not enough to affect anything.  MY SDs run around 4.9.  I'm not as happy with it for minor loads, unless they are up around 150PF.

[echotango]

4 minutes ago, zzt said:

Even though you didn't ask me, I'll chime in.  It's dirty at 172PF, doesn't meter as well as others and it makes the dot wiggle on recoil.  Why?  I have no idea.  With WAC, Silhouette, 3N38 and SWMP the dot tracks straight up and down.  With HS-6 it wiggles side to side in a circle while moving up and down.  It's disconcerting.

 

 

Same experience with HS6 and AA7. 

[chgofirefighter]

7 hours ago, zzt said:

Even though you didn't ask me, I'll chime in.  It's dirty at 172PF, doesn't meter as well as others and it makes the dot wiggle on recoil.  Why?  I have no idea.  With WAC, Silhouette, 3N38 and SWMP the dot tracks straight up and down.  With HS-6 it wiggles side to side in a circle while moving up and down.  It's disconcerting.

 

Right now my go to powder is Major Pistol for anything major.  It is very clean, meters like water, and doesn't fill the case so much that it spills when the shell plate indexes.  A little does, but not enough to affect anything.  MY SDs run around 4.9.  I'm not as happy with it for minor loads, unless they are up around 150PF.

Exactly what he said above~  

[chevrofreak]

Of all of the powders I have used, I prefer Silhouette.   It boils down to case fill for easy loading, and the way it tracks and how clean it is.     Are there better?  Sure, but they tend to be more expensive and more difficult to load.   I wont touch HS-6 or WAC anymore; too many destroyed pieces of brass. 

[echotango]

1 hour ago, chevrofreak said:

Of all of the powders I have used, I prefer Silhouette.   It boils down to case fill for easy loading, and the way it tracks and how clean it is.     Are there better?  Sure, but they tend to be more expensive and more difficult to load.   I wont touch HS-6 or WAC anymore; too many destroyed pieces of brass. 

Please describe the destroyed pieces of brass. 

I shoot 25k+ per year with WAC and have had zero issues. As do the majority of open shooters I shoot with. 

Edited December 12, 2019 by echotango

[Sarge]

8 minutes ago, echotango said:

Please describe the destroyed pieces of brass. 

I shoot 25k+ per year with WAC and have had zero issues. As do the majority of open shooters I shoot with. 

Seems like this pops up every so often. All I use is WAC. No issues either. I'm running about 8 grains under 115's.

[chevrofreak]

4 hours ago, echotango said:

Please describe the destroyed pieces of brass. 

I shoot 25k+ per year with WAC and have had zero issues. As do the majority of open shooters I shoot with. 

Blown primers and loose primer pockets.  Sometimes an expanded case head.    A lot of people load WAC at 7.2gr for a 124, but I make major at 6.8, and at 7.0 I am blowing like 1 in 10 primers.  At 7.2 I am blowing 90%+

 

HS-6 I am safe at 8.6gr for a 115, but at 8.8 and 9.0 it is similar to the WAC story.    There just isn't enough margin for error in those powders for me. 

[Hiroshi]

I have tried many powders, for me my favorite has to be Vihtavuori 3N37 because this powder is the most accurate powder I ever used..

[Slide4949]

I use Vihtavuori 3n38 9.3 gr in my 38 sc  open gun. I found this powder more accurate than I am. I think it's hard to beat but Silhouette would be my  second choice , and it's a lot cheaper.

[dave33]

My favorite powder for 9 major is VV 3N38, followed very closely by AA#7.  I tried them all and those two were the softest and most accurate.

[chgofirefighter]

I just ordered a 1lbs of each of WAC & AA#7 to try out will post results after testing is completed~ 

[mach1soldier]

Try shooters world major pistol. Similar to aa7 but cleaner. 

[Sprig]

On 12/11/2019 at 9:54 PM, chevrofreak said:

Blown primers and loose primer pockets.  Sometimes an expanded case head.    A lot of people load WAC at 7.2gr for a 124, but I make major at 6.8, and at 7.0 I am blowing like 1 in 10 primers.  At 7.2 I am blowing 90%+

 

HS-6 I am safe at 8.6gr for a 115, but at 8.8 and 9.0 it is similar to the WAC story.    There just isn't enough margin for error in those powders for me. 

That's pretty crazy.  Been loading at 7.2 or more for the last 75k rounds or so , no issues but am 1.175 . What is your OAL ?

[chevrofreak]

40 minutes ago, Sprig said:

That's pretty crazy.  Been loading at 7.2 or more for the last 75k rounds or so , no issues but am 1.175 . What is your OAL ?

I have to run 1.155 with a PD JHP in my CK.  

[zzt]

16 hours ago, chevrofreak said:

I have to run 1.155 with a PD JHP in my CK.  

 

I can't figure out how Silhouette, which is very slightly slower than WAC and much faster than HS-6, gives you no problems where the other two do.  It doesn't make sense.

 

You can have the throat reamed so you can load longer.  It costs me $10 per barrel at a local smith.

[chevrofreak]

2 hours ago, zzt said:

 

I can't figure out how Silhouette, which is very slightly slower than WAC and much faster than HS-6, gives you no problems where the other two do.  It doesn't make sense.

 

You can have the throat reamed so you can load longer.  It costs me $10 per barrel at a local smith.

I have even used Power Pistol to make major.  I saw very slight flattening with an 8.8gr charge under a 115, but no blown primers.   Some powders just seem to spike pressure less than others. 

[chgofirefighter]

On 12/13/2019 at 10:00 PM, mach1soldier said:

Try shooters world major pistol. Similar to aa7 but cleaner. 

Thanks, I will do that soon~ 

[orangeman711]

6.9 grs WAC under 124 gr. MGJHP makes 171PF in my TruBor. Very clean.

[QUATTROISKING]

This may be a dumb question but running through a top end svi major gun using wac 9mm

i can use all range brass I pickup correct? Or do I need new brass to reload 9mm major

[Sarge]

5 hours ago, QUATTROISKING said:

This may be a dumb question but running through a top end svi major gun using wac 9mm

i can use all range brass I pickup correct? Or do I need new brass to reload 9mm major

I have reloaded some of my 9MAJOR brass so many times I’ve lost count. Don’t EVER buy new 9mm brass.

[AHI]

Going to through this out . Recently ran an experiment with 9 major.

Loaded the same 10 cases     27 times      with 7.3 gr winchester auto comp

cci spm primers        124 Delta Precision  HP   

at 15 loadings the rims began to get ruff

at 20 loadings the first  case split at the mouth

2 more split by 23 

at 24 the first primmer issue showed up  not loose but to tight 

could not insert a primer.

stopped at 27 loadings  a total of 7 cases failed  for the above reasons.

so my conclusion load till you loose the cases

discard any thing that looks ruff 

Note most likely you'll lose the cases long before any issue shows up.