Reloading for accuracy or recoil? 9mm minor

[Lukacko]

So for match shooting, do you guys reload for accuracy?  Or do you not care about how accurate the load is and go more for soft recoiling?

I've been shooting a hot load because it is accurate and low standard deviation.  It's a max charge of VV N350 but with a shorter OAL at power factor 155.

 

But i've been thinking maybe I should shoot a softer recoiling load.  What do you guys recommend?  Hot accurate load, or softer recoiling less accurate load?

[Sarge]

If you do some in-depth load development you will find accurate, soft shooting loads. 

[Rnlinebacker]

41 minutes ago, Lukacko said:

So for match shooting, do you guys reload for accuracy?  Or do you not care about how accurate the load is and go more for soft recoiling?

I've been shooting a hot load because it is accurate and low standard deviation.  It's a max charge of VV N350 but with a shorter OAL at power factor 155.

 

But i've been thinking maybe I should shoot a softer recoiling load.  What do you guys recommend?  Hot accurate load, or softer recoiling less accurate load?

You could experiment and find something softer. Probably decrease your charge a half grain and maintain accuracy. If it works and you shoot it well what are you really chasing?

Edited August 12, 2022 by Rnlinebacker

[radny97]

You can do both pretty easy 

[Farmer]

2 hours ago, radny97 said:

You can do both pretty easy 

2X

[xrayfk05]

In my experience a good bullet will be accurate no matter what charge you put behind it. (Barring the extremes)

Other than that SD says nothing about accuracy, certainly not in handguns.

[zombywoof]

how much accuracy do you really need.

 

My guns seem to be accurate enough with the bullets I shoot.

 

Get over minimum PF and go practice.

[rowdyb]

Accuracy above all. But within 130 to 135pf

Edited August 12, 2022 by rowdyb

[Yeti]

My priorities for Minor are (in order) feeding reliability, accuracy, subsonic, recoil/return to POA.

[sharko]

I have always loaded for accuracy, if I miss I want to know that I missed. Otherwise I'd just shoot factory ammo.

[OnePivot]

Is your barrel closer to 356 and your bullets closer to 355? 

 

If so, running hot might seal up better and group better, but the real solution would be bigger bullets. My steel challenge loads might not even make minor, but they group better than any cheap factory fmj I've shot. 

 

As far as I know, no one's winning formula has been excessive recoil. If the best guys can win at 130, I don't want to reinvent anything. 

Edited August 12, 2022 by OnePivot

[Boomstick303]

Some guns do not like certain bullets weight, see all of the posts regarding X5 Legion barrels in combination with 147 gr bullets on this forum.  I have to increase the velocity of the 147 gr bullets to get any type of accuracy with that bullet in that gun with the stock barrel.  That really defeats the purpose of using 147 gr bullets.  

 

To be honest we are talking about 9mm rounds.  Learn to grip the gun properly, recoil/ perceived recoil does not matter.  I think people get way too caught up in making the gun recoil so soft they miss the boat on other things.  Things like accuracy and possible return to zero.  I shoot for a PF of 135, that way my ammo will always pass chrono, no matter where I shoot, then adjust recoil springs to obtain the best possible return to zero.  I do not care about the recoil as far as how soft the gun shoots.  I do not think most notice how the recoil feels on the clock anyway.  Maybe people who have shot for a decade or more could tell you if one round felt softer over another round on the clock, but I cannot.   

 

If your gun requires a PF of 155 to be accurate you may want to be asking a different question like is there something wrong with the gun.  Also if you are chasing SD are you using mixed brass?  SD is a worthless number for the most part if you are using mixed brass, and as mentioned before is not a number to obsess over in pistol at the distances we are shooting at.   

Edited August 12, 2022 by Boomstick303

[zzt]

OP, your existing load is holding you back.  For the longest time I shot 40 and 45 and avoided 9mm like the plague.  Everyone complained about how hard it was to load for, especially at major PF.  Bullseye shooters would tell me you have to drive them fast to get any kind of accuracy.  Major shooters said how it was hard to keep enough powder in the case while loading.

 

For reasons not germane here, I decided to retire my 40 Open guns and build a 9mm.  I did and loved it.  I had no problem loading for it.  So I built a 9mm 1911 for steel, a backup Open gun, and bought a 9mm PCC.  I also fit two additional barrels for the 2011 and 1911 Open guns, because my home club did not permit plated or jacketed on steel.

 

So now I have a 109 PF for steel in the PCC.  I also have a 130 FP load for USPSA for the PCC, and a 144 PF 147 load specifically for falling steel matches where all steel falls forward.

 

For the 1911  I have a 144 PF minor load for Open steel and a sub 125 PF load for club steel.

 

I have major and minor loads for the 2011s.  All are very accurate.  Most are single digit SDs.  I don't know about the 109 and sub-125 loads.  All I care about there is accuracy and they eject.

 

The point is if you are willing to put in the time and effort to develop loads, you'll come away happy.  You may end up with a batch of bullets that don't work, or powder you don't like.  That's the price you pay.

[Lukacko]

Thank you for the replies. I think I will play with seating depth in this next batch of reloads and see if that helps any.

 

I was not chasing SD, I just noticed it after I found the accuracy node after testing powder charges.

 

I've been using the hornady book oal which is kind of short for my 6.4gr charge,  and it definitely puts me into +p territory.  I'm going to try the vihtavuori oal as it's longer and their max shows 6.4gr so it might work better. 

[zzt]

L, look at the VV 9mm entries for 9x19 and 9x21.  Most of the bullets 9mm loads are at 1.142" OAL.  The 9x23 loads are all 1.161" OAL.  If you load 9mm to 1.161" you have exactly the same case capacity as a 9 x 23. The only difference is there is 2mm less bullet in the case.  That will definitely keep pressure in check.

 

Here is something you can try.  Many bullseye shooter swear you get you best accuracy if the bullet is just touching the leade.  That does increase pressure over the same load with a little shorter OAL.  Take an empty, sized case and seat your bullet in it to 1.170".  Remove the barrel and drop the round into the chamber.  Almost certainly it will sit proud.  Reseat to 1.160" and try again.  Can you spin the bullet in the chamber with your fingers?  If not, try 1.150" and see what happens.  At some point it will plunk and spin.  Increase the OAL a thou or two and try.  Keep going in small increments until it plunks but doesn't spin.  Back off .002" and call it done.  Then work up a ladder load and test.

[thermobollocks]

Low standard deviations are neat, but it's not on my list of things to worry about in pistol territory. I'll worry much more about what the bullet does on paper. 

 

There's also a reason that so many USPSA shooters will gravitate toward certain bullet/powder combos. Of course, it's also true that testing in your own gun is key: I have a PCC that just doesn't group heavier bullets well, for example, despite my preference for heavier bullets to make sure steel falls.

[GMM50]

Set up a test course of fire.  Run it with your different loads.

See which scores best.  I went from major to minor in a 610 revolver.  My USPSA scores went UP.

This should work for USPSA, ICORE, IDPA, Steel Challenge and even your local  Friday Night Plates.