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9mm 147 Lead Loads


pstew

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I'm looking for a 147 gr load to use with a trunc cone lead bullet. So far, I have tried Power Pistiol, Tight Group, Universal Clays and 231. The best for me so far is 3.5 gr of 231 loaded to about 1.150 . That load gets me about 2" from bench top at 15 yds. I'm looking to get about 900 ft/sec.or a 130 PF

Mixed Brass

Winchester Small pistol primers

Glock 34 with a storm lake aftermarket barrel

Does anyone has a pet load?

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I'm looking for a 147 gr load to use with a trunc cone lead bullet. So far, I have tried Power Pistiol, Tight Group, Universal Clays and 231. The best for me so far is 3.5 gr of 231 loaded to about 1.150 . That load gets me about 2" from bench top at 15 yds. I'm looking to get about 900 ft/sec.or a 130 PF

Mixed Brass

Winchester Small pistol primers

Glock 34 with a storm lake aftermarket barrel

Does anyone has a pet load?

Never had a Storm Lake barrel in 9mm (see Kaboom thread in Glock section) but the stock barrel never did like the 147's no matter how short I loaded them up. When I went with a barsto, I could get them in there, but it was a pain. I like the 135's from Bear Creek, those really work well, along with the 125's they have.

For my Springfield 1911 in 9mm with the stock barrel, the 147's are the hot thing, loaded out to 1.16+ with 3.0 grains of Titegroup, they give me a 128 PF all day long. They fit in a 38 Super mag so I get 10 rounds instead of the stock 9mm nine round mags...

Don't know how accurate they are since I can't shoot worth a damn (according to my friends) but it is nicer loading the 147's vs anything else just for the size of the bullet, making it easier to hold during the reloading process with the dillon...

michaels

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I loaded up some 147 gr Kead Lead with 3.6 231 COL 1.12. Shooting through a glock 35 with 9mm Storm Lake barrel. Shoot nice but we (my sons gun) are experiencing a couple of challenges. Light load seams to have a few stop pipe ejections and even more so the other morning when it was cold. We are getting a small amount of leading too. Could be our barrel or bullet choice but I think we need to speed them up a little and we will propbably solve both issues.

I have not loaded any 9mm lead wtih TG behind it but I have loaded lead my .40 with TG. It resulted with some leading. Same barrel and bullet type as above only .40. I tried Universal Clays behind .40 lead and it shoots great with no leading. Now i just need to do some Chrono work. I do not know how well Universal Clays works in the 9mm but it may be another option.

Edited by dstroyed
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Dstroyed, I dont know what Recoil spring you are running, but with a 13lb ISMI recoil spring those loads will run all day long in a G34 with a stock barrel. W231 is temperature sensitive, so that might have some bearing on it as well. As far as the leading, if there is quite a bit then it sounds like the bullets might be a little on the soft side. 231 is a great lead bullet powder, and wont normally lead up a barrel. Titegroup is about the same. IF you have leading with TG as well I would suspect your barrel is rough and might need to be lapped in if you are going to shoot a lot of lead through it. Universal Clays is supposed to be a good 9mm powder as well, but I didnt like it. Good luck, DougC

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accurate arms number 7 is a good lead bullet powder...very little smoke and its very accurate in my 9mms.

too bad its also very dirty.

If i were going to shoot alot of lead in a glock, buy a aftermarket barrel..

and with the factory recoil spring, my gun wasnt 100 percent reliable untill the load got above 140 power factor.. with the 15 pound spring, i can go as low as is legal for production. NO sub-minor ammo in my gun.

Recently i just bought a storm lake barrel to try in my G34..with some master blaster bullets. for some reason the factory barrel didnt like them.

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All the loads previously listed will get you what you want.

But the poor accuracy MAY be down to mixed brass.

Try sorting the brass into lots, take the largest lot and if you are sure it has all been fired the same amount of times use that. This will help with consistancy. All else fails get more, once fired or new. Just all the same brand.

I run a 145gr Conical LEad in G17 using 3.3gr Titegroup and this gets 880fps at 1.125". In the longer G34 barrel you should bump up to around the 900 I expect.

N320 is also a good option. About 3.2 - 3.4gr works in most.

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N320 is also a good option. About 3.2 - 3.4gr works in most.

I can tell you that this is a great load, HOWEVER, watch out for how your cast bullets are made. When I use this load with Laser Cast Lead, it is perfect. I have been trying to save a buck, I went to some locally cast stuff. Nearing the ends of matches, about 100 rounds in, I start to see tumblers. The soft lead is not getting it done with the very fast power.

Today I am doing some testing. I am trying Universal with the softer bullets, and I am using my N320 with some Precision Delta Jacketed. I am hoping to end up with two good results, I am a bit fearful that the exposed base of the jacketed may still get burned up and cause issues.

In short, N320 with 147 Lead is great, if it shoots great after 200 rounds. My crappy lead will not get that done. (and laser cast is more expenxive than some jacketed.)

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I tested PDs 147 with 320 and 310. They shoot just fine with very little smoke. I think your fears will subside when you try them. I shoot TG with 147 lead as well, but my caster runs his a minimum of 16 Brinell up to 20. If you shoot wheelweights you will need a slower powder. Good luck, DougC

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Hey Doug!

I recently advised a friend to try loading HardCast Lead using my old "black bullet" 147 load of N310 at 1.140"+ and a charge weight of 2.8 grns. I know the black bullet would not make PF out of a Glock 17. My friend is using a longer barrel.

HERE is the kicker: he will be using LEAD in his GLOCK (a 34). YES I KNOW ABOUT GLOCKS AND LEAD. I AM WELL AWARE OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SHOOTING LOTS OF SOFT LEAD BULLETS IN POLYGONAL RIFLING.

However, I also understand that the warning does not apply IF the barrel is cleaned after 250 rounds or fewer. Moreover, he is going for just over 850 FPS - not faster than that. Again, its hardcast.

What charge of N310 did you use & what chrono did you get?

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From my bullet suppliers page: www.betterbullets.com

Made with 90% Lead, 8% Antimony, 2% Tin

Brinell Hardness: 21

I don't think hardness of the lead is an issue, Looks like I'm going to sort some brass tonight

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I am going to try some 160 gr lead bullets in my G34 just for grins. I suspect the twist may be a bit slow for that bullet weight. I have had mixed results with 147 gr lead bullets. OTOH the Valiant 125 gr lead bullet is a real tack driver. It is my favorite practice bullet. I load it to 1.135" with 3.5 gr of Titegroup. I get 1050 fps with this load.

My wife's G34 likes all of the plated/jacketed 147 gr bullets.

One thing that is very interesting is none of my Glocks lead. I have pretty well settled on Valiant bullets. They are cast in the 18-20 hardness range. I have about 2,000 rounds of their 200 gr SWC through my G21 without a hint of lead.

Edited by Joe D
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Joe - I don't know what the twist is in Glock barrels, but back in the day, the .38 Special "Super Police" load ran a 200 grain LRN at <700 fps with no stabilization problems from the 1 in 18-3/4" twist of S&W barrels. A 160 would be going ~800 fps to make Minor. I doubt that you'll have any stabilization-related problems.

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I am going to try some 160 gr lead bullets in my G34 just for grins. I suspect the twist may be a bit slow for that bullet weight. I have had mixed results with 147 gr lead bullets. OTOH the Valiant 125 gr lead bullet is a real tack driver. It is my favorite practice bullet. I load it to 1.135" with 3.5 gr of Titegroup. I get 1050 fps with this load.

My wife's G34 likes all of the plated/jacketed 147 gr bullets.

One thing that is very interesting is none of my Glocks lead. I have pretty well settled on Valiant bullets. They are cast in the 18-20 hardness range. I have about 2,000 rounds of their 200 gr SWC through my G21 without a hint of lead.

I was using Valiant 147's that I bought a couple of years ago. Do they still smoke like a freight train? Good bullets, but the smoke is terrible.

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