I am getting into reloading (yes I know years late to the game) and I really can’t seem to find any good solid answers on what powder or bullets I should be aiming for. I know that at this point get what I can, but really what should I be looking for? Also what should I be avoiding if there is anything I should be avoiding. I read the So you want to reload sticky and it really doesn’t say anything about the quality of the different powders and bullets out there. Any help would be appreciated!
I have the following kit:
[ul]
[li]Hornady LnL AP
[/li][li]#8 shell plate
[/li][li]HORNADY Taper Crimp 9MM Luger/9x21 Series II 3 Die Set Titanium Grade #546516
[/li][li]Once fired brass from FCBB
[/li][/ul]
Still need(to know what is good/bad/indifferent):
[ul]
[li]Bullets
[/li][li]primers
[/li][li]powder
[/li][/ul]
For pistol I’ll use any primer I can find at a good price. I prefer CCI, but it’s only preference.
For powder I use Winchester 231 because I load for 45 acp also and it works well for both.
For bullets I buy from Precision Delta. http://precisiondelta.com/ Great quality and price on true jacketed bullets. I use 124gr FMJ or HP or both if that’s what’s in stock. You can backorder your choice of bullets and they won’t charge your card till they ship.
That’s what works for me, other opinions will surely follow.
That is good advice. You might add to your list of powders Universal, Unique and Bullseye. Most any bullet between 115 gr and 147 should be fine. If you are shooting lead, it should be sized .356 for most guns. Any small pistol primer will do fine.
Yeah I have 3 of them in the mail on their way to me. I wish I could get them in PDF format also though… Thanks for the help we shall see how this goes.
I haven’t loaded for 9mm, but I will second W231 as a good choice. I have had great luck with this powder in 45 acp and even 38 special. It’s versatile and meters well. Bullseye is also an old standby.
Dont be too zealous to jump in, last saturday I seen locally Winny LPP for 60$ per K:rolleyes:
What grain and construction(FMJ,plated, moly,cast) do you want to use?
I run Bullseye right now with moly 147s, only bc thats the powder I could get locally. It goes bang but is rather dirty. Thats quite OK with me in these times.
WST,WSF, Win 231 are solid “all around” powders with all types of bullets. IPSC guys love VV320 more then gold itself, but its hard to get even in good times because people buy jugs at a time. Another fav is solo 1000 which is a shotgun powder by design but works.
Note: I’ve had prob 5-10 per k of CCI magnum SPP that are duds. Both my M&P’s have a stock recoil spring. Federals work and also seat nicer for some reason.
For soft shooting this, but be aware that there are no recommended book loads listed for 147gr bullets and N320 - which is a (but not the only) preferred competition loading for Minor power factor. And it’s what I’m using right now with Montana Gold 147 gr CMJs.
It’s best to start with standard stuff at first, however. Get your reloading manuals out first, and then research the Brian Enos reloading forums (if competition loads are what you are looking for).
Also pay attention to whether the manual(s) are calling for cast or jacketed bullets - cast (and molly) bullets take less power than jacketed bullets to achieve the same velocity.
Check here also,http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp if you have a phone or tablet,you will always have current data !! All the major powder makers have Online info,always good to know !! I load 9mm a lot & I use Universal myself,something like 3.8 grns with a 124 grn lead rd nose bullets !! Beauty of this powder is ya can get well over 1K Rd’s loaded out of one LB of powder,:eek: that’s awesome !! There are other good ones also like stated above,231/Unique/Titegroup/Bullseye & many more !! Primers,at this stage of the game,any you can find at a fare price !!! Same thing with bullets,don’t be afraid of Lead,Especially with summer on the way,your gonna be shooting outside most of the time I would think,save your jacketed bullets for Winter and crappy days when you shoot inside !!!
For range fodder I really like Winchester 231 and Winchester Super Target. The latter burns cleaner in my opinion but both work well. They sell it in various sizes and its fairly economical. Winchester has quite a bit of loading information on their powder site which is very useful. I’ve used 124gr Rainers (RN & HP) and Montana Gold 124gr HP. Plated like the Rainers or Berry’s will be cheaper and are great for the range. Pick your weight bullet and then pick your loading information, test and change accordingly.
There are multitudes of different load combos. The one I’ve been using lately is a Bayou Bullets 125gr. over 5.6g of AA#5, and a Fed sp primer. Gets about 1030 fps out of my 4" M & P with pretty good accuracy.
I like the bulk packed Winchester 124 FMJ and 231 as my powder of choice. I have been using Winchester SP’s mostly but in reality about any would work for most uses in my needs that rarely exceed 25-30 yards on big IPSC targets.
It’s going to be hard to get an answer as to what’s best because 9mm works so well with many powder and bullet combinations. I personally buy hollow points in bulk because they cost just a little more than FMJ’s. My favorite 9mm bullet is the Zero 147gr JHP. One good thing about it is that it has a rebated base. Because of this, you don’t have to bell the case mouth nor do you have to taper crimp (remove the bell). Since setting the correct taper crimp (just enough to remove the bell) is more difficult when you’re using mixed headstamp cases, this bullet would be a good option for you.
These are hard times to be picky about what you buy. You may have to settle for what shows up at a gun show. I would avoid the cheap primers for anything critical.
What you want depends on the use. My need was for something cheap enough to practice with, but also good enough for personal defense.
Anyway, I have been happy with both CCI #500 and Federal Match primers.
I’m using Hodgdon Universal Clays. It is relatively clean and low-flash. Based on my use of Vihtavuori in another caliber, I wouldn’t hesitate to use VV for 9mm as well. I use a load about 3/4 of the way up the suggested range of low to high values.
As for bullets, I have settled in on Hornady XTP JHP in 124 gr. It exhibits reliable expansion in a variety of media while maintaining structural integrity.
Exploring cheaper alternatives to the XTP, I have tried Zero and Montana Gold and would regard them as acceptable if I couldn’t find the XTP in stock. Both the Zero and Montana Gold had a tendency to lose their jackets and lose petals on the terminal end.
My current range/plinking load is a Ranier or Berry’s plated 124 grain bullet with 4.1 grains of Hodgdon Titegroup with a 1.125 OAL. I also use HP-38 and W231 which are the same powder, btw. I have used cast lead bullets at times also, but not in pistols with polygonal barrels.
Whatever bullet you end up using, be sure to research the proper cartridge, overall length (OAL) as it can effect feeding and accuracy.
I prefer Alliant American Select. I believe it was originally a shotgun powder but it works great in my 45 auto and 38 Spc. It burns cleaner than Red Dot, Bullseye and Unique. It’s supposedly just a slightly slower burning powder than Red Dot and faster than Green Dot. kwg
