I've reloaded for nearly thirty years now. Loaded thousands of rounds for rifles and hangunds....however....I've never loaded 9mm.

My son came in tonight and asked what bullet/primer/propellant combinations are a best choice.

I've worked up loads in the past, however, I want some suggestions as to what are "standard" loads that can always be counted on to deliver acceptable results.

I know that there are "standard" loads for nearly every cartridge. I can tell you what to load for an M1 or and AR or .38 target wadcutters.

What's a good combination to use for 9mm?

Obviously don't have any 9mm dies. I've used Hornaday, Lyman and RCBS in the past.

Got in suggestions?

__________________
G.P. Charlie

For range work I would suggest a 124gr FMJ bullet over 4.6gr to 4.8gr W231. For light target loads I like a 124gr LRN bullet over 4.0gr to 4.2gr W231.

For a "service load" I would use a 124gr JHP bullet over 5.7gr Longshot. (Max load, work up to it)

Always double check load data that's given on the Internet because mistakes can and will be made when typing.

I use Lee dies because they don't cost a lot and they make good ammo. Any brand dies will do a good job so pick the company you are most comfortable with as long as they are Carbide.

__________________
Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

I think like the 158 gr is the standard for the 38 spl I believe the 124 gr is the standard for 9mm. As your not new to reloading you know the routine on powder primers and bullets. Everyone has a favorite and they're all different.

I use different bullets, but always 231 for the powder.

As Hawgleg stated, so many variables/choices.

I would use any load data in Speer or Hodgdon.

The 115 gr I believe was a "standard" but I think more 124gr are being used now. "Game Playing" shooters like the 147 for powder factor stuff.

I shoot 124 and was using (still do) Win 231/HP 38 but have been using a lot of Power Pistol now. I like it but it is a "loud" report powder.

__________________
Still Running Against the Wind

Ok, I'm starting to see some "treands" here. Seems like WW231 might be favortie propellant? I'm very famaliar with it and it is my go to powder for .38.

I've used Lee, Hornaday, RCBS, and Lyman dies. On another forum I heard some discussion about bullet seating? Is that an issue. Never had any problems in other cartridges.

What about regualar seating....taper crimp....etc? Any suggestions. I seat my .45 ACP just regular, no squeeze on the neck.

Also, in 45ACP I have used 230 gr RN lead with great success since the velocity is not high. What about 9mm. I had a friend (now deceased) that used to cast and load his own 9mm round nose lead. He swore by them. Do cast lead bullets work ok too?

__________________
G.P. Charlie

As you're familar with the ww231 it should be fine. The 9mm's can be pickey with the C-Z and other European guns seem to have shorter leads. I load at a COL of 1.12 and that works for my C-Z and S&W's. I use a very light taper crimp. My loads are 4.5 Universal Clays with a 124 gr Berry's Plated bullet. Very accurate round, but with price of plated and jacketed I may be moving to lead. I see most lead bullets have a higher BHN and that should help out for leading issues.

I use a taper crimp in the 4th position.

I'm using 115gr lead, Space Coast Bullets. Because of a 'short throat' and the shape of the bullets, on my Kel Tec PF9, I had to load at an OAL of 1.095". Between Lee and Alliant books, I planned on 6.1 gr of Power Pistol @ 1.125", once I realized I had to shorten the OAL, I got a recipe out of Lyman for lead round nose of 5.0gr Power Pistol, 1.06" MIN. Loading at 1.095" I'm using 5.2gr Power Pistol, so far so good in the PF9, Sigma and my Sub 2000 carbine.

_____________________________________________________

I use a single stage press....don't have a "fourth position"....however I have used taper crimp dies and can do that.

Good info.

__________________
G.P. Charlie

Cast bullets work just fine as long as you do not have polygon rifling (yes I know all those out there that shoot lead with no problem from your Glocks)

With a 3 die set just has loading 45 acp set your seating die to taper crimp a bit.

__________________
Still Running Against the Wind

LRN bullets always work well in semi-auto pistols with a feed-ramp. They feed very well and usually shoot just fine. For range work I shoot almost nothing other than hard cast ball ammo in both the .45 Auto and 9mm.

I seat the bullet and taper crimp in a separate operation. I find that works best for me.

__________________
Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Another powder I have had very good results with is AA-5

I' ve been using Titegroup for my SR9c with lead & also with plated 115 & 124. Very accurate & inexpensive for target shooting since the charge is small! Also tried 700x & that works fine! Let me check my book!

Many of the old RNL bullets have itty bitty lube grooves. If you're going lead, go with a more modern design with a wide lube groove-the 122 FNTC is a good one, with lube it generally runs 124 gr. Berry Bullets eliminate this issue.

You need to be careful adjusting the size die so cases aren't excessively sized since they're tapered. [If you're looking at mini-belted magnums, you're way overdoing it!] DO NOT over expand the case mouth, you want good bullet grip and taper crimping is a good idea. A case gauge is a really good idea. Loading for the 9 requires a bit more care in initial setup, but is a snap after you get that squared away.

I tend to use a lot of Unique, it's real handy in the 9mm cause it's flat impossible to double charge a case. A 115 gr Berry & 5.8 gr Unique makes 1150-1160 in all my 9mm guns with no muss, fuss or bother. Real jacketed bullets need an extra 0.4 gr to equal it.

5.2 gr 231 & 115 gr JHP generally gets into +P velocities over 1200 fps.

Charlie Sorry for coming to the party late, so I hope you see this. My experience with 9 mm shows some of them to be picky over loads. i have a Kahr that likes 115 Nosler JHP loads of 7625 at max levels, a Browning HP that likes 124 gr Hornady XTP HPs with 4.8 grains of Unique, and a Glock 19 that likes most anything that is jacketed at standard velocities from any book. All of these loads have a moderate taper CRIMP. I do not use lead bullets due to the Glock, but the Berry bullets mentioned work, though I do favor Nosler and Hornady JHPs.

3.4grs of Titegroup under a 147gr Berry's RN works great in my M&P.
I am one of those "game players" though (IDPA) and the 147's make power factor easily.

I use Lee dies for reloading 9mm, .40 and .45 with no complaints.
In .40 and .45 I have the crimp separate from the seating die, but in 9mm I do both in the same step. This was only because I could not find the 4 die set for almost two months but was able to get the 3 piece one locally. That said, after loading my 2000th round tonight on it... I have no issues with seating/crimping in the same step.
You just have to set it up properly from the start.
The Berry's bullet has a slight bevel on the base and requires only the smallest amount of flare on the case prior to seating to work effectively.

I recommend using a Hornady seating die to avoid canted bullets.
my favorite loading of 9mm was WSF powder and 115gr or 124/125 FMJ bullets.
5.7gr for 115gr with 1.169" col and 5.3gr for 124/125gr with 1.169" col
some chambers found in CZ's and Steyr's have tight throat and ogive bullet may need to be
loaded shorter to avoid running into rifling.

Look about halfway down this page for a suggested load.

Encyclopedia of Bullseye Pistol

This page also has some loads.

http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/pow...9mm-loads.html

I use mostly W231 in the .38 Special, 9mm, .45 Auto and .45 colt. that's why I buy it in 8lb jugs. It's the only handgun powder I buy in bulk.

__________________
Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

I spoke to the AMU at Camp Perry last year and they recommend Titegroup with the 115 gr Sierra FMJ for service pistol competition.

How much Titegroup are you using with the 124 bullets?

If you like 231 in the 9mm you will love WST. Works great for 124-147 grain bullets. Softer recoil

If you are looking for best velocity-Power Pistol delivers but at the cost of being louder than other powders at the same velocity.

Old school-Unique works as well as it did 25 years ago.

__________________
The American dream is alive

If by service load you mean something that might be good to hunt pigs with I recommend n340. I've just started using an M&P but I've got 1166 fps using 124gr XTP's w/ 5 fps e.s. and 2 fps s.d. out of my cz75's. If you have trouble finding n340 you might try longshot, AA5, AA7, 4756 or many others depending on bullet weight. If 9mm had an official powder it would probably be win 231 followed by unique; both are good for plinking and you can get some pretty good performance out of them as well. Faster burners like n320 and titegroup are popular amongst cometition shooters largely because a reduction in perceived reoil and muzzle flip. I've been reloading 9mm for quite awhile and I've never had any problems seating the bullets; COL is another matter. Some pistols are more picky about length than others when it comes to feeding, some (such as CZ's) have little lead which can limit length --especially w/ conical bullets. The main issue w/ seating bullets in 9mm is that one must be careful to match COL w/ that listed in the manual. Seating depth can have a dramatic impact on pressure and 9mm doesn't have all that much room to play w/ in that regard --sometimes even a few thousandths of an in. can make a dramatic difference. As far as crimp goes.....I've never had much luck crimping this round. I've gotten my best results using very little crimp. I use a Lee dies. I also seat and crimp at separate stations using a FCD. By no means is the FCD necessary; seating and crimping at the same station will work just fine it's just that I like the nice extra little bit of love the FCD puts on my rounds. I've read that all 9mm seating dies taper crimp; I don't know whether that's true or not but I do know for a fact the Lee seating die does. If you really want to learn all you can about reloading this cartridge I can't recommend the reloading section of the cz forum highly enough. There's a sticky there that was written by some guys who probably now everything there is to know about his round. Hope this helps some. Did I mention that I escaped from a state mental facility only yesterday and that I've recently discovered a proclivity for self administered electroshock therapy?

firecracker - which cz forum has the reference on 9mm reloading? I spend some time at czfirearms.usa (the so-called original cz forum) but under reloading there I did not see any stickies regarding the 9mm.
By the way my standard target load for the 9mm is 115 grain LRN (regionally made hard cast bullet) with about 4.6 grs. of HP-38. Shoots reliably in my only two current nines (PPS and CZ75). I did have to shorten the bullet length by .002 or so to get reliable feeding the cz.

czfirearms.us is the one. They no longer have a 2 part sticky entitled "handloading 9mm;" they've redone it into several stickies that are less 9mm specific. The stickies are all entitled "reloading tips" and a there's a sticky for each component. I haven't read it in its entirety in a long time but I just skimmed it and it looks as though they've made it a little more generic though t still looks excellent. I highly recommend it. I'm not surprised at your pet load. I understand hp38 and win 231 are the same powder. I love win 231 for 9mm though I've never used lead bullets.

I only shoot cast through my 9x19s and my standard load is 3.5 gns of Bullseye under a Lyman 124gn RN sized .358 and lubed with White Label Lube Carnauba Red. Other than the lube I expect this particular load has been around longer than either of us.

I shoot lrn 125 gr with 3.5 gr Universal and it works well in my M&P9mm. POA/POI is same sameout to 25yds

I would agree with this

I spent a lot of time researching 9mm loads via load manuals, articles, blogs, etc. Tried numerous combinations of bullets and powders all shot in my four 9's (BHP, Armalite AR-24, Walther P99 & PPS). Did not fool with cases and primers, used Winchester for both. Conclusion - 124 grain Montana Gold HP, and Power Pistol powder. This based on performance, price, consistency, accuracy and cleanliness....and just plan feel. Very nice combination. Frankly, I don't understand the comments on the powder being excessively loud or a flamethrower. I keep my loads in the medium ranges, avoid excessive pressures and look for accuracy, reliability and clean burning efficiency. I won't be changing anytime soon.

124gr bullets (hornady HP or PD) with WSF powder.
BR,
Guy -

I started using Unique in the '70s and still use it today.

My 9mm range practice load is 5.0 gr Unique over a Berry's 115gr TMJ with a COAL @ 1.150". Out of my XD's 4" barrel, it shows 1140 FPS on my PACT chronograph. The same load out of my PM9 3" barrel slows to 1017 FPS.

For reference purposes, Winchester White Box 115 gr loads run 1202 FPS from the XD and 1067 FPS out of the PM9.

__________________
Stu

I started using Unique in the '70s and still use it today.

My 9mm range practice load is 5.0 gr Unique over a Berry's 115gr TMJ with a COAL @ 1.150". Out of my XD's 4" barrel, it shows 1140 FPS on my PACT chronograph. The same load out of my PM9 3" barrel slows to 1017 FPS.

For reference, Winchester White Box 115 gr loads run 1202 FPS from the XD and 1067 FPS out of the PM9. All of these velocities were acquired during the same range session.

__________________
Stu

I only load for practice and plinking. I use commercial ammo for anything serious, including carry.
I load 125gr LRN bullets with a taper crimp, but I load them light, just enough to cycle the action reliable plus a pinch more.
I like Unique, and use if for all my pistol loads, just to keep the inventory down. Bullets and primers: Whatever is on sale.

__________________
Fuego

I have been looking for info on load data on loading 9mm 115 lead bullets. I have chosen to use power pistol at 4.8 grains (starting load) and an oal of 1.097,

What do you think?

Flash

Both the 115 or 124gr plated will work fine for target work in a 9mm, unless you want to shoot lead bullets.

If you are lucky enough to have w231 on hand........
a 4" 9mm will get close to the following:
4.4gr w231........115gr @ 1111fps. (1.12")
4.5gr w231........124gr @ 1097fps. (1.14")

a 3" 9mm pistol (Kahr)
4.8gr w231........115gr @ 1062fps.
4.2gr w231........124gr @ 913fps ( very accurate )

Best to find some powder then see what is available........
in the primer, bullet and case departments.

Good luck.

To start with, here is some data from factory loads fired from a 3.9" barrel. I chronographed these with an Oehler 35P with the start screen placed 8 feet from the muzzle. Each velocity shown is the average of 10 rounds.

Federal American Eagle 124 Gr FMJ (AE9AP) - 1,014 FPS
Remington UMC 115 Gr MC (L9MM3A) - 1,077 FPS
Winchester "NATO" 124 Gr FMJ (Q4318) - 1,129 FPS (+P)
Federal Premium 124 Gr Hydra-Shok (P9HS1G1) - 1,047 FPS
Federal Premium 124 Gr HST (P9HST1) - 1,098 FPS

My two favorite loads for practicing in the 9mm are:

5.0 grains of CFE Pistol under a Berry's 124 Gr FP or THP - 1,050 FPS. This load is soft shooting and accurate.

4.0 grains of Bullseye under the same bullet - 1,010 FPS. 4.2 grains will get you to 1,040 if you are trying to duplicate the velocities of factory ammo. Both loads had small spreads and good accuracy.

Mike

__________________
NRA Certified Pistol Inst.