Newbee with a powdre question.

[Centerfire9mil]

Hello everyone,
I'm new to the forum and new to the world of reloading.
My question is: in these days of limited resources I am trying to gather supplies for reloading 9mm ammo. I have found Federal primers, Bulk once used casings online but have not acquired them yet, I know I want 115gr FMJ bullets which I can find online, The only thing I really am confused on is what powder brand and which powder. I have read through the forums and found that W231, Accurate#7 and Hogdon tight group have come up frequently. Can anyone direct me in the right direction. I have found only limited powder and I do not want to buy something that will not be sufficient. Oh yeah this ammo will be for plinking and competition.
Thank you all in advanced.

[trophyhunter]

It's a difficult question to answer these days, we all have *pet* loads we like and use for loading 9mm with 115 grain fmj's but that doesn't help you right now with the most popular powders being essentially unavailable or in very short supply. I load them with AA#5 but my recipes aren't going to help with a powder that's sold out Nationwide.

Maybe list the powders that you know you can get your hands on, and there will be plenty of advice forthcoming in helping you choose from them what's best.

[Centerfire9mil]

Oh That's a great idea, I have a shop that I know has some on the shelf. I'll go tomorrow and post what they have.
Thanks for the advice. If you get a chance check back tomorrow afternoon I should have the info posted maybe you could recommend.

[Bkreutz]

Just keep looking, when powders show up on online retailers, they sell pretty fast. I'd suggest making up a list of powders that you have load information for and when a powder shows up you can use your "cheat sheet" for quick reference. Since you're a new handloader and have trouble figuring out what powders are useable, let me know and I can send you a Word document that I made up for 9mm powders. NOTE: this is not a load sheet, just a list of powders that have published load data for 9mm. I tried attaching it but it was over the limit for Word documents.

[OKFC05]

When supplies are ample, the most-used 9mm powders in competition include Titegroup, HP38/Win231 (same powder), Universal, power pistol, unique, 7625; nearly a dozen others will work. Having a Hodgdon or other loading manual handy when shopping for powder is a good idea in time of shortage when you have to take what you can get that has reliable data.

[Nevada Ed]

Most fast burning powders work well for target loads.......
from 1010 to 1180 fps.

the medium powders will get you up to 1250 with the 115gr....
1070 to 1200 fps.

If you shoot plated try to stay at 1200fps or less.

[Rule3]

With HP38/Win 231 you can load pretty much anything. Good luck finding any however.

OKFCO5 listed good powders but as new reloader please avoid Titegroup in the 9mm it's a very fast burning powder and if you over charge bad things can happen.

[Centerfire9mil]

Thanks for all the great information. I will need to get my loading manual next so I can be a more educated powder hunter.
Thanks again.

[trophyhunter]

Have a look at this burn rate chart that shows 266 powders from fast to slow, these are not all inclusive to just pistol loading so bear that in mind as you look at it.

As an example for loading 9mm if you look at the Accurate line of pistol powder #7 is the slowest I would use (it was formulated for 9mm specifically) and will occupy the most case volume with a bulkier charge, then #5 is a mid range powder and #2 is hot and fast.

Keep in mind that a pound of powder contains 7000 grain weight so your faster powders will load more rounds per pound, but your potential margin for error also increases. There is enough space in a 9mm case to double charge some mid range loads and it's easily done with the fastest powders that require the lower charge weights.

http://reloadersnest.com/burnrates.asp


It should help to be able to reference the name of the powder and approximate rate of burn when someone gives it a thumbs up or cautions you to be weary of it.

[11e40]

I've had very good results with hs-6. hth.

[Damn Yankee]

Herco is the powder for the 9.

[smokindog]

+1 on the W231/HP38. I was fortunate enough to nab a good amount about 6-8 months ago!

I keep these two documents handy. The burn rate link in the previous post didn't work for me so perhaps the one file is a duplicate.

[boatbum101]

Vit N340 is also excellent for your purpose .

[scooter123]

Vihtavouri 3N37 is another excellent choice that meters wonderfully. I also expect that Accurate #7 would work well but haven't ever used it, it's on my want list for 357 Magnum.

Final suggestion is a real favorite of mine for semi auto loads (it's position sensitive in the longer revolver cases), that is IMR 7625. It meters wonderfully, shoots clean, is low flash, and produces a noticeably soft recoil for the produced velocity. The only downside is the produced velocities are somewhat low on the table but that does result in a soft shooting range ammo. If you want top velocities for SD practice I would recommend the 3N37.

[joeintexas]

I load tightgroup in my beretta 92fs with 115 fmj. 4.1 to 4.2 works best for me but like Rule said, be careful...do not overload. I have never had a problem with this load but I check and double check then check again.