I'm looking for a 125 LHP load for 9mm for a short barrel gun.
Nothing real hot please.

Thanks

Very broad question without knowing what powders you have available.?? Usually those are for SD loads so would be on the "Hot side" or +P

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Still Running Against the Wind

I got some cast lead 124 HP bullets from a local guy & used 5.0grs. of Unique, ~1140fps. 4.0grs. could be a starter load.

If you're going to load lead bullets IMO the Lyman 4th Edition Cast Handbook is a necessity. It's a great manual.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Just pick a powder that best suits your desired velocity range.

As anyone that's read my earlier posts knows, I'm a fan of Universal.

It safely delivers a fairly broad range of velocities for many handgun apps.

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

What is your intended use of the cartridges you are loading?

Plinking?
Defense?
Small Game?

I ask because lead hollow point bullets can be a little tricky and take some experimentation to get them to perform reliably.

I’m assuming your friend who gave you the bullets cast them himself. Does he know the BHN? Generally around 9 - 11 BHN is about right for cast hollow point bullets depending on bullet design and velocity.

Much harder and they need more velocity to expand and then they start to shed the point because the alloy is brittle.

When you get the right balance of velocity and BHN they are very effective.

You will need to experiment unless you are just planning on plinking with them.

How you size them may be more important than how hot you load these. 9mm bores tend to run wide for whatever reason. I found that all my 9mm lead bullets were leading really bad until I went from .356" to .358" and that solved my problem.

Guy's thanks for the responses, it will be a defense load.
I have BE, HP38, HS6, Accurate #2,5 and 7, Unique.

I have'nt loaded 9mm in years!

I have not used any Accurate 2,5 or 7 but have used all the others. Any off them will work but HS6 is probably the best but as mentioned for SD loads then you want something at least a max load going into a +P load, but then you say you do not want a hot load?? Unique and HP 38 are fine also. Of all of them Unique does not meter as well. Slower powders are way mo better

Go here and yes you can use the the FMJ data for lead but, reduce your load 10% on the +P data (I am not telling you to do this , it's somewhere on the internet)

Cartridge Loads - Hodgdon Reloading Data Center - data.hodgdon.com

For Unique

Alliant Powder - Reloader's Guide

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Still Running Against the Wind

Thank you very much!!!!!
I found exactly what I was looking for off the
Hodgdon web you gave me.

Don't want to hi-jack OP's thread, but I think this is along the same subject line. I am actually looking at a possible plinking/target load for some 38 cast 110-gr. LSWC slugs. This will be 9-mil fired from a Smith model 940. I have a lot of Red Dot and have found some Alliant data that list a Red Dot charge of 4.5 grains under a 115-gr. FMJ OAL 1.12 and 5.3-gr. under a 95-gr. FMJ OAL 1.055. Do either of these look like "dangerous loads"? My FCD will size the rounds and I have measured loaded round dimensions, which fall into SAMMI specifications. The FCD sizes the entire round.

I am wondering how Smith can take a J-Frame cylinder the same size as a 38-special and almost double the pressure. The pressure listed on the above loads is 32,400 and about the same for all 9-mil loading data I've seen. 38-special pressures are listed at around 15,000. 32,400 is right there with 357-mag pressures.

This may be more like.... I am afraid to shoot the gun question as opposed to a I am afraid to shoot this particular load question.

I am only musing at the moment, but was wanting to work up some loads before the gun gets here....it's in the mail.

4.0 grains of HP38, under a 125 cast bullet, is marvelously accurate in all of my 9mm's. Alternately, 3.7 or 3.8 grains of Bullseye is almost as good. Velocity should be in the 900 - 1000 fps range, through a 3.5" barrel. Both are sweet loads, not hot, but certainly enough to get the job done.

The HP38 load is my "standard" 9mm cast bullet load now.

Oh, I should say also that my cast bullets are 12-15 BHN.

3.8 gr. 231 with a 124 gr cast RNL has been both pleasant to shoot and accurate. It works well in my 940 and my 469.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Because you don't know how they will expand I would work up loads and see what they do in gallon water jugs. If you can track the expansion you can see whether they are too hard for the velocity or not. Your bbl will show you if they are too soft.

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Front sight and squeeze

5.0 to 5.5 of AA-5 should put you right around 1000 fps. A little light for SD but easy shooting and you can work up from there to the max listed on the AA site

+1 on the 1,000 fps as a lite SD loading and the Remington 125gr Jhp light SD in a 357 Mag is at 1240 fps...........

Good luck with that load, it should work out with all the powders you have on hand.