While I've been reloading since 1988, I'm new to loading 9mm. Looking in my assorted manuals I don't find a recipe for 9mm using either Blazer Brass or Magtech brass. Those of you who have loaded this cartridge, have you found a significant difference when you use other brands of brass than what the books used? I'm finding loads for mostly Winchester brass and a few for Rem., and some for Speer brass.
Also, which powders have you found best, it looks like many older powders are no longer and there's a new set of choices. 2 that I do have and have the powders are Longshot and SR4756. After I use those up I'd likely want to move to a newer powder which if popular should be available longer.
I won't likely load a lot, because bulk ammo is quite reasonable in 9mm, but in today's climate I want to be able to if needed.

There are two main type of brass...... Military "GI" and factory
stuff by the company's that usually use boxer primers.

Then there is nickel or brass cases but that's another story.

SR4756 is a good powder and it will match well with either Unique
or the new BE-86 powder for fps in the same class.
There is also HP38~w231 that has lots of loading data as well
as other powders.

As far as the brass some like to keep it in "Lots" or same brands
for loads that stay close to the same results instead of "Mixed brass" where all
the names and types are tossed together and just loaded.

Have fun.

Unless you are loading 9mm for some exotic target use, there is little benefit in doing all the things we do for rifle or long-range revolver silhouettes. I shoot action pistol- IDPA, USPSA, steel- with 9mm, so I'll tell you how I load. First, I use range trash brass, tossing crimped military and any non-brass. I clean in a tumbler and toss any with defects. Then into the Dillon, loading Precision Delta 124gr FMJ over either HP38 or Titegroup at Power Factor (PF) 133. (These are the 2 most popular powders in IDPA sanctioned tournaments, but there are a baker's dozen of medium powders that will work.) I find these loads to be superior to most bulk ammo.

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Science plus Art

I sort 9mm by brand as there are some weight and capacity differences. It is minor but does change impacts. I use AA2 or Power Pistol for powders.

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Front sight and squeeze

I was in similiar situation as yourself when I started 9mm. I had issue with bullet set back using Federal and Winchester brass. So I bought a Lee under size die and no more set back. I have some brass separated by head stamp for hot loads but otherwise load all different head stamps together.
I wouldn't worry about load data that uses different brass. There are some brass with a step in it which I haven't come across and can't remember whose it is but someone will know and post.
Use lots of Blazer but no Magtech so can't help you with that.

Unless you ate loading at max, case brand wont matter. BUT, ther are cases to stay away from. FM & IMT have an internal step. This is a natural place for a separation.
I use range brass exclusively. Slight diff in dimensions between foreign & domestic brass has me leaving the foreign stuff on the ground for others. I stick to fed,Win, speer/blaser, RP & pmc seems fine.
Btw, same goes for substituting primer brands. It wont matter unless loading at max or +p. At max, everything matters. So if you work a load up to max or mac +, do not substitute anything w/o dropping 5% & workingback up. Stay at midrange & below, none of the minutia matters.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Before the advent of the small primer in the 45 brass, I never looked at a head stamp except for the few times I was building some match loads for a precision match. Any military brass I get has the primer pocket swagged out, and loaded among with all the rest. (I do not load really hot loads).

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

There is no need to find data for a company's brass. That is the least of the variables.

There are probably a dozen or more powders that will work well in the 9mm so everyone is going to recommend the one they are using.

I use mostly W231/HP-38 for loading the 9mm for range work and when I need more power I usually turn to LongShot. I'm told AutoComp is a good choice as well as the newer W572. I have used AA#5 and HS-6 too with success.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

You're thinking of Ammoload brass./ I stay away from that.

Standard Operating Procedure when swapping components , in this case ...cases ( excuse the bad pun) , is start low and work up.
The difference in factory case capacities will not be a problem with a starting load....with a maximum load it could very well be a problem.
Stay away from the brass with the inside step...the case capacity could be significantly different with that stuff.
Gary

I use mixed headstamp range brass. That said...

...I toss S&B because the primer pockets are so tight that seating primers with a hand primer is a struggle for me. I also toss R-P. Methinks the brass is too thin.

Thanks for all of the replies. In my other calibers that I load, I do keep brands separated, but they are all larger capacity. I was note sure on 9mm because it is so small. I do also load 380 but I only had 1 brand of brass and it happened to be the brand shown in the load data I was using.
I will not be loading it heavy, will keep it slightly above mid point as I work up a load. My plan basically is to work up a load, then compare point of impact with Hornady critical defense with 115 gr FRT bullets. My reloads will be carrying XB 115 gr double struck RN bullets, I have 2000 on order. After loading a few (100-200) I'll compare point of impact between the Hornady Critical Defense and the reloads at 7 yds and 10 yds. If they end up real close, the reload will be for practice and the Critical Defense will be for home defense. If that doesn't go OK I'll need to come up with a different plan.
While I hope to never need to use my gun in personal defense, I know among other issues a lawyer would grab hold of the fact that I hand loaded the ammo used. That is why most police departments no longer reload so I'm told by a couple of local police.

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Certified NRA rifle instructor

Besides steel, aluminum, etc. there's only one brass I don't use at all, whereas 'decent' brass I load anything with and haven't had a problem. I call it 'one shot' brass. It's so thin it often separates on the first shot. If they are cracked and you drop them they make a ridiculously high pitched 'ting'.

Any Winchester, Remington, S&B, Fiochi, Federal, Hornady or mainstream brass is fine until they show signs of overuse.

Watch out for Berdan primed brass. A few of those end up in range pick-ups.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

The only basic sorting I do is for brass or nickel, while throwing out berdan primed, crimped primers, obvious defects, etc. I don't do bullseye shooting with 9mm (or much of anything else for that matter except .38 special). It works for me.

I forgot to mention, I use a Dillon 550B for Metalic cartridges and it works very well. I do have to adjust powder throw, I have 3 powder measures, 1 for pistol, one for std rifle and one for magnum rifle, but within each I need to adjust the throw as I change powders and calibers. I have a different tool head for each caliber I load, so once the dies are adjusted, they stay that way unless I go to a different bullet, in which case I need to adjust the seating die and sometimes the crimp die. That however is rare in pistol, but in my hunting loads I often use multiple bullets and thus adjusting is necessary. I also have a separate powder die with an attached funnel for times when I'm just doing a few of a certain load and don't want to adjust the automatic powder die/meter. In those rare cases I drop the powder, weigh the charge and top it off using a powder trickler to get exactly what I want.
Another question, Most load recipes call for CCI 500 primers, does anyone use Win Small Pistol for 9mm Luger? I have no CCI 500 but have thousands of Win. Small Pistol. I bought them years ago, shortly after they became available following a widespread primer shortage, I think it may have been during the 90's maybe.

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Certified NRA rifle instructor

I started loading 9mm in the late '80s, mostly with cast bullets. I've used jacketed and found no advantage over cast as long as the cast bullets fit; many don't. A cast bullet of the right alloy for the pressure/velocity that fits will often be more accurate than a jacketed bullet. If you don't cast, however, probably best to stick with jacketed.

I've tried many powders and there are a number of good ones, but Bullseye and 231 usually work well with all weights. If you're experimentally inclined, there are a number of other suitable powders to work with.

As for brass, pickup range brass will work, but you put yourself at an immediate disadvantage using mixed brass. If you're more interested in shooting than accuracy, go with the free stuff; it will make reasonably accurate loads. However, once-fired 9mm brass with the same headstamp is incredibly cheap, maybe the cheapest used brass around. Amortize the minimal cost over the lifespan of the brass and it's very inexpensive. I'm still using a batch of Winchester 9mm that I got more than twenty-five years ago. I don't know how many times it's been loaded and it shows no sign of wearing out anytime soon.

I have one 100 round Pak of 9mm cases that contains mixed cases
from Win., FC. Tula, Perfecta, RWS, PMC and R-P that I load for
my test loads from light target up to +P loadings.

They have been fired a total of six times and are loaded again for
test with plated 135 and 147gr bullets for a C9 pistol.

The base on a few are getting swollen just a little bit but still
function with the sizing die I use, in all my pistols, so far.

640 loads and still going, without any damaged cases.

Other than MAXXTECH brass which has a shoulder in the case that reduces case capacity somewhat, I treat all other brass as fungible.

I have had good luck with HP-38, Hi-Skor 800-X and Bullseye, particularly with lighter (115 gr and 124 gr) bullets.

I use those 2 interchangeably, mostly Win SP, for 9mm. Unless loaded near the top of +P, I use whatever small primer I can get. During a primer shortage, we could get all the SP magnum Win we wanted, and little else, but our chrono testing showed no statistical difference with SP and SP mag using our normal powder charges of HP38 or Titegroup at PF 140 and below. The only fellow here that could not use the mag primers interchangeably was loading major 9 with HS6 to power factor 170, which is NOT SAFE in normal 9mm guns (used in a custom pistol for USPSA OPEN).


Certified NRA pistol instructor

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Science plus Art