I am going to be loading 9mm Berry's 9mm 115grn RNFP bullets and have a question. What should my C.O.A.L. be? I cant find any info on that. I will be loading Titegroup and BE-86. Thanks for your help!!

I see a lot of guys load 9mm a little shorter it really depends on what your particular gun runs well at. I have in my notebook as a total max coal 1.125 but usually load berrys at 1.115 and have read many guys run 1.100 or 1.105. I figure try 1.115 and see if your gun loads and ajects well at that length. Any problems you can shorten up.

Depends somewhat on your powder charge.

My load:
115 grain Berry's .356 round nose plated
4.0 grains Titegroup
OAL 1.107"

This works well in my CZ 75BD. Your 9mm pistol may need rounds loaded longer or shorter. Be sure to plunk test. And because the rounds dry cycle by hand does not mean they will cycle at the range.

Read the link below and posting #3 by Wobbly, this method applies to adjusting OAL for any pistol or rifle.

Topic: How to determine Max OAL for a CZ Pistol
How to determine Max OAL for a CZ Pistol

Below from Berry's website
9mm 115 gr Flat Point

Description

Berry's Superior Plated Bullets are swaged and plated to final weight and re-struck

for accuracy and precision. They are more affordable than jacketed rounds and won't

foul your barrel with lead.

SAAMI MAX COL = 1.169"
Can withstand velocities up to 1250 fps.

When you don't know what length works in *your* pistol, follow daddio202's advice . . . start a little shorter than for RN with a dummy bullet, and shorten as/if needed until it feeds well.

In my 9mm pistols......
I find that I can get away with a shorter OAL with lead bullets
but the plated or heavy copper bullets need a longer OAL
for my pistols to get better accuracy.

RN feed great, the flat nose bullets might need to be "Adjusted"
to work with your ramp and pistol with different velocity's.

I did not try the 115gr FN but did try the larger 135gr.
It did not do well in my 3.5" accuracy wise out of five powders but
it did fair with CFE Pistol. In a 5" barrel it worked a lot better.

The Speer 147gr semi FN was my best non-RN bullet , tested to date
in my short and long barreled 9mm pistols. 1.13 to 1.165" loadings.

Good luck.

It seems to be the most baffeling aspect of reloading, OAL. It comes down to this; load to the longest OAL that fits your gun & your barrel.
Make a summy round loaded long, something like 1.150". Now try it in your removed barrel. If it fits flush with the hood & drops free, its good right there. Then try it in your mag, all the way down. That is the correct OAL for that bullet inyour gun. Every other bullet will have its own OAL, regardless of any data source.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

+1 on what fredj338 said.

.

My simple rule, for semi-automatic pistol cartridges, no matter what bullet you're loading, or in what pistol:

1)- Seat the bullet for the longest COAL"

that,

2)- will still pass the plunk test in the barrel/chamber of the pistol it will be shot in,

and,

3)- still feed properly in your magazine,


but

4)- does not exceed the SAAMI max. COAL" for that cartridge.

.

Record that reading (COAL") for future use with that exact bullet & forego the above next time you reload for it when using an appropriate powder charge.

.

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Waiting for the break of day