New to reloading. Questions about bullet weight.

[ordy]

Recently bought a Dillon 650 and after making about every mistake I could make finally figured it out. I started out with 45 acp using 200 gr lead bullet. After 500 successful rounds, I'm ready to move on and reconfigure my machine to 9mm at first and then to .38. Which bullet weight do you guys load in those calibers?

 

[29aholic]

I don't load 9mm but if I did I'd probably go with 147gr bullets. In 38/357 I generally load 158 LSWC's.

 

[muddocktor]

I load mainly 115 grain and 124/125 grain bullets for 9 MM. I have loaded 147 grain JHP too, but I don't think that is a starting point bullet for learning to load 9 MM. The bullets are so long there isn't a bunch of wiggle room as far as OAL and seating and passing the plunk test.

 

[LAA]

I just ran 600 9mm through the 650. These were 124 gr. Also load 147 & a few 115. I use different powders, and different bullet types. I'll probably never settle for just a few basic loads.

As to the 650, the day will come, when powder spills are infrequent, and almost every primer sets the right way. In case your not past that point. I remember my first 9's............... I'd flatten some of the cases to the point they wouldn't fit the barrel or gauge test. That hasn't happened in a long time.

 

[Peak53]

I'm with muddoktor on the bullets. I use 9 mm 124 g. Smallball and .38 Special 158 g. Semi-wadcutters in coated lead from Missouri Bullet Company with good success. The price and quality are competitive with a number of other good bullet makers. These work well for me from target velocities on up to near maximum loads. One note on the Smallball, these may need to be loaded shorter than manual suggestions depending on your chamber. I suggest loading a few at a time to find the optimal length. The .38 Special is much less sensitive to OAL. Lighter .38 specials may shoot low to point of aim.

 

[Scott in NCal]

Although I mostly use 9mm I seldom reliad it. Nowdays new factory ammo can.be delivered to my front door for $200/1000 rounds. Steell case from russia for about $50 less.. Reloading does not save much. Also I would not use handloads for self defense. In 38 special 148 grain HBWC, 158 semiwadcutter hollow points and 125 JHP in that order.,

 

[OKFC05]

A lot depends on your intended purpose, but 124gr is the original loading for 9mm, and 158gr is the most common in .38. A semiauto must have sufficient power to cycle reliably, so with 9mm anywhere from 115gr to 147gr is feasible with ordinary middle-of-the range handloads without getting into changing recoil springs.


Since a revolver does not use recoil power to cycle, the only things you have to watch are not enough power (stuck bullet in bore) and overpressure. 125gr to 158gr bullets are easily loaded with a baker's dozen of medium powders. The reloading charts are your friend!!


I personally use Titegroup and HP38 for all my 9mm and .38 Special loads. My standard minor power 9mm load is 124gr jacketed over Titegroup and my standard.38 revolver load is 158gr plated over HP38. I lierally shoot them by the bushel in competition.

 

[Nevada Ed]

If your 9mm will shoot lead bullets, there are lots of 124-125gr lead or coated bullets out there.
The 115gr jacket will give higher fps than a 124gr if you want speed
other wise the 124gr was the standard 9mm bullet weight when it came out............. barrel length helps in your results, also.

For the 38 special the 148 and 158gr lead bullets are king of the hill. Lots of them out there and lots of data.

Here is a 9mm coated 125gr, .358 dia. bullet that did not work in my pistol, loaded in a 38 special case.
Nothing goes to waste.

 

[Wise_A]

38 Spl:
--158-gr LSWC are the typical bullet used for most forms of recreational shooting and match/target work.

--148-gr wadcutters are fun, nostalgic for a lot of guys, and work great inside of 50 yards or so.

--125-gr RN can be a little cheaper for plinking, but not by a lot.

9mm:
I play around with 115-gr RN, 124-gr RN, and 124-gr plated hollowpoints.

 

[Ballistic147]

All my 9mm's are loaded with 124gr RNFMJ's. My Shield seems to do better with 124gr and all the others don't care. Right now I'm using bullets from Everglades Ammo. I order a case (3,750) from them that ended up about $80 per thousand. These are loaded with 5gr of Power Pistol.

For 38's I use 125gr JSP's for higher velocity stuff and the Hornady 140gr Cowboy Lead bullets for low velocity plinkers with either W231 or Bullseye for powder. Once you get the roll crimp figured out they will go smooth. So far 38's and 40S&W have been the easiest calibers to load.

Word of warning, 9mm's can be finicky to get right. I struggled with them for a while before I got it figured out. Neck tension is your friend on those. If you can get that right they are a breeze. Flare the neck just enough to get the bullet started and no more. Also be careful with the crimp. All you want to do is remove the flare.

 

[m657]

OP:
welcome to the rich learning opportunities of the 650. After almost 20 years with this particular machine, it is possible to invent even newer mistakes that serves as a temporary hesitation in progress of the growing pile of ammo that flawlessly issues from it's productive maw....don't ask how I know this....*kaff*kaff*

I've experimented widely with powders & projectiles in those calibers you mention. Personally I've yet to find a 147 9mm load that give me any advantage for my own purposes.

I'm satisfied with 115/124 whether lead or otherwise, and as long as heavy enough to cycle the action all recipes seem to perform well enough for accuracy in a variety of 9mm pistols.

38 Special also performs very well in any of the 124-158 cast lead recipes found in standard publications. I'm a recent convert fan to the long ignored 147 DEWC that somehow I overlooked for so long.

My own demand for 'accuracy' has found variations in such are more attributable to personal daily variables than what the recipes produce. Some gun powders are more or less pleasant to shoot due to such as muzzle blast, recoil, or even residual odors. My days of need for bulls eye accuracy are long past, and as long as I can expect reliable 6" steel plate music at 50' I'm satisfied....although now & then a golf ball sneaking into the target bay may need a little attention.

In 45 acp I favor 200 or 230 grain RN lead. While I get best accuracy at around 750fps, many powders just don't have that slowness. Getting above 825 or so my groups start to expand. You'll find your own favorite with a bit of experimentation.

Good shooting!

 

[gwpercle]

lot depends on what you will be shooting, general paper punching and tin can hunting I use:

9 mm Luger - 120 to 124 grain cast Truncated Cone.

38 special- 158 grain cast SWC is standard, but I have a mould that makes a 160 grain button nose wadcutter that is very accurate and has become a favorite .

Gary

 

[just plain joe]

I don't want to drift the thread here but........If you use lead bullets in pistols, i.e. 9 m/m & .45 ACP, do so with this in mind. Both head-space on the mouth of the case as opposed to revolver cartridges which head-space on the rim.

Over time there may be a buildup of lead in the chamber where the mouth of the case contacts the beginning of the lands and grooves. If lead is not removed from this area, you may find that the slide may not go fully forward. In this case you may experience one of the two loudest sounds in the world....a "click" when you expect a "bang", or at least a "mushy" trigger.

Good luck with your reloading.

JPJ

 

[mtgianni]

I shoot 125-135 gr cast in the 9mm, 115 jacketed. I have 3 38 specials and 2 357 none of which have ever seen jacketed in my ownership and have no need to. I load from 113 gr to 195 gr in the 38, but the most commonly used is the 358477 @ 158 gr.
In response to JPJ's comment, yes guns need to be cleaned on a regular basis. I have however shot at least 650 rds of 9mm cast without ever noticing a leading buildup resulting in a ftf or failure to chamber.

 

[Granddad]

9mm--124/125 gr RN and some 147 gr TC
38 sp--mostly 158 gr SWC
I've gone almost entirely to Hi-tek coated bullets. They don't gum up your dies, shoot clean, no leading, and less expensive than jacketed and plated (although sometimes one can fine a good deal on plated).

 

[ordy]

Lots to digest here. Thanks for that. Using tite group powder and 200 gr swc bullets for the 45acp, the Leyman book gives a range of 4.8 to 5.6 (if memory serves). I ran into a guy who uses the same components and loads only to 4.0. Very soft shooting, accurate at 50 feet and cycles the gun (two different Dan Wessons) just fine. Makes me wonder about the information given in the book.

 

[elpac3]

Remember, the "books" are providing data to stay within SAMI specs and to operate most firearms. It is possible the guy shooting the light loads may be shooting a "softball" gun fitted with reduced weight springs.

 

[Qc Pistolero]

Nominal standard weight for 9mm is 125gr and 158gr for .38SPL.This doesn't mean that you can't go anywhere else but since you're beginning to explore the intricacies of reloading,you couldn't go wrong going along with these.As you gain experience,you'll do as most of us have done;start riding off trail and have fun.
But always play it safe!
Qc

 

[fredj338]

115gr for 9mm is the cheapest way to go. 158gr for 38sp keeps your fixed sighted guns at POI. I load 147gr for gun games, shoot softer than lighter bullets for the same power factor.

 

[m657]

I've abandoned games that require 'power factor'.

I'm searching for games that forgo an actual timer, and something that didn't count your misses would be great too.

So far my best shooting is weekdays before the crowd pulls in.
Not so much during 'matches' where some jackwad ALWAYS brings a timer & score sheet.....