Hey guys/gals, today was my first range session using both the 9mm and 45ACP loads that I made up. (First time ever reloading)
First up - the 9mm loads. I was using 124gr FMJ RN with 4.6gr of VV N340 sized to approx 1.142". These rounds cycled and fired flawlessly from a gen 4 glock, a sig 226 and a Shadow with nice accuracy overall. My questions regarding this load is how much soot is supposed to be in the case after firing? I read a range report on this forum where the OP was talking about loads being "sooty" and as he increased the powder charged they began to fire "cleanly". All my cases seemed to be slightly dirtier than the factory loads that I used in comparison. Second question - when I was seating the bullets I could not get a consistent measurement. Ranges were 1.130-1.145 with majority being from 1.138-1.142. I figure it out to be where the seating stem was contacting the bullet on the ogive and not the bullet tip. I do not have a stem that will seat from the bullet tip though. Will the variance be acceptable as long as the seating by ogive is the constant vs the actual OAL from base to tip?
Next were the 45ACP fired from a sig 220 scorpion. Using a 230gr TMJ RN with 5.6gr of N340 at an OAL of 1.245". I had to adjust the OAL from the load Datas suggestion of 1.260" as they would not chamber correctly. These rounds fired excellently and were extremely accurate...with the exception of 4 rounds. They got stuck in the chamber and the gun would not come into full battery. It required an exceptional amount of force to rack the slide to eject the round. I put all 4 aside and brought them home to check out. They measured approx 1.247-1.249 and barely failed the chamber check. I pressed them down to 1.245 and they chambered fine - except the rounds would not freely spin in the chamber (something I hadn't checked with the other rounds either). So I crunched them down to 1.240 and they seemed to fit perfect, plunked right in and spun without force. My question is whether It is ok to drop my next loads down to an OAL of 1.240 to eliminate the chamber issue, and if I do, can I leave the powder charge alone since my previous loads showed zero signs of excessive pressure.
Sorry for the long post - I appreciate any feedback and assistance you can give!
First up - the 9mm loads. I was using 124gr FMJ RN with 4.6gr of VV N340 sized to approx 1.142". These rounds cycled and fired flawlessly from a gen 4 glock, a sig 226 and a Shadow with nice accuracy overall. My questions regarding this load is how much soot is supposed to be in the case after firing? I read a range report on this forum where the OP was talking about loads being "sooty" and as he increased the powder charged they began to fire "cleanly". All my cases seemed to be slightly dirtier than the factory loads that I used in comparison. Second question - when I was seating the bullets I could not get a consistent measurement. Ranges were 1.130-1.145 with majority being from 1.138-1.142. I figure it out to be where the seating stem was contacting the bullet on the ogive and not the bullet tip. I do not have a stem that will seat from the bullet tip though. Will the variance be acceptable as long as the seating by ogive is the constant vs the actual OAL from base to tip?
Next were the 45ACP fired from a sig 220 scorpion. Using a 230gr TMJ RN with 5.6gr of N340 at an OAL of 1.245". I had to adjust the OAL from the load Datas suggestion of 1.260" as they would not chamber correctly. These rounds fired excellently and were extremely accurate...with the exception of 4 rounds. They got stuck in the chamber and the gun would not come into full battery. It required an exceptional amount of force to rack the slide to eject the round. I put all 4 aside and brought them home to check out. They measured approx 1.247-1.249 and barely failed the chamber check. I pressed them down to 1.245 and they chambered fine - except the rounds would not freely spin in the chamber (something I hadn't checked with the other rounds either). So I crunched them down to 1.240 and they seemed to fit perfect, plunked right in and spun without force. My question is whether It is ok to drop my next loads down to an OAL of 1.240 to eliminate the chamber issue, and if I do, can I leave the powder charge alone since my previous loads showed zero signs of excessive pressure.
Sorry for the long post - I appreciate any feedback and assistance you can give!