ligonierbill
New member
...I must be getting the Oldtimer's disease.
CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond or not covered by currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.
The caution is for the 9mm Browning Long, aka 9x20 SR, for which I have not found verifiable published data, not because these are gonzo loads. I ran three pistols this morning: Colt Offical Police 5" .38 Special, Sig Sauer P226 357 Sig and the subject of the caution, Husqvarna 1907 9mm Browning Long.
Though it is nominally 9mm, the Huskie is actually about a 0.358 bore. PPU sells ammo, a 107 gr FMJ. I tried some 110 gr .357 Hornady XTPs, but with once fired PPU cases run through RCBS dies, these have no neck tension. So, I have been working with Hunters' Supply .359 cast 100 gr. Unique did OK, but I wanted to try my bottom feeder standby, Power Pistol. My first set, with 5.5 gr, ran 1,229 avg/8.5 Std, about 100 fps faster than the PPU rounds. Seemed reasonable for slightly lighter lead bullets. Second round in the second set went "thud", and the case stovepiped. Hmmm. Disassembled the pistol, and yep, the bullet is stuck in the barrel. No unlit powder - I clearly failed to charge the case. So, I feel stupid, but that first set looks good. Just need a good load for fun in case the PPU ammo disappears.
But now I had these 110 XTPs. So, I loaded some .38 Specials. Out of my 1937 Colt, Hornady's max of 7.5 gr Power Pistol went 1,234 avg/24.9 Std. Not bad at all. In fact, that's good for 372 lb-ft, best energy I've seen out of that pistol. Most, me included, like cast 158s out of the old Special, but I wonder if we are missing a good load. Energy isn't everything, but it's something to consider.
Finally, somewhat unrelated, I really nailed down my 357 Sig load. For whatever reason, I had not been able to get more than 1,350 out of my G23 with an aftermarket barrel. Kept pulling the extractor off the case with anything hotter. Not so with this new to me Sig. Running a 125 Speer GDHP over 13.2 gr AA#9, this pistol generated 1,430 avg/9.2 Std with perfect function. That matches exactly Hornady 125 commercial loads from my 4" GP-100. I'm happy with that.
But I still can't believe I "dry balled" that 9mm Browning. Humbling.
CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond or not covered by currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.
The caution is for the 9mm Browning Long, aka 9x20 SR, for which I have not found verifiable published data, not because these are gonzo loads. I ran three pistols this morning: Colt Offical Police 5" .38 Special, Sig Sauer P226 357 Sig and the subject of the caution, Husqvarna 1907 9mm Browning Long.
Though it is nominally 9mm, the Huskie is actually about a 0.358 bore. PPU sells ammo, a 107 gr FMJ. I tried some 110 gr .357 Hornady XTPs, but with once fired PPU cases run through RCBS dies, these have no neck tension. So, I have been working with Hunters' Supply .359 cast 100 gr. Unique did OK, but I wanted to try my bottom feeder standby, Power Pistol. My first set, with 5.5 gr, ran 1,229 avg/8.5 Std, about 100 fps faster than the PPU rounds. Seemed reasonable for slightly lighter lead bullets. Second round in the second set went "thud", and the case stovepiped. Hmmm. Disassembled the pistol, and yep, the bullet is stuck in the barrel. No unlit powder - I clearly failed to charge the case. So, I feel stupid, but that first set looks good. Just need a good load for fun in case the PPU ammo disappears.
But now I had these 110 XTPs. So, I loaded some .38 Specials. Out of my 1937 Colt, Hornady's max of 7.5 gr Power Pistol went 1,234 avg/24.9 Std. Not bad at all. In fact, that's good for 372 lb-ft, best energy I've seen out of that pistol. Most, me included, like cast 158s out of the old Special, but I wonder if we are missing a good load. Energy isn't everything, but it's something to consider.
Finally, somewhat unrelated, I really nailed down my 357 Sig load. For whatever reason, I had not been able to get more than 1,350 out of my G23 with an aftermarket barrel. Kept pulling the extractor off the case with anything hotter. Not so with this new to me Sig. Running a 125 Speer GDHP over 13.2 gr AA#9, this pistol generated 1,430 avg/9.2 Std with perfect function. That matches exactly Hornady 125 commercial loads from my 4" GP-100. I'm happy with that.
But I still can't believe I "dry balled" that 9mm Browning. Humbling.
Last edited: