I get attacked all the time, but TWICE when I started reloading, the START load was at the very least MAX in my gun. Thus, I always check multiple sources and start with the lowest start load.
>At this point I'd like to find a load that my pistol "likes" being as accurate as possible
Well, unless you want to try the "optimum charge" ladder test—where rifle loads start at 300 yards, I would assume pistols would start at 100-150 yards—load development is the same as always:
You start at the starting load and go up by 2% increments or 0.2-0.3gn as a time. Fire a string of 5 shots, retrieve the cases and inspect for pressure signs. If you find a charge that produces a small group, load some on each side and repeat. Don't believe any one target--you need at least five to be sure that it wasn't a fluke and is consistent.
1) It isn't a rifle. It isn't going to give you <1MOA groups. Tricks and OCD actions that may or may not shave a cumulative 0.1" off a group has NO meaning for pistols. You need a good gun, a good bullet, and a good shooter. Load development is usually only about a 1" at 25 yards improvement issue. I have never fired a 6-8" group at 25 yards and, while working up the load, gotten a charge weight that consistently gave me <1.5" groups. A good bullet/powder/gun will fire "roughly" the same groups over the range of powder charges. There will almost always be a BEST zone, but it isn't going to an order of magnitude better.
2) Light loads need fast powders. Heavy loads need slow powders. Low pressure rounds need fast powders. High pressure rounds need slow powders. If you want to work a load down, you move to faster powders.
3) You can ask for loads from others, but that doesn't mean that they will be either accurate or safe in your gun.
4) Take loads in a manual with a grain of salt. All they can be is a guideline. Start low and work up.
Some don't seem to realize it, but chamber pressure is NOT a single number that everyone gets. Pressure varies depending on the gun used, the bullet used, the lot of powder used (this can be very important), the COL used (critical for small "high" pressure rounds like 9x19), and even the cases and primers used.
5) You have to determine the best COL, or, at least, the working COL range, for your gun with EACH bullet. It isn't hard, but manuals generally show what is really a minimum COL. SAAMI industry guidelines for tests calls for test ammunition to use a shorter COL than what will be offered, and I suspect this carries over to load testing for reloaders.
For me, I find that the longest COL that reliably feeds and chambers is the most accurate. Lead bullets often "kiss" the lede/rifling and jacketed bullets are just off by 0.005-0.010".
Here is my little write up for determining COL and finding the cause of any chambering problems:
Per Ramshot:
"SPECIAL NOTE ON CARTRIDGE OVERALL LENGTH “COL”
It is important to note that the SAAMI “COL” values are for the firearms and ammunition manufacturers industry and must be seen as a guideline only.
The individual reloader is free to adjust this dimension to suit their particular firearm-component-weapon combination.
This parameter is determined by various dimensions such as
1) magazine length (space),
2) freebore-lead dimensions of the barrel,
3) ogive or profile of the projectile and
4) position of cannelure or crimp groove.
• Always begin loading at the minimum ‘Start Load.’"
Your COL (OAL) is determined by your barrel (chamber and throat dimensions) and your gun (feed ramp) and your magazine (COL that fits magazine and when the magazine lips release the round for feeding) and the PARTICULAR bullet you are using. What worked in a pressure barrel or the lab's gun or in my gun has very little to do with what will work best in your gun.
Take the barrel out of the gun. Create two inert dummy rounds (no powder or primer) at max COL and remove enough case mouth flare for rounds to chamber (you can achieve this by using a sized case—expand-and-flare it, and remove the flare just until the case "plunks" in the barrel).
Drop the inert rounds in and decrease the COL until they chamber completely. This will be your "max" effective COL. I prefer to have the case head flush with the barrel hood. After this, place the inert rounds in the magazine and be sure they fit the magazine and feed and chamber.
You can also do this for any chambering problems you have. Remove the barrel and drop rounds in until you find one that won't chamber. Take that round and "paint" the bullet and case black with Magic Marker or other marker. Drop round in barrel (or gage) and rotate it back-and-forth.
Remove and inspect the round:
a) scratches on bullet--COL is too long
b) scratches on edge of the case mouth--insufficient crimp
c) scratches just below the case mouth--too much crimp, you're crushing the case
d) scratches on case at base of bullet--bullet seated crooked due to insufficient case expansion (not case mouth flare) or improper seating stem fit
e) scratches on case just above extractor groove--case bulge not removed during sizing. May need a bulge buster.
6) Straightwall cases don't need to be trimmed.
Cases for revolvers that head stamps on the case rim and get roll crimps are often trimmed to uniform length so the roll crimp will be consistent, but I have NEVER found it to matter--not even in my custom PPC revolvers.
Cases for semi-autos that head space on the case mouth should NEVER be trimmed. If you sort your cases by length and shoot them for accuracy, you will almost always find that the longest cases are the most accurate. Again, not by an order of magnitude, but enough. This is REALLY true for 9x19.
So, consistency is important, but you can make things consistently WORSE.
7) After shooting handguns recreationally and competitively for about 40 years, my take on bullets is:
jacketed are best. Cast can be good, particularly if you cast your own. Plated suck
JHPs and L-SWCs are the most accurate, followed by FN, and RN trails in the dust.
If you want really good jacketed bullets, look at Zero Bullets, Montana Gold, and Precision Delta.
If you want really good lead bullets, look at Zero Bullets, Precision Delta, and Precision Bullets (all three produce swaged lead bullets that are as consistent in weight and dimension as jacketed).
Good cast lead can be purchased from mastercastbullets.com, Missouri Bullets, and Penn Bullets.
For all lead bullets, slug you barrel and buy bullets that are AT LEAST 0.001" larger than the actual groove diameter of the barrel.
8) Powders that work great in low pressure cartridges are Bullseye, Red Dot, 231/HP38, and N320. Powders that work well in higher pressure, non-magnum cartridges are Power Pistol, Silhouette, True Blue, Unique, Herco, and BE-86. YMMV
So, Keep It Simple, follow the basics of reloading until you really get your feed wet, and TRY something before you just BELIEVE that it will be better.
