Inconsistent 9mm handloads. Enormous groups. Please help.

Before you go any further, I'd strongly suggest you do a Ladder Test starting with the lowest powder charge and ending with the highest powder charge. You will never attain accuracy by just picking a random powder weight and testing. Also, what you are doing is dangerous. The Ladder Test is explained in just about every Loading Manual and you should follow this advice to the letter.

When you work up charges, it is best to load 5 to 7 rounds at the first charge weight, then do the same for the next step up (i.e. .1 or .2), and so on until you reach the highest charge.

Then, get a good rest for your pistol and shoot slow fire groups at each charge weight, giving time between each group for the barrel to cool.

Then examine your targets and you will find that one or two groups appear to be the tightest. Do not worry about where they land on the target, your only concern at this stage is how tight they group.

Once you have found the tightest grouping charge, you can load a few more, adjust your sights until the POI = POA and you should be good to go.

This has worked for me and many others for years.

Just a few cautionary notes that are worth mentioning...

1. Learn how to recognize over pressure. If you aren't sure or don't know, then STOP RELOADING IMMEDIATELY, and re-read your load manuals on this topic until you are comfortable. When you see over pressure STOP. The load before you hit the over charge condition is the maximum your pistol can safely tolerate.

2. Ensure your shooting technique while testing is consistent each time. A rest or a few bags will help a lot.

One last thought... FOLLOW YOUR LOAD MANUAL'S INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LETTER. Do not go it alone. If you do not have a good load manual, then I would suggest you get the Speer, Hornady, or Lyman Manual and the ABC's of Reloading Book. The knowledge in these books will keep you and the folks around you safe.

Hope this advice helps...
 
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+1 for Paladin7

I will add get a mentor. There is something we are all taking our best guess at but an hour or two with someone that knows what he/she is doing with a loading press is gold.
 
Most plated bullets are not stable beyond 1200 fps or so. I am guessing you are about 200 feet per second above that?

Do your targets have what look like tears where the bullets go through? That indicates tumbling bullets and you won't get accuracy from them at high speeds.

I have even found the 1200 fps can be too much. It depends on your barrel twist and length too but in your case I'm guessing your too fast for those bullets which are probably made for 380 use.
 
Spot on, disseminator. A guy on the range told me this as I thought they were jacketed. Tried 3 lighter loads today and the all worked. Great groupings. Thanks.
 
Don P,

His COAL of 1.0825" possibly isn't too short for the 9mm. Would depend on bullet nose profile.
I'm shooting 115gr Sierra JHP out of my Walther PPS, Springfield Armory XDS3.3.
If I load these longer than the 1.050" listed in the Sierra Manual, they don't chamber correctly.
Hornady XTP's I can load much longer.
 
His COAL of 1.0825" possibly isn't too short for the 9mm. Would depend on bullet nose profile.
Click to expand...
I have several barrels from different manufacturers for a glock--and none of the chambers are exactly the same. While the 9mm is typically called a straight-walled cartridge, it's not really and has a slight taper to it, so I think this can also affect how your cartridge chambers and headspaces, in addition to your case mouth. When I do "ladder tests" for a handgun I'm not looking for "the best harmonics" that results in best groups--I'm looking for the best combination that safely, effectively and consistently shoots well from my handgun. Tolerances in case profiles to the chamber I've found are more critical when loading for a handgun--even how the bullet seats to the case; potentially expanding the case, can affect that.

I've had one of my handloads squib into a semi-auto handgun before; I was lucky that I spotted the problem before pressing on with further shooting. It could have easily gone the other way and I had blown up the gun. I use a healthy dose of caution when reloading for handguns--I make sure I spot each shot when working up a load. If the report of the shot, even if it successfully impacts the target sounds even slightly different from the other previous ones--I'll immediately examine and then field strip the gun looking for signs of abnormal functioning. That's just me--and I'm not an expert--but I have made a lot of mistakes along the way. ;)
 
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