new reloader 9mm help

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Brando1992

New member
I have purchased the ABC's of reloading and the lee classic turret kit which came with the lee reloading manual I have been reading a lot and trying to determine which load data to use so I can determine what powder and bullets to buy.

Ive heard great things about HP38, Power Pistol and winchester 231.

I plan to reload just 9mm for now but eventually will reload 45 and .223. I would like to get a powder that I can use on both 9mm and 45 and if possible 223 as well.

I am just using these rounds for pinking so I have been looking into berrys or rainiers round nose bullets probably 115 grain. In my load manual there are sections for 115 grain jacketed and 155 grain copper plated. I assume both of these fall under the copper plated section?

Also for jacketed or plated none of the powders I am interested in have load data but there is load data for those powders in XTP.

I have also found that most load data online for different powder manufactures are only giving data for hollow point bullets. Should I just skip the cheap FMJ/Plated and get HP's? Or is there a good place to find load data for plated/jacketed bullets using the powders listed?

Other powders I have locally include CFE pistol accurate #7 #5 and #2 any hodgdon powders, Unique is available and imr 4350 and 4064.

Any help is appreciated. I have also looked at Lymans and horady reloading manuals and not found much help there either.

Thanks!
 
I'll help you as best I can. HP38 and Win231 are one and the same currently. The come from the same source just packaged differently.

I can't help with the 115gr 'cause I strictly use 124gr. My preferred powder currently is BE-86 with these and I'm shooting under an inch at 10 yards. I'm not switching.

I use the lead recommended loads for my Xtreme Plated bullets. I don't need to push them very hard.

Having said that W231 in my 124gr Xtreme FP/RN work very well, just a bit of brass tarnishing from the powder. No big deal really. It's just they aren't as accurate as my BE-86 loads.

Good luck!
 
I'm not the most experienced reloader, butt I have been reloading 9mm, .45 acp, and .223 rem for over a year, so I'll try to help.

First, and I may be wrong here, but I'm pretty sure there's no powder that you can use for all three calibers; there are pistol powders and there are rifle powders. Trying to mix and match them can result in catastrophic failure of your firearm and possibly serious injury.

As for 115 grain 9mm plated bullets (such as Berry's), I'm currently using Hodgdon's Titegroup @ 3.5 grains. Out of both my G19 and my S&W Shield this recipe has cycled consistently and produced more than acceptable accuracy to at least 15 yards. However, I'm not advocating this recipe for you and your guns, I'm just saying that was the formula that worked for me. You'll need to work up your own loads accordingly.

It also can be used for .45 acp, and many other calibers. It meters pretty consistently, and is fairly economical, as the charges tend to be pretty small. Which is where you have to be careful; it's pretty easy to put a double or even a triple change into many pistol cases with Titegroup. Again, this can lead to damage to both yourself and your firearm, so I double check all powder charges, especially when using TG.

As for finding data, in general, if you use plated bullets use the cast lead data. Or if you use Alliant powders, most of the time all they have is jacketed data, so you want to start about 10% below their jacketed STARTING data.

The really experienced reloaders here will chime in soon and give you a lot more info, so I'll sign off here.
 
Thanks guys I appreciate the responses! I kinda knew the pistol powder would not work in the 223 from what all I have read but one could hope ;)
 
Oh shoot... forgot about the .45 ACP, I use W231 on both 185gr and 230gr. Titegroup also for 230gr. Both cycle the 1911 perfectly, but if I go too light, my Redhawk takes them just fine for range fodder! :cool:

W231/HP38 is my zombie apocalypse powder! It works in a whole lot of pistol calibers. Unique is probably broader, but it's a pain to meter consistently. I keep a stash on hand for my 45 Colt.

Titegroup I try to keep also, because a little goes a long way, but it's got a narrow window, and not quite as broad of use, though it will work in a pinch. You just have to be hyper vigilant about double charges!

.223? Nope, none of these would work with it IMO. I have an assortment of (rifle) powders depending on gun and bullet choice.
 
First ?, what 9 are you shooting?

If you want plinking and target stick with berry's or I would recommend xtreme plated bullets and you will be happy. No need to goto xtp or other premium bullets for plinking. You could also use some mbc lead for the 9 and 45 which would be a little cheaper. I have started to prefer the 147 plated from xtreme in the 9.

Get you some cfe pistol or hp38 for the 9 and unique is probably ome of the best powders for 45 out there. But all 3 will work for each.

Also get some h335 for the 223, I have has good luck with it and it meters well.

You'll need small and large pistol primers and some magnum small rifle primers.

If you can wait a bit, the lyman 50th is due to come out.
 
I am mainly reloading to practice shooting my glock 34. I will also shoot my reloads through a glock 19 and a smith and Wesson shield and when I reload 45 it will be shot through a Ruger sr1911. Where is the best place to purchase xtreme plated bullets at?

Thanks!
 
I got my Xtreme 9mm 115g RN and 45ACP 200g RN at Cabela's a few weeks ago. They had a sale and the 9mm was $31.99 for a box of 500 while the 45ACP was $37.99.
 
You can use Bullseye or Unique to load any pistol cartridge, and they both work very well for 9mm. I use Bullseye because it measures easier. I load my 9mm's pretty hot; Bullseye is not just for target loads.

HP38 and W231 are the same powder now (maybe they always were, nobody knows for sure.) And it's a good one.

You'll need a different powder for .223. I like Varget but there are lots of others.
 
When I talk to a new reloader, I suggest they start with a tried and true load/ component combo. For starters, and you can always change later when you gain a bit of experience, I'd say a 124 JRN bullet, and wait for using plated or lead bullets (won't be long). 17 bizillion rounds have been reloaded with 124 JRN bullets and every 9mm gun manufactured will feed and shoot them.

There are so many powders being used for 9mm today that it's hard for me to recommend one, my Hodgdom manual has 13 powders listed for 124 gr JRN/FMJ bullets. (I use HS-6, Universal, Unique, W231/HP38, 700x, and prolly a couple more I forgot). Look in a manual (I prefer any one of 8 manuals I have over my Lee manual) and find a powder(s) that is listed for both the 9mm and 45 ACP, make a list, and if you find some powder check your list. I prefer a powder with a larger "window" for min. to max., less chance of an OOPS! (some powders have a max. just .3 or .4 grain from min/starting load to maximum load). Also manuals have a "Powder Section" that give a description of the powders and what they were designed for/work good in.

Go slow, double check everything, and most important, have fun...
 
I've had good results with 700X. Economical, accurate,relatively bulky and fills the case full enough to help prevent double charges. The big drawback is it's a little more difficult to get consistent powder drops. For me works best in my Lee Auto Drum. I believe it also meters well from my Lee PPM but I prefer the auto drum since I load 9mm on my LoadMaster.
 
X-Treme sells their bullets direct online. They run modest sales on something every day, but towards the end of the month, often for several days, the sale is free shipping. That is when I order.

X-Treme bullets seem fairly heavy in the plating, and X-Treme recommends running them at mid-range jacketed recipes.

Just to be clear to the OP: Your OAL will vary quite a bit between round nose jacketed and JHP ammo, because the hollow point effectively moves lead to the back of the bullet, making a hollow point of the same weight quite a bit longer. You want to keep the seating depth the same, so the OAL will be longer with the hollow point.
 
My opinion is to pick a powder, and load. In the past couple of years I've loaded 800x, red dot, 700x, 800x,Longshot and cfe pistol and h110. I've about 5 other powder in the cabinet (power pistol, unique, bullseye) all have worked with berry's and my cast. Just pick one and load!. I like cfe and 700x and power pistol, for the berry's.
 
Y'all please correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard folks say that lead bullets are a no-no in Glocks?

If that is true, would it also be true for plated bullets?

I don't quite comprehend WHY cast bullets are not good in Glocks, other than the polygonal barrel?
 
I develop my loads from what is the most economically readily available so I can shoot all year.
 
To find a variety (and a lot) of opinions on shooting cast lead in a Glock poly barrel go here and search "lead boolits in a Glock" http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forum.php

I've read that it just takes a little more research, alloying and testing to get lead bullets to work in a Glock bbl., but it certainly is doable...:D
 
Y'all please correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard folks say that lead bullets are a no-no in Glocks?

If that is true, would it also be true for plated bullets?

I don't quite comprehend WHY cast bullets are not good in Glocks, other than the polygonal barrel?
Click to expand...

Glock says not to use lead bullets due to leading of the barrel. Lots of folks say they have done so without problems, some with a little extra cleaning effort. Plated bullets are fine. I use lots of X-Treme bullets in mine with no problem.
 
Please be very very careful.
Do never use pistol or revolver powder on a rifle.:eek:
This will severely damage your rifle and cause harm or severe injuries to you.
 
Over the years, I've found Accurate #5 to be a remarkably versatile powder that meters like water in any powder measure I've used. I know it gives a good range of velocities for all bullet weights in 9mm & 45 ACP, and I've used it successfully in 32 Long, 32 H&R Mag, 380ACP, 38 Special, 357 Mag, 9mm Makarov, 44 Magnum and 45 Colt. It may not give maximum velocity or maximum economy in any particular caliber or bullet weight, but it is useful and relatively clean over a broad range of handgun loads. If I could only have one powder, it would almost certainly be #5.

FWIW, I will admit it seems like virtually every recommendation for a handgun load has Unique at or near the head of the list. But I can only say that, based on the one experience I had (years ago) shooting somebody else's Unique loads, it's the dirtiest smokeless powder I've ever put through a gun. (Black powder IS dirtier.) I have no idea how it meters, but just based on the cleanup I've never used it myself. YMMV, of course.
 
That's why you have the load books. Use a couple. Some books have different loads that others don't show. Go through the books and find a powder that works for what your looking for. .223 is a rifle and the 9mm, other than carbines, are handguns. I use quite a bit of HP-38 for handguns and 748 for my .223's. All due respect but never take a load given on a forum. Ok you can take it but check it out. If it's not a published load don't use it. Not that the people are necessarily wrong but people make mistakes when writing them down. Like me mistyping. LOL Take your time and learn by doing your research. Just because one powder will work in different calibers does not mean it will work "well" in your circumstance. Different calibers and different firearms like different things. Took me the better part of a year, off and on, to find a load for my .44 1894. That's kinda the fun huh. LOL
 
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