power pistol, sport pistol, 147g

H

Huxta

Inactive
I decided to start playing around with reloading for the heck of it. I have a M&P 2.0 9mm. I picked up some power pistol and sport pistol and have Acme 147gr fp NLG coated bullets and mixed range brass. I have seen so many load numbers I cannot keep them straight. Let me know if the below is a good starting point or if you have any better advice.

Power pistol
4.5gr
OAL 1.145

Sport Pistol
3.5gr
OAL 1.1
 
Just yesterday my buddy at the range had loaded 3.8 Power Pistol under a coated 147. He had loaded 4.4 and had experienced horrendous leading in a 5 inch gun. The 3.8 was only going about 840 fps,a pretty soft load,but still there was minor leading. This bullet I have shot by the thousands at 950 to 1020 fps with zero issues from 5 inch pistols.(Not with Power Pistol) Maybe his barrel is at fault,or maybe Power Pistol burns too hot against the bullet base and melts it. We did not chrono the 4.4 load,but I have never seen a worse case of leading. His gun is a Beretta that he has shot for a long time. With your load of 4.5 I would watch for leading carefully. Hope you don't have a problem
 
Alliant doesn't list a load for 147g coated bullets and Power Pistol. In fact, no loads for Power Pistol and 9mm coated bullets are provided which tells me that it's a no-go for probably exactly the reason you are discovering. I did see a few power puff cowboy loads (like 1 grain) and lead bullets but no coated in any of the other calibers.

They do list loads for Sport Pistol Acme 147g coated at 3.5g (P) and 3.7g (+P) with the latter velocities still sub 1000fps.

Given that their load data specifically uses Acme coated bullets (which are Hi-Tek so not unlike the many options but still, it's brand specific), I'd suggest sticking with the Sport Pistol and checking for any leading issues there.

I regularly run coated bullets with AA#7 and Titegroup and have no issues at all.
 
I decided to start playing around with reloading for the heck of it.
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Reloading is not for playing around. In small capacity cases, like the 9mm, it's very easy to overload and injure your pistol and yourself. Grab a Hornady Manual and educate yourself on the terminology and the excellent information. I started in 1970 to save money and load better bullets than factory offerings. Now, next to fishing, it's my main hobby. Yes, I reload all listed below, except 22LR.
 
Hello, welcome to TFL. We're here to help in any way we can.

I decided to start playing around with reloading for the heck of it.
Click to expand...

Yes, that raised an eyebrow with me too. But we can't read tone through the written word, so I'll brush it aside - kind of. Loading your own ammo can be highly rewarding. For many, it becomes a craft and hobby in and of itself (I, for one). But please approach all handloading endeavors with a great deal of caution and respect for that fact that you are basically making little bombs. It's not something with which to take a cavalier approach.

You need to thoroughly read a manual. Hornady's was mentioned. Yes, that's a good choice. So is Speer (my personal recommendation).

As also mentioned, 9mm is a small case. Which means relatively small mistakes can potentially yield big negative results. 9mm is a bit persnikity and not the best choice for beginners. But if that's what you have, then that's what you have.

Power Pistol happens to be highly energetic (and happens to be one of my favorite propellants - but more detail on that some other time). That means it's less forgiving than other more lackadaisical propellants (like HS-6 or AA#5). I would discourage folks new to loading to start with Power Pistol. I have no experience with Sport Pistol, but I understand that it has a pretty fast burn rate. Still not a good choice for a beginner.

147 grain bullets are heavy for caliber. That means that small changes in propellant charge weight can yield big changes in pressure. They become particularly unforgiving with fast powders (like Sport Pistol, maybe?).

So we have someone new to handloading; loading a small case, with an energetic and/or fast propellant, and heavy bullets. See our concern? This would be a really good time to make sure you have all your ducks in a row. The second thing I would recommend (reading the manual being the first) is getting some 115 grain bullets to start with. The lighter bullet buys some loading error forgiveness. Not to mention that they would be a better "balanced" choice for Sport Pistol (I believe, again, I have no direct experience with it.). With 115's, I would be more comfortable guiding a new loader along who is using Power Pistol. 147's, not so much.
 
Short answer, if it is a starting load, I would personally go down to 4.1 or 4.2 to start. depending on the manual and load data 4.5 is 0.1g under max

For power pistol

50th edition Lyman has 147g cast lead at 1.058 oal, power pistol start 4.1, max 4.6. Jacketed bullets at 4.5-5.0

Hornady has 147s at start 3.5, max5.1 but those are jacketed as well

alliant has jacketed at a max of 5.0

Also seating farther out does give you a bit of a safety buffer as the increased case volume can decrease pressures.

As always, be safe, follow the manuals, and start low and work your way up.

Personally I would start lower, load 1 each of see if they cycle the gun, look for flat primers, and see it barely kicks them out or throws them into near earth orbit.
What I would do personally if I was starting out with the components listed.
4.0
4.2
4.4
shoot
then if everything looks good try 4.6
with it being a coated lead I would personally be comfortable pushing into plated bullet territory
I would probably continue from there in 0.1g increases up to 5.0g. shoot 1, check, load the next one up just to know that it is safe. even if 5 is safe i would probably not go any higher than 4.8 peronally.
 
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